There is no doubt about it; human evolution and performance are limited. Our intelligence and physical abilities are restricted and we cannot survive without vital nutrients, air and other elements, necessary for our frail human nature. Therefore it is vitally important we improve and protect our abilities, and what better way to do so, then with mechanically engineered devices. The development of robots has helped us in our endeavors, be it for national defense purposes, on an industrial level where they are part of many manufacturing processes, or on a personal level at home where all kinds of gadgets help us in mastering our chores. But where is the world of robotics leading us? Will the world soon be overrun by androids, cyborgs and other automatons?
People already rely on artificial intelligence in many aspects of their daily routine and even if most of them do not have humanlike features, they may surround us as cleaning tools, who know when to return to their docking station after their cleaning cycle is done, or when their battery runs low, or they may act as toys mimicking and behaving like favorite domesticated pets, to name just a few. If science fiction gets it right, soon a multi-tasking robotic butler, complete with arms, legs and speech will become a common household feature. Many breakthroughs in the development of artificial interaction, locomotion, navigation, manipulation and intelligence have already been made, and various scientists are working equally hard on finalizing muscle-like, spring-based motors that will upgrade the limps of their mechanical life forms and increase their humanoid efficiency and reaction time. Progress in skin development has enabled more lifelike robotic hands to sense objects and their movement. This means that if a bottle would be slipping through the robot hand, the speed bump sensors embedded in the skin would record the pressure change, react to it, and stop the bottle from falling.Robotic Science has come a long way and many laboratories have the structures to prove it.
Domo is a robot like no other. Born and built at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology, Domo is the first robot able to give a hug. With less rigid elastic actuators in his fingers, wrists, arms and neck, and joints that are more flexible than those used in other humanoids, this robot feels not only the object, but also its pressure and touch flexibility. This allows Domo to fine-tune its grip, make handshakes less ferocious and hugs more temperate.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Huygens-Mathematical Genius and Astronomer
Christiaan Huygens was born in Holland in 1629 and he was a mathematical genius who invented several important mechanical devices including the pendulum clock. He had a deep understanding of astronomy, optics, mathematics, and mechanical devices. And he built some of the largest telescopes of the 17th century. Being a contemporary of Galileo he heard about Galileo’s telescope and he set out to improve on the design. One of the liabilities of refracting telescopes like the one that Galileo built was that because of optical problems they caused distortion in how things looked. The colors of objects were separated and things were not sharp. This was a phenomenon called chromatic aberration. Huygens discovered, after much experimentation, that this problem could be lessened by building lenses with much longer focal lengths. This type of lens with a longer focal length was easier to make accurately. And using this discovery he built telescopes that were as long as 120 feet. He called his style of telescope “tubeless” because it was an open air frame without a tube; and while he did build a monster that was 120 feet long it was cumbersome and difficult to use. Most of his observations and discoveries were made with smaller telescopes around forty feet in length.
He wasn’t just a lens and telescope maker though. He was also an avid astronomer and he used his telescopes to make some discoveries under the night sky. One of his most important discoveries was of the rings of Saturn. He wasn’t the first one to actually see them. Galileo did that. But because of chromatic aberration Galileo’s telescope wasn’t good enough to resolve the rings into what they truly were. All Galileo saw was what he described as a tri-form planet which was composed of a large center section that had a section attached to each side. He described these side sections as being much like the handles of a vase. Huygens, with his better telescopes, could resolve the image of Saturn better and see what was really there and in 1656 he published his findings. He described Saturn as being composed of a central globe much like Jupiter but girdled by a thin flat ring that did not touch it.
He wasn’t just a lens and telescope maker though. He was also an avid astronomer and he used his telescopes to make some discoveries under the night sky. One of his most important discoveries was of the rings of Saturn. He wasn’t the first one to actually see them. Galileo did that. But because of chromatic aberration Galileo’s telescope wasn’t good enough to resolve the rings into what they truly were. All Galileo saw was what he described as a tri-form planet which was composed of a large center section that had a section attached to each side. He described these side sections as being much like the handles of a vase. Huygens, with his better telescopes, could resolve the image of Saturn better and see what was really there and in 1656 he published his findings. He described Saturn as being composed of a central globe much like Jupiter but girdled by a thin flat ring that did not touch it.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Digital and Film Photography
Photography is a way of life for some and at least a part of life for everyone else. In this day and age, technological advances await us at every turn, and the field of photography is no exception. Cameras have gone digital, and the potential is astounding. The following will take a look at some of the differences in the old and new ways, and weigh them out as either pros or cons of digital photography.Scientifically speaking, the differences between the two are enormous. With film photography, light traveling through the camera’s lens is actually burning the images onto the film. With digital photography, the light of the images is being encoded as binary data and stored in memory as with a computer. These differences, while huge, can be unimportant to some though. No one is actually interested in the technical aspect of how the cameras work. The photographer is more interested in what it means to him in regard to the pictures he can take and what he can do with them.One of the primary advantages of digital photography is versatility. Digital cameras can record not only the still images of film cameras, but also motion pictures and audio in some cases. While a film camera can be a specialized piece of equipment for taking still pictures, digital cameras can offer you an entire range of different equipment, all in the palm of your hand.
Digital cameras are also commonly found on other pieces of equipment. As technology advances, cellular telephones and MP3 music players now often have built-in cameras, which are always digital. This may offer some extra convenience to digital camera users, considering that they can decrease the overall number of devices that they must carry with them and use.Printing your pictures is also very different from digital to film photography. In both cases, though, you have many options. Professional film photographers may develop their prints on their own, in their very own dark room. Amateur or casual film photographers may simply drop their film off at a one-hour photo place. With digital, your pictures are recorded as electronic data, so you can use your computer to print them. Or, if you prefer, you can still drop them off at a photo shop and have it done for you. So as far as printing goes, it seems it is up to you how deeply you want to dive in. Both film and digital offer you a range of options, from the hands-on to letting others do it for you.So in the end, choosing between digital and film may mean considering the application. Hobbyists may stick to film, while technology buffs and burgeoning photographers will choose the brave new world of digital. Either way, it looks like both styles of photography are going to be around for awhile to come.
Digital cameras are also commonly found on other pieces of equipment. As technology advances, cellular telephones and MP3 music players now often have built-in cameras, which are always digital. This may offer some extra convenience to digital camera users, considering that they can decrease the overall number of devices that they must carry with them and use.Printing your pictures is also very different from digital to film photography. In both cases, though, you have many options. Professional film photographers may develop their prints on their own, in their very own dark room. Amateur or casual film photographers may simply drop their film off at a one-hour photo place. With digital, your pictures are recorded as electronic data, so you can use your computer to print them. Or, if you prefer, you can still drop them off at a photo shop and have it done for you. So as far as printing goes, it seems it is up to you how deeply you want to dive in. Both film and digital offer you a range of options, from the hands-on to letting others do it for you.So in the end, choosing between digital and film may mean considering the application. Hobbyists may stick to film, while technology buffs and burgeoning photographers will choose the brave new world of digital. Either way, it looks like both styles of photography are going to be around for awhile to come.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Thought Control-A Wonder Idea
Thought control? How would you like to be able to turn on your television just by thinking? Or have the door to your house open by mind power when your hands were full? This isn't something that will remain science fiction for long. The technology necessary to make this happen is here now.First of all, you have basic thought control now, meaning you can control and direct your thoughts. You can imagine a friend talking in your mind, for example. Then you can choose to hear music in your imagination. If you are hooked up to an electroencephalograph when you do these things, it will also be clear that these two thoughts are handled in different parts of your brain.This electroencephalogram, or EEG, is important, because what we can measure, we can use to do things. Think about this for a moment. Modern electronics has made it possible to easily operate things as a response to measurement. A thermostat measures the temperature, for example, and turns the heater on or off according to that measurement. Security lights turn themselves on when light levels get low.
We can already measure and track what is going on in the brain. Is it inconceivable then, to have that measurement automatically trigger some action? For example, even before the electrical patterns of the brain were made "visible," we measured pulse rate with many different machines. Now, what if instead of sending a signal to a monitor telling a red light to go on when the heart raced, the signal told the TV to turn on? Think of anything that gets your heart racing and the TV would turn on, right?Call it mind power, thought control or whatever. You can see that such a device has been possible for at least a generation now. With new technology, and more detailed measurements of the actual electric patterns of the brain, how much more is possible? Someday, an electroencephalograph type of device will be able to more directly read your mind. The technology will eventually get to the point where it can print out the actual words you are thinking. We are a long way from that, but we are right at the brink of building machines that give us thought control of the things around us.
We can already measure and track what is going on in the brain. Is it inconceivable then, to have that measurement automatically trigger some action? For example, even before the electrical patterns of the brain were made "visible," we measured pulse rate with many different machines. Now, what if instead of sending a signal to a monitor telling a red light to go on when the heart raced, the signal told the TV to turn on? Think of anything that gets your heart racing and the TV would turn on, right?Call it mind power, thought control or whatever. You can see that such a device has been possible for at least a generation now. With new technology, and more detailed measurements of the actual electric patterns of the brain, how much more is possible? Someday, an electroencephalograph type of device will be able to more directly read your mind. The technology will eventually get to the point where it can print out the actual words you are thinking. We are a long way from that, but we are right at the brink of building machines that give us thought control of the things around us.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Pyrolysis-Green technology
Pyrolysis is an emerging technology and its green credentials when the feed is biomass are top notch. Everyone who has lit a wood or coal fire and watched it burn has seen pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is usually the first chemical reaction that occurs in the burning of many solid organic fuels, like wood, cloth, and paper, and also of some kinds of plastic.In a wood fire, the visible flames are not due to combustion of the wood itself, but rather of the gases released by its pyrolysis; whereas the flame-less burning of embers is the combustion of the solid residue (charcoal) left behind by it. Although the basic concepts of the process have been validated, the performance data for an emerging technology have not been evaluated according to methods approved by EPA and adhering to EPA quality assurance/quality control standards.Waste is converted to a fuel by heating the waste which burns just as coal or wood does under the right controlled conditions. Whereas incineration fully converts the input waste into energy and ash, these processes limit the conversion so that combustion does not take place directly.
Waste Plastic under pressure and catalytic cracking produces fuel and can be used as a fuel source. Under certain temperature conditions the plastic macromolecular chains are broken down into small molecular chains (simple hydrocarbon compounds) and those small molecular compounds contain C4 to C20, this compound is a component of petrol, coal oil, and diesel.Anhydrous pyrolysis can also be used to produce liquid fuel similar to diesel from solid biomass.Fast pyrolysis occurs in a time of a few seconds or less. Therefore, not only chemical reaction kinetics but also heat and mass transfer processes, as well as phase transition phenomena, play important roles. Fast pyrolysis is a process in which organic materials are rapidly heated to 450 - 600 degrees C in absence of air. Under these conditions, organic vapors, permanent gases and charcoal are produced.
Waste Plastic under pressure and catalytic cracking produces fuel and can be used as a fuel source. Under certain temperature conditions the plastic macromolecular chains are broken down into small molecular chains (simple hydrocarbon compounds) and those small molecular compounds contain C4 to C20, this compound is a component of petrol, coal oil, and diesel.Anhydrous pyrolysis can also be used to produce liquid fuel similar to diesel from solid biomass.Fast pyrolysis occurs in a time of a few seconds or less. Therefore, not only chemical reaction kinetics but also heat and mass transfer processes, as well as phase transition phenomena, play important roles. Fast pyrolysis is a process in which organic materials are rapidly heated to 450 - 600 degrees C in absence of air. Under these conditions, organic vapors, permanent gases and charcoal are produced.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Optical Microscopes
Optical microscopes use visible light and a system of lenses to magnify small samples that are usually un-seen to the bare eye. The optical microscope is the first, oldest and simples type of microscope (as opposed to the much more advanced electronic microscope). The first optical microscopes were created in the 18th century. Due to it's compact sizes, simplicity and relatively low price, the optical microscope is very popular, and can be found in use in many areas of biology. Optical microscopes mostly magnify objects for up to 1500 times. The first optical microscopes were structured in a way that is called "the simple microscope". This structure utilizes only one pair of lenses to create a magnified image of the sample. Today, the simple structure is in use only in the magnifying glass, hand lens and the loupe.
The more advances optical microscopes, and the ones that are popular today, are what's called "compound optical microscopes". These microscopes use a system of many lenses, in order to "compound" and multiply the magnification, and therefore maximize it. The two main lens systems in an optical microscope are the objective lens (near the examined object), and the eyepiece lens (up near the eye of the scientist). Modern optical microscopes use multiple lenses both in the objective part as well as the eyepiece part. The old optical microscopes also used a mirror to provide illumination below the object. The modern optical microscopes use a strong lamp to provide constant and strong illumination.
The main uses of compound optical microscopes include:
The examining small pieces of material, or even a smear or a squash preparation. This is due to the fact that the optical microscope uses light to pass beneath the object and enter the lenses. That's why the item is better be half-transparent. In other uses the optical microscope may be used to examine metal samples, in order to study the metal's structure.
At low power, microscopes can be used to examine small living animals and plants. At high power, they can be used to examine bacteria. It is important to note that the vast advancement in medicinal fields and biology in general, is owed to a large extent, to the invention of the optical microscopes. For example, the way the blood flows in our body was not fully understood until the microscope made in possible to examine small blood vessels behavior.
The more advances optical microscopes, and the ones that are popular today, are what's called "compound optical microscopes". These microscopes use a system of many lenses, in order to "compound" and multiply the magnification, and therefore maximize it. The two main lens systems in an optical microscope are the objective lens (near the examined object), and the eyepiece lens (up near the eye of the scientist). Modern optical microscopes use multiple lenses both in the objective part as well as the eyepiece part. The old optical microscopes also used a mirror to provide illumination below the object. The modern optical microscopes use a strong lamp to provide constant and strong illumination.
The main uses of compound optical microscopes include:
The examining small pieces of material, or even a smear or a squash preparation. This is due to the fact that the optical microscope uses light to pass beneath the object and enter the lenses. That's why the item is better be half-transparent. In other uses the optical microscope may be used to examine metal samples, in order to study the metal's structure.
At low power, microscopes can be used to examine small living animals and plants. At high power, they can be used to examine bacteria. It is important to note that the vast advancement in medicinal fields and biology in general, is owed to a large extent, to the invention of the optical microscopes. For example, the way the blood flows in our body was not fully understood until the microscope made in possible to examine small blood vessels behavior.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Information Technology Manufacturing Solutions
Rapidly changing market dynamics is pushing all businesses belonging to different industry verticals, especially manufacturing, to come up with innovative ways to streamline the ‘3 D’s of product lifecycle i.e., design, development and deployment, to deliver marketable and reliable products.
Emerging and ever changing consumer tastes, evolving regulations, and ageing demographics call for a partner who can enable technology solutions that generate tangible and measurable value for businesses in order to achieve a strategic edge on their competition. Organizations that envisage co–building along with all its stakeholders, an integrated and sustainable world by leveraging technology, always stay ahead of the rest. Focused commitment and unique business models built around relationships and customer commitment is what wins the race and sustains it till the end. One positive aspect in this race to success is that technology has become more intelligent, safer and eco-friendly.
Irrespective of the industry vertical, companies that can strategically partner with customers to reduce product development lifecycle and hasten the time to market the products, are the call of the ever changing present and the future. And in today’s cut throat drive to stay on top, customers play a major role in leveraging expertise to increase innovation, manage the globalization, besides reducing costs across the manufacturing and production cycle. These factors play a major role in bringing about faster turn around across the entire value chain, which is driven by a proven domain expertise and high knowledge capital. It enables to build a compelling business advantage and deliver end to end services.
To stay ahead of the competition, manufacturers need to globalize their process & systems efficiently through a unique blend of domain-intensive technology and process expertise that ensures delivering products faster to their target markets. In a world where success is related to time & speed to enable, there is a definite need for a partner who can achieve the strategic edge in order to determine the market leadership. That being the case, it is wise to partner with an established IT consulting organization, whose sole focus is on co-creating technology products and solutions to help customers become efficient, integrated and innovative manufacturing enterprises, with maximum attention to uncompromising quality and an initiative to drive Zero-Defects, being the objective.
Emerging and ever changing consumer tastes, evolving regulations, and ageing demographics call for a partner who can enable technology solutions that generate tangible and measurable value for businesses in order to achieve a strategic edge on their competition. Organizations that envisage co–building along with all its stakeholders, an integrated and sustainable world by leveraging technology, always stay ahead of the rest. Focused commitment and unique business models built around relationships and customer commitment is what wins the race and sustains it till the end. One positive aspect in this race to success is that technology has become more intelligent, safer and eco-friendly.
Irrespective of the industry vertical, companies that can strategically partner with customers to reduce product development lifecycle and hasten the time to market the products, are the call of the ever changing present and the future. And in today’s cut throat drive to stay on top, customers play a major role in leveraging expertise to increase innovation, manage the globalization, besides reducing costs across the manufacturing and production cycle. These factors play a major role in bringing about faster turn around across the entire value chain, which is driven by a proven domain expertise and high knowledge capital. It enables to build a compelling business advantage and deliver end to end services.
To stay ahead of the competition, manufacturers need to globalize their process & systems efficiently through a unique blend of domain-intensive technology and process expertise that ensures delivering products faster to their target markets. In a world where success is related to time & speed to enable, there is a definite need for a partner who can achieve the strategic edge in order to determine the market leadership. That being the case, it is wise to partner with an established IT consulting organization, whose sole focus is on co-creating technology products and solutions to help customers become efficient, integrated and innovative manufacturing enterprises, with maximum attention to uncompromising quality and an initiative to drive Zero-Defects, being the objective.
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