Robot Rubber Snake: A Biological Inspiration

Many science fiction shows often depict robots as metallic, resembling human anatomy, or with multiple of joints, consisting of many pneumatic or hydraulic actuators. The problem with these robots, and some robots today, is simple: they are inflexible. This often results to restrictions in what the robot can do and safety hazards as, due to motion restrictions, they could accidentally injure people nearby. Currently, though, robots today are going through evolution, but not an evolution as the common citizen might assume; robots are now being built in the form of nature's biological masterpieces, from robots that swim like fishes to robots that run like cheetahs. Now, MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence lab has developed a 3D printed robotic tentacle, resembling the kinetic movement patterns of a snake, capable of moving through pipes, channels, and burrows. The robot consists of a rubber silicon body with various inflatable channels where the robot will increase the air pressure in certain areas to "slither" around obstacles. This design also allows the robot to create arc shapes and fit in tight spaces; however, the robot is far from being complete; they need to experiment ways on how to implement mechanical parts and electronic sensors for the actual robot to be of use in real life applications. Hopefully, the researchers at MIT will finalize their prototype and make it available for use in a variety of industries, and, sometime in the future, today's society will see robots in forms beyond human anatomy. To see more about the tentacle, go to the following link: http://www.gizmag.com/mit-slithering-silicone-rubber-robot/33838/

Piezoelectric chin strap: a new way to charge devices

Electronics are everywhere, prevalent in every aspect of today's society, from today's methods of instantaneous communication to awe inspiring entertainment. But with so much technology comes a big problem: sustaining energy. In fact, to power all of these devices, devices that hold tonnes of sensitive data, requires many gigawatts of electrical power, and producing that much power takes a lot of energy derived from, mostly, fossil fuels and nuclear power, both of which can cause huge negative impacts to the environment. Fortunately, there are alternatives, such as wind and solar, but there is one specifically that will eventually power many of today's small electronics. Its called kinetic energy, biological movement converted into potential electrical energy, but is not readily available yet; however, researchers at  École de technologie supérieure have developed a chinstrap composed of piezoelectric fiber composites, integrated electrodes and an adhesive polymer mix that conduct a electric charge when they undergo mechanical stress, seeing as the act of chewing has the potential to produce about 7 mW of electrical power. The problem is that it can only produce 0.000018 W at this time, but the intent of the strap was to prove that electricity derived from kinetic energy is possible, and they hope to modify and improve its design to be used in power medical implants and even smartphones. Hopefully, our society will eventually evolve into a world completely independent of non renewable resources and looking into possible sources of energy that could power all these devices. To see more about their invention, go to this link: http://www.gizmag.com/piezoelectric-chin-strap-electricty/33885/

Green Bean: Making you home smarter

Technology now is getting smarter. Our society has developed many innovative features into many of todya's electrical devices such as SIRI from Apple, or virtual reality headsets from Oculus. In fact, in recent years, society has now introduced smart technology into our homes; new platforms are developed that allow the user to control and survey many home appliances such as microwaves, laundry machines, and even a door lock, which can all be done through a smartphone application. Despite the excitement over these enhanced devices, they do require a large investment of money as they tend to cost thousands of dollars, hence, few are sold as buying a thousand dollar laundry machine that simply notifies the user when the laundry is done is impractical. Fortunately, there is a way to make your current appliances smart without replacing them. Its called Green Bean, developed by FirstBuild, a $20 electronic module that allows users to control the elements of their appliances. The only problem is that the person must have knowledge of programming, Green Been is open sourced and requires a javascript program created by the user to actually work, and could require significant modifications to current appliances, but there is a community creating and sharing ideas and applications for the user to access and utilize. Therefore, one can use that application on their smart phone and manipulate that appliance to their specifications. Clearly, smart technology will one day become so prevalent in today's society that they will be in everything, from cars to trucks, from lawn mowers to toys, and can be manipulated in a touch of a button. To see, in more detail, about the Green Bean, go to this link: http://www.gizmag.com/ge-green-bean/33877/

MM1: Advancing 3D printing

Recently, 3D printing is more evident in today's technology savvy society than it has been even 2 years ago. Before, 3D printing technology provided a much more efficient method of manufacturing high quality products with precise details in a relatively small amount of time, but was restricted to being used in factories due to its extremely large size, and using only one material: plastic. Now, 3D printing has advanced to the point where today's society can buy their own 3D printers, and are capable of using different materials, such as metal, or even sugar, to create intricate and detailed objects other manufacturing methods cannot match.  Now, MakerMex, a 3D printing company based in Mexico, has created a prototype 3D printer, the MM1, with a capability that further advances 3D printing technology; the ability to transition between materials as required. The MM1 features a print area of 20x20x20cm, and measures 49x37.5x49cm. The MM1 is capable of printing in a variety of matrials such as ceramics, metals, rubber, and even Play-Doh. With this, an object can be made one part metal, one part rubber, and one part Play-Doh in just one print. The MM1 prints at 300mm/s and a layer resolution of 30 mircons. The printer can be further customized with a variety of add-ons such as Wi-Fi modules and heating beds. MM1 will cost around US $999, but production will not start until they reach a crowdfunding goal of $50, 000. Clearly, 3D technology is advancing in such a rapid pace that many products today, such as out smartphones, laptops, and even buildings, will be created with 3D printing technology in a few years. To see more about this printer, go to the following link: http://www.gizmag.com/makermex-modular-mm1-3d-printer/33781/

Findbox: Helps You Find Things

All people have to go shopping at one point, either caused by a desperate need for that desired item, or one's mom or girlfriend who, sometimes literally, drags him out to the store to endure painful hours of shopping for things he does not need. Most of the time, people tend to encounter frustration finding that certain product they need. Asking employees for help is a hit or miss; they could have full knowledge of what goes on in the store, or be complete buffoons, wasting precious time that could be spent on relaxing. Most unfortunately, the item could be out of stock, so one could waste hours of searching for no gain. Fortunately, Findbox GmbH, a company originating from Germany, has developed a possible solution. The solution is called Findbox, a kiosk that scans an item that you want and determines if a replacement is available and directs them to where they can find the item. Findbox works by creating a mesh when the customer scans the desired item through Findbox's multicamera system. From there, the kiosk then uses that mesh and search for a near identical item in the store's database based on colour, icons, text, logos, and shape, and usually finds the item in about 3 seconds. If none are found, then the customer can manually search function with its built in keyboard. and, if both fail, then Findbox offers alternatives, complementary items, or even have the item shipped to your home. The company also features a Findbox app which allows anyone to take a picture of the item and upload it into the Findbox database to try and find a match, and which store that item is in. Findbox also helps retailers by informing them of items that need to be reordered and track inventory. Findbox currently costs US$260-$388 per month, but it is unknown whether retailers actually use them or not. To view more details about Findbox, go to the following link: http://www.gizmag.com/findbox-kiosk-scanner-shopping/33697/

Iris+: Shoot Awesome POV Videos!

All action packed movies have one thing in common: awesome aerial shots. From spectacular car chases to epic landscapes, Hollywood magic does its tricks to create a dynamic viewing experience that really dominates over many weak or cliche plots of these movies. With such cool viewing angles, many might want to try recording their own epic POV video's, such as zipling over a vast beach, or intense rally racing, but do not want to invest too much as many movies often do. Fortunately, there is a solution to that, and they are hovering mini copters carrying a camera. One of the many copters available is the Iris+. The Iris+ is a quadcopter drone that has a unique feature; with a gps enables android device, the quadcopter will follow you and adjust the camera so that the user will constantly be in the middle of the video, and has 2 axis stabilization so that your video is almost rock solid. Unfortunately, the GoPro cameras will only be compatible with this device, and does not feature any collision detection, so be careful when using the FollowMe feature as this thing costs $750. The user can also control this remotely with a program available for IOS and Windows operating systems. Its battery life is a max of 15-22 minutes, less when carrying the GoPro, and will go back to its original launching point when running out of batteries. To read more about the Iris+, go to the following link: http://www.gizmag.com/3d-robotics-iris-plus-follow-me-drone/33747/

iPhone 6: is bigger better?

Apple was once an extremely innovative company; they created many creative technologies, mainly the first touch based phone with an interesting and simple user interface. Now, with so many new mobile technologies being developed, the technological titan has a hard time retaining its innovation that once defined and dominated the technology market, and often faces with other giants such as Samsung and LG. It seems as if they are no longer distinct from all the competition, frequently upgrading preexisting technology, but never bringing anything new to our current technological society. This is clearly evident in the iPhone 6. The iPhone 6 is obviously the newest phone in Apple's iPhone product line, but is not in stores yet; however, they revealed the numerous "new" features not seen in other iPhones. The iPhone 6 will come in two varients; the iPhone 6, 4.7 inches, and the iPhone 6 Plus, 5.5 inches. A new feature in both iPhones is reachability, which allows the user to access the top of the current display will slide down to the bottom, allowing the user to access top level navigation in one hand. They also feature the new A8 processor, 25% faster than the previous processor with 50% more graphics performance. The camera remains the same 8MP, but can autofocus two times faster and record 1080p, 60fps video or 240fps slo-mo video. The superphones also feature a NFC payment system where you take a picture of your credit card, and, once verified by the Passbook application, you can simply tap the phone with the credit card on the display and the pruchase will instantly be complete. Many of these features are hardly innovative; the bigger screen is to compete with other superphones, the processor is at par with many other superphone processors, reachability is simply a gimmick and hardly improves the iPhone "experience", the camera is nothing spectacular, and its NFC system is already featured from devices that came out a year ago. Needless to say, Apple will die pretty soon, until the millions of Apple fans have given up on their once distinct technological titan. To read in detail about the iPhone 6 reveal, click the following link: http://www.gizmag.com/apple-phone-6-iphone-6-plus-details/33740/ 

Quantum security for everybody

Computers are, as usual, advancing in such a fast pace that most of the previous generation could not catch up to understand the thousands of new features exhibited in these binary based systems. Recently, many computer and software engineers are exploring a new system that will soon replace the binary code and revolutionize the computer industry; this system is quantum computing. As we enter the "quantum" age, the data being processed will dramatically change. Rather than having one predefined state of ones and zeroes, data will exist in a billion of different states, allowing computers to examine and transfer data much faster. Not only will this data make computers execute commands more efficiently, but it will also improve data security, since, with data existing in a variety of states, attempting to "crack the code" would almost be impossible. Quantum security does exist today, has been developed for a couple of years, but only exists as an experiment in some of the most advanced physics laboratories. Now, quantum security is currently being developed for everyday people to create quantum "locks" for private and personal data. The Los Alamos National Library has developed a device that generates random numbers and cryptographic keys through random photon polarization based on quantum mechanics. The device uses random polarized filters that causes the photon to exhibit only one state of motion instead of the typical four. Then the physical state of a photon recorded by the filter is then converted into its associated binary notation, With this system, anyone trying to crack the system will affect the stream of protons and the position it is currently in, allowing the system to detect unauthorized decryption immediately. Furthermore, the technology developed is so cheap that anyone can buy it, meaning that one day this technology will be in every computer system in the world for secure data encryption. With this technology, hacking could be a thing of the past, but that does not mean that hacking the information is impossible. For more information and clarity on how this system works and how it applies concepts of quantum mechanics, click the following link:  http://www.gizmag.com/super-secure-quantum-data-encryption-lanl/33660/