First of it’s kind national program will put 3D printers into high school students’ hands

3d printers in schools

The DARPA MENTOR program should boost engineering skills for high school students.

The trend to put Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology into schools continues. Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS) announced that it has been chosen by the Georgia Institute of Technology to provide its Dimension 3D Printers to select high schools across the U.S. as part of The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Manufacturing Experimentation and Outreach (MENTOR) program.

 

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Airdrop design pulls water from air to irrigate deserts

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An award winning innovative invention.

The winner of this year’s James Dyson Award is one that focuses on the water crisis in Australia. A continent faced with severe droughts, it is no wonder that Edward Linacre from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne wanted to come up with a solution that will provide fresh water where there is no source on the ground.

A press release notes, “Edward studied the Namib beetle, an ingenious species which lives in one of the driest places on earth. With half an inch of rain per year, the beetle can only survive by consuming the dew it collects on the hydrophilic skin of its back in the early mornings. Airdrop borrows this concept, working on the principle that even the driest air contains water molecules which can be extracted by lowering the air’s temperature to the point of condensation. It pumps air through a network of underground pipes, to cool it to the point at which the water condenses. Delivering water directly to the roots of plants.”

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Oregon puts iPad voting on the map

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Voting in Oregon could be as easy as reading the Wall Street Journal.

In an attempt to make voting easier for the elderly and disabled, Oregon is letting citizens in five counties cast their votes on Apple iPads.

Election workers in the counties that make up that state’s 1st Congressional District are hitting parks, nursing homes and community centers to find voters who have trouble filling out traditional mail-in paper ballots, reports the Associated Press. The district is holding a special election to replace the seat left open by ex-Rep. David Wu, who left Congress in July after allegations emerged that he had had a sexual encounter with a young woman. Oregon is the first state to try voting via iPad, according to the report…

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Can “Opt-Out” organ donation law be the solution?

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If you don’t opt out, away they go under new law.

The problem with organ transplantation is, of course, there’s not enough donors to go around (Maybe people think that they’d need that kidney in the afterlife or something).

But could this be the solution: a proposed Welsh law where organ donation is the default and people have to “opt out” if they don’t want their organs be transplanted…

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Mind control: pushing the limits

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There are a variety of brainwave-reading headsets on the market today.

If you want to make things move with your mind, you don’t have to be a Jedi.  Although we may not be able to lift a spaceship out of a swamp like Yoda does in The Empire Strikes Back, but it is possible to steer a model car, drive a wheelchair and control a robotic exoskeleton with just your thoughts. (Pics)

 

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Artificial intelligence difference engine: Luddite legacy

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If the Luddite Fallacy were true, we would all be out of work by now.

There is a tale told about Henry Ford II showing Walter Reuther, the veteran leader of the United Automobile Workers, around a newly automated car plant. “Walter, how are you going to get those robots to pay your union dues,” gibed the boss of Ford Motor Company. Reuther replied, “Henry, how are you going to get them to buy your cars?”

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Parents turning to Facebook to find chickenpox laced lollipops

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Parents warned chickenpox laced lollipops are illegal.

Some parents are fearful of having their children vaccinated but they are being warned by a federal prosecutor that making a deal with a stranger who promises to mail them lollipops licked by children with chickenpox isn’t just a bad idea, it’s against the law.

 

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Grains of rice genetically modified to produce human blood

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Blood protein from genetically modified rice could ease demand for blood donations.

Genetically modified grains of rice produce a key component of human blood in an attempt to provide an alternative to donations. The protein, extracted from rice plants containing human genes, could be used in hospitals to treat burns victims and help patients who have suffered severe blood loss.