Technology

Harder Bio-Plastics

- Cam Proctor

When I was a kid, I used to make believe that Christmas was everyday. Going to the mall was especially joyfull since the majority of wares come pre-packaged. It didn’t take much imagination for me to believe I was in Santa’s factory surrounded by strangly wrapped Christmas presents. Now I’m grown up and I realize packaging is not a fun 1/4 second between me and a new toy, but a terrible waste that costs the Earth, especially when it comes to fast food containers and plastic bags.

Alternatives currently exist to plastic bags, but what about packaging? The company NatureWorks has developed a hard plastic made from corn thats suitable for many common packaging applications. Bio-plastics degrade by industrial processes and are ideally suited to large events where collection is assured. Perphaps future versions can be suitable for your backyard composter. The kid side of me is just hoping I can get my Christmas gifts in Organically grown, locally producted plastic packaging so I wont have to feel guilty when I grow up.

Mapping the Planet in Different Ways

- Adam Clare

We’ve all seen maps of the planet Earth, but have you seen maps that display the state of internet censorship or the levels of debt? A few organizations are organizing information that is hard to visualize with just numbers onto maps of the world.

The best collection of these information maps is found at MapleCroft where you can view almost anything – including invest risk, corporate governance, and the prevalence Malaria.

Mapping the majority is about mapping the places where most people live using various demographic information.

The Open Net Initiative has a map that shows how open the internet is in each country.

Bionic Hand Controlled By Thought

- Benny Powers 3 Comments

The Japanese are developing a bionic hand that is controlled by the brain, the same way that a normal hand is controlled.

The researchers mapped the brainwave patterns of a person making “rock”, “paper” and “scissors” shapes with their hand, and then programmed those patterns into the robotic prosthesis.

Before the technology can be deployed on a wide basis, there must be more breakthroughs, particularily in the areo of brain/hardware interface.

The Poop-Powered Generator of the Future?

- Benny Powers 1 Comment

Scientist at Ghent University in Belgium and University of Queensland in Australia are working on a prototype device that generates electricity from the solid waste that we humans produce every day.

The process works by harnessing the energy that waste-eating bacteria make and turning it into electricity.

Not surprisingly, the researchers are hoping to use the technology to power water treatment plants, but they say a domestic power plant is also possible in the future

Robot Students

- Adam Clare

Unhealthy students that are confined to a hospital will soon be able to still attend class. Bad news for the kids in one way and good in another. They still have to do their homework and the students can stay in contact with their friends.

Using a robot in the hospital room and another robot in the classroom a student can participate in class. A great use for robots!

“Achim is using a pair of robots–one, called “Mr. Spike,” at his bedside, and its mate, “Mrs. Candy,” in the classroom–to keep up with his schoolwork and his friends for the months he will be bedridden at Blythedale Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, N.Y., just north of New York City.

The robot in the classroom, which displays a live picture of Achim, provides what its inventors call “telepresence”: It gives the boy an actual presence in the classroom, recognized by teachers and classmates. It can move from class to class on its four-wheeled base, and it could even stop at the lockers for a between-periods chat.”

Scroll To Top