Author: Ben Michaels

New algorithm designs optimal origami patterns to produce any 3-D structure

New algorithm designs optimal origami patterns to produce any 3-D structure

Posted by | Jun 23, 2017 | |

18 years after the original breakthrough, a team of engineers have a universal algorithm for folding origami shapes that guarantees a minimum number of seams.  In a 1999 paper, Erik Demaine, then an 18-year-old PhD student at the University of Waterloo, in Canada, described an algorithm that could determine how to fold a piece of paper into any conceivable 3-D shape.  It was a milestone paper in the field of computational origami, but the algorithm wasn’t  very inefficient. Oragami Algorithm Perfected Dr Demaine, now an MIT professor of electrical engineering and computer science, teamed up with Tomohiro Tachi of the University...

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Shape of Bird Egg Indicates Flying Ability

Shape of Bird Egg Indicates Flying Ability

Posted by | Jun 23, 2017 | |

We know birds come in many sizes and shapes, so it’s no surprise that their eggs would too. It has been speculated in the past that egg shape could be linked to making incubation more efficient.  Aristotle theorized that long, pointed eggs are female while more rounded eggs are male.  Other theories were tied to environment such as cliff-dwelling birds lay conical eggs that roll in tight circles, so as to not drop out of the nest. A new Study offers a Simpler Explanation Evolutionary biologist Mary Caswell Stoddard of Princeton University and her team examined more than 49,000 eggs...

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Construction robot can lay bricks six times faster than a human

Construction robot can lay bricks six times faster than a human

Posted by | Jun 22, 2017 | |

A New York-based company called Construction Robotics has developed a one-of-a-kind robot called the SAM100 (Semi-Automated Mason) , that can lay 3,000 brick a day.  For comparison, a human bricklayer will average around 500 bricks per day. The average efficiency of 3,000 bricks per day,  breaks down to about 4.5 cents per brick.   Designed to work in masonry construction the SAM100 assists with the repetitive and backbreaking  task of lifting and placing each brick. Construction has been a difficult industry to automate because of the customized work it requires, but the SAM100 is designed to work with the onsite mason.  SAM’s human partner...

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UltraCür Provides Highly Bioavailabe Curcumin Capsules

UltraCür Provides Highly Bioavailabe Curcumin Capsules

Posted by | Jun 22, 2017 | |

So why the interest in Curcumin?  Well Turmeric is the spice that gives curry its yellow color and has been used in Asia for thousands of years for flavor and as a medicinal herb.  Curcumin, the main active ingredient in turmeric, has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant.  However, the curcumin content of turmeric is not that high at about 3%, by weight, and unfortunately, curcumin is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream.  Therefore, the curcumin in a supplement, ideally should read “standardized to 95%,” which means it has 95% curcumin in it.  Many ordinary curcumin products are...

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New hologram camera with quadrillion fractions of a second resolution

New hologram camera with quadrillion fractions of a second resolution

Posted by | Jun 21, 2017 | |

This won’t be in stores for a while yet if ever.  However, Researchers from ITMO University have built a setup for recording holograms of tiny objects like living cells with a femtosecond speed. The new technique allows one to reconstruct phase topography of a studied sample according to deformations that emerge in a laser pulse when it passes through the specimen. In comparison to electron microscopes, the device can visualize transparent biological structures without introducing contrast agents. The paper was published in Applied Physics Letters. Vital activity of living cells is a complex sequence of biochemical reactions and physical...

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