Applied Technotopia

If Earth Had Rings Like Saturn

The Planets, If They Were As Far Away From Earth As The Moon

Which is twice as tall as Mount Everest

And just a little bit smaller around than France

Which is no mean feat, considering that Mars is the second smallest planet in the Solar system.

That’s an impressively huge mountain for such a little planet, guys.

Which leads me to suspect that Olympus Mons isn’t just a city, but a city-state. As in, an independent nation built around a single city. And canonically, Hyperion City is the largest Old Earth Colony on Mars, which means it’s even bigger.

Mechanical Sidekicks Show Softer Side Of Robotics

by Txchnologist staff

By now, you’ve probably seen Boston Dynamics' ATLAS, the six-foot, 330-pound humanoid robot that is part of DARPA’s robotics challenge. While this machine is one of the most advanced humanoid robots out there, it’s not exactly the type of creation you’d want to bring home to play with the dog. To be fair, it hasn’t been designed to be your buddy. Rather, top among its purposes is to assist soldiers on the battlefield and accompany first responders during disasters. There are, however, a number of robots that may not be as capable as ATLAS, but would be more fun to see wandering around the house. Click through to learn more about the bots in the GIFs above.

Sweet infographics!

Wouldn’t it be neat to see a period of the universe’s history that we’ve never seen before? That’s exactly what the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be able to do…plus more!

Specifically, Webb will see the first objects that formed as the universe cooled down after the Big Bang. We don’t know exactly when the universe made the first stars and galaxies – or how for that matter. That is what we are building Webb to help answer.

Here are 10 awesome facts about this next generation space telescope:

1. The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s largest and next premier space observatory. It will extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space telescope and observe the birthplaces of stars, galaxies, planets and life over billions of years.

2. It is named after James Webb, NASA’s second administrator and champion of our science.

3. At 3 stories high and the size of a tennis court, it will be 100 times more powerful than Hubble!

4. It is so big that it has to fold origami-style to fit in the rocket, which is only 5.4 meters wide…And then it will unfurl, segment by segment, once in space.

5. The telescope will observe infrared light with unprecedented sensitivity. It will see the first galaxies born after the Big Bang over 13.5 billion years ago.

6. Webb’s infrared cameras are so sensitive they must be shielded from light from the sun, Earth, and moon. The 5-layer sunshield is like having sunblock of SPF 1 million.

7. Webb will orbit the sun 1 million miles from Earth, where the telescope will operate at temperatures below -390 F (-235 C).

8. Webb’s mirrors are coated with a super thin layer of gold only about 1000 atoms thick to optimize their reflectivity in the infrared.

9. Webb will launch from French Guiana in 2018. It is launched near the equator because the faster spin of Earth there gives the rocket an extra push.

10. Webb is an international mission, with contributions from the European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency. Once operational, scientists from all over the world will be able to use Webb to explore our solar system, planets outside our solar system, stars and galaxies.

What is your Ikigai? What a great concept! 

It’s going to be a big part of the coming medical revolution, providing precise, constant biological feedback for more precise understanding and treatment of illnesses.

Soon you’ll be able to pay for stuff with your fingerprints in Japan

A new system in Japan will let registered tourists pay for products by placing two fingers on a tiny biometric reader. Tourists will first register their fingerprints and credit card information in an airport or convenient public location. From there, they’ll be able to use their fleshy digits as currency. But remember, convenience sometimes comes at a price.

Exploring the Realms of water - The Leidenfrost effect ( #1 )

The skittering of water droplets of a hot surface that you just witnessed is known as the Leidenfrost Effect.

The effect can be seen as drops of water are sprinkled onto a pan at various times as it heats up. There is no specific temperature, beyond which the Leidenfrost effect kicks in.

Unveiling the mystery.

The bottom part of the water droplet vaporizes immediately on contact with the hot plate. 

The resulting gas suspends the rest of the water droplet just above it, preventing any further direct contact between the liquid water and the hot plate. 

As steam has much poorer thermal conductivity, further heat transfer between the pan and the droplet is slowed down dramatically. This also results in the drop being able to skid around the pan on the layer of gas just under it.

Mesmerizing, isn’t it ?

This also allows the immersion of your bare hands in Liquid Nitrogen for a few Milli-seconds.

A thin film layer between your hand ( relatively hot compared to liquid nitrogen ) and the Liquid Nitrogen, which prevents the immediate freezing of your hand.

Do not try this at home.

And don’t ever wear a ring/ any jewelery on your hands if you are attempting this under supervision, as this prevents the formation of the thin film. It doesn’t end well after that.

These disposable, 3-D printed robots are the revolution we’ve been waiting for

A team of researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory just published their technique on simultaneously printing both rigid and soft materials in hydraulic robotic parts. What can we do with this? If you’re thinking about soft, flexible robots, the possibilities are endless.

Who: In this case, it’s really a “what.” The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) is an expandable module developed by Bigelow Aerospace using a NASA patent conceptualized in the 1990s. It is made up of layers of fabric that will expand when installed and equalize with the pressure of the International Space Station.

What: Sensors inside BEAM will monitor temperature and radiation changes, as well as its resistance to potential orbital debris impacts. During its time on station, the airlock between BEAM and the rest of the space station will remained closed, and astronauts will enter only to collect data and help the experiment progress. If BEAM is punctured, the habitat is designed to slowly compress to keep the rest of the space station safe.

With the BEAM launch, deployment and time on station, Bigelow will demonstrate a number of expandable habitat capabilities, such as its folding and packing techniques, radiation protection capability and its thermal, structural and mechanical durability.

When: BEAM is set to launch on SpaceX’s eighth Dragon resupply mission April 8, and will be docked to the space station for a minimum two-year demonstration period.

Where: The International Space Station’s mechanical arm will transport BEAM from the spacecraft to a berthing port on the Tranquility module where it will then be expanded.

Why: These expandable modules take up less room on a rocket, but once set up, provide more volume for living and working in space.

When we’re traveling to Mars or beyond, astronauts need habitats that are both durable and easy to transport and to set up. That’s where expandable technology comes in. BEAM is one of the first steps to test expandable structures as a viable alternative to traditional space habitats.