Looking Into Now–And the Future Zooming Around the Corner
Kids. Grown-ups.
140 student participants from 30 states, representing 40 organizations, set up their displays at the 6th Annual White House Science Fair recently. The focus of this science fair is STEM for students. (All quoted materials comes from The White House’s webpage, “Science Fair 2016: Meet the Next Generation of America’s Innovators“.)
Missouri Girl Scouts Develop Recycling Program and Discover a New Glue—Now Seeking Two Patents
One selected entrant was Missouri Girl Scouts Troop #1484. 6 girls, ages 12 or 13, developed a recycling program and, in the process, discovered a new kind of glue. The girls are seeking 2 patents. This work started with hopes of helping their community become greener.
“They learned that 20,000 Styrofoam cups—cups which take 500 years to decompose in a landfill—were being used and disposed of every month. The team developed ‘Eco Bin,’ a metal bin containing a non-toxic substance (d-limonene) that dissolves Styrofoam when mixed with water, enabling households and businesses to reduce their waste. In a surprise twist, these innovators discovered that the gooey substance created by the mixture is a strong adhesive. The girls bottled and branded the substance, naming it ‘GlOo’ and marketing it to their local school and other Girl Scout troops for art projects. These creations have earned the girls state accolades and the chance to compete for the Global Innovation Award at FIRST Lego League Nationals. The girls are also now pursuing patents for ‘Eco Bin’ and ‘GlOo”.”
Young Inventor Designs 3-D Printed Solution to Pesky Problem
Another entrant was Shemar Coombs of Philadelphia. The 19-year-old used CAD design and a 3-D printer to “invent a cellphone case with a specially-designed channel along its edge that allows headphones to be easily wrapped and secured, while remaining tangle-free.” Shemar took his invention to the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship National Challenge. Profits from this cellphone case invention are intended to be used to support Shemar’s passion for music. How? Donations to music programs in developing countries.
Microwave Goodbye to Energy Loss
13-year-old Annie Ostojic, an 8th-grader from Munster, Indiana, has been working on stemming energy loss from microwave ovens.
“In 2014, Annie designed a microwave container to cook food more thoroughly with less energy. In testing her design, however, Annie noticed a significant loss of energy around the corners of the microwave. She determined that the best method to improve this technology would require redesigning the microwave cavity itself to refocus lost corner energy onto turntable food. In 2015, Annie tackled this problem by measuring various microwaves to identify energy wasting hotspots, testing seven types of reflector materials, and applying what she learned to design three aluminum-foil reflectors for a more efficient microwave design.”
Here’s a brief clip of the Fair-
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Grown-ups
What’s Hyperloop technology? Wikipedia offers this: “The Hyperloop is a conceptual high-speed transportation system originally put forward by Elon Musk, incorporating reduced-pressure tubes in which pressurized capsules ride on an air cushion driven by linear induction motors and air compressors.” It’s open-source technology so there are several companies working towards development and testing full-scale.
Hyperloop One, one of the companies in this developing field of high-speed transportation, says it’s “the fifth mode of transportation. It will allow the world to transport people and goods inexpensively, safely, and at speeds never thought possible.”
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, at its website, proclaims: “TRANSPORTATION AT ROCKET SPEED, From Los Angeles to San Francisco in 36 minutes.” And, “From Pittsburgh to Chicago in 45 minutes.” Sounds dreamy, eh?
The engine propelling Hyperloop Technologies’ rail-mounted train car is what’s called a linear electric motor. CEO Rob Lloyd claims there’s no other motor in the world using the required amount of energy in an instant on/instant off fashion. The train envisioned won’t have a track but will utilize passive levitation technology. (Makes me recall my ride on Shanghai’s LEV train from the city to the airport. Unforgettable, but Hyperloop is something different!)
Hyperloop One has inked an agreement with the Slovakian government to identify a suitable route between Hungary and Austria. It has lined up financing by GE Ventures and SNCF, France’s state-owned rail company.
Wonder if this technology can be used to upgrade to the Chunnel and Eurostar?