On a chilly winter day I was dragged outside to build a shelter. I started by hunting down some sticks and finding a stump or some sort of structure to use as a main wall. I wandered around the yard looking for sticks that were at about shoulder height for me. I was also looking for sticks that either still had foliage on them or that had a lot of branches and created something of a net. I took pictures of my progress, here's the main frame of the shelter:
After I had established a frame for my shelter I added a tarp to the top of it. I then added leaves to the top of the tarp to weigh the tarp down. I also used the leaves to create more of a wall and trap any heat in the shelter as well. This one is a picture of me and Magic hanging out in my shelter:
If I had the patience and cooperation for it, then I would've moved the tarp so that it covered the fort a little better, and protected the main entrance from weather. I would've used the stump as a wall and the tarp would've been able to fit the entrance. Click here to view the rest of my pictures of the process.
Friday, December 29, 2017
Friday, December 22, 2017
Gimme Shelter!
The original location in my backyard to be used for shelter building. This was from some recently cut down trees that were rolled together.
I used the trees and existing stump as two walls, with the stump adding support for the "roof". Next I laid an addition of sticks and leaves and evergreen branches on top that were found around the yard.


Addition of an 8 x 8 plastic tarp with leaves on top. After some experimentation I decided that a layer of sticks first would work as a small frame, then putting the tarp on top would "seal" things down. On top of the tarp I could put leaves for further insulation.
Finished! Nice and roomy :^)

If I were to restart, I would make a crosshatch of the sticks and branches to have a sturdier frame. I would also create/insulate a better base with mud and tree bark. Overall I believe that this shelter was functional, but would need to be worked on over a longer period of time to be used for longer.
Extra dog pic

Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Mass wood blog #2
Alejandro Jimenez
Mr. Gray
Period A/ Blogger
24 October 2017
http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/New-wood-te<img src="https://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/3eddc65d-12aa-4db5-8d93-bf7ef678a47f?size=2" alt="2_int_CLTStack-800x800.jpg"/>chnology-materials-and-science-enhance-safety-and-structural-performance-1005448363
Due to overpopulation, engineers, designers, and builders of the world came up with solutions to resolve the constrained environmental resources, One such resource is wood, one of the worlds oldest building material known to mankind. Next generation of wood products, also known as mass timber offer exceptional stability and strength, and have made wood a better choice to other resources, like steel or concrete. Products such as, nail laminated timber, cross laminated timber and glue laminated timber all increased stability, strength and design within buildings.
Mass timber also has fire resistance. Unlike steal, steal conducts heat and loses strength even in lower temperature fires.
Video of what Mass Timber is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h99kIHrULrg
cross laminated timber
Mr. Gray
Period A/ Blogger
24 October 2017
http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/New-wood-te<img src="https://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/3eddc65d-12aa-4db5-8d93-bf7ef678a47f?size=2" alt="2_int_CLTStack-800x800.jpg"/>chnology-materials-and-science-enhance-safety-and-structural-performance-1005448363
Due to overpopulation, engineers, designers, and builders of the world came up with solutions to resolve the constrained environmental resources, One such resource is wood, one of the worlds oldest building material known to mankind. Next generation of wood products, also known as mass timber offer exceptional stability and strength, and have made wood a better choice to other resources, like steel or concrete. Products such as, nail laminated timber, cross laminated timber and glue laminated timber all increased stability, strength and design within buildings.
Mass timber also has fire resistance. Unlike steal, steal conducts heat and loses strength even in lower temperature fires.
Video of what Mass Timber is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h99kIHrULrg
cross laminated timber
360 camera blog #1
Alejandro Jimenez
Mr. Gray
Period A/ Blog #1
4 October 2017
Website:https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603496/10-breakthrough-technologies-2017-the-360-degree-selfie/
The technology of using 360 degree cameras for photos and videos is something totally new. Until recently there was no other options for shooting photos and video that captured that context: use a rig to position multiple cameras at different angles with overlapping fields of view or pay for a $10,000 camera that does it all for you. Production process also took much time and when downloaded on a computer the usages of a pricey software was needed to fuse the photos/videos together to create a seamless picture.
Today anyone can buy a decent 360 degree camera for less than $500; record and upload a photo/video within minutes on social platforms like Facebook and Youtube. Big companies like nikon or samsung are selling them to the public, they even created a virtual reality headset that can rotate the photo by moving your head. This creates a better experience for the user because it gives the illusion they are actually present to whatever they are looking at.
360 degree cameras are the future in how we express ideas and story telling through pictures. Even though this is new technology this has already been affecting my life in how I watch video. Many youtubers are creating and posting videos of them recording on 360 degree cameras and I have enjoyed watching because it creates a new sense in video and makes the pictures more realistic.
Link to a video recorded on 360 camera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=x9T5K1D6nkc
Monday, November 6, 2017
New species of rat "Vika"
Link:
Blog #2
A new species of rat has been discovered, titled, “Vika” researchers say that it is a foot and a half long and nearly triple the weight of a common black rat. However despite just being discovered they are already endangered. The oversized, tree-dwelling rat lives in the Solomon Islands and scientists have said “Finding them, the scientists who discovered them say, has proved incredibly difficult.” The picture above shows the nuts that the rats eat and what is left behind.Humans are always chopping down trees in the Solomon Islands and with trees being the main habitat of vika, scientists say that the newly-discovered species is also “critically endangered” with an already very small population and a shrinking habitat. That's also amplified by natural predators from birds of prey and cats.Researchers from around the island are encouraging additional scientific surveys of the island by scientific or conservation groups, to see what other animals might be hiding in the branches before the branches themselves disappear.
Friday, November 3, 2017
Ruins of the Future
Virtual reality users can now see ancient Athens as it used to be 2000 years ago. An Australian startup called Lithodomos VR made it possible to see ancient Athens in its glory days as if you were there in person.
This photorealistic and archaeologically accurate virtual tour includes famous landmarks that look brand new like the Acropolis and Agora. The first landmark that was recreated was the Odean of Agrippa which was a once towering concert hall with a massive single spanned ceiling. The tour also includes sound effects and narration, so it's not as boring as it seems. The tour is meant to accompany travelers on their visit to the Athens and will also be used for education in classrooms. "There is plenty of audio and visual material within the app, to keep students busy exploring for several classes. It fits perfectly with any class that deals with Greek civilization.” - one of the creators
Athens isn't the only VR tour of ancient historical landmarks because Lithodomos VR also has tours of ancient Jerusalem and Paris Arnes de Lutce.
This photorealistic and archaeologically accurate virtual tour includes famous landmarks that look brand new like the Acropolis and Agora. The first landmark that was recreated was the Odean of Agrippa which was a once towering concert hall with a massive single spanned ceiling. The tour also includes sound effects and narration, so it's not as boring as it seems. The tour is meant to accompany travelers on their visit to the Athens and will also be used for education in classrooms. "There is plenty of audio and visual material within the app, to keep students busy exploring for several classes. It fits perfectly with any class that deals with Greek civilization.” - one of the creators
Athens isn't the only VR tour of ancient historical landmarks because Lithodomos VR also has tours of ancient Jerusalem and Paris Arnes de Lutce.
Prism Glasses
As weird as these glasses look they actually have a valuable purpose and they almost always work for the variety of vision problems they're supposed to correct. These glasses help correct :
Double vision
Blurred vision
Missing rows while reading
And headaches related to vision issues
People are tested to decide what prescription they need for the lenses of these glasses just like regular glasses. But unlike ordinary eyeglasses, prism glasses help people who lack depth perception which causes double vision and other uncommon distortions of vision.
The prism glasses help correct this problem because the prism shape allows light to pass between the positive prism lense and the negative prism lens. Basically, light enters the first prism as white light and exits as a rainbow, then the light enters the second prism as a rainbow and leaves as a white light. This process helps the eyes focus on objects better and cancels out the distorted vision caused by the weaker eye.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Window Power
A device used to collect solar energy power has been pioneered by Michigan State University. These see- through solar materials can be applied to windows to represent a massive source of untapped energy. This product can produce and collect power much better than the solar units on rooftops.
This product can also reduce the use of fossil fuels and potentially produce 40 percent of US electricity demand. Highly transparent solar cells were analyzed to find their potential to "show that by harvesting visible light these devices can provide a similar electricity- generation potential as a rooftop solar while providing additional functionality to enhance the efficiency of buildings, automobiles and mobile electronics.” When this product is placed on a window, it does not obstruct the view, it is transparent. While on the window it creates solar energy by being a luminescent solar concentrator.
Exciting Increase in the Popularity of Electric Cars
As gasoline prices continue to fluctuate due to political instability in America, automobile owners seek a more progressive alternative. It is reported that the average driver spends over $9,000 annually in general maintenance and fuel costs. This is an astounding number, considering the average American drives merely 15,000 miles each year. An obvious solution has been easier said than done for the past few decades; electrically-powered vehicles, nevertheless, are on the rise in popularity. And with prices consistently falling, its beginning to make a lot of sense for the average consumer.
The increase in electric vehicles on the public roads began during the Recession from 2008-2010. As gas prices rose to a record high national average of over $4.50, the pressure rose on engineers to develop a solution very quickly. Long regarded as a phenomenon of the future, electricity in the automotive world soon became very close to a reality. Companies almost immediately generated a response, such as Nissan, who rolled off their wildly successful Leaf for the 2011 model year, becoming the first economically feasible option in the segment. As production became commonplace and the world grew to adapt to this new way of driving, costs began to fall even further. Ford introduced their Focus Electric and Volkswagen rolled out their eGolf electric in 2012 and 2015 respectively. The batteries used to power the simplistic motors were specifically designed to be environmentally friendly and competitive on the market in terms of range and reliability. They grew to offer ranges up to 200+ miles on a single charge.
It wasn't until the revolutionary Tesla Inc. brought their meticulously-tuned, marvelously engineered electric motors to the market that anyone considered performance-based electric vehicles. They set a new standard in automotive design, and yielded hope that electric cars could one day occupy much of the broad landscape that is the modern-day marketplace. Their motors define the essence of simplicity in electric design when compared to the archaic maze of moving components on the traditional internal combustion engine. Even still, the electric examples produce far less heat, require little to no maintenance, and are drastically more environmentally friendly. One can observe the true engineering marvel that is brought about through this innovation simply by comparing one of Tesla's premium motors to that of a typical Ford. The difference is astonishing.
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As of today, car manufacturers are devoting a great deal of their resources to developing and improving their electric vehicles. In some parts of the country, owners spend as little at $1 per day operating their motors. Especially considering that electricity is immune to the political fluctuation that foreign fossil fuels constantly fall victim to, buying one of these electric cars makes exceedingly more sense for the average consumer. Annual costs can be as little as $360, and electric motors have only one moving part, allowing for far less preventative and reparative maintenance than their gasoline powered counterparts. Considering the improving conditions and joyous cost reduction of modern electric vehicles, U.S. citizens are flocking to play an integral role in the environmental movement. And with the inviting tax breaks and resulting mechanical peace of mind, there's no reason why Joe Consumer shouldn't go pick himself up a cute little Nissan Leaf.
The Art of the Soda Can
How often do you crack open a can of soda or soup? Have you ever thought about the amount of design that went into such a frequently used device? When the aluminum soda can was first being invented the shape of the can was strongly considered. The benefits of a spherical can were that it would use the least amount of surface space and there would be no weak points in the design of the can, other than the opening. A spherical can have many disadvantages though, it would leave lot of empty space in packaging, it wouldn’t be able to stand upright, and most importantly it would be difficult to manufacture. A simple answer to most of these problems would be cuboid can. This can would be able to stand upright by itself and be fairly simple to manufacture. A cuboid can has weak edges at the corners and is difficult to hold comfortably. A healthy middle of a spherical and cuboid can was a cylindrical can shape.
Aluminum cans are made using a series of dyes and presses, and they are most commonly manufactured in a production lines. The can starts off as a flat circle aluminum and are pressed into a small cup first, the walls are then stretched upwards in three different steps to make the height of the can more reasonable. After the neck of the can, or the little indent of the can, is developed the top is worked on. Before I talk about the double seam on the top of the can I would like to draw attention to the dome shape at the base of the can. This dome helps to distribute the weight and pressure of the product and make the packaging more durable. Though most cans of soda will only experience pressure changes of 1-2 atmospheres, they are built to handle 6 atmospheres of pressure. The top aspect of the can is the most impressive part, because it is so simple yet so precise and functional. The engineers came up with a double seam that can be seen in the image below. To assure that no extra gases leak out and to maintain the pressure in the can most manufacturers will add an extra compound that solidifies to form a gasket. The lid of the can is added immediately after it is filled so that the lid can trap the gases and maintain the necessary pressure.
The last feat of the can, which is what sparked my interest in the first place, is the pop tab. This was not a feature of the first can invented. The first can had a flat lid and required a special opening tool that would press in one hole for drinking and another hole for venting and allowing a proper vacuum to occur. The next can that came out around in the 1960’s had a pull tab that would just be torn right off the top of the can to create an opening. These worked well for opening the cans but they caused litter and injuries to barefoot beach-goers or wildlife, as they would leave a very sharp tab sticking up from the ground. Finally came the modern pop-tab that works as a second stage lever, pulling open a little bit of the can where it’s fastened on, then once the seal is broken and the pressure is released it becomes a first stage lever, pushing down on the lid of the can and forcing it to break inwards.
At the end of the day soda is bad for you, but still incredibly popular as a drink. Furthermore the soda can is ubiquitous at parties and gatherings, and even in the common American household. I doubt that anyone often considers the science behind this can, and I applaud the people who have previously dwelt on the concept because it seems like such a simple idea and it has somehow been so well perfected over time without a big fuss being made. Of course when the first can’s with pop tabs came out people were excited not to need a can opener, but I feel it is something that we seldom appreciate in our day to day lives.
Lossless Audio Downloads and Streaming Today
By: Liam Godin
Audio streaming and downloads are absolutely the most popular method that people around the world employ to listen to music and other audio products. Streaming platforms such as Spotify and Pandora have increased in popularity massively, as streaming becomes the norm. The capability to stream high quality music files appeals to the masses in a huge way. Though the common consumer can often hear no difference between audio file types, these streaming and downloading platforms continue to utilize and accept a variety of audio formats. Even then, several groups of people wish for higher quality music to be streamable and downloadable through these services.
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Sennheiser HD800s headphones with unknown amplifier |
Currently, the streaming service Spotify compresses its audio files down to 160 kbps on their desktop application, and 96 kbps on their mobile application. This compression is considered "normal" quality for their service. Paid users are then allowed access to "high quality" compression of 320 kbps. The file compression system Spotify utilizes is not lossless. Lossless file types can run up to 1,411 kbps. The reasoning for this compression is to limit file size. Compression is a process that removes frequencies that are believed that the human ear cannot hear. This causes a much lower file size, and is almost un-noticeable for most people. Lossless audio is not often used in Spotify, but there is rumors of a quiet beta program testing lossless file types on the servers.
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Example of lossless audio vs compressed audio displayed in hertz |
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Audeze LCD-2 Planar Magnetic headphones with Violectric HPA V200 amplifier |
Saving Scan Time
The MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) procedure is often performed with its high quality images, which can reveal issues with the spinal cord, brain, and other things. The introduction of the MRI brought forth a better understanding for issues and allowed for the problem to be directly solved from the images produced from the scan.
The MRI procedure itself, however, can take nearly an hour to be performed and is extremely tedious for the one having the procedure done, considering they must be laying flat for the entire time. Because of all the negatives with the MRI as whole, people have tried to find solutions to those issues. The idea of the MRI is brilliant, but there are still aspects that could be fixed to make the process easier to all parties.
Richard Baraniuk and Kevin Kelly, faculty at Rice University, discovered "compressive scanning" in order to speed up the MRI process to just seconds, as opposed to nearly an hour. The compressive scanning is used only for the scans of a beating heart, but possibly could evolve to scan even more. The process of a compressive scan requires the patient to breathe normally throughout the procedure whilst the heart is being scanned. The future of compressive scanning is unknown, but the technology has already gained popularity. Siemens Medical Solutions has licensed the technology discovered by Baraniuk and Kelly, which already shows the desire for the product. MRI scans continue to be performed daily and with the time for the procedures cut down drastically, the future for MRI scans seems only brighter.
sources: phys.org dsp.rice.edu
The MRI procedure itself, however, can take nearly an hour to be performed and is extremely tedious for the one having the procedure done, considering they must be laying flat for the entire time. Because of all the negatives with the MRI as whole, people have tried to find solutions to those issues. The idea of the MRI is brilliant, but there are still aspects that could be fixed to make the process easier to all parties.
Richard Baraniuk and Kevin Kelly, faculty at Rice University, discovered "compressive scanning" in order to speed up the MRI process to just seconds, as opposed to nearly an hour. The compressive scanning is used only for the scans of a beating heart, but possibly could evolve to scan even more. The process of a compressive scan requires the patient to breathe normally throughout the procedure whilst the heart is being scanned. The future of compressive scanning is unknown, but the technology has already gained popularity. Siemens Medical Solutions has licensed the technology discovered by Baraniuk and Kelly, which already shows the desire for the product. MRI scans continue to be performed daily and with the time for the procedures cut down drastically, the future for MRI scans seems only brighter.
sources: phys.org dsp.rice.edu
Wearable Security Auxiliary of Voice Signature
Talking to electronics is popular in this era of technology. Through voice assistants, people connect each other more efficiently, and actually more secure. Recently, Barclays bank began to use voice-based security to verify and to identify their customers. But sound can be spoofed and hacked easily by mediocre impersonators and sophisticated hackers.
According to Kang Shin, the Kevin and Nancy O'Connor Professor of Computer Science and professor of electrical engineering and computer science at U-M, it is dangerous to only use voice signature in a system, one must have a second channel to authenticate the voice.
Shin and his colleagues developed VAuth, which is a wearable device that can take the form of a necklace, earbuds or a small attachment to eyeglasses. VAuth continuously registers speech-induced vibrations on the user's body and pairs them with the sound of that person's voice to create a unique and secure signature. The process of speaking creates vibrations that can be detected on the skin of a person's face, throat or chest. The system works by leveraging the instantaneous consistency between signals from the accelerometer in the wearable security token and the microphone in the electronic device.
In addition, VAuth also overcomes a key problem of voice biometrics. A voice biometric, similar to a fingerprint, is not easy to keep protected. From a few recordings of the user's voice, an attacker can impersonate the user by generating a matching 'voice print.'
"The users can do little to regain their security as they cannot simply change their voice. On the other hand, when losing VAuth for any reason, the user can simply unpair it to prevent an attacker from using their device.
After the tests on its prototype, it achieved 97% detection accuracy and less than 0.1% false positive rate, and it also thwarts different practical attacks. According to the survey, out of 952 people, 70% of them are willing to give a try on VAuth, half of them are willing to pay more than $25 for the technology.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2017-10-wearables-boost-voice-based-log-in.html
How many robots does it take to Screw in a lightbulb?
Alex Newton
25 October 2017
Ok before anything, I actually thought of the joke before I even read the article. The answer is one. This robot can pick up and manipulate objects without needing to see them. It can twist, sense, and can build objects. Michael T. Tolley is leading a group of engineers in developing this robot. "We designed the device to mimic what happens when you reach into your pocket and feel for your keys," said Tolley.
The fingers on the robot move when air pressure is applied. This allows the robot to turn screwdrivers, and screw in light bulbs. The conductivity of the nanotubes changes as the fingers flex, which allows the sensing skin to record and detect when the fingers are moving and coming into contact with an object. The next steps to this project are adding machine learning and artificial intelligence to data processing so that the gripper will actually be able to identify the objects it's manipulating.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017
NeuroShield
Your brain is the most important organ in your body and even though contact sports such as hockey or football are fun, they can be detrimental to your brain's health. To overcome this problem, brilliant team of neuroscientists and engineers inspired by nature, were able to create, test, and put on the market an affordable, slim neck brace that helps prevent concussions for hockey players and players of other contact sports. The creators of this innovation in sports protection looked to nature for inspiration. They wondered how the woodpecker is able to repeatedly thrust its head into a tree without harming itself and thought that if they could understand how this works, they will be able to use this information to create a product that would help prevent brain damage to contact sports players.
Brain damage is caused when the brain slams against the inside of the skull. The early solution to this was to create helmets that reduce the force going into the head upon contact. However, hits to the head still caused the brain to slam into the skull causing long-term effects such as CTE and concussions. To counteract this slamming of the brain into the skull, the NeuroShield works by stabilizing the brain by applying light pressure to the neck, similar to how a woodpecker's neck is like. The pressure on the neck creates more blood to go to the areas around the brain, in turn, creating less space for the brain to move within the skull. The NeuroSheild will help athletes stay healthy and dramatically decrease brain damage done to players of contact sports.
Sources:
https://neuroshield.ca/index.html

Sources:
https://neuroshield.ca/index.html
Robots With Skin
Alexander Pedro
There are many things that robots are more equipped and safer to do than humans. Defusing bombs or delicate first aid procedures are a couple of examples where robots are more efficient tools. But there has been a roadblock where robots do not have the senses that humans do. Robots cannot smell, see, and hear like humans can. But now they can feel like humans can.

Rubber electronics and sensors that operate normally even when stretched to up to 50 percent of their length could work as artificial skin in robots, according to a new study. They could also give flexible sensing capabilities to a range of electronic devices, the researchers said. Like human skin, the material is able to sense strain, pressure and temperature, according to the researchers.

As the University of Washington explains:
"As the robot finger slides along a surface, serpentine channels embedded in the skin and filled with electrically conductive liquid metal stretch on one side of the finger and compress on the other. This changes the amount of electricity that can flow through the channels, which can be correlated with shear force and vibration."
As the University of Washington explains:
"As the robot finger slides along a surface, serpentine channels embedded in the skin and filled with electrically conductive liquid metal stretch on one side of the finger and compress on the other. This changes the amount of electricity that can flow through the channels, which can be correlated with shear force and vibration."
A Car that Knows You
Destination Prediction in Tesla Cars
Tesla CEO, Elon Musk |
The CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk (in photo to the right), said in a brief that Telsa's won't need to be told where to go for the destination. Musk stated that the self driving cars will be able to predict where the driver wishes to go. The hope is that this feature will be a part of the improved autopilot system which is promised to be released in 2018.
On October 20th, James Harvey tweeted to Tesla to suggest that Musk should design cars that will ask the destination desired once the driver gets in the car. In response to this suggestion, Musk replied saying that the future plans for the newer models will be able to predict the destination without a word being said by the driver.
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Tesla Model X with Autopilot system |
In 2014, Tesla cars were the first to ever stablish an auto pilot system. This was deployed in their Model X (in the photo above). Since then, their design has proven to even save lives. Many governments are using driverless cars to understand more about navigating safely. These cars are constantly getting software updates and firmware updates to enhance the already wonderful features and bring more buisness. The boom in business makes Musk very confident in the progression of his cars of the future.
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SAE Internation Standard of Automated Driving Levels |
Even though the technology used in these cars are considered to be so advanced, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) do not consider the Tesla technology to be classified as Level 5 autonomy, which is considered full automation of the vehicle. This is defined as "the full-time performance by an automated driving system
of all aspects of the dynamic driving task under all roadway
and environmental conditions that can be managed by a
human driver" (SAE International Standard). However, their newest model expected to be released before the end of 2017 should have to updates of new software and autopilot hardware to meet the criteria of Level 5 autonomy.
Article Link: Tesla Destination Prediction
Here is a interesting video of the Tesla Autopilot being tested 😱😱😱
Monday, October 23, 2017
Century Old Bridge Restoration

Swiftcurrent Lake, credit: Federal Lands Highway
Repairing the bridge posed unique challenges. The Swiftcurrent Bridge resides deep within Glacier National Park. While this remote location gives visitors a welcome sense of escape to nature, it also creates major limitations in available construction materials and machinery. Replacing the bridge can not hinder the visitors, and starting construction in September was taking a serious risk in the cold climate of Montana.
Through the use of prefabricated bridge elements and systems, the Contractor could build bridge components in an off-site location, then deliver and install them during final construction stages. This would reduce on-site construction time while allowing crews to fabricate bridge components in a controlled environment. Considering the difficult time constraints of the Swiftcurrent Bridge job, this approach would provide the highest probability of success.

Repairing the Bridge, credit: Federal Lands Highway
With an eye for engineering, precision and time management, the builders successfully reconstructed this historic crossing without hindering park visitors or hotel guests. Once the winter ice thawed, the Many Glacier Hotel opened as usual, and guests were able to walk, ride, or drive to its entry across the newly fortified Swiftcurrent Bridge.
Owl Inspired Wind Turbines
Wind turbines are notorious for their immense noise at close proximity and this is a large reason for their absence in heavily populated areas. However researches at Lehigh University have took to studying the Owl, as its wings are able to suppress noise in order to go unheard by its prey. This is due to wing porosity, the term used to describe the space in between the wing that allows air to pass through. Using the formula they developed, the results for pressure distribution on a wing and curvature of a wing section can be determined buy a single equation. This equation can be used by turbine designers to both minimize noise and maximize aerodynamics in future turbines.
"The fact that our result is explicit and in closed form for arbitrary porosity distributions makes it easy to implement in analyses of aerodynamics vs aero-acoustics to anticipate whether or not a particular porosity design will be effective for a given application," said Jaworski, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and mechanics.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Smart-foam
Nano Technology To Detect Concussions
In the world of football Concussions are a huge dilemma. From very young ages kids begin to play contact football, where their heads are vulnerable to serious injury. Once kids get older the sport inevitably becomes increasingly dangerous. Bigger, stronger, faster players cause the likelihood of head related injury to skyrocket.
Once you hit the college and pro levels, a head injury can happen to anyone. they could range from minor to even death by contact. Studies show that concussions can cause problems later in life as well. The only thing between your head and the contact point is their helmet. Helmets have come a very long way over the course of 20 years. Long ago they used to play with leather caps.
Helmets like these have been designed to help curb concussions, but do they really work? not so much. A new technology has been produced to be put inside of football helmets. It is a foam composite laced with nickle nano particles which rub and make friction with the foam. When the friction happens a static charge is produced which can measure the force of impact of the brain. this technology has the potential to save football from being barred to all kids who wish to play but their parents wont let them because of head injury.
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Shrimp Cam
The Mantis Shrimp Leads to New Camera Technology
IN THE WORLD OF CAMERA TECHNOLOGY comes the new cheap and effective way to take underwater, and medical pictures. the advances made include, vision of new phenomena under water, and also the possibility to detect cancer before it develops. this ultra-sensitive camera is capable of sensing color, polarization, and can see things that are invisible to the human eye and to cameras we use today.

The mantis shrimp, considered one of the best hunters in shallow waters, possesses one of the most sophisticated eyes in nature. Compared with human vision, which has three different types of color receptors, the mantis shrimp has 16 different types of color receptors and six polarization channels.

The fact that detecting early formation of cancer is what is driving this research forward. But more importantly the cost of this technology costs less than $100, this will enable quality health care in resource-limited places around the world like underdeveloped countries in Africa, and the Middle East.

Leading developers (Viktor Gruev, and Missael Garcia)
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