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ICYMI: Take-home laser razor, IKEA-building bot and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-563237{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-563237, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-563237{width:570px;display:block;} Today on In Case You Missed It: A Kickstarter campaign for a razor has us all riveted. Rather than the cold, hard metal we're all used to, it uses a laser-beam to cut hair. Meanwhile roboticists at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore are working on the next frontier of using robots-- how to get one to build a complicated piece of IKEA furniture. No, we are not joking. Use it for fodder for every argument you've ever had upon stepping into that hell-hole. If the robots can't do it, we can always look to the future with this kids game that uses slot cars to also teach them how to code.
Singapore students 'print' solar-powered city car
Give some students a 3D-printer, some solar panels and about a year's worth of time, and what do you get? No, not a solar-powered bong (though good idea) -- solar race cars, that's what! Engineering students from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have built 3D-printed solar electric car prototype, the NTU Venture 8 (NV8), and plan to race it in Shell's Eco Marathon Asia event later this month. The team was originally looking at a supercar design, but decided to go with "a sensible cute micro-car with vertical opening doors" that can run at up to 60 km/h (37 mph).
Fast-charging batteries will power your gadgets for 20 years
Fast-charging batteries are all nice and good, but the lifespan matters, too -- why should you have to replace power packs (or entire devices) every couple of years ? You may not have to give up performance or longevity if researchers at Nanyang Technology University have their way. They've developed new lithium ion batteries that can reach a 70 percent charge in two minutes, but should also last for over 20 years -- several times longer than the cells in your current laptop or smartphone. The trick is using titanium dioxide nanotubes for the anode (the negative pole) instead of graphite; they both speed up the battery's chemical reactions while offering 10,000 charging cycles instead of the usual 500.
Attack of the animalbots: octopus, fish inspire new robot designs
Rather than a future filled with humanoid robotic overlords as envisioned by the Terminator films, the proliferation of animal-inspired robots makes it seem much more likely that we'll be doing the bidding of a veritable zoo of snakebots, insectbots, robolobsters, mulebots, and perhaps the occasional sharkbot / attack dolphin. The latest animals to have their moves cribbed by researchers are the octopus and fish, with DARPA working on a pneumatic tentacle to replace the clumsy robotic claws of old, while students and faculty at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University have invented a robotic, propeller-less propulsion system that mimics the undulating motion of fins. DARPA's invention, called the Octarm and part of the larger Biodynotics program, was developed in collaboration with scientists at the University of North Carolina, and uses a 24-volt electro-pneumatic pressure system to control a tapered, inflatable arm that can do both fairly precise work as well as heavier lifting. NTU's project, meanwhile, employs an artificial fin attached to adjustable spokes that create a wave-like motion for propelling the bot forward in a manner very similar to a stingray's movements. Movies of both new members of the growing animalbot army, whose purposes are mostly military in nature, are available by following the "Read" links below...Read- Octarm [Via Engadget Japanese]Read- Fishbot [Via Yahoo! Asia]
