Just because humans have fingers doesn’t mean that robots need to have them too.

Researchers have developed a new type of robotic hand – a soft gripping mechanism that stiffens when air is sucked out.

The hand is essentially a latex balloon filled with ground coffee (because the grounds are both lightweight and pliable).  Its softness allows the robot hand to conform to the shape of hard objects.

The mechanism includes a a vacuum, which, when applied, allows the hand to contract and harden, to grip objects. When the vacuum is released, the hand also releases its grip. Objects that may be difficult for humans to pick up, such as a raw egg or a coin, can be easily grasped by the robot hand’s grip.

The DARPA-funded project has significant applications, including being used with prosthetic limbs, as well as with robots that would dismantle explosive devices or move potentially dangerous objects.

Dates:

Stanford University’s

Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY)

Summer Institutes 2010

The EPGY Summer Institutes are 2-to-4-week residential programs for academically talented and motivated middle and high-school students. The Summer Institutes provide an opportunity for students to pursue their intellectual curiosity and meet others who share their interests and abilities. Participants are enrolled in a single intensive-study course, taught by a Stanford instructor, and covering topics not typically presented at their grade level, including several STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects. Past participants, from 60 countries and 49 states, have left the institutes with a sense of academic accomplishment, new friends, and fond memories of their time at Stanford University.

The Summer Institutes High School Program (Ages 13 – 17) consists of two 3- and 4-week sessions at Stanford for students in grades 8-11. Subject areas include: bioscience, business, computer science, engineering, humanities, legal studies, mathematics, physical science, and writing.

2010 High School Program dates:
Session 1: June 20 – July 9; Session 2: July 12 – July 31; Session 2E: July 12 – August 7

Costs: Sessions 1 and 2: $4,650, Session 3, $5,900

The EPGY Summer Institutes Middle School Program (Ages 11 – 13) consists of three 2-week sessions at Stanford for students in grades 6 and 7. Similar to the High School Program, this program provides academic enrichment, a taste of college life at Stanford, and the opportunity to meet others with similar interests and abilities. Students are housed by gender, rather than subject area, and the courses are designed specifically for academically talented and motivated middle-school students.

2010 Middle School Program dates
Session 1: June 20 – July 2; Session 2: July 5 – July 17; Session 3: July 20 – July 31

Costs: Sessions 1 & 2, $3,275, Session 3, $3,175.

EPGY Summer Institutes, 220 Panama St., Stanford, CA 94305-4101; Fax:1-866-835-3312; Email: summer@epgy.stanford.edu; Phone:800-372-3749 ext. 325 or +1-650-614-2325

]]> http://students.egfi-k12.org/stanford/feed/ 0 http://students.egfi-k12.org/girls-summer-at-mit-2010/ http://students.egfi-k12.org/girls-summer-at-mit-2010/#comments Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:58:51 +0000 rxt http://students.egfi-k12.org/?p=1923 Application forms are now available for the 2010 MIT Women’s Technology Program (WTP), a rigorous 4-week summer academic and residential experience for female rising senior high school students. Girls explore engineering through hands-on classes, labs, and team-based projects in the summer after 11th grade . WTP is designed for girls who have demonstrated excellence at math and science but who have very little or no prior background in engineering or computer science.]]>

Application forms are now available for the

2010 MIT Women’s Technology Program

for female rising senior high school students

Application deadline: January 15, 2010.

The Women’s Technology Program (WTP) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a rigorous 4-week summer academic and residential experience in which female high school students explore engineering through hands-on classes, labs, and team-based projects in the summer after 11th grade. WTP is designed for girls who have  demonstrated excellence in math and science but have very little or no prior background in engineering or computer science.

Female MIT graduate students design and teach the classes, assisted by female MIT undergraduate students who also live in the dorm with the high school girls. The daily required schedule includes classes, labs, homework, and social time with other WTP students. WTP classes do not earn academic credit from MIT; WTP students are expected to work hard because they are excited about learning.

Sixty participants (40 for EECS and 20 for ME) are selected from a nationwide applicant pool of the top female 11 th grade math and science students. Students must reside in the U.S. (or be U.S. citizens if living outside the U.S.). We are looking for students who are not yet certain about their future college majors, and who would like to explore engineering and computer science to determine whether these fields might be of interest.

Students attend WTP in either: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) or Mechanical Engineering (ME). Please explore our web site for information. The Application page has details about who should apply. Calendar contains program dates and applicant deadlines. Curriculum information is available on the WTP-EECS and WTP-ME sites.

For more information about admissions criteria and how to apply, visit our Application page. Also check out our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for more information about WTP.

Marissa Mayer

Being an expert in computer science has guided her to become one of the chief decision-makers in the company.

If a major idea or change is going to happen, like Gmail and Google Earth, it has to get past Mayer first.

According to Glamour Magazine, which featured the stylish VP as a 2009 Woman of the Year, Mayer “built the team” responsible for many of Google’s products.

Her goals? Mayer says she wants more women to get into the tech field and to learn and grow while they’re in it.

Watch this video clip featuring Gauri Nanda and the clocky:

Virtual reality allows us to experience other worlds, both real and make-believe. Engineers use complex algorithms to build 3-D virtual spaces that fool our senses and make us feel as if we’re really there. At Disney World, strap on a VR helmet and find yourself riding Aladdin’s magic carpet. Soon, you could step into an Immersive Cocoon (right) and be surrounded by the sights and sounds of another world. But VR technology isn’t all fun and games. An electrical engineer has designed a computer-generated, 3-D approximation of war-torn Iraq to test bomb-detecting sensors under many different conditions. The tests revealed ways to use the sensors more effectively. That’s a lifesaving payoff that’s real, not virtual.

Watch a video about the I-Coocoon here: