Robotics Robotics is the branch of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science that deals with the design, construction, operation, and application of robots,[1] as well as computer systems for their control, sensory feedback, and information processing. These technologies deal with automated machines that can take the place of humans in dangerous environments or manufacturing processes, or resemble humans in appearance, behavior, and/or cognition. Many of today's robots are inspired by nature contributing to the field of bio-inspired robotics. The concept of creating machines that can operate autonomously dates back to classical times, but research into the functionality and potential uses of robots did not grow substantially until the 20th century.[2] Throughout history, robotics has been often seen to mimic human behavior, and often manage tasks in a similar fashion. Etymology[edit] History of robotics[edit] Robotic aspects[edit] Components[edit] Power source[edit]
Nanowire A nanowire is a nanostructure, with the diameter of the order of a nanometer (10−9 meters). It can also be defined as the ratio of the length to width being greater than 20. Alternatively, nanowires can be defined as structures that have a thickness or diameter constrained to tens of nanometers or less and an unconstrained length. At these scales, quantum mechanical effects are important — which coined the term "quantum wires". Many different types of nanowires exist, including metallic (e.g., Ni, Pt, Au), semiconducting (e.g., Si, InP, GaN, etc.), and insulating (e.g., SiO2, TiO2). The nanowires could be used, in the near future, to link tiny components into extremely small circuits. Overview[edit] Typical nanowires exhibit aspect ratios (length-to-width ratio) of 1000 or more. Peculiar features of this quantum confinement exhibited by certain nanowires manifest themselves in discrete values of the electrical conductance. Synthesis of nanowires[edit] Suspension[edit] VLS Growth[edit]
Biotechnology "Bioscience" redirects here. For the scientific journal, see BioScience. For life sciences generally, see life science. Biotechnology is the use of living systems and organisms to develop or make products, or "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use" (UN Convention on Biological Diversity, Art. 2).[1] Depending on the tools and applications, it often overlaps with the (related) fields of bioengineering, biomedical engineering, etc. For thousands of years, humankind has used biotechnology in agriculture, food production, and medicine.[2] The term is largely believed to have been coined in 1919 by Hungarian engineer Károly Ereky. Definitions[edit] History[edit] Brewing was an early application of biotechnology Agriculture has been theorized to have become the dominant way of producing food since the Neolithic Revolution. Examples[edit] Medicine[edit] Agriculture[edit]
Kardashev scale The Kardashev scale is a method of measuring a civilization's level of technological advancement, based on the amount of energy a civilization is able to utilize. The scale has three designated categories called Type I, II, and III. A Type I civilization uses all available resources on its home planet, Type II harnesses all the energy of its star, and Type III of its galaxy. The scale is only hypothetical, but it puts energy consumption in a cosmic perspective. It was first proposed in 1964 by the Russian astronomer Nikolai Kardashev (Kardashyov). Definition[edit] Type I "Technological level close to the level presently attained on earth, with energy consumption at ≈4×1019 erg/sec (4 × 1012 watts) Type II "A civilization capable of harnessing the energy radiated by its own star (for example, the stage of successful construction of a Dyson sphere), "with energy consumption at ≈4×1033 erg/sec Type III Current status of human civilization[edit] Energy development[edit] Criticism[edit]
Life extension The sale of putative anti-aging products such as nutrition, physical fitness, skin care, hormone replacements, vitamins, supplements and herbs is a lucrative global industry, with the US market generating about $50 billion of revenue each year.[2] Some medical experts state that the use of such products has not been proven to affect the aging process, and many claims of anti-aging medicine advocates have been roundly criticized by medical experts, including the American Medical Association.[2][3][4][5][6] Public opinion[edit] Life extension is a controversial topic due to fear of overpopulation and possible effects on society.[10] Religious people are no more likely to oppose life extension than the unaffiliated,[11] though some variation exists between religious denominations. A Spring 2013 Pew Research poll in the United States found that 38% of Americans would want life extension treatments, and 56% would reject it. Average and maximum lifespans[edit] Diets and supplements[edit]
Nanoforum DNA brings materials to life: DNA-coated colloids help create novel self-assembling materials A colloid is a substance spread out evenly inside another substance. Everyday examples include milk, styrofoam, hair sprays, paints, shaving foam, gels and even dust, mud and fog. One of the most interesting properties of colloids is their ability to self-assemble -- to aggregate spontaneously into well-defined structures, driven by nothing but local interactions between the colloid's particles. Self-assembly has been of major interest in industry, since controlling it would open up a whole host of new technologies, such as smart drug-delivery patches or novel paints that change with light. Contrary to solutions that are made up of discrete molecules, colloidal solutions are made up of large particles, dispersed in a liquid solvent. Self-assembly refers to the ability of a colloid's particles to spontaneously form a kind of stable structural arrangement as a result of the shape and direction of the colloid's particles as they interact with the dispersal medium.
Energy development Contemporary industrial societies use primary and secondary energy sources for transportation and the production of many manufactured goods. Also, large industrial populations have various generation and delivery services for energy distribution and end-user utilization.[note 4] This energy is used by people who can afford the cost to live under various climatic conditions through the use of heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning. Level of use of external energy sources differs across societies, along with the convenience, levels of traffic congestion, pollution sources[10] and availability of domestic energy sources. Thousands of people in society are employed in the energy industry, of which subjectively influence and impact behaviors. Types of energy[edit] Open System Model (basics) Primary : They are found in nature: wind, water, solar,[note 12] wood, coal, oil, nuclear.Secondary : Are those obtained from primary energy sources: electricity, gas. Fossil fuels[edit] Nuclear[edit]
Futures studies Moore's law is an example of futures studies; it is a statistical collection of past and present trends with the goal of accurately extrapolating future trends. Futures studies (also called futurology and futurism) is the study of postulating possible, probable, and preferable futures and the worldviews and myths that underlie them. There is a debate as to whether this discipline is an art or science. In general, it can be considered as a branch of the social sciences and parallel to the field of history. In the same way that history studies the past, futures studies considers the future. Overview[edit] Futures studies is an interdisciplinary field, studying yesterday's and today's changes, and aggregating and analyzing both lay and professional strategies and opinions with respect to tomorrow. Foresight may be the oldest term for the field. The futures field also excludes those who make future predictions through professed supernatural means. Probability and predictability[edit]
Wikinanotechnologies Un article de Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre. Les nanotechnologies bénéficient de plusieurs milliards de dollars en recherche et développement[8]. L'Europe a accordé 1,3 milliard d’euros pendant la période 2002-2006[9]. Certains organismes prétendent que le marché mondial annuel sera de l’ordre de 1 000 milliards de dollars américains dès 2015. Historique[modifier | modifier le code] Vision de Feynman[modifier | modifier le code] Dans son discours donné le 29 décembre 1959 à la Société américaine de physique, Richard Feynman évoque un domaine de recherche possible alors inexploré : l'infiniment petit; Feynman envisage un aspect de la physique « dans lequel peu de choses ont été faites, et dans lequel beaucoup reste à faire[10] ». Se fondant sur la taille minuscule des atomes, il considère comme possible d'écrire de grandes quantités d'informations sur de très petites surfaces : « Pourquoi ne pourrions-nous pas écrire l'intégralité de l'Encyclopædia Britannica sur une tête d'épingle ?
Easy and effective therapy to restore sight: Engineered virus will improve gene therapy for blinding eye diseases Researchers at UC Berkeley have developed an easier and more effective method for inserting genes into eye cells that could greatly expand gene therapy to help restore sight to patients with blinding diseases ranging from inherited defects like retinitis pigmentosa to degenerative illnesses of old age, such as macular degeneration. Unlike current treatments, the new procedure is quick and surgically non-invasive, and it delivers normal genes to hard-to-reach cells throughout the entire retina. Over the last six years, several groups have successfully treated people with a rare inherited eye disease by injecting a virus with a normal gene directly into the retina of an eye with a defective gene. "Sticking a needle through the retina and injecting the engineered virus behind the retina is a risky surgical procedure," said David Schaffer, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and director of the Berkeley Stem Cell Center at UC Berkeley.
Orbital ring An orbital ring is a concept for a space elevator that consists of a ring in low Earth orbit that rotates at above orbital speed, that has fixed tethers hanging down to the ground. The structure is intended to be used for very high speed transportation and space launch. History[edit] In the 1870s Nikola Tesla, while recovering from malaria, conceived a number of inventions including a ring around the equator, as recounted in his autobiography My Inventions (1919): "Another one of my projects was to construct a ring around the equator which would, of course, float freely and could be arrested in its spinning motion by reactionary forces, thus enabling travel at a rate of about one thousand miles an hour, impracticable by rail. The issue was presented by Soviet engineer G. Anatoly E. Birch's model[edit] Types of orbital rings[edit] The simplest type would be a circular orbital ring in LEO. Two other types were also defined by Paul Birch: Orbital rings in fiction[edit] Arthur C. See also[edit]
Technological singularity Hypothetical point in time when technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible The technological singularity—or simply the singularity[1]—is a hypothetical future point in time at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unforeseeable consequences for human civilization.[2][3] According to the most popular version of the singularity hypothesis, I. J. The Hungarian-American mathematician John von Neumann (1903-1957) became the first known person to use the concept of a "singularity" in the technological context.[5][need quotation to verify] Stanislaw Ulam reported in 1958 an earlier discussion with von Neumann "centered on the accelerating progress of technology and changes in the mode of human life, which gives the appearance of approaching some essential singularity in the history of the race beyond which human affairs, as we know them, could not continue".[6] Subsequent authors have echoed this viewpoint.[3][7] [edit] I. In 1965, I.
Russian tycoon wants to move mind to machine NEW YORK (AP) — Can the City That Never Sleeps become the City That Never Dies? A Russian multimillionaire thinks so. Dmitry Itskov gathered some of humanity's best brains — and a few robots — in New York City on Saturday to discuss how humans can get their minds to outlive their bodies. — By 2020, robots we can control remotely with our brains. — By 2025, a scenario familiar to watchers of sci-fi cartoon show "Futurama:" the capability to transplant the brain into a life-support system, which could be a robot body. — By 2035, the ability to move the mind into a computer, eliminating the need for the robot bodies to carry around wet, messy brains. — By 2045, technology nirvana in the form of artificial brains controlling insubstantial, hologram bodies. View gallery Russian billionaire Dmitry Itskov speaks to the Global Future 2045 Congress, Saturday, June 15, 2013 … Is immortality desirable, and if so, what's the best way to get there? Dr. Dr. "A lot of this stuff can't be done," he said.