MODERN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGIES
Added on: 1st Jul 2016
SELF-DRIVING BUS IS LEGAL IN GREECE
Four tiny, driverless buses are already on trial in the Greek city of
Trikala, the first of five European cities to introduce the
automated transportation. The vehicles are part of CityMobil2,
an EU-funded research project that is staging tests of
automated road transport systems with self-driving buses
across Europe. Each bus can carry 10 to 12 passengers at
speeds of up to twenty kilometres an hour, around the same
speed as a milk float, but keep in mind that these buses
are electric, silent, and non-polluting.
3-D PRINTER CREATES FULL-SIZE HOUSES
IN ONE SESSION
The D-Shape printer, created by Enrico Dini, is capable of printing
a two-story building, complete with rooms, stairs, pipes, and
partitions. Using nothing but sand and an inorganic binding
compound, the resulting material has the same durability as
reinforced concrete with the look of marble. The building process
takes approximately a fourth of the time as traditional buildings,
as long as it sticks to rounded structures, and can be built
without specialist knowledge or skill sets.
DNA WAS PHOTOGRAPHED FOR THE FIRST TIME
Using an electron microscope, Enzo di Fabrizio and his team at the
Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa managed to capture the
famous Watson-Crick double helix in all its glory, by imaging
threads of DNA resting on a silicon bed of nails. This technique
now allows the researchers to see how proteins, RNA, and
other biomolecules interact with DNA.
GENETICALLY MODIFIED SILK IS
STRONGER THAN STEEL
At the University of Wyoming, scientists modified a group of
silkworms to produce silk that is, pound for pound, stronger than
steel. Different groups hope to benefit from the super-strong silk,
including the medical community for stronger sutures, businesses
for use as a biodegradable alternative to plastic, and the military
for lightweight armour.
DARPA ROBOT CAN TRAVERSE AN
OBSTACLE COURSE
DARPAtv, or Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency,
published a robot-themed viral video back in 2012 for a robotic
presentation. The so-called Pet-Proto bot traversed through a
specially made obstacle course using autonomous decision-making.
Many viewers couldn’t resist and commented that once the creepy
robot will be able to execute such things without the help of
wires, humanity is doomed.
LASER GUNS ARE NOW A REALITY
You’ve seen those flashy laser guns in films like Star Wars and
Terminator and you probably thought they only belong to the
world of science fiction. Well, you’re wrong! The US Army has a
weaponized laser called the Avenger. It’s twenty times hotter than
a stovetop and can cut through artillery shells. It’s currently in
use to dismantle IEDs, which do more damage to US forces
than any other weapon.
EYE IMPLANTS GIVE SIGHT TO THE BLIND
Recently two blind men in the UK were fitted with eye implants
during an eight-hour surgery with promising results. After years
of blindness, both had regained “useful” vision within weeks,
picking up the outlines of objects and dreaming in colour.
Doctors expect continued improvement as their brains
rewire themselves for sight.
QUADRIPLEGIC SUCCESSFULLY USES
MIND-CONTROLLED ROBOTIC ARM
In 2012, a quadriplegic woman managed to move a robotic arm
using only her thoughts, to a level of proficiency that allowed
her to eat a chocolate bar with said arm. The University of
Pittsburgh team behind the study didn’t stop there, though.
By improving the technology in the arm and working more
closely with test subject Jan Scheuermann, researchers have
since enabled her to replace the simple pincer grip of before
with four new hand shapes, fingers spread, pinch, scoop
and thumb up, that allow for more complicated object
manipulation.
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