Tag: mimic

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Analysis, Brain, Health & Fitness, Science & Technology News

Human Brains Mimic Speech of Other People, Even Complete Strangers

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWptErAWrmQ[/youtube]

A much viewed YouTube clip shows Steve McClaren, the former England manager, talking English but in a Dutch accent while managing Dutch side FC Twente.

People who interact with a person with a different accent subconsciously mimic their twang because they want to “empathise” with their conversation partner, psychologists claim.   American researchers have found human brains imitate the speech patterns of other people, even complete strangers, without meaning to.

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Animals, Breakthrough Thinking, New Discoveries, Robots, Science & Technology News

Robot Designer Gets Inspiration From The Animal Kingdom

fromnaturero

Stickybot has specially designed footpads, inspired by the surface of a gecko’s foot, that allow it to climb smooth surfaces.

To a robot designer like Sangbae Kim, the animal kingdom is full of inspiration. “I always look at animals and ask why they are the way they are,” says Kim, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at MIT. “As an engineer, looking at them and speculating is fascinating.”

 

Continue reading… “Robot Designer Gets Inspiration From The Animal Kingdom”

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Animals, New Inventions, Robots, Science & Technology News

Scienstists Developing Robotic Octopus To Sovle Mysteries Of The Sea

Scienstists Developing Robootic Octopus To Sovle Mysteries Of The Sea

Sea Life Of Fondo Marino de Palma de Mallorca

Scientists are developing a robotic octopus that will be able to search the seabed with the same extraordinary dexterity as the real eight-legged cephalopod. With no solid skeleton, the robot would be the world’s first entirely soft robot, say researchers.

Continue reading… “Scienstists Developing Robotic Octopus To Sovle Mysteries Of The Sea”

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Animals, Photo Perspectives

The Mysterious Mimic Octopus

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Wow this octopus is good

While persons with dissociative disorders, or multiple personalities, have been known to have as many as 100 personalities, they have not been known to morph into totally different creatures — except in the movies, of course. But one cephalopod, the Indo-Malayan octopus, totally transforms itself into at least 15 different sea animals. So far, at least, the Indo-Malayan octopus is the ultimate biomimic — life imitating life. Continue reading… “The Mysterious Mimic Octopus”

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Animals, Great New Product, Nanotechnology, New Discoveries, Science & Technology News

Gecko-Like Adhesive That Lets Go

Gecko-Like Adhesive That Lets Go 

Special tips on gecko hairs can grip and release.

Gecko feet have long been a source of inspiration to scientists striving to make superstrong, reusable adhesives. Now researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have found a new way to make such an adhesive grip and release as required, using angled microstructures. These structures mimic the tips of the hairs found on gecko toes, which give the lizard its prowess as a climber.

Continue reading… “Gecko-Like Adhesive That Lets Go”

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Breakthrough Thinking, Great New Product, New Discoveries, Science & Technology News

A Shatterproof Ceramic That Could Be Used To Make Lightweight Vehicles

A Shatterproof Ceramic That Could Be Used To Make Lightweight Vehicles 

 A tough ceramic’s structure mimics that of abalone shells.

Ceramics are lightweight and hard, but you can’t make jet engines out of them because they’d shatter like dinner plates. So, materials scientists have been trying to mimic natural materials that combine strength (a measure of resistance to deformation) with toughness (a measure of resistance to fracture). In particular, they’ve looked to the porous but resilient material called nacre that lines abalone shells. Now researchers have developed a method for manufacturing nacre-like materials in the lab. These new materials have mechanical properties similar to metal alloys and are the toughest ceramics ever made. The new method could lead the way to ceramic structural materials for energy-efficient buildings and lightweight but resilient automobile frames.

Continue reading… “A Shatterproof Ceramic That Could Be Used To Make Lightweight Vehicles”

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