Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Inventions
Mumbai's Architectural Wonder PDF Print E-mail

Parinee Ism is a 140m tall residential tower in India, designed by world renowned architect James Law of James Law Cybertecture International. The design concept of the tower is inspired by the ripple effect generated by water droplets, which is also known as the capillary wave.

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The image of the ripple emphasizes fluidity and this idea is reflected in the tower's design. The outline of the tower demonstrates the fluidity and dynamic nature of the ripple. The outline and the ripple pattern can be conceived as an abstract representation of the symbol Ohm (Ω). The ripple effect usually generates a vortex-like space in the center. The tower design is trying to recapture the essence of this space by creating a large void in the middle along with a special designed clubhouse form. With approximately 30 storeys of residential units, Bandra Ohm aims to provide a luxurious living environment and experience to the residents.


( 2 Votes )
 
Singularity: When Computers Take Over the Human Brain PDF Print E-mail

The technological singularity is the hypothetical future emergence of greater-than-human super intelligence through technological means. By promoting the "truth" of its coming through predictions that seem remarkable at the time but inevitable after the fact (a global computer network, a computer beating the chess champion, etc.), Ray Kurzweil's popular series of books reinforces the belief that a singularity is unavoidable.

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Ramona Modifies Her Own Code

The difficult thing to keep sight of when you're talking about the Singularity is that even though it sounds like science fiction, it isn't, no more than a weather forecast is science fiction. It's not a fringe idea; it's a serious hypothesis about the future of life on Earth. There's an intellectual gag reflex that kicks in anytime you try to swallow an idea that involves super-intelligent immortal cyborgs, but suppress it if you can, because while the Singularity appears to be, on the face of it, preposterous, it's an idea that rewards sober, careful evaluation.


( 1 Vote )
 
Floating Volkswagen PDF Print E-mail

Volkswagen in China today announced the winner of its year-long The People's Car Project contest: a student named Wang Jia who turned in the design for an hypothetical auto that uses magnets to "hover" above the ground.

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Scientific American walks us through how it works:  The imaginary car stays aloft with the aid of magnetic levitation, much the way some maglev trains travel along special rails using electromagnetic suspension. (Other maglev trains use electromagnetic forces for propulsion without actually lifting the train off the ground.) The Shanghai Maglev Train has been ferrying passengers since 2004 on a 30-kilometer line between Pudong International Airport and the city's outskirts at speeds of up to 430 kilometers per hour.


( 1 Vote )
 
Robotic Arm Controlled by Brain PDF Print E-mail

Scientists for years have been researching methods to help paralyzed people use their brains to make up for physical loss. Now it seems they have made quite the breakthrough by developing technology that helps disabled people control computers and robotics with their minds. Using only her thoughts, Cathy Hutchinson (pictured below), who has been paralyzed for 15 years directed a robotic arm to pick up a bottle of coffee and bring it to her lips. 

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The latest report inthe advance of harnessing brain waves to help disabled people was published  in the journal "Nature" in May 2012. The reserach findings and results come from scientists at Brown University, the Providence VA Medical Center in Rhode Island, Harvard Medical School and elsewhere. 


( 1 Vote )
 
New Plastic May Help Future Phones Bruise and Heal PDF Print E-mail

Researchers have developed a new form of plastic that "bruises," rather than breaks, when dropped and subsequently heals itself when exposed to sunlight.

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According to New Scientist, GADGETS of the future could bruise when dropped or scratched to highlight damaged areas. Don't worry though, as a few minutes in the sun will be enough to fade the bruise and repair the damage.  Marek Urban and colleagues at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg were inspired to create their self-healing plastic by signs of healing in nature such as newly formed tree bark.  Earlier self-healing materialsMovie Camera do not change colour and require focused laser light for repairs. This new material turns red when damaged and repairs itself when exposed to visible light or changes in temperature or pH. It can also fix itself multiple times, unlike previous materials. 


( 1 Vote )
 
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