Articulation stations!

This isn't the first time I have posted about Festo and their amazing robotics (see post from 4th December 2012), but as part of a project I am working on at university, recently I have delved pretty deep into their amazing creations.

Here are a selection of my favorites:

The 'Air Jelly'
aka a gigantic robotic jellyfish that swims through the air



The 'bionic tripod'
a neat lightweight, flexible robotic arm/ tripod




The 'elephant trunk'
you can probably guess what this one does!

Constructive Construction!

I am fascinated by 3D printing, but it is so ubiquitous as a go-to subject of technology magazines and blogs, that it is easy to begin to suffer from ennui. Except it isn't, because every so often I come across a flipping amazing application or variation of the technology that reminds me that we really are on the cusp of a technological revolution (an exciting time to be an engineer!).

The latest example I have come across is something called 'Contour Crafting', aka 3D printed houses!

According to Professor Behrokh Khoshnevis in his excellent TED talk, a custom-designed house will be able to be built in less than a day for a fraction of the cost of traditional methods, without compromising structural integrity. Well worth a watch!

The real apocalypse?

 here is an excellent discussion on the biggest challenges of the 21st century.

Giant squid caught on camera for the first time

Never before has the elusive giant squid, thought to be the origin of 'sea monster' legends of old, been caught on film, alive and in its natural environments.

Find out more here about how Japanese scientists have achieved this amazing feat.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a blimp? NO! It is a robotic air penguin

This is neither a new video or a new technology (I believe the air penguins were first exhibited in 2009)...

...but that doesn't stop it being one of the coolest darn things I've seen this week!

These autonomous penguin robots are able to glide fluidly through the air, avoiding obstacles and each other. I want one as a pet!

Two pieces to indicate timewasting is no good

Deepika Kurup: irritatingly American and brilliant.

Engineers at the University of Warwick combine a thermoplastic with carbon black to make a composite conductive material for 3D printing objects with integrated electronic components.

Design in education

Two of my passions are education and design. Here is a nice little article about how the two might come together to build a better future!

"Education provides the foundation of our global possibilities. We design this well, and the whole world changes."