Archive for August, 2011

Robotics can save Humankind

The developments in the field of biophysics has led to many a handicapped person living with ease. These science projects can actually restore hope to those who have been injured beyond help of a normal life. As humans and machines merge like never before the transition helps people live life after crippling injuries.

What all can be replaced for the human being today? The robotic foot and arm have been long associated with helping the handicapped people. Now we have a retina implant that can help the blind see. A Cochlea implant that can help amplify sound so that the deaf can hear. We have hear of more than one person who has had a pace maker fitted to regulate his heart beat.

There are now prosthetic vertebral discs available in the market to replace damaged or herniated vertebral discs. And guess what even the magnificent human brain is no longer excluded from robotic intervention. Electrodes are implanted in the brain to help fight diseases such as Parkinson or depression.

The bionic man of the future is a close step to the cyborg which is half human and half robotic. The way science experiments are progressing in the field of biophysics it will be no surprise that almost everyone in the world manages to get at least one machine part before they die.

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Making bones soft like rubber

Here is an interesting science project that may make you want to drink your milk to strengthen those bones. Milk has calcium which makes bones strong. Calcium is the lightest of alkaline metals having a density of only 1.55 g/cm. It is the fifth most abundant metal in the human body, as it is a part of the structure of your bones.

So is calcium really all that important to your bones? What would happen if the calcium was leached away from the bones and your body? Let us use this simulated bone experiment to find out. You will need to use some chicken bones. Use the leg bone or drumstick as it is amongst the stronger bones in the bird.

Was your chicken bones and dry them off. This is just to make sure that you get all the meat off the bones. Flex the bones to see if they bend easily or break. Now get a large jar which has a good fitting lid. Add the chicken bones Pour some vinegar into the jar. Make sure its enough to cover the bones. Now leave the jar with the bones and the vinegar in a place where they will not be disturbed for about 5 days.

Then open the jar and drain out the vinegar. Take a look at the bones. The mild acid of the vinegar has broken down the calcium in the bones. Now that the bones have been leached of the calcium they are no longer strong. They are in fact as soft as rubber and just as flexible. So the next time your mother asks you to drink your milk, remember this science experiment and down that glass.

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Making a balloon rocket car model

Moving models always make good science fair projects. The motion involved makes the project more interesting to the judges and the general audience who comes along. the best part of the deal is that if it moves it is usually based on a good scientific principle that can be used effectively in the display part of the project.

This light weight model car is based on the Third Law of Motion as given by Newton. The law states that when a particle A exerts force on particle B, then the particle B exerts an equal force on particle A in the opposite direction. Which basically comes down to saying that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

What all will you need to make the balloon rocket car? A piece of Styrofoam which is light weight and sturdy for the body of the car. Add some pins to serve as wheel axles and cut out some wheels out of the piece of Styrofoam as well. Make sure that you test the wheels and that they move freely.

Paste a straw down the center of the rectangular body piece of the car model.At one end of the straw attach a balloon that fits well and leaves no space for air to get out. The other end of the straw should jut out enough for you to blow air through the straw into the balloon. Now fill it up and let go. The car will move as the balloon wheezes out the air giving you a science fair project.

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Making a model elevator

An elevator makes an interesting science project. You can set up a series of pulleys to have a model elevator running up and down a model building. You can even populate the building and elevator with dolls that can take a ride in the demonstration of just how the model elevator works.

What are you going to need? A cardboard shoebox to make the elevator. A larger cardboard box to fill in for the building. You can add some partitions in the larger box to make separate floors for the elevator to move to and from. You will need thread or some strong string that can be used to haul the model elevator up and down the model building.

To ensure that the tread moves smoothly you will need to use empty thread reels or spindles over which the thread or string can move and be wrapped properly. That way you will ensure that it does not get tangled up as you pull it up and down. You will also need to mark the thread at specific points so that you can run the elevator to specific floors in the mock building.

Once the basic mechanics of the elevator are sorted out you can now beautify the building and the elevator. Use poster paints to brighten up the science fair project. You can add trimming to the separate floors  making rooms with furniture or corridors with doors. Use your imagination and have fun.

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Robots that can teach themselves

So far everything that a robot can do is usually programmed into its memory banks by a human. It does not take a genius to realize that if the robot is faced with a problem that it has not yet encountered it will stop functioning. However the research done by some Japanese scientists on this particular science project may counter that claim.

These scientists have come up with a robot that can think, act and learn new behavior patterns. Then it will retain this new skill in its make up for the next time it encounters this problem. How does it find the solution in the first place? It uses the internet to get details and then sifts through them to find the correct answer.

So guess what? Human beings are not the only thing accessing Google these days. There are many projects which hope to see robots become companions for humans in the not so distant future. They can look after the elderly and even go grocery shopping for you besides fetch and carry stuff indoors.

The day may not be too far when the robots in your home will be able to fetch you a beer from the fridge, fold your laundry after taking it out from the washing machine and even possibly cook you a simple dinner. For the more science experiments that occur the closer we get to that future vision.

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