Posted on October 8th, 2009 by axb
In a study that would make Willy Wonka proud, an engineer from the University of Hertfordshire demonstrated on BBC1’s Bang Goes the Theory that a rocket-powered bicycle fueled with a mixture of toffee and nitrous oxide (laughing gas) could reach speeds up to 30mph. [St. Alban’s Review]
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Filed under: Aerospace, e-News, Environmental | Comments Off on And Now: Toffee-Fueled Rockets!
Tags: Aerospace, And Now, Energy, Environment
Posted on October 8th, 2009 by axb
Maurizio Seracini, an engineering professor at the University of California, San Diego, may soon be on his way to uncovering a long-lost mural by Leonardo DaVinci. Seracini believes the painting is hidden beneath another fresco in ceremonial hall of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. With permission from Italian government, he will soon be able to proceed with his search and use specially developed devices (including one that bombards the fresco with neutrons) to look for traces of DaVinci’s hand. [NYT]
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Filed under: Chemical, e-News, Nuclear | 1 Comment »
Tags: Art, Chemical, Museums, Nuclear
Posted on October 7th, 2009 by axb
Anna Kornfeld Simpson, a high school senior from California, won top prizes at the California State Science Fair with her chemical-detecting LEGO robot. It took her over two years of research to develop the complex circuitry required to make the robot work. You can read her story on the National Science Foundation website.
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Filed under: Computer, e-News, Electrical, Mechanical | Comments Off on Student Makes Prizewinning Robot from Legos
Tags: Competitions for Students, Computer, Electrical, Mechanical, Robotics
Posted on October 6th, 2009 by axb
“The walls between art and engineering exist only in our minds.”
– Theo Jansen
Photo by Loek van der Kils, http://www.Loekvanderklis.com
Next time you go to the beach, look out for Strandbeesten – enormous free-roaming mechanical “beasts” – engineered by Dutch painter and sculptor Theo Jansen. Jansen studied physics at the University of Delft, Holland before he decided to become an artist, and his scientific background is evident in much of his work. The Strandbeest project originated from a computer program he wrote over 18 years ago where multi-legged animals raced each other in a survival-of-the-fittest competition. So how exactly do his whimsical creatures work?
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Filed under: e-News, Mechanical | 10 Comments »
Tags: Art, Mechanical
Posted on October 6th, 2009 by sah
Can you imagine big cities without smog? Soon the buildings around you will be cleaning up the air. TX Active, a new innovative cement product, literally kills pollution by oxidizing the toxins that come into contact with it.
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Filed under: Civil, e-News | 8 Comments »
Tags: Architectural, Civil, Green Technology, Green Transportation, Materials
