Like most artworks in galleries
worldwide, visitors haven’t been allowed to reach out and touch Gustav Klimt’s “The
Kiss” at its home at Belvedere museum in Vienna – until now. On October 12 a
special 3D version of the masterpiece was unveiled, aimed at enabling the
visually impaired to enjoy the work by running their finger over it. The “interactive
tactile relief”, made using a 3D printer, makes it possible to touch details of
the 1907-8 original, the Belvedere said. Klimt (1862-1918) made “The Kiss”,
depicting a couple embracing and enveloped in colorful robes, using oil paints
and gold leaf during Vienna’s “belle époque” heyday. The new reproduction,
which is much smaller than the original, also has sensors that when touched
trigger audio commentary about the work. Maybe in the future (they) will have a
3-D printer of their own at home and will be able to download 3-D files from
museum homepages. The relief is part of an EU project called AMBAVis (Access to
Museums for Blind and Visually Impaired People) which aims to offer visually
impaired people “barrier-free” access to art.
Thursday, 20 October 2016
Now, You Can Be Citizen Of First Space Nation
Scientists have launched the first new space
nation, and anyone can become a citizen of it. The new space nation of
Astgardia hopes to save the human race twice over. First, it will look to
protect it from warfare in space; and second it will try and keep humanity safe
from outside of atmosphere, protecting us from threats like space debris and
asteroid collisions. Those behind Asgardia hope that creating the country is
the first step of a new era in the space age. And they intend to start that by
sending rockets into the sky. The country will send its first satellite into
space in 2017. From there, Asgardia hopes to “open up access to space for
commerce, science and peoples of all countries on earth”. The scientists behind
the plan launched it in Paris this week, and named it after the city of skies
that was ruled by Odin from Valhalla in Norse mythology. It is being led by
Igor Ashurbeyli, who lead the Aerospace International Research Center in Vienna
and is chairman of UNESCO’s science of space committee. But Asgardia was
created in consultation with “globally renowned scientists, engineers,
entrepreneurs and legal experts”, according to those behind it. The country is
hoping to become a fully recognized country said Ashburbeyli. And when it does
so it will be able to promote values central to scientists. Asgardia is a fully
fledged and independent nation, and a future member of the United Nations –
with all the attributes this status entails. The essence of Asgardia is ‘Peace
in Space’ and the prevention of Earth’s conflicts being transferred into space.
Asgardia is also unique from a philosophical aspect – to serve entire humanity
and each and everyone, regardless of his or her personal welfare and the
prosperity of the country where they happened to be born. The country will
allow for anyone to apply for citizenship. But the new project also hopes that
it can completely change the idea of the nation state. It hopes to create a new
framework for how space activities are regulated and owned changing who’s
responsible for what goes on there and how it can be governed. But the project
hopes to keep people on Earth more safe, too. One of the project’s first
initiatives will be to create a protective shield that keeps human kind from “cosmic
manmade and natural threats to life on earth such as space debris, coronal mass
ejections and asteroid collisions. Scientists have warned repeatedly that those
threats are being underestimated. Scientists have warned that there are
thousands of pieces of debris that could crash down to Earth, and that coronal
mass ejections coming from the Sun could potentially wipe out all
communications on Earth.
A Device To Make Healthy Food Taste Like Treats
A device that tricks people’s
tongues could be used to make healthy foods into delicious, exciting tasting
treats. The Taste Buddy is placed in the mouth before eating something boring. And
it then uses thermal and electric signals to make that taste far better, by
stimulating the taste buds. For the moment, that stimulation can only come in
the form of sweet or salty tastes. But in the future the people behind the tool
hope that they can change diets entirely, transforming salads into the taste of
juicy steak or making broccoli taste like chocolate. Researchers said what started
out as a fun engineering experiment has now led to something much more exciting
with the potential to have a positive social impact. The Taste Buddy could
eventually help save lives, by allowing people to switch to healthier food
choice. In its current early form the Taste Buddy consists of a 2cm wide tab
that sits on the tongue and is wired to a bulky processor. To enhance
sweetness, the device warms up very rapidly and stimulates specific taste
receptors that react to heat a weak electric current is used to target other
taste buds responsible for salty flavours. Members of the Public will have a
chance to try out the Taste Buddy for themselves at the Big Bang UK Young Scientists
and Engineers Fair. The event, aimed at young people interested in science,
technology and engineering, takes place from March 15 to 18 at the National
Exhibition Centre, Birmingham. It could be engineered to fit everyday utensils
such as cutlery, cups and cans. The team has begun working on a prototype
spoon. The invention exploits the chemical reactions happening in the mouth
when we eat. Sour and salty tastes are recognized when taste receptors on the
tongue detect the reaction between saliva and the acidity of hydrogen or sodium.
Self-Driving Cars Will Make Bike Rider Safer
Self driving technology promises to
pretty much transform the auto industry as we know it. It may also change the
business of selling motorcycles – but in a very different way. When robots are
at the wheel, far fewer bikers will die on the road, which won’t be lost on all
those people who pine for a motorcycle but have always been too scared to buy
one. It would mean a dramatic enhancement in safety for the motorbike. And it
would guarantee a wider user group. The math is as straight forward as it is
compelling. Consider a left turn on an American road: A vehicle turning across
a lane of opposing traffic has little to do with the bike rider, but is one of
the most dangerous things in motorcycling. When motorcyclists die on the road, this
is how it happens one out of five times, according to crash statistics from the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This year, about 1,000 riders
in the US will lose their lives to the left turns of others. Cars travelling in
the same direction as the motorcycle often don’t notice the bike overtaking on
the left. Cars making a turn while coming from the opposite direction either fails
to see the oncoming bike, or misjudge its speed. Robot cars, in theory, won’t
make either of these mistakes. At first, they will be able to “see” the
motorcycle with sensors or radar and either alert the driver or actively
prevent the vehicle from cutting off the bike. But that’s just the beginning. Eventually,
motorcycles will “talk” to all of the other vehicles on the road, constantly
reminding them where they are, where they are heading, and at what speed. Once every
aspiring biker realizes that the driver next to him isn’t an existential
threat, sales will climb in some places.
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