Self-sculpting 'smart sand' can assume any shape, create instant prototypes (video)

Self-sculpting 'smart sand' can assume any shape, create instant prototypes (video):

A new algorithm developed by the Distributed Robotics Laboratory at MIT's Computer Science could lead to an exciting fast prototyping tool, being dubbed "smart sand." Immerse an object in the sand, tiny cubes that send simple proximity messages to each other, which relay through the swarm and determine which blocks are adjacent to the object to be modeled, and those that aren't. Using this data, it's possible to create a map of the subject to be replicated. Initial tests were performed using 2D models, but has also been shown to work reliably with 3D shapes also. While true smart sand would need "grains" much smaller than currently possible, it's said that this isn't an "insurmountable obstacle." The paper will be presented at the IEEE conference in May, or keep going past the break for the explanatory video.
Continue reading Self-sculpting 'smart sand' can assume any shape, create instant prototypes (video)

Self-sculpting 'smart sand' can assume any shape, create instant prototypes (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 13:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Potential method to control obesity: Red wine, fruit compound could help block fat cell formation

Potential method to control obesity: Red wine, fruit compound could help block fat cell formation: A compound found in red wine, grapes and other fruits, and similar in structure to resveratrol, is able to block cellular processes that allow fat cells to develop, opening a door to a potential method to control obesity, according to a new study.

Minecraft Maker's Next Game: Hard-Core Space Sim

Minecraft Maker's Next Game: Hard-Core Space Sim: The well-known creator of the PC hit Minecraft, Markus "Notch" Persson, announced today that his next game project will be an ambitious multiplayer space travel simulation game that sounds somewhat similar to EVE Online.

New options for nuclear waste? Crushing pressure surprisingly opens up nanopores in mineral

New options for nuclear waste? Crushing pressure surprisingly opens up nanopores in mineral: By squeezing a porous solid, scientists surprisingly made its cavities open wider, letting in -- and trapping -- europium ions. Given the similarities between europium and uranium ions, the team thinks the innovation could represent a promising new avenue for nuclear waste processing.

Chevy Volt To Resume Production One Week Early Following Record Sales

Chevy Volt To Resume Production One Week Early Following Record Sales:



surewouldoutlaw writes "On the heels of the news that the Chevy Volt had a record month, selling 2,289 units in March, the Detroit-Hamtramck plant where the car is made will be resuming production of the car one week early, reducing a five-week shutdown to just four weeks, the United Auto Workers union said Tuesday. The shutdown had been put in place to re-align supply with demand. Volt workers have also begun to lash out at Republican presidential candidates' criticisms of the car: 'They're attacking our car to get at the President...But our car is going to change the way America does business. It's a breath of fresh air.'"

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New forage plant prepares farmers for climate changes

New forage plant prepares farmers for climate changes: Plant researchers have developed a new type of the corn-like crop sorghum, which may become very significant for food supplies in drought-prone areas. Unlike the conventional drought-resistant sorghum plant, which is an important crop in Africa, China and the USA, this new type does not form toxic cyanide when exposed to long-term drought.

Self-Sustaining Solar Reactor Creates Clean Hydrogen

Self-Sustaining Solar Reactor Creates Clean Hydrogen:



An anonymous reader writes "A mechanical engineer working out of the University of Delaware has come up with a way to produce hydrogen without any undesirable emissions such as carbon dioxide. The solar reactor is capable of using sunlight to increase the heat inside its cylindrical structure above 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Zinc oxide powder is then gravity fed through 15 hoppers into the ceramic interior where it converts to a zinc vapor. At that point the vapor is reacted with water separately, which in turn produces hydrogen. If the prototype gets through 6 weeks of testing at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology located in Zurich, we could see it scaled up to industrial size, producing emission-free hydrogen."

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Yoga shows psychological benefits for high-school students

Yoga shows psychological benefits for high-school students: Yoga classes have positive psychological effects for high-school students, according to a pilot study.

Older subjects who regularly practise Tai Chi found to have better arterial compliance and greater muscle strength

Older subjects who regularly practise Tai Chi found to have better arterial compliance and greater muscle strength: Older subjects who regularly practise Tai Chi found to have better arterial compliance and greater muscle strength than non-practitioners. Exercise which can achieve both cardiovascular function and muscle strength "would be a preferred mode of training for older persons", say investigators. Experienced practitioners of Tai Chi, the traditional Chinese mind-body exercise now enjoyed worldwide, have been shown in a study of older subjects to have improved expansion and contraction of arteries according to cardiac pulsation (arterial compliance) and improved knee muscle strength.

Do Tablets Help Children Learn?

Do Tablets Help Children Learn?:
hypnosec writes "With the wide array of electronic devices available in our everyday lives, it appears that children have formed an attachment to a different kind of toy. According to the latest survey, 77 per cent of polled US, UK parents believe that iPads and other tablets are good educational tools that boost kids' creativity. Meanwhile, researchers in this field explain that it is a matter of balance — and a child's access to tablets and other similar electronic devices should be monitored. Specialists warn that using tablets in excess could cause attention deficit disorder and even autism, particularly at a very young age."

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New isotope measurement could alter history of early solar system

New isotope measurement could alter history of early solar system: The early days of our solar system might look quite different than previously thought, according to new research. The study used more sensitive instruments to find a different half-life for samarium, one of the isotopes used to chart the evolution of the solar system.

Nearly half of cancer survivors died from conditions other than cancer

Nearly half of cancer survivors died from conditions other than cancer: Although cancer recurrence may be the overriding fear for many survivors, nearly half of survivors from a recently presented study died from other conditions.

‘Positive stress’ helps protect eye from glaucoma

‘Positive stress’ helps protect eye from glaucoma: Working in mice, scientists have devised a treatment that prevents the optic nerve injury that occurs in glaucoma, a neurodegenerative disease that is a leading cause of blindness.

Polish Government To Deliver Free Textbooks For All Kids Grades 4-6

Polish Government To Deliver Free Textbooks For All Kids Grades 4-6:



rekrutacja writes "Today the Polish government started a Digital School pilot program, which includes distributing e-textbooks. This came after a years-long effort by the Open Education Coalition and its members to persuade policy makers, that Open Educational Resources are the future of education. The last few months have been especially eventful, as the free textbooks part of the program was dropped by the Ministry of Education and reinstated again by the Prime Minister Office."

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Treadmill Spills

When Catastrophe Strikes, Emulate the Octopus

When Catastrophe Strikes, Emulate the Octopus: If we want to effectively deal with unknown threats, we need to study the natural world, which has been adapting in the face of adversity for 3.5 billion years.

Slick Google Voice integration may not be Sprint exclusive for long

Slick Google Voice integration may not be Sprint exclusive for long:

Despite it's rocky start, we wouldn't blame you for being a little jealous of Sprint's tight integration with Google Voice. Well, the relationship between the two might not be exclusive for much longer. Vincent Paquet, Product Manager for Google Voice, told CNET in an interview that the web giant is actively talking to other carriers about forming a similar bond. Paquet didn't name any names unfortunately, but we're hoping one of the other major national providers here in the US is on the short list of potential corporate polygamist partners. If we're lucky, getting your Verizon phone to play nice with Google Voice's voicemail inbox will soon be a lot simpler. Or, at least it'll be easier to send those stubborn exes straight to voicemail.

Slick Google Voice integration may not be Sprint exclusive for long originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Censorship of Chinese Social Media Is Real, Comprehensive

Censorship of Chinese Social Media Is Real, Comprehensive:
chicksdaddy writes "Threatpost has a write-up of a study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University that provides the first conclusive evidence that Chinese government censorship extends to social media sites like Sina Weibo, the popular micro blogging Web site that many have likened to a Chinese Twitter. 'The study ... found that censors in China delete around 16 percent of the messages submitted to Sina Weibo ... The study, released in March, concludes that "soft censorship" in China — the removal of controversial subject matter from blogs and Web pages — is at least as popular as hard censorship, like the blocking of offensive sites. The result is suppression of news about events or individuals that are deemed threatening to the ruling Communist party.'"

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Chronic stress spawns protein aggregates linked to Alzheimer's

Chronic stress spawns protein aggregates linked to Alzheimer's: Repeated stress triggers the production and accumulation of insoluble tau protein aggregates inside the brain cells of mice, say researchers.

'Could my child have autism? ' Ten signs of possible autism-related delays in 6- to 12-month-old children

'Could my child have autism? ' Ten signs of possible autism-related delays in 6- to 12-month-old children: Though autism is often not diagnosed until the age of three, some children begin to show signs of developmental delay before they turn a year old. While not all infants and toddlers with delays will develop autism spectrum disorders, experts point to early detection of these signs as key to capitalizing on early diagnosis and intervention, which is believed to improve developmental outcomes.

Militarizing Your Backyard With Python and AIfrom Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters

by timothy



mikejuk writes "Kurt Grandis took some cutting edge and open source AI tools, Python, an Arduino and a SuperSoaker and built the (almost) perfect squirrel hosing machine. The project involved Open Computer Vision (OpenCV), an a SVM learning procedure that he trained to tell the difference between a squirrel and a non-squirrel. After 'perfecting' the classifier the hardware came next — a SuperSoaker Mark I was used as the 'water cannon.' A pair of servos were used to aim the gun and a third to pull the trigger."

Red Wine and the Secret of Superconductivityfrom Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters

by timothy



cold fjord writes "Red wine is a popular marinade for meat, but it turns out that it may become a popular treatment for creating iron based superconductors as well (Link to academic paper): 'Last year, a group of Japanese physicists grabbed headlines around the world by announcing that they could induce superconductivity in a sample of iron telluride by soaking it in red wine. They found that other alcoholic drinks also worked--white wine, beer, sake and so on — but red wine was by far the best. The question, of course, is why. What is it about red wine that does the trick? Today, these guys provide an answer, at least in part. Keita Deguchi at the National Institute for Materials Science in Tsukuba, Japan, and a few buddies, say the mystery ingredient is tartaric acid and have the experimental data to show that it plays an important role in the process. . . It turns out that the best performer is a wine made from the gamay grape--for the connoisseurs, that's a 2009 Beajoulais from the Paul Beaudet winery in central France.'"

Materials Inspired by Mother Nature: One-Pound Boat That Could Float 1,000 Pounds

Materials Inspired by Mother Nature: One-Pound Boat That Could Float 1,000 Pounds: Combining the secrets that enable water striders to walk on water and give wood its lightness and strength yielded an amazing material so buoyant that, in everyday terms, a boat made from 1 pound of it could carry five kitchen refrigerators, about 1,000 pounds. It is one of the lightest solid substances in the world.

Vibrating tattoo alerts patent filed by Nokia in US

Nokia's patent suggests magnetic tattoos could replace passwords on its future devices.

Vibrating magnetic tattoos may one day be used to alert mobile phone users to phone calls and text messages if Nokia follows up a patent application.

'The Art of Video Games' Exhibition Opens

'The Art of Video Games' Exhibition Opens:
bednarz writes "The Smithsonian's 'Art of Video Games' exhibition opens today. To kick it off, they're holding a three-day festival with panel discussions, live action gaming, and crafting activities. 'Video games allow us as human beings to explore our dreams, our fears, our thoughts, our morals, and engage with each other in a way that no other medium allows us to. I find that inspiring and beautiful, and I am so happy to be alive during this time. We are going to experience, I think, one of the greatest surges of artistic intent in human history, and I believe that the majority of it will come through video games,' said Chris Melissinos, former Sun exec and guest curator of the new exhibition."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.