September 2012 – Page 2 – Museum of the Weird

Posted on September 20, 2012 by MOTW Admin

MEET BAXTER, THE ROBOT THAT WORKS WITH HUMANS!

Baxter is a manufacturing robot that's designed to work with human coworkers.

I keep saying the future is here folks, and some more proof has just arrived in the way of a robot that works closely with humans, literally. Read on to see what I mean.

Laughing Squid writes:

Baxter is a new manufacturing robot that is designed to work closely with human coworkers (video). Sonar and cameras allow the robot to detect humans and avoid colliding with them. The robot uses behavior-based intelligence to adapt to changing surroundings and tasks. It does not need to be programmed. Instead, humans can train the robot by moving the robot’s arms directly to demonstrate a new task.

The robot is designed to perform repetitive tasks normally done by unskilled labor. Due to its relatively low cost ($22,000), it is hoped the robot will be an alternative to offshore manufacturing. Baxter is being developed by Rethink Robots, a Boston-based firm founded by roboticist Rodney Brooks (you may remember him from the Errol Morris documentary Fast, Cheap & Out of Control). The robot is being built in New Hampshire and will be released in October.

TOOTH DECAY NO LONGER A WORRY?

Is tooth decay a thing of the past with this new invention?

A new invention from Japan could save the world from bad teeth. Scientist’s have come up with a thin sheet of film that, when applied to teeth, can prevent decay from outside forces and even cure sensitive teeth!

Yahoo News writes:

Scientists in Japan have created a microscopically thin film that can coat individual teeth to prevent decay or to make them appear whiter, the chief researcher said.

The “tooth patch” is a hard-wearing and ultra-flexible material made from hydroxyapatite, the main mineral in tooth enamel, that could also mean an end to sensitive teeth.

“This is the world’s first flexible apatite sheet, which we hope to use to protect teeth or repair damaged enamel,” said Shigeki Hontsu, professor at Kinki University’s Faculty of Biology-Oriented Science and Technology in western Japan.

“Dentists used to think an all-apatite sheet was just a dream, but we are aiming to create artificial enamel,” the outermost layer of a tooth, he said earlier this month.

Researchers can create film just 0.004 millimetres (0.00016 inches) thick by firing lasers at compressed blocks of hydroxyapatite in a vacuum to make individual particles pop out.

These particles fall onto a block of salt which is heated to crystallise them, before the salt stand is dissolved in water.

The film is scooped up onto filter paper and dried, after which it is robust enough to be picked up by a pair of tweezers.

“The moment you put it on a tooth surface, it becomes invisible. You can barely see it if you examine it under a light,” Hontsu told AFP by telephone.

The sheet has a number of minute holes that allow liquid and air to escape from underneath to prevent their forming bubbles when it is applied onto a tooth.

NASA WORKING ON WARP DRIVE

Warp Drive was made famous by the television show Star Trek.

The more time we spend in space, the more we realize we have got to get around a little faster than our current means allow. Well, we just might be moving faster, a LOT faster.

Gizmodo writes:

With our current propulsion technologies, interstellar flight is impossible. Even with experimental technology, like ion thrusters or a spaceship’s aft pooping freaking nuclear explosions, it would require staggering amounts of fuel and mass to get to any nearby star. And worse: it will require decades—centuries, even—to get there. The trip will be meaningless for those left behind. Only the ones going forward in search for a new star system would enjoy the result of the colossal effort. It’s just not practical.

So we need an alternative. One that would allow us to travel extremely fast without breaking the laws of physics. Or as Dr. White puts it: “we want to go, really fast, while observing the 11th commandment: Thou shall not exceed the speed of light.”

The answer lies precisely in those laws of physics. Dr. White and other physicists have found loopholes in some mathematical equations—loopholes that indicate that warping the space-time fabric is indeed possible.

Working at NASA Eagleworks—a skunkworks operation deep at NASA’s Johnson Space Center—Dr. White’s team is trying to find proof of those loopholes. They have “initiated an interferometer test bed that will try to generate and detect a microscopic instance of a little warp bubble” using an instrument called the White-Juday Warp Field Interferometer.

It may sound like a small thing now, but the implications of the research huge. In his own words:

‘Although this is just a tiny instance of the phenomena, it will be existence proof for the idea of perturbing space time-a “Chicago pile” moment, as it were. Recall that December of 1942 saw the first demonstration of a controlled nuclear reaction that generated a whopping half watt. This existence proof was followed by the activation of a ~ four megawatt reactor in November of 1943. Existence proof for the practical application of a scientific idea can be a tipping point for technology development.’

By creating one of these warp bubbles, the spaceship’s engine will compress the space ahead and expand the space behind, moving it to another place without actually moving, and carrying none of the adverse effects of other travel methods. According to Dr. White, “by harnessing the physics of cosmic inflation, future spaceships crafted to satisfy the laws of these mathematical equations may actually be able to get somewhere unthinkably fast—and without adverse effects.”

He says that, if everything is confirmed in these practical experiments, we would be able to create an engine that will get us to Alpha Centauri “in two weeks as measured by clocks here on Earth.” The time will be the same in the spaceship and on Earth, he claims, and there will not be “tidal forces inside the bubble, no undue issues, and the proper acceleration is zero. When you turn the field on, everybody doesn’t go slamming against the bulkhead, which would be a very short and sad trip.”

SIGNS OF LIFE OFFICIALLY FOUND ON MARS?

Are these little spheres true signs of alien life?

Have we finally found signs of alien life? And on Mars of all places, the place we actually suspected we’d find something? How weird!

Gizmodo writes:

NASA claims that new mysterious spheres discovered by the Mars Opportunity rover are puzzling researchers to no end. According to Opportunity’s principal investigator, Steve Squyres of Cornell University in Ithaca, “this is one of the most extraordinary pictures from the whole mission.”

Soon after Opportunity landed, it discovered similar spheres. The scientists nicknamed them blueberries and soon they discovered that they were rich on hematite. Those were evidence of a Mars’ past full of water. But these spheres—which are 3 millimeters in diameter—are nothing like that.

Found in the Kirkwood outcrop, in the western rim of Endeavour Crater, these spherules’ composition is completely different from the old Martian blueberries. Scientists still don’t know how they got there and what they are supposed to be, says Squyres:

“They are different in concentration. They are different in structure. They are different in composition. They are different in distribution. So, we have a wonderful geological puzzle in front of us. We have multiple working hypotheses, and we have no favorite hypothesis at this time. It’s going to take a while to work this out, so the thing to do now is keep an open mind and let the rocks do the talking.”

In the image you can also see spheres that have been eroded, showing a concentric internal structure. Researchers are now conducting more tests, trying to come up with an explanation on what these may be and how they got there.

SHARK HELPS MAN LOST AT SEA FIND SAFETY

Did a 6ft shark save a man, or try to eat him?

A man lost at sea for over 15 weeks claims that a shark, ignoring its years and years and years of evolutionary instincts, decided to nudge the little wooden raft he was on to safety instead of bumping him off for a tasty treat.

Sky News writes:

A lost fisherman who drifted at sea for 15 weeks, sleeping next to his dead brother-in-law, was eventually helped to safety – by a shark.

Toakai Teitoi was stuck on a 15ft wooden boat for more than 100 days after he ran out of fuel and the vessel drifted deep into the Pacific.

The 41-year-old Kiribati policeman relived his harrowing voyage after a fishing boat eventually picked him up and took him to Majuro in the Marshall Islands.

The father-of-six told of sleeping with the body of his brother-in-law who died during the ordeal, suffering severe dehydration.

And he said it was only after the intervention of a circling shark that he was eventually rescued.

Mr Teitoi’s ordeal began on May 27 after he had flown from his home island of Maiana to the Kiribati capital of Tarawa to be sworn in as a policeman.

Instead of flying home he decided to join his brother-in-law Lelu Falaile, 52, on what was supposed to be a two-hour sea journey back to Maiana.

But after stopping to fish along the way and sleeping overnight, they woke the following day to find they had drifted out of sight of Maiana and ran out of fuel.

“We had food, but the problem was we had nothing to drink,” he said.

As dehydration took hold, Mr Teitoi, a Catholic, said he turned to prayer as it gave him strength. But Mr Falaile’s health began failing and he died on July 4.

“I left him there overnight and slept next to him like at a funeral,” Mr Teitoi said. He buried his brother-in-law at sea the next morning.

Only a day after Mr Falaile passed away a storm blew into the area and rained for several days allowing Mr Teitoi to fill two five-gallon containers with water.

“There were two choices in my mind at the time. Either someone would find me or I would follow my brother-in-law. It was out of my control.”

He continued to pray regularly and on the morning of September 11 caught sight of a fishing boat in the distance but the crew were unable to see him.

Dejected, he did what he had done most days, curling up under a small covered area in the bow to stay out of the tropical sun.

Mr Teitoi said he woke in the afternoon to the sound of scratching and looked overboard to see a six-foot shark circling the boat and bumping the hull.

When the shark had his attention it swam off.

“He was guiding me to a fishing boat. I looked up and there was the stern of a ship and I could see crew with binoculars looking at me.”

WORLD’S FIRST FILM FOOTAGE EVER IN COLOR

The world's first film footage in color dates back to 1901!

We certainly take for granted all the luxuries we have in a world today but, things were very, very different not too long ago. Something as simple as color on our tv screen seems like something that better be working right these days, although when color was first introduced to film, the world changed forever.

Check it out:

Sky News writes:

The footage, made by cinematic pioneer Edward Turner in around 1901, was found in the archives of the National Media Museum in Bradford and with the help of experts at the BFI National Archive was transformed into watchable digital files.

It includes footage of a macaw, soldiers marching through London and a group of children believed to be Turner’s young family.

Film historians had long thought Turner’s technique, which involved filming through red, green and blue filters and superimposing the frames on top of each other, was a failure.

The inventor patented his idea in 1899 with his financial backer Frederick Lee but died four years later aged 29 before he could take full advantage of it.

The museum’s curator of cinematography Michael Harvey said: “We sat in the editing suite entranced as full-colour shots made 110 years ago came to life on the screen.

“The image of the goldfish was stunning: its colours were so lifelike and subtle.

“Then there was a macaw with brilliantly coloured plumage, a brief glimpse of soldiers marching and, most interestingly, young children dressed in Edwardian finery.

“I realised we had a significant find on our hands.

“We had proved that the Lee and Turner process worked.”

The footage will go on show at the National Media Museum in Bradford from Thursday.

ANOTHER WORLD’S TALLEST: MEET ZEUS THE GREAT DANE

Zeus, a 3-year old Great Dane from Michigan is now the world's tallest dog!

On the heels of yesterday ‘World’s Tallest Mohawk’ Post, I proudly present to you another ‘World’s Tallest’, Zeus is officially the world’s tallest dog!

Yahoo News writes:

A Great Dane called Zeus who towers 2.2 metres (7 feet 4 inches) on his hind legs is named the tallest dog ever recorded in the latest Guinness Book of World Records launched on Thursday.

The giant canine from Michigan in the United States eats an entire 14-kilogram (30-pound) bag of food every day and weighs in at 70.3 kilograms, the 57th edition of the global records book says.

Measuring 1.12 metres (44 inches) from paw to withers — the point between the shoulder blades at which the official height of a four-legged mammal is judged — he is officially the tallest dog ever recorded, the volume claims.

‘Guinness World Records 2013’ says the humongous hound breaks the record of Giant George, another Great Dane who is one inch shorter.

“The most common thing people ask is: ‘Is that a dog or a horse?'” says the three-year-old’s owner Denise.

“We had to get a van to be able to transport him, oh, and if he steps on your foot he leaves bruises!”

The book — the latest edition of the world’s best-selling copyrighted series — also names Oklahoma Sam, a four-year-old American Mammoth Jackstock, as the tallest living donkey on the planet.

Measuring 1.55 metres (5 feet 1 inch) from hoof to withers, she dwarfs the average common donkey (80 centimetres, 2 feet 8 inches) and the average for her own larger breed (1.22 metres, 4 feet).

The four-year-old record-breaker lives in Watsonville, California, where she shares her one acre of land with a macaw, duck, goose and four cats.

WORLD’S TALLEST MOHAWK

Kazuhiro Watanabe at Washington Square Park in New York

Some people will go to great lengths to have their own little piece of human history. This fashion designer from Japan felt that 3 feet and 8.6 inches was the length he needed to go to get his, and it worked!

The Huffington Post writes:

It took three cans of hairspray, one large bottle of gel — and, of course, 15 years to grow it out — but Kazuhiro Watanabe has made history.

The Japanese designer has shattered the Guinness World Record by more than a foot with his 3-foot, 8.6-inch mohawk.

You can ask why he did it, but the answer is just too obvious: “I really wanted to be in the Guinness World Record book,” he told The Huffington Post through a translator.

Watanabe and a hairdresser were in New York’s Washington Square Park today to launch the Guinness World Records 2013edition.

“I considered trying to set the record for drinking most tabasco sauce,” said the 5-foot-7 Watanabe, who usually wears clips to keep his hair down.

Without gel, his hair reaches to his knees.

FUNNY LOOKING MOTORCYCLE YOU CAN’T TIP OVER

This is the world’s first gyroscopically stabilized cycle and can't fall over.

Here’s a weird little guy that might be changing the face of transportation forever.

Tech Crunch writes:

The recent influx of both high- and low-end EVs and electric motorcycles have shown promise, but current battery technology is still limiting, and the cost of entry is far too high with the benefits of switching from petrol-powered vehicles not being quite as obvious or apparent in the near term.

Now imagine a vehicle that’s smaller than a Smart Car, nearly a third of the price of a Nissan Leaf ($32,500), safer than a motorcycle with a range capacity that just lets you drive and won’t ever tip over? What you get is Lit Motors‘ C-1, the world’s first gyroscopically stabilized, two-wheeled all-electric vehicle, which launched at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco today. Oh, and it will talk to your smartphone and the cloud. Did I mention that you can’t tip this thing over? (I’ve tried.)

Founder, President, and CTO Danny Kim and his team at Lit Motors have built and approached the C-1 much differently than others have with their respective EVs. Instead of Frankensteining existing technologies, the C-1 has been designed, machined, and built by hand from the ground up in San Francisco. They’ve not only created something unique based on proprietary technology, but have also put together a package that appeals to the “cool kids” and the price-conscious in both America and abroad.

“We aim to be the future of personal transportation,” Kim told me. “By taking our vehicles to the mass market quickly and internationally, we will ease traffic congestion, decrease fuel use, reduce CO2 emissions, create 2,000 to 10,000 green jobs, and allow people to get around quickly and efficiently.”

FEMA PREPARES AMERICA FOR ZOMBIES

Are you prepared for the zombie-apocalypse?

Seems like everyone is on the Zombie bandwagon these days, even FEMA is getting together an emergency plan for the fabled z-day. You know, just in case.

The Bellingham Herald writes:

No one in emergency preparedness circles really believes the dead will rise and come looking for living people to devour — that weird face-eating incident in Florida aside.

But they do see zombies — the moaning, flesh-eating stars of a plethora of horror novels, comics and movies — as a brain-grabbing way to get people to think about preparing for large-scale disasters.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency became the latest federal government agency to shamble onto the zombie bandwagon, following in the footsteps of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency that captured the hearts of internet geeks everywhere when it unveiled its “Zombie Apocalypse” preparedness page and social media campaign last year.

“We need something that gets their attention, so I applaud that,” said Richland Fire Chief Grant Baynes, who is involved in local disaster planning.

Baynes likened getting the public engaged in emergency planning to “trying to sell an umbrella on a sunny day.”

In a place that’s relatively disaster-free — the Tri-Cities doesn’t get catastrophic hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes or floods as other parts of the United States — residents can become complacent and forget that a flu pandemic or some other disaster might be around the corner.

Baynes said it’s good that people feel safe, but he’d also like them to be mindful that life is unpredictable.

“Preparedness isn’t just a technical thing,” he said. “It’s mental. It’s an attitude. It’s that same attitude that says, ‘I know there is that potential, so I’ll buy this umbrella now while I have the opportunity.’ “