#invention

#invention

High School Student Invented a Low-Cost, Mind-Controlled Prosthetic Arm That Doesn't Require Brain SurgeryAre you smarter than a high schooler? I bet you are not smarter than Benjamin Choi, a high school student who invented a low-cost, mind-controlled prosthetic arm.Creating things like this must really spark joy in Benjamin Choi. He went from participating in robot-building competitions when he was younger to eventually teaching himself coding and computer programming. Choi’s device was inspired by a documentary he saw that discussed mind-controlled prosthesis. He turned this fascination with prosthetics into something that is real and functional. He worked around 16 hours daily in his basement, where he designed the robotic arm using a 3D printer. Although he did not have the best laboratory or the best printer in the market, this did not stop Choi's resourcefulness. Now, the robotic arm is made from engineering-grade materials and has a total unit cost of only around $300.The arm is operated using an algorithm driven by artificial intelligence. The promising features of the invention earned him a spot in the top 40 finalists of Regeneron Science Talent Search 2022.Image credit: Society for Science#ArtificialIntelligence #Prosthetic #Invention #Science #RegeneronScienceTalentSearch

Invention for Police Grapples Fleeing CarsCore77 introduces us to the Grappler Bumper, which is a device that police (or, I suppose, people with a highly unusual hobby) use to stop fleeing cars. The inventor, Leonard Stock, developed it after he saw news footage of a police chase that resulted in an innocent person getting injured. A week later, he welded his prototype to the front of his truck and somehow convinced his wife to drive in front of him while he tested it on the family SUV.The "bull bar" slides straps around a rear wheel, which then wraps around and disables that wheel. The police driver can then drag the suspect vehicle to a stop or jettison the straps.

Squid-Skin Inspired Material Can Keep Your Coffee HotOne of the pet peeves of hot coffee drinkers is that having their cup of hot coffee immediately turn cold, especially on a cold winter day.Technology engineers at the University of California, Irvine have invented an adaptive composite material that allows for the insulation of different packaging. One kind of packaging is a beverage cup.  The design is inspired by cephalopod skin and is an infrared-reflecting metalized polymer film that regulates heat by using reconfigurable metal structures. The mechanism is comparable to chromatophore expansion and contraction in a squid's skin. The new material not only helps the coffee drinker maintain the temperature of their coffee, it also keeps keeping skin safe from the heat. The invention is also environmentally friendly because it is sustainable.#Coffee #Science #Technology #Invention #SquidSkin #UniversityOfCalifornia

Genius Invents a Lying Down DeskHere at the Neatorama corporate headquarters campus, our leader, Alex, has created the ideal group workspace with two rows of parallel benches with a blogger at each staggered-level bench working synchronously. These innovative galley desks ensure maximum productivity.They are, of course, far superior to the traditional sitting desk or the trendy alternatives, such as the standing desk, the hamster wheel desk, the treadmill desk, and the running gazelle desk. These reflect the desire to design office furniture to reflect human evolutionary patterns. They don’t go far enough, though. Humans are evolved to remain supine and sedentary. So it is fitting that genius inventor Alex May has developed the Lying Down Desk. It provides optimal back support and energy conservation potential.-via Dave Barry#desk #invention

Dutch Engineering Student Makes A Methane-Powered MotorcycleThis is the Sloot Motor (sloot meaning "ditch" in Dutch). It is a modified motorcycle which starts with gasoline but uses methane to keep running. Please, however, don’t get too excited and attempt to immediately modify your own vehicle into a methane-powered one. This fete of engineering is not meant to be a serious alternative motor. This motorcycle only runs at about 20 km (12 miles) with a top speed of about 43 km/h (27 mph). Moreover, in order to fill the fuel tank with methane, you’ll have to harvest the methane yourself from roadside bogs and swamps. It is estimated that the harvesting could take you upwards of 8 hours. In short, this vehicle only runs for a short distance, at a not-so-decent speed, and takes a lot of time to refuel, and manually at that. Why would someone create such an inefficient vehicle?Gijs Schalkx, the student who created this modified vehicle for his graduation project, says that he created this in hopes that we reconsider our relationship with technologies.“If this world we live in is the cause for global breakdown, over-extraction of resources and inequality all over the world, why do we keep holding on to this idea of progress by growth? [It is] a goal that we are blindly following without thinking about the consequences and counting on technology to save us.”Schalkx still takes pride in his invention. Even if one has to spend 8 hours refueling the Sloot Motor, Schalkx describes the ride on the vehicle as “the best 20 kilometers of [one’s] life”, and a “priceless” experience.(Image Credit: Gijs Schalkx/ Uitsloot)#AlternativeResource #SlootMotor #Methane #Invention #Motorcycle