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Audience participation helps manipulate flexible skyscraper
The one thing that even non-architect-types know about skyscrapers is that tall buildings are designed to be slightly flexible, so strong gusts of wind don't send them tumbling to the ground. Well a group of MIT students have used that concept to build their own 800-pound mini-skyscraper which, in an impressive application of performance art, actually allows on-lookers to control the way it shimmies and shakes. Winner of a competition sponsored by the university's Department of Architecture, the 40-foot-tall modular structure sports four pneumatic muscles in each one of its stackable sections, which make it lean and bend into strange and unnatural shapes when multiple audience members operate the bicycle pump- or digital-controls simultaneously. Once the current exhibition is complete, we hope the design team decides to donate the wobbly wonder to their classmates who built that completely automated dorm room, because those guys could definitely turn it into a party accessory that would put those dancing flowers from the 80's to shame.
Stanford's Stickybot wall-climbing robot lizard
We thought MIT's slime-climbing robo-snail was pretty, er, slick, but we have to admit that our new fave wall-climber has got to be Stanford's Stickybot. The robot gecko has feet coated with a polymer designed to mimic the properties of setae, the tiny hairs on gecko feet that enable the lizards to climb walls. That allows the bot to clamber freely without the surface in question having to be doused with slime, as required by MIT's bot. Not surprisingly, the Pentagon is already interested in adapting the tech for military use in gloves and boots for soldiers. We can only hope this trickles down to civilian uses fast; we're so ready to connect with our inner Spidey as we climb the walls in our gecko gloves. [Via I4U]
MIT students automate dorm room, add "party mode"
Even though they may have somewhat of a geeky reputation, MIT students party just as hard as the white hatters at your local state school, and probably graduate in larger percentages to boot. It should be no surprise, then, that a couple of dorm-dwelling party animals at the university decided to use their copious electronics skillz to convert their room into the ultimate cramped disco -- and because this is MIT we're talking about, everything goes live at the push of a single button. Using an X-10 control system, Zack Anderson and his roommate RJ Ryan hooked up strobe lights, black lights, a fog machine, laser light show, scrolling LED sign, disco ball, and an LCD projector to their computers so that all the effects would sync with whatever music was playing, and even retrofitted their window blind with a motor so it can drop down and act as a projection screen for some trippy visualization action. Calling their setup MIDAS (Multifunction In-Dorm Automation System), the pair also included a security alarm and camera for remotely monitoring their now-famous room, and situated small VFDs throughout the interior to deliver system status updates or other types of infoswag. Hey guys, if you don't land some hotshot jobs after college with your MIT degrees, we always have room for clever DIYers right here at Engadget.[Via MAKE: Blog]
Nokia and MIT open research lab
Joint tech firm and university research labs are absolutely all the rage these days, and one of the more interesting combos we first heard about last year -- Nokia and MIT -- officially opened its doors. The pair's new joint research facility in MIT's Kendall Square neighborhood will leverage research at MIT's CSAIL (Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory). What fun things this pair will produce has yet to be seen, but we can only imagine it'll be magical and wonderful -- perhaps a OCPC (One Cellphone Per Child) project, anyone? No? Fine.[Thanks, Dave]
MIT researchers use virus to build tiny batteries
A small team at MIT has been spending the last few years trying to coax an organism to self-assemble into super thin lithium-ion battery out of tiny "nanowire" structures. The process involves a gene-manipulated version of a common virus which collects cobalt oxide and gold, and then assembles itself as an ultrathin wire on top of thin film. The wires are 6 nanometers in diameter, 880 nanometers in length, and a full fledged battery can be the size of a grain of rice. Once the genes are modified, the researchers say they can easily replicate millions of the wires. While this might sound like a good fit for a B-movie plot, it also sounds like they've managed to develop a rather large jump in battery tech. It looks like the first application for this tech will be for mini batteries like those of hearing aids, but there are hopes this tech can eventually make its way into laptops and perhaps even power electric cars in the future, thanks to its high density and potential for world ending catastrophe.
The RunBot out runs MIT's "Spring Flamingo," can you?
Sure, RunBot might not be a true runner yet, since it still keeps one foot on the ground at all times. Also, it's only fastest for its height, managing a swift 3.5 leg-lengths per second, besting the MIT's four times taller Spring Flamingo, which runs at comparably sluggish 1.4 leg-lengths per second. All that being said, RunBot currently holds the world record for fastest bot on two legs. The RunBot's German and Scottish creators attribute its speed to the fairly simple design, which only senses when a leg is on the ground and when a leg swings forward. RunBot merely experiments with whichever leg motions keep it upright and keep it going fastest, and the bot can accelerate up to three times its original speed with its "learnings." So far the RunBot can only walk in circles, since it's attached to a boom in the center of a room, but the developers say they're at work on a freestanding version, which shouldn't be too tough because the boom has little influence on the RunBot's walking. Be sure to check the read link for video of the bot in all of its herky-jerky glory.
Seamless Fashion Show 2006 features iPod-ready couture
Seamless V2, the second annual technology fashion event in Boston, included iPod fashion in its wild mix of wearables. Pictured above is iDo, a wedding dress concept by Shannon Okey and Alexandra Underhill. The veil included an iPod (update number two: yes, a shuffle, and the bodice a full-sized iPod) to immerse the bride in her own musical choices. The iDo description further describes the aims of the project:"...the iDo gown takes the so-called Bridezilla where she seemingly wants to go: her very own solitary walk down the aisle, with full control over music only she can hear accessed using touch-sensitive fabric technology ... and a tiara with built-in iPod."If you're less the Bridezilla and more the iPod-extrovert, you may appreciate designer David Lu's iPod Status. A scrolling display for your messenger bag strap, iPod Status shows the world your "Now Playing" status. I love messenger bag strap devices (I've done a few myself) and I think David Lu is onto something with this prototype device. Photo of iPod Status after the jump.
