crystal aqua trees by Torafu architects
via/designboom/
Lucius Fox
Chief Executive Officer of Wayne Enterprises
Reblogged from neurosciencestuff|615 notes
Woman With Quadriplegia Feeds Herself Chocolate Using Mind-Controlled Robot Arm
In a study published in the online version of The Lancet, the researchers described the brain-computer interface (BCI) technology and training programs that allowed Ms. Scheuermann, 53, of Whitehall Borough in Pittsburgh, Pa. to intentionally move an arm, turn and bend a wrist, and close a hand for the first time in nine years.
Less than a year after she told the research team, “I’m going to feed myself chocolate before this is over,” Ms. Scheuermann savored its taste and announced as they applauded her feat, “One small nibble for a woman, one giant bite for BCI.”
“This is a spectacular leap toward greater function and independence for people who are unable to move their own arms,” agreed senior investigator Andrew B. Schwartz, Ph.D., professor, Department of Neurobiology, Pitt School of Medicine. “This technology, which interprets brain signals to guide a robot arm, has enormous potential that we are continuing to explore. Our study has shown us that it is technically feasible to restore ability; the participants have told us that BCI gives them hope for the future.”
In 1996, Ms. Scheuermann was a 36-year-old mother of two young children, running a successful business planning parties with murder-mystery themes and living in California when one day she noticed her legs seemed to drag behind her. Within two years, her legs and arms progressively weakened to the point that she required a wheelchair, as well as an attendant to assist her with dressing, eating, bathing and other day-to-day activities. After returning home to Pittsburgh in 1998 for support from her extended family, she was diagnosed with spinocerebellar degeneration, in which the connections between the brain and muscles slowly, and inexplicably, deteriorate.
Reblogged from hiromitsu|9,678 notes
Kantoor, Orteliuslaan, Papendorp, Utrecht by Peter Westerhof on Flickr.
good:
A Stronger Bike Helmet, Made of Cardboard and Inspired by a Woodpecker
- Adele Peters wrote in Health, Technology and SustainabilityWhen Anirudha Surabhi was a grad student at the Royal College of Art in London, he was in a bike accident. Even though it was a minor crash, and Surabhi was wearing an expensive helmet, the next day he learned that he had a concussion. He spent three days in the hospital. He wondered why the helmet hadn’t worked—and decided to explore the problem for his thesis project.
It turns out that bike helmets are not as safe as they’re portrayed to be. Over the last few decades, Surabhi says, some helmets have gotten more aerodynamic and better-looking, but they haven’t gotten any better at protecting us from injuries.
As he began working on his design, Surabhi looked at the anatomy of a woodpecker for inspiration. When a woodpecker slams its beak into the trunk of a tree, the impact is cushioned by a special micro-structure between the beak and head. By mirroring that structure—after testing 150 different materials—Surabhi was able to create a helmet that can withstand three times greater impact than a standard helmet.
Special cardboard ribs inside the helmet are designed for flexibility. The cardboard itself has a honeycomb structure filled with air pockets to provide more cushioning. It’s stronger than a standard helmet liner, and lighter.
It’s also greener than the ubiquitous polystyrene foam liners. Foam, unsurprisingly, is not great for the environment; the manufacturing process is a health hazard, and it also creates hazardous waste. It’s also more energy-intensive to produce than cardboard. Surabhi used 100 percent recycled cardboard, which he says takes no electricity to produce at all.
For the full design story, watch the video below. The helmet’s in production now, and Core77 reports that the first U.S. version of the helmet will be out next year through ABUS.
Images courtesy of Anirudha Surabhi
Lockheed Martin F-16I Sufa of the Israeli Air Force leading a formation of an F-16DJ Fighting Falcon and a F-15I Ra’am.
Reblogged from nationalpost|369 notes
Kuratas robot operated via smartphone packs impressive non-lethal fire-power
It’s Transformers come to life — sort of. Japanese engineer Kogoro Kurata created a 4-meter-tall robot which can be operated by a pilot sitting in its cockpit, or via smartphone.
The robot packs an arsenal of customizable non-lethal weapons, and can match any interior, or exterior surrounding, as it comes in 16 colors. Some of the defense-system features of this four-tonne behemoth are a “smile shot” — a cannon which fires up to 6,000 BB bullets per minute and is activated by a pilot’s grin; a rocket launcher with missiles filled with compressed water and iron claws. (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon)
Reblogged from nationalpost|63 notes
Anywhere on Earth in four hours? Top-secret Skylon space plane could replace jets and rockets, company claims
A small British company with a dream of building a re-usable space plane has won an important endorsement from the European Space Agency (ESA) after completing key tests on its novel engine technology.
Reaction Engines Ltd believes its Sabre engine, which would operate like a jet engine in the atmosphere and a rocket in space, could displace rockets for space access and transform air travel by bringing any destination on Earth to no more than four hours away. (Wikimedia)
Reblogged from are2|2,714 notes
Reblogged from fastcompany|85 notes
Starbucks has opened a new, experimental branch in Colorado.
Reblogged from fastcompany|49 notes
Architects Danny Mui and Benjamin Sahagun have come up with a novel concept: buildings that scrub CO2 emissions from the air.
Reblogged from anndesignn|1,745 notes