Compact Car

Foldable electric car has made its debut in Europe. The “Hiriko” is powered by four in wheel motors that each turn a full 90 degrees. Its compact and compactable design along with its four wheel steering allows parking in the tightest of spaces on crowded city streets. When folded, three of the cars can fit in one traditional parking space. The cars seem ideal for the crowded city life that they were designed for. The MIT Media Lab envisions the car becoming a type of car share program where people can essentially rent the car and park it back at any available charging station through out the city. I think it is a very creative idea and should be pursued in cities that are overwhelmed with congestion. The Hiroko could be very useful in these big congested cities helping people get around as well as being exceptionally space efficient. I could see myself using one of these cars if I was downtown and did not want to pay for a cab. It would also be quite fun for me and my friends to whip some of these things around town.

Gingrich's Colony

Newt Gingrich promised this week that if elected, during his presidency we would see a moon colony as well as a new propulsion system to get us to Mars. Technologically we have the capabilities but at this time do we really have the finances to take on such rigorous activities? I personally think it would be very interesting and fun to watch mankind extend our horizons from earth to having people call moon home. But I do not think that now is the time for that.

We have so much going on that needs our attention here on earth. Obviously the economy is nowhere near where the overall public would like to see it and government is in debt. I think that getting the program started and rolling could be beneficial by creating jobs and extending innovation. Our nation could really use something to the rally around as well. When we landed on the moon in 1969 it brought the country closer together and boosted morale. I think the idea is very ambitious and exciting but I believe now isn’t quite the time to begin looking for real estate on the moon.

spider silk

Spider silk is already lighter and tougher than steel, but now that scientists have infused the silk with metal they are 3 times stronger. The technique may be found to be very useful in manufacturing super-strong textiles and high tech medical equipment, including artificial bones and tendons. Researcher Seung-Mo Lee of the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics in Halle, Germany said. "It could make very strong thread for surgical operations” Lee and his fellow colleagues found that adding zinc, titanium or aluminum to a piece of spider silk made it more resistant to breaking or deforming. They used a process called atomic layer deposition, which not only coated the spider dragline silks with metal but also caused some metal ions to infiltrate the fibers and react with their protein structure. Lee said that he next wants to try adding artificial polymers such as teflon and other materials.The idea was inspired by research showing traces of metals in the strongest parts of some insect body parts. The jaws of leaf-cutter ants and locusts, both contain high levels of zinc, making them extremely stiff and hard. The strength of spider silk has long fascinated scientists but it is hard to produce it in commercial quantities because captive spiders tend to eat each other. Researchers have looked at alternative ways of producing silk without spiders, by duplicating their spinning technique. According to www.rsc.org "Mato Knez attributes the strengthening effect to the metal's displacement of hydrogen bonds within the silk's protein structure. The water vapour disrupts the hydrogen bonding network of the silk proteins, and these bonds are replaced by stronger metal-coordinated or covalent metal-protein bonds as the metal ions slowly infiltrate the silk. The spider silk itself is just a model system,"adds Knez. "Once we have learnt to control the deposition system, and really understand what is happening, we hope to apply the method to make better, lighter weight and tougher new materials which are of more interest for technology or medicine,' he adds. I feel the recent find is just another great find for science and the medicine world. If they can create new durable material to help replace tendons and bones, people would be greatly benefitted. They could possible find new applications for the material such as extra strength cable for building or possibly new stronger lighter material for manufacturing use in computers or other electronics. I am always surprised about the scientific finds that are made every day and look forward to learning of new discoveries such a this extra strength spider silk.

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30377220/

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2009/April/23040903.asp

A Salt Lake city based company is coming up with new ways for people to own and have homes during this horrible downturn in the home market. The company is Gorilla Designs and they are turning unused shipping containers into affordable, high quality homes that will last a lifetime. The company was founded in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina said Roi Maufus of Gorilla Designs. "According to Maufus "After Katrina, we realized that normal houses and traditional materials can't stand up to global warming and the new storms that will come with it, We wanted to make something that could stand the test of time."Gorilla also wants to be more environmentally friendly. "This is definitely a case of one man's trash being another man's treasure," said Maifus. The are thousands of containers around the country sitting in ports not being used. They could be transformed in to housing for those that are in need. The containers are very durable, they are rated to carry 67,000 pounds and can withstand 8 fully loaded containers resting on it which is about 376 tons per square inch. "We certainly don't have to worry about snow load issues," said Maufus. The shipping containers can be furnished quite luxuriously with rich hardwood floors. People are not just living in a big rectangle box. The designs have them cut walls out and also container are welded together to create rooms. As long as the welds are good the containers keep it's extreme durability and the energy efficiency is doubled when compared to normal wood homes. Also the construction time in nearly 1/3 when comparing wood homes to the containers. The container can be assembled and shipped anywhere in the U.S. for only 3,000 dollars. Vicki Bennet of Salt Lake City's Office of Sustainability said "It looks quite modern and has nice, sleek lines, It doesn't look like a shipping container at all." According to www.weburbanist.com the first cargo shipping container home was built in southern California by Peter Demaria. Also they are very cheap to buy containers at about 900 dollars per container. I feel the idea is very smart and could become a very big industry. Especially in cities where space is not easily accessible and cheap and the modern look will go nicely with most cities. Most people will hear the idea of living in a shipping container and dismiss it as ridiculous which is what i did until i looked them up and found they were actually pretty cool looking and something out of a new futuristic movie. I think it is a great idea and should be seriously considered. The industries today are always  thinking cheaper, better, and greener and in this case all of the above are achieved.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30088780/

http://weburbanist.com/2008/05/26/cargo-container-homes-and-offices/

Exoskeleton

A new exoskeleton has been designed specifically to aid soldiers and provide them with "super-strength". It was created by Lockheed Martin and is named Human universal Load Carrier, or HULC. The device allows soldiers to carry up to 200 pounds at 10 miles per hour. Doug Medcalf the business development manager at Lockheed Martin said "The soldier has the feeling of maybe an extra five to 10 pounds," Some of todays soldiers are carrying close to 130 pounds into combat. The titanium HULC runs on 4 lithium ion batteries which are located near the small of the soldiers back. The HULC can withstand 96 hour missions on just eight batteries. The HULC arrives folded up in a small package and all the soldier has to do is stretch the leg out and step in the foot bed and strap it around his boot, thigh, waist, and shoulders. The foot pads are what make the device so effective because the HULC rests against the ground and not the soldiers body. The is also a sensor in the foot pads which sends information about the persons walk speed and style to an on board computer which moves the hydraulic system. The system allows the soldier to be very mobile but if under fire the device can be removed in about 30 seconds. The HULC helps on the battle field by allowing soldiers to carry those who may be wounded. The HULC comes at a critical time for the u.s. because at this time there are over 20,000 soldiers who are classified as "non-deployable" because they were either injured in action or for the other half they have physical problems such as the inability to haul heavy loads. Also according to www.berkeleybionics.com the HULC also improves the oxygen intake of the soldier. In a test scientists found that using the device soldiers improved oxygen intake 5-12%, which is very important when you think about the long duration of missions and the dangers of dehydration and fatigue. I think the design is going to be very useful in the military. Soldiers have to endure heavy loads and equipment, with the HULC the soldiers will not become easily fatigued and tired. We may begin to see the HULC's uses in everyday life. I can see this product being used in the moving industry and even sold publicly to people for moving or possibly carrying equipment when hiking or camping. Overall I think the HULC will be a success in the military and has a very good chance of becoming mainstream one day.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30071151/

http://www.berkeleybionics.com/unrestricted/HULC.html

fusion energy

After over a decade and 3.5 billion dollars engineers have created the worlds most powerful laser. One in which can simulate the power of a hydrogen bomb or the sun itself. The Federal Energy Department has certified the California laboratory clearing the way for experiments in the next year that will hopefully mimic the heat and pressure at the middle of the sun. The facility which is the size of a football field houses 192 lasers that each travel at 1000 feet in one/thousandth of a second and they all converge on a single spot the size of a pencil eraser. The laser will have a wide range of uses from high energy, high density physics experiments. A primary use of the facility will be to help government physicists ensure the reliability of the nations nuclear weapons as they become older. The laser was first proposed in 1997 and had a projected cost of 700 million dollars in which there were early setbacks in the project that were eventually overcome. Scientists will be gradually ramping up the power over the next year until the year 2010 which they hope to reach the power capable of fusion ignition. Meaning that enough heat and pressure can come together to fuse two hydrogen atoms together which results in more energy releases than used by the laser. This is what happens when a hydrogen bomb explodes and also what occurs at the center of the sun. Scientists hope to one day create fusion energy and have a clean safe form of energy. Edward Moses director of the project said "The lasers are there. The targets are there, and we've proven the optics. But now the proof is in the shooting. We've got to put all this together and shoot the targets. It's the first time anyone has ever done experiments at this scale." The 192 lasers create 60 to 70 times more energy than the second most powerful laser system in the world. Moses also said "What we want to show is scientific proof of the principal of fusion energy." He also predicts that the fusion energy will create 50 to 100 times more energy than the lasers use. According to lasers.llni.gov they are creating a miniature star on earth. the lasers create the same life giving affect that stars produce. I feel the recent developments in fusion science is very uplifting and good for the scientific community. If we can produce the type of energy possible from fusion energy which is equal to that of the sun and as clean and safe as it is said to be then i am very excited. The world of energy is constantly becoming more efficient and better the earth. I think fusion energy is very important and will someday be very useful.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29964926/

https://lasers.llni.gov/

British developers have been creating a new advanced cruise control system call Sentience. Drivers who are willing to turn braking and acceleration over to a computer could save up to 25% off of their annual gasoline costs. The system uses a GPS along with topographical 

information to control the steering and acceleration. If the Driver is alone on the road the car will essentially drive itself needing only the driver to steer the car. David Overton of Ordinance Survey, the U.K. company government agency that provided the map information for the Sentience project said "The car speeds up, slows down at speed humps, and stops at all the junctions without the driver having to intervene, all the driver is has to do is stick the phone on the dash on off you go." System uses a GPS equipped smart phone on the cellular phone network orange. Wireless bluetooth technology connects the phone to the R-cube, which was developed by the Ricardo company. The R-cube controls the acceleration and braking. The maps provided by the Ordinance survey includes speed bumps and school zones. According to www.gizmag.com the Sentience system even knows when lights ahead are going to turn red soon so you don't waste gas accelerating to a stop point. When pulling up to a round about for instance the software tells the car to slow down and once the turn is completed the car accelerates in the most fuel efficient way possible which is way it saves so much on gas usage. In initial tests it has been observed that drivers can save anywhere from 4% to 25% on gas.  The wide variation in numbers come from the difference in cars, from hybrids and those that have gasoline burning engines only, also the drivers style has an effect. For now the sentience system cannot be used completely effectively because it does not have real time information about where other cars in the road re located. An option is to have Sentience installed on every car on the road, then  the car could control itself and would greatly reduce the chance of car collisions. They feel that people driving while using cell phones or the elderly with slower reaction times could really see benefits from the hardware. The earliest that Sentience could be found on a car is not until 2012. I believe the software can be very useful for todays society and aiding with the prevention of car collisions. The problem at this point is that it is a big task to get all the cars on the road equipped with sentience. Though I feel the potential benefit of the software outweighs the hard process of equipping our vehicles with the same software. I can see a day in the future when all the cars on the road are just carrying people completely autonomously.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29865434/

http://www.gizmag.com/sentience-adaptive-intelligent-cruise-control-driverless-car/11223/