Posts tagged entrepreneur

Science magazine and the National Science Foundation have just announced the winners of the 2010 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge. The annual international competition is set up to award outstanding artistic efforts to visualize complex scientific concepts. The event also highlights the innovation and technical expertise of scientists who have abilities to visually attract a large number of audiences and encourage them to experience the complex nature as well as beauty of science. The 3-D images of HIV virus, plant-gene map, centipede robot, rough waters, tomato-seed “hair” and so on are some among the best science images of 2010

(Source: futurenow321)

A resurrected hover vehicle won’t fly through dense forests as effortlessly as the “Star Wars” speeder bikes from “Return of the Jedi,” but its intuitive controls could someday allow anyone to fly it without pilot training.

The aerial vehicle resembles a science fiction flying bike with two ducted rotors instead of wheels, but originates from a design abandoned in the 1960s because of stability and rollover problems. Aerofex, a California-based firm, fixed the stability issue by creating a mechanical system controlled by two control bars at knee-level that allows the vehicle to respond to a human pilot’s leaning movements and natural sense of balance.

(Source: futurenow321)

A woman with an artificial arm has been given the sense of touch following a pioneering operation to reroute some of her nerves. Claudia Mitchell, 27, lost her left arm in a motorcycle accident three years ago, but can now feel her missing hand after having nerves from her lost limb rerouted to her chest.

Now, when she touches something with her artificial hand she can feel it through a device attached to her chest.

During a four-hour operation, surgeons moved nerves from her shoulder, which normally ferry signals from the hand to the brain, and redirected them to muscles in her chest area.

Four months after surgery, a patch of skin on her chest was able to feel touch, temperature and pain sensations as if they were coming from different parts of her hand and wrist.

(Source: futurenow321)

Ferrofluids are made up of tiny magnetic fragments of iron suspended in oil (often kerosene) with a surfactant to prevent clumping (usually oleic acid). The fluid is relatively easy to make at home yet extremely expensive to buy on-line. How does $165 a liter sound? Still very awesome.

(Source: futurenow321)

Swimming around in their tank, these autonomous robotic jellyfish move alone or in a swarm and communicate with their brethren to avoid underwater collisions. Developed by German industrial-automation company Festo as an attention-grabbing experiment in cooperative robotics, each AquaJelly uses eight bendable “tentacles” to propel itself forward. But the AquaJelly does more than swim around and look pretty. Each is coated with conductive metal paint that draws the robot to a nearby charging station. It also has LED illumination, integrated pressure, light and radio sensors, and 11 infrared light-emitting diodes used for jelly-to-jelly communication.

Above water, the robots use a short-range radio system to signal to one another that a charging station is occupied.
Markus Fischer, the head of corporate design at Festo, hopes the AquaJelly will lead to a robotic workforce that can adapt to complicated tasks. Whereas today’s robot assembly lines can produce only a single product, “there is a possibility that [someday] several autonomous robots will work together and produce personalized products.”

(Source: futurenow321)

Wu Zhongyuan, 22, a local farmer, sits in his self-made helicopter, in Jiuxian county, Henan province August 1, 2009. The local government, out of safety concerns, later halted Wu’s plan to fly the helicopter. The aircraft took Wu two months to build and cost more than 10,000 yuan ($1,460).

(Source: futurenow321)

Probably one of my favorite inventions, a machine that can suck out the moisture in the air, filter it and sterilize it, serving it up either hot or cold. Producing up to 7 gallons of pure water using half the the electricity of your microwave. Whats better is its available to the public for a affordable price $1200. Whether your trying to get a little extra water at your cabin or trying to prevent world hunger this is the machine for you. Water wells can cost anywhere between $6000-10000, and theres no guarantee you will hit water, especially where its most needed the desert. It is my believe that if this machine was sold on the mass market like walmart, and  costco the price would dramatically come down to $600 and efficiently go up to 10 or more gallons of water per day.

(Source: futurenow321)

Sapphire Energy, the Sorrento Valley company that’s on a mission to turn algae into the fuel of the future for cars and jets, is on a roll.

And Cynthia “C.J.” Warner who joined the company in 2009 as president and was tapped as CEO this year should know.

Last month, the company completed $144 million in financing from Arrowpoint Partners and Monsanto. Original investors include Bill Gates (Cascade Investment), VenRock (Rockefeller family ventures) and Britain’s Wellcome Trust.

Next month, Sapphire launches its new “green crude farm” in Luna County, N.M., where it will begin to grow multiple acres of algae in open ponds. The goal for the demonstration plant is 100 barrels a day by 2015 and by 2018 a projected 5,000 to 10,000 barrels a day.

(Source: futurenow321)