Just think what the waste fat from 46 million Thanksgiving turkeys could fuel.
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MIT builds low-cost synthetic muscles out of nylon cord
Researchers have been trying to build durable, low-cost synthetic muscles for years but to no avail. The systems developed so far have either been too expensive to produce en mass (like carbon nanotube) or too delicate and power hungry (looking at you, shape-memory alloys) to be useful outside of laboratory conditions. But a team from MIT have just struck upon the Goldilocks zone of robo-muscles with nylon fiber of all things.
The secret, according to a report published Wednesday to the journal Advanced Materials, lies in how the fibers are shaped and heated. See, nylon fibers have this weird natural property that, when you heat them, they contract in length but expand in diameter. That makes them ideal for linear movement, like lifting a weight straight up. But getting nylon to bend as it contracts is not as simple.
Typically, getting nylon to bend as it heats requires pulleys to take up the slack, which adds weight, complexity and cost to the system — the three exact things you want to avoid in creating a mass-produced technology. But the MIT team figured out a clever workaround. Using normal nylon filament, the team first compressed it to change the fiber’s cross-section from circular to square. They then heated just one side of the fiber, causing it to contract faster than the unheated side and forcing the entire strand to bend. The heat source can be anything from electrical resistance to chemical reactions — even lasers. The fibers are surprisingly resilient, lasting for 100,000 cycles and capable of contracting up to 17 times per second.
This breakthrough could lend itself to a wide variety of industrial and commercial applications. Like powered clothing that automatically contracts to your precise body shape, which means everything on the rack is in your size. These fibers could also be used in cars and airplanes. Remember that BMW GINA concept car with the adjustable "skin"? With these fibers, a vehicle’s exterior could reshape itself on the fly to minimize drag. The technology could even lend itself to self-adjusting catheters for insulin pumps. And eventually, we may even see them in biomimetic robot muscles. Unfortunately, there’s no word yet on how quickly these fibers will make it beyond MIT’s labs.
Via: YouTube
Source: MIT
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NASA conducts second round of fire experiments in space
Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft has begun making its way back from the ISS with fiery cargo on board. NASA has conducted its second space fire experiment aboard the Cygnus, burning nine different materials to give scientists the data they need to compare their flammability in microgravity to their flammability here on Earth. Those materials include a cotton-fiberglass blend and Nomex, a flame-resistant material used to make storage bags for spacecraft. The Saffire-2 (that’s the experiment’s name) team also burned a plexiglass sheet used for spacecraft windows and four silicon materials at different thicknesses.
Saffire’s ground team still don’t have the data needed to be able to release the experiment’s results, but they were able to download photos of all nine experiments. They released videos of two materials being burned, which you can watch below. Take note that Sample 7 is a piece of Nomex, while Sample 9 is a piece of plexiglass used to make spacecraft windows.
NASA still has one more round of space fire experiment left after this. The Saffire team plan to burn another big chunk of material like they did the first time instead of several smaller ones like what they did for this round. If you’ll recall, the team burned a 16×37-inch block of cotton-fiberglass material for Saffire-1, which is now known as the biggest fire experiment in space. The scientists aim to use the data they collect from all three experiments to help keep astronauts safe when they embark on long-duration missions.
Source: NASA
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Hedgehog-Based Authentication Is the Only Way to Be Truly Secure
Come up with a password, they’ll crack it. Program a key card, they’ll hack it. Tie your identity to a DNA sequence and Russian black hats will break into your bedroom while you’re sleeping and steal all your blood. In the end, there’s only one truly unbreakable security measure: Atelerix albiventris, the humble…
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If Lego Doesn’t Make This Iron Giant Set, It’s Going to Be Sadder Than the Movie
It didn’t quite reach The Lion King’s level of box office success, but since hitting theaters way back in 1999, Brad Bird’s The Iron Giant has gone on to become a much-loved classic film. So much so that it’s about time Lego gave us an official The Iron Giant set, and it just might happen if Brett Cuviello gets enough…
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A Man and His Cats Recreate Famous Movie Scenes [Pics]
A lot of people like to do all kinds of funny things with their animals. Some like to dress them up, others like to film or take pictures of them doing crazy things, and some combine both of these things for the viewing enjoyment of the Internet. Instagram user @moviecats has recently started recreating various scenes from famous movies with the help of their two cats. Check it out!
Alien
E.T.
The Shining
American Beauty
Ghost
The post A Man and His Cats Recreate Famous Movie Scenes [Pics] appeared first on Geeks are Sexy Technology News.
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