howtoons: keyword: science

howtoons: keyword: sciencehttp://www.howtoons.com/blog/keyword:science/howtoons bloghowtoonhttp://www.howtoons.com/static/imgs/logo-rss.gifTue, 18 Nov 2008 14:48:37 GMT15watch the robotic fly FLY!http://www.howtoons.com/post/watch-the-robotic-fly-fly/PBFD0A563751F4CFEAC28DD390A93084B.whew! the narrator of this video may have the most boring voice we've ever heard, but check out the awesome miniature robotic fly that this group at Harvard has created! Get ready for it - it's "the world's first demonstration of an at-scale micro-robotic insect" ... (built using a "mesoscale manufacturing paradigm" - yikes, that's a mouthfull!).

My favorite part is the cool buzzing noises in the background.

]]>sciencenatureOlympic Sciencehttp://www.howtoons.com/post/olympic-science/P1C82D6A04C914EDCA7ACB403F8DAFBCD.It's that time again - spectacular athletes from around the world are accomplishing amazing feats and breaking world records in Beijing, China. Want to know how they do it? We thought they just practice a LOT ... but apparently they get some help from science and technology too. Popular Science has a great article called "Olympic Science 101". Check out how hydrodynamics, biochemistry, and dynamics help your favorite Olympians earn their medals!

science of balls.jpg

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]]>scienceeventsScience Generationhttp://www.howtoons.com/post/science-generation/P3590F53C1C2640E0A80E82765BFC0CEC.New Yorks American Museum of Natural History hosted an impressive lineup of panelists and speakers at a mid-April event called Science Generation: A National Imperative. Scientists, politicians, and academics strongly agreed that America must make a major effort to educate, nurture, and support a future generation of scientists. Did you see the Call to arms (or calculators) post? This is the latest rallying cry for a generation of super-science-savvy kids!

Young students were even among the speakers at the Museum of Natural History, sharing their ideas for how to improve science education and inspire kids. Maybe its time for a national marshmallow shooter campaign

]]>scienceeventsAiric's Armhttp://www.howtoons.com/post/airic-s-arm/PAF7D4FCD33224DC39A202DE219AD00B6.The German engineering company Festo demonstrates a fascinating robotic arm in this video. Festo makes engineering components for precisely controlling fluid and air. The "muscles" in this amazingly life-like arm are actually Festo products called "fluidic muscles". Watch especially closely right at the start of the video - see how the muscle bunches up to contract and shorten, or narrows as it elongates - just like real human muscular tissue. Try to flex your bicep and see how it behaves the same way. Amazing!

And if you think that's cool, check out this article about DARPA's (US Defense Department) revolutionary prosthetic arm - it's entirely controlled by neural impulses.

Here is a neat video showing quick clips of early robotic arms, followed by the Festo arm, and state-of-the art prosthetics like those being developed by DARPA, or DEKA (Dean Kamen - inventor of the Segway)'s company. Exciting and amazing technology, no doubt.

]]>scienceeventsYuri's night 2008http://www.howtoons.com/post/yuri's-night-2008/PC237586E7A31408A9F8017D76D77D832.Yesterday, April 12th, people around the world gathered to commemorate the heroics of Yuri Gagarin, the Russian cosmonaut who was the first human to enter space (on April 12, 1961). The party, called Yuri's night, was held in the San Francisco bay area at the NASA Ames research center.

Yuri Gagarin had this to say upon returning to earth: "Circling the Earth in my orbital spaceship I marveled at the beauty of our planet. People of the world, let us safeguard and enhance this beauty - not destroy it!" Appropriately, the NASA Yuri's night event featured themes of sustainability. Howtoons' own Saul Griffith spoke about energy consumption and the challenge of meeting the Earth's energy needs sustainably. Although of course, the main topic of the night was - SPACE!

Check out this awesome techno video of Yuri's famous flight into space!

]]>scienceeventsspaceRobots at work on a Chinese farmhttp://www.howtoons.com/post/robots-at-work-on-a-chinese-farm/PA323354DD9CB4E9E803D75DEBA721BED.Mr. Woo is not your average Chinese farmer. Despite no formal education or training in science or engineering, Mr. Woo has created walking robots of all shapes and sizes that parade around his farm in rural China. Mr. Woo says that his creations mimic "marvelous human motions" - and they do! But that's not all, because Mr. Woo has created miniature robot dogs as well.

Maybe most impressive, all of Mr. Woo's creations are made from scavenged materials recovered from trash - amazing!

Check out a video of English actor Paul Merton traveling to visit Mr. Woo - and getting a ride around the farm from a life-sized walking robot!

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]]>how-toscienceAngela Belcherhttp://www.howtoons.com/post/angela-belcher/P6C70D00D274642819DD568A7A1C613D4.Dr. Angela Belcher is a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT. In 2004, Professor Belcher received the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, or "Genius Grant". In 2006, Professor Belcher was named "Researcher of the Year" by Scientific American.

Dr. Belcher conducts fascinating research that combines biology, engineering, chemistry, and physics. Through her research, she hopes to achieve breakthroughs in such diverse areas as medicine, solar energy, batteries, and computing!

Check out this cool animated video that gives a brief biography of Dr. Belcher's life, her struggles with dyslexia, and a description of her research interests and aspirations.

read more...

]]>scienceCall to Arms (or calculators)!http://www.howtoons.com/post/call-to-arms-or-calculators/P5E4B7E544C8F41F1BFF067B378F65CFE.In yesterday's article on the New York Times' DOT EARTH blog, Andrew Revkin writes about "The Technology Gap in the Climate Debate". In the article, Andrew argues that legislative and other efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions must be matched by increased efforts to develop new alternative energy technologies.

To me, Revkin's article (which has the support of many prominent scientists and scientific organizations) is nothing short of a CALL TO ARMS for a new generation of scientists and engineers! Reversing the threat of climate change will require nothing short of creative brilliance in developing innovative new energy, transportation, architectural, and consumer technologies. This is your chance to be a part of a technological revolution - get started!!

]]>scienceWorld Science Festival '08http://www.howtoons.com/post/world-science-festival-08/P9A784499E88E479C8BA2E237DC306E31.On May 28 - June 1, New York will host the 2008 World Science Festival. The festival will feature five days of speeches by internationally renowned scientists and thinkers, as well as events and presentations on science, technology, and the arts. Howtoons' own Saul Griffith is in fact a featured speaker!

In addition to the festival's mainstream events, there are events tailored specifically to families and youth, such as "The Science of Disney Imagineering".

One particularly cool presentation? "Cool Jobs" - scientists and engineers with some of the most fascinating jobs in the world share stories about their work ... how they use science in their everyday lives, and how they got such cool jobs!

]]>scienceeventsMoleculariumhttp://www.howtoons.com/post/molecularium/P1C647766922D4973B6C1FB73ECEE622D.Check out this website - the Molecularium! In the Molecularium, three animated tour guides (Oxy, Hydro, and Hydra) teach you about the structure of atoms and the way in which atoms create simple and complex molecules.

The Molecularium uses animated characters and an interactive, engaging format to make molecular chemisty interesting, understandable, and FUN.

The Molecularium's main feature is a "Digital-Dome" movie called "Riding Snowflakes" . Riding Snowflakes can be seen at planetariums around the country such as the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, CA, or the Children's Museum of Science and Technology in Troy, NY. The Molecularium page also feature a cool "Nanolab", an interactive feature that lets you practice assembling and manipulating molecules!

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]]>scienceeventsMath Art Funhttp://www.howtoons.com/post/math-art-fun/P77E39EF640C1413383A0642912249262.Math Art Fun is a website where you can find lots of math and geometry toys and games. Check it out!

]]>scienceWhat would happen if humans disappeared?http://www.howtoons.com/post/what-would-happen-if-humans-disappeared/PB6047C3C640D4588A8412EC4E8246E76.Author Alan Weisman has written a fascinating book thinking about what would happen if humans were not around to look after and repair all of our houses, roads, buildings, and infrastructure. Its a cool thought experiment. What do you think would happen?

The World Without Us

]]>scienceBrendan Walker, Roller Coaster Science...http://www.howtoons.com/post/brendan-walker-roller-coaster-science/P4E5B1B49E7D14916BDC8B692E0EC9FB7.One of the world's coolest jobs must be designing roller coasters! Brendan Walker gets to do it everyday. In this article he describes the science of thrill.

]]>how-toscienceIn Indiana? Visit the Slocum Puzzle collectionhttp://www.howtoons.com/post/in-indiana-visit-the-slocum-puzzle-collection/PBD1AD1A2551C43889EAF5F6F77C6AC54.The Lilly Library at Indiana University hosts the Jerry Slocum mechanical puzzle collection. More than 30,000 cool mechanical puzzles and 4000 puzzle books to test the mind.

They have some cool animations too.

]]>how-toscienceeventsArabesk Games and Puzzles.http://www.howtoons.com/post/arabesk-games-and-puzzles/PCECB4D2799854B55AD519D222C512EF5.Here's a link to a beautiful puzzle and game store in the Netherlands. Arabesk has loads of cool physics & science games and demonstrations and a great catalog.

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