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MIT Created Nanowire Membranes Clean up Oil

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Science,

Nanowire Membrane MIT researchers have come up with a new membrane made out of nanowires that can absorb up to 20 times its weight in oil. Not only can it be reused, the oil can be recovered. Made of potassium manganese oxide, the membranes work when heated above oil’s boiling point. Team leader Francesco Stellacci claims that the mesh selectively absorbs hydrophobic liquids from water. It is believed that the same technology can be used for water filtering and purification. We call that Brawny to the max.

Monkeys Control Robotics With Brain Waves

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Science,

Monkey with Robotic Arm In order to assist those who are paralyzed, researchers have been training monkeys to feed themselves with the use of a robotic arm. The monkey uses its brain to control sensors and let the arm know that it wants a marshmallow. The team say that one monkey has already achieved a 78% success rate. Head of the U. of Pittsburgh team, Andrew Schwartz, says that it won’t be long before the technology will be tested on humans, but it may be a several years before making it to the mainstream.

PETA Offers A Million for Lab-Grown Meat

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Editorial, Smart Home, Science,

Rubber Chicken Sandwich We really thought it was a late April Fools joke when PETA announced that they were offering a million bucks to any scientist that can create lab-grown meat that tastes like the real thing. With a 2012 target date, the group insists that the maker must be able to produce it in enough quantity for 10 U.S. states and that it must cost no more than the price of chicken now. Considering that the price of any meat will undoubtedly go up in the next four years, that shouldn’t be a problem. We assume that the new product will be created out of animal stem cells, so we figure it can’t be any worse than Tofurky.

Cell Phone May Be Health Risk to Your Brain

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, Science,

Cell Phone and Brain We had just finished reading that smokers’ chances of contracting diseases is partially due to genes when we also found that mobile phones could potentially cause the demise of more people than smoking or asbestos. The study, conducted by Dr. Vini Khurana, says that using a cell phone for at least 10 years can double your risk of brain cancer. We figure the good doctor must know what he is talking about since he has published over 30 papers and reviewed 100 studies on the effects of cell phones. Coincidentally, the French suggested limiting children’s use and Germany has also issued cautions.

Contact Lens is Almost Bionic

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Science, Videos,

Quick, somebody call Steve Austin. The University of Washington has created a bionic eye, well almost. The contact lens can zoom in on images and facts are created in a field of view. It then sends the information so that recipients can see some form of light. While they are mostly intended to help those who are visually impaired, future applications include “holographic driving control panels and even as a way to surf the Web on the go.” The results of UW’s research was shown at the recent Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ international conference.

Limit TV Time and Kids Lose Weight

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Science, Video Games,

Kid Playing Video Games Studies show that more kids are becoming obese these days due to more emphasis on video games, TVs, and computers, rather than actually exercising. Big Macs only add to the problem. Leonard Epstein of the State University of New York and team came up with a monitoring device that cuts time in half, resulting in overweight kids being forced to do something else that would burn those calories. After 2 years, the study found that kids who were restricted by 17.5 hours a week ended up with lower BMIs. We think this would be a good idea for some of the adults we know.

MoMA Features Online Exhibit

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Internet, Science,

Speaking of MoMA, not only are they exhibiting the likes of AT&T and Nokia at the museum, there is an incredible display online. Combining science with design, there are over 300 concepts in Elastic Mind that are translated into physical objects. The purpose, they say, is to “combine research with attentive consideration of human limitations, habits, and aspirations.”

All we know is that spending a couple of hours on the site may not have the impact of seeing the show itself, but it certainly is worth the time. For example, in Collection for the Lonely Man, it includes the Sheet Thief, which winds up the bed clothes to the other side. Others are Cold Feet, Heavy Breather, Plate Thrower, and Hair Alarm Clock that will run hair across the user to wake him.

Morph: Future of Technology?

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Design, Mods / Hacks, Science,

Nokia’s researchers and the University of Cambridge have come up with the “Morph.” On display at MoMA this month through mid-May, the concept is meant to display the flexibility of future mobile devices. Morph’s technology is pliable, self-cleaning, and transparent, and can be ergonomically rearranged. For example, a folded design would fit in a pocket or on a wrist, while an unfolded one could become a handset. In addition, Morphing will less expensive, take up less space on the planet, and be eco-friendly. We are all for any idea that we can wear instead of forget when we are in a rush.

Machine Analyzes Coffee

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smart Home, Misc. Tech, Science,

Cup of Coffee Researchers have devised a machine that can analyze the flavor of coffee. With a built-in electronic taster, it can determine more than 1,000 substances that go into java’s aroma by studying its gases. So far the scientists feel that it can assess espresso as well as its human counterpart. Switzerland’s Christian Lindinger and his team will report their findings in the March issue of Analytical Chemistry. We can’t wait until they place one into a Denny’s and tell them that the coffee they use in pre-packaged containers are probably double the amount of grounds that they need.

iPods and Pacemakers Get Along After All

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Apple, Music, Portable Audio / Video, Science,

Classic iPod After the FDA did their homework, they came to the conclusion that iPods probably won’t interfere with pacemakers. After a scare when a high school student said he detected electrical interference, the agency may not have thought much of it, but just to be sure…

Several models’ magnetic fields were used in the test with a saline bag substituting for a human body along with the voltage delivered inside of the pacemaker by iPods. While the results of the testing is great news for music fans, if you have a pacemaker, remember to keep away from those microwave ovens.

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