»G r Lac) Py L Ag! a a ey PUD eeTHIS YEAR'S MOST INGENIOUS GARAGE INVENTIONS P33 40 FASTER, SAFER SNOWMOBILING 4.4 FISH-FRIENOW 5 TIDAL TURBINE #46 WATERING PLANTS INTHE DESERT 4BA SOLDERS THIRD EYE 50 Pu IWAND ROCK OUT 52 BREATHING, EASY 5 HEARING REPAIRED B through your teuth and = 56 THE RIGHT DOSAGE EVERY TIME 58 maxi hinentd at 5 60 ) WEARABLE WOOFER PoPeri.com MoLLYwa0o DS ee SCIENCE iBLockousreRs PapScr's SUMMER SC-TECH MOVIE PREVIEW These irs waw ‘nih cuting- ‘edge praps and explosions By Gregory Mone THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE THE NEW FACE OF THERAPY =| Express playmates ci help kids with autism forge stranger bonds with people. By Gregory Mone JUNE 2010 POPULAR SCIENCE 03201 ‘BUILT WHAT?! 20 HOME TECH reall lron Man su Multifunctional power too 7 suo 24 GADGETS A lamp that changes color in respon ‘ Au f Wu can “touet a, 80 USEIT BETTER y CHECK H chip abroa d 32 SvEMITRY 7 nat ould we / wee e| cna 06 FROM THE EDITOR z 08 THE INBOX a Ruslana ‘104 THE FUTURE THEN r 7 fae ee a5 f ri) ' | ' a? By ONLINE Ducati ‘The Ducati Multistrada 1200 5 |page 18] isr*just prety to look at—it rides lke a demon. Watch it Up the Canary Islands at papsei-com/marlis For an extended look at what ehemical elements we're running lewon and an explaration af PoPSct Contributing ecitor Theodore Gray's bresthtakit periodic-lable iPad agp. go to popssc.com/peri “The Future Then” Galleries. ‘We're cambing the POPULAR SCIENCE archives 2ach week to assemble some favorite maments fram our 1 38-year history. Check them aut at popsci.comn/futurethen, 04 POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2010 PoPsci.comROBOT THERAPY WHEN LFIRST SAW the openings pages to cabot in therapy for aula children [The New Face of Therap page did a sot of triple-take, laughing out lou at the fextapasition of the headline and the goofy, sweet guntball head besiee it, while at the same time reflexively recosling-at the nation that robats are becaming a frontline treatment for m. Iwas a knice jerk reaction—ane one that I suspect marry of you will share. I was reminded of a visit we'd had a couple of weeks earlier from iRobot Yeah its armas weird, But it's Sovcctetsettarmsae also pretty —sjeningneicaom oon ta wonderful, aise signs to serve as a virtual link toa far-off of the An ist, With the rapid aging, rm, Angle sees a el he sce no tschrolaggcal reasons why we cam mcet that red easomts? That may be another matter “The big itegative.” he said, "ts the “i's weit! factor" preity much what Iwas feeling as {stared at the image of Lhe prototype rabe therapist named Bandit Yeah, is weird, But well get aver it—because it's also pretty wonderful The development of a robat sensitive and respoasive enough to serve as both playmate and eainselor ta autistic kids is a story of how technobagy ean both adress a resource shortage (not enexygh human therapists for the ome in the US. diagnoseal with the condition) and enhance what can be achieved by fleshand blood counselors (possibly because raboss ane predictable, unlike humans}, I's another ease technology in service to humanity. o improve the world is, of course, the fundamental urge that drives invention, And soy as abways, it's this spirit that animates our faut: annual Invention Avards, which begin on page 39. Here you'll find such world changers as an uncannily precise drug pump; a cheap, masseleployable medical ventilator; and : a contraption that keeps ‘your guitar forever i tune, Which one offers us wa) the greatest serview? Ill ee Jet you te the judy article th lear need, ‘mark jannetgsornierearp com OG POPULAR SCIENEE JUNE 2010 SCIENCES Etor-in-Chiet Mark Jennot Pimessocaaicraiie papsci.comraceme aca In the April issue, “rhe 10 Wor erat eed ieulanly poor, as Apel FOREVER ge centers Taser XREP ["How It Wo weseme tool, jst hap that it’s Less etl Maye) iene = Jeatlt jst happened Paul Wickoy ‘Sketchbox Ypsilanti, Mich. Via popscicom Tia CORRECTION COM The Flying Cuisinart POPECLCOM 08 POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2010MEGAPIXELS THE MUST=SEE PHOTOS OF THE MONTH a dds Ca De ee ee eee eee ee eee ted jer Arica atone th letra Space Sta, ow percent rl eect Se eee eed Uc lpibadeeLionsundaitoxeaakamtidsland Lt coavsalisbunnaediscirmstuedatiaera al oe ee eee ete era oe eee ee et ete T Ricip lsalvesled acideudecdicaacaiad Cenk eeanteelantrebeeeedareestecaabeeehtaal ee ee eee eee ee Ne eer Pe ere am er)Se Glee Ce Weer CEC iC aurea ad a ee ee ee eee ett ett tet ee ee eed Ce ee ee ee ee Re ee ee ee eC een) Sloane rr Cee ee eC rere Pec eaeCe ecco aeda ee Se ee ee ow > 0 Ca { Spertsgear : ad Va crs vey is SUS bea Ue CL aes Seaplane cash spel CUS LOTR aks lise anlectronically controlled gygaee s198cc L-Twin CSE nigh ios iad ool ae on Cte ee etter iy ; Cea ry De ea ta a ee eee eer anvextra rider, Ducat’ electronic peer eee etd reer ete eee a personality. button toggles S ete settings —Sport, Touring, Urban eee fen meee eee Perea re es system, which Ducat designed ee cs Pree ee ee eee actuators that dethe fine-tuning ete ee eee Ue La Lal Seer Crees pera he errr ty JUNE 2010 POPULAR SCIENCE IS16 POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2010 tts bouton yt Tis. his 1.5- inch seater sone Bd te thiciness ch cues The ypcally plastic dpb ‘smw analuminen fora, which needs less space irae, lear ale oe foc compart tn woie celine, ‘is primer saris ‘ta eate Dbars sea cent tote wate belt ering on at ts mares he lection of a LED towork tetera par, ass- conducive wae ie es meld ‘ron. SteriPEX Adventurer gi 5100; stripe com Crisper Taavod shadowy webcam chats the Liar brightens your face on hey. teats wighzes and cexposue—sr eve slows dawn be trae ate icaptare mere igh ‘emake suryoure orteana shout Merasef LifeCam -S000 850; microsoft com Radar qus cape basalts speed sing sngle=ntenaing hurt nie-nch han Tis ada ss tat aay of 1s maller argnnas to tack vl, allowing ‘te pathane nb about as mat ‘san Pocket ada $20; Th ei pu gl pe in pau yard As you hte alias to (yok pices. By measure ear Ine bait moves between the snap, itsprcessor alates he eunch ‘peed and pina give eed rd elo imorove your swing. AcuSpert Vector 3.208 sccasport cia ra Tech ey Mythos Te-8) Prevou etn rd ies drew exergy oly endows er hen lonkng, tut new Sanyal fora saree tthe rae ol he 2 ir io ae Mas, oh ater charges then fn Theta ares ad sown ies of bate asstarce Sanyo ens Baa SP Series 1.70 Lagan ony) sanyo.comen) ‘Theft phone Sint tia SG net, the VD plays bight idea en a. 3-ch ‘mec canstream 73 ‘dea tothe Web HTC EVD Wb vs Price nt se: he.com ——— Hevzotl-svder blades are exposed ‘under he bat is sie tucks rar the blades areinaverical . pila paper goes through while = yur tans gpa sale stance. lack [Decher iShed Vertical Sh SUE bkandelercn BY CORINNE 102Z10 This tease pts va protection all-seruyong hind two metal grils and lye fram, whic Sper eng gusts ete they the t,o cance ne stiectvely ashe The Stash ive expands you ‘-equpped MP3 players memory, The bro cennect Beh a wiles crcktbal the MiSaeS crete, and yous yur player's bowser ‘ove phtos. ves and music sored onan SO cari the Ae Stash ‘irSash $100; arstashcom tsvideopae ines syste you esrcise ce marly Raber than gripping acon, these ts yo with an ad eg ad ded abeat-ate nto thal sync witha cose for pcieseratic Th mouse morphs fl your hand nati ta orate anf eerchargeabe pl rest, abul-e adestnet col ets you scoot ut the thurs sntabla ns at worl EA Spars Aetive 20 pitt upto 12 degrees. Price na set exsportsactvecom Mad ate Cybory RAT. 5100; ryborggaming.com Ey POPSCLCOM POPULAR SCIENCE 17YOU'LL WET | YOURSELF rk Water Parkin Wisconsin consin, opens the country's onty loaping ide: The Scorpion’s Tail gives yau the thrills af 2 raller coaster: having ta strap toa track (or wear a shirt)—and it uses sophisticated engin ta keep you secu u slip any wibich way. Riders stick ta th because the loep trovels ated a 8 ie on their hea Then ther rol system, exit hatch and ho make sure riders splash gut intact. The timid can take extra comfort in knowing that the engineering firm behind Tail, WhiteWater West, based it on a design that's been up and running dange in Europe. And the ride allows for vicarious kicks, frag for two summers too: As daredevils 200m by at close to 3 Gs, bystand teh threugh the fiberpless Walls.—LAUREN AAROKEON ean nsparent 18 POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2010 ‘A rapdoer drops you down. Aa operator an eget ly then seit epee sufficient water Flom ad tale previous ide has inched. A Sefoot chute descends step 70-degree slope ta help you ud penough spred=abod Simph—ta een ‘the lop. you dent have ‘moagh meee ‘uma reachthe op ofthe oop, and slip back te is satiated an opening ets ‘you est nein 100 riders sight oti Ce eed Ce tare ee ee ae The Z7-foo-bigh loops angled 60 degrees.anl a tetlly vertical 0, sayou'l ne drop. atthe cling and crash inlo he flow, Fast riders travel high ane outs veal, early Ct compete fing sunward Slower igh riders nat- ust dit own the wale glide face-up the tae’ fer. pene tro Bde CsONE FOR ALL Gi , design flexibility fered by cornpact Multitunction power tools that 1 2+voltithium-ion batteries, th Combine the mechanisms oftwo or less weight and space devoted to the more pieces of equipment inisone power source. there'sroam for what prafessional-grade item users want at the business end Contractorsand ambitious Divers Multitaskers save space in your cern: Want ts do projects mere-tficiently, box or shed.and they costfariess «= SETI J And in many cases. toolmakers than the sum of their standalane Or P ‘are taking advantage o! the zip and caunterparts cous manoney Sie0rrock - ‘wellioalscom 1 Thet9 weigh jest the pounds but pus ile ily ca il adver and 2 hammer il that punches hoes ie cont. des so wth easiy ‘cig it blders forthe dferetbtsyes, plus wo roving pars sy to 12 bir, Amor sin te elas wa and hammer ode, scaled-fown eum pista ics te puchthe ipa quar aninch inn brick SaN-1 ‘Snap nef heads nto shane to turit ino dil impact ver ate, uote eeating tal hat ean et and amd The 8S-techhande ides Wer anery aa meta otras pame ram ‘utmeto to teren tala withierem, av arc pee requirements emupped each attachment ih sewn gear. 24N-1 Tis designed incat ora ard sar lunes, acts sa porate able saw adie saat Lack ts blatein poe fee wood (orleans ats. as witha ete saw then ta he ald dy ade the Regan late dor stoma arsenal Uthtoreton vapor eas needa te bt at 24 dobatan Kit pounds i's gh enagh aay between wom. From $180 i ‘riggio.com 5 20 POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2010 POPScicoMDab ZU mena] ECT Five innovative ways to play ball Prete tats aetna ry 2 cinders fo eee er ne Poon’ ert) Ce eo ea? eee ees sparts gear. Their smart designs make even your best ee eee ae ee tliat liana te rapt ina Seta er Preenrserer) ocak er cen Ls ihhis bilhaditel rd ‘acs. erie ata Ce faces, sing the team ented sigs ee eg Ue roy ed ents fel ir bal coma, eames ere) ar Eoencaa ae Skee oy ed Coe etn seed and gett bets Be CN aL Pe a t Re eet eS or avert ret reer tenth enna nen frre eae er terre va GedDevelopers are creating ‘customized applications with mare-detailed info, CultureChic, a French tourism app far the Phane 365, usesthe phone's GPS and ‘compass toieriityLancrmarks. then overlays relevant images and info. tke hours and entry fees. from database of cultural institutions Pointing the phone atthe Louvre. mm, mt Mobile augmented-reality (AR) for example. pops up previews apps already enhance live video ‘ofits collection. Cutturettic for mages on your phone to shaw you iPhone Free: cultureelictr realtime info about what's araund you. Upcoming systems take ia step further by setualy letting you Interact—whether by touching or talking—wilh miniature virtual worlds. —ETEve waRGENSTERN FALL: SEE VIRTUAL OBJECTS Soon AR displays will be wearable, piece ef cardhoardand,asihe its Twoeamerasin Wurik’sglasses it, Me sees a virtual all rll past feed real-time video to aconnected 3-Dlobstacles which the computer ‘computer;which superimposes inserts wherever it sees a bar code ‘granhies on the image and projects on the boardl. Expect developers the resultsontwo screens inthe using the system to.came up with ‘glasses. Vuzix recently showed a range of design apps and games ‘offa maze game:A player holds a Vuaix Wrap 920AR $800: vuzix.com Eventually AR wil tet you interaet with virtual objects asifthey were real This system is similar to Vuzix, luutits cameras also track yaur hands to sense when you “touch” an objec: and it adds a mic to-capture your vice for spoken carsmands, n the research prototype. users pint to blacks and dictate color changes, As tracking improves it could find more everyday uses. A home-remodeting app. for exemple, wauld allow you to place virtual appliances and ‘cabinetry in'your existing kitchen, University af Canterbury, New Zealand, Multimodal AR hitiabnz.org 26 POPULARSCIENCE JUNE 2010 PorscicowHEADLINES DISCOVERIES, ADVANCES AND DEBATES IN SCIENCE ae 32 34 c a7 NE Edangeres Tobacco engineered 2 soundproat World BM clerents tomake medicine Cupstadium OPENING THE INTERNET New software subverts Internet censorship abroad distributing Haystack there. By midsummer, he expects thousands of ranians te be ablete bypasethe country’s Web titers “Thellnternet is what con- nected me te the rest ofthe world when | was stuckin Ohio growing up.’ Heap says. “Idon't know who | would be wethout it. When I heard What the Iranian government was, doing, Itigured if we can help. we ‘Austin Heapiis an unlikely interna tonal saboteur butt summer the after presidentiat-election protests took place there. Hean's Haystack software, ‘smuggled inta the country on USE flash drives and passed secretively from citizen to Chizen, allowed anions to inside the country. A @ANOMLME shout" Soe partnered with Webs get around me severnment Haysack, pro. ‘rafelernet_ develaper Daniel Caascione and notorious Internet faters a. GucedbyHeap's nonprofit —fierprevented — pased on networking dacuments § forthefirst ime freety explore Censorship Research Center is one Hizematrom ——iegked to them from an Iranian ani communicate onthe Web, aftetistbanetiariesotanew STC ourcy ey used te knowledge Thismenthmarksthe aniver- US qovernmentintiatetofos- Merry tecture and cry B csiycl tn prolecs Ate Tehran Gerucemned ccmelstia Wes © EINE | tography locate a wohaoted = anredtoreignjourraits,chilane’ road, In March the Treasury preadncal ana ach-sawy foe Accord Web postsbecamethe nly Departinents Otic of Foreign Steclonabe,ingtenewsreperts. ont venture source of independent information _ Assets Control [OFAC), which topl.Now.Hay- between Nokia and Siemens, Most tamousty, YouTube hosted twa administers foreign trade sanct stack software, rovided iran with the capability Graphic videes of xyeung woman revsedisawetaaiow te exgart BAB conguetsurvellance of eral being shetandlled wil enroute’ firiermelcomenunicatons services, SRS attic ani software ines a seohi tcamantoqiveremerdraly Git eclangcheteat wcll-reimorting \GURSVGR | Scaled process hrones"pochet thegorernments ering ech software. ein. OFAC also ranted sniing Any segrentin the code hentia vei laipipaal pitch bcrken QE stew ib cours apie FOOTNOTES ae i TT SE I PoPecl.com JUNE 2010 POPULAR SCIENCE 3ae US es MUS aed al reese eM eRe RLM Melia ee Cots) (od Cee coer Pee ure) ere ies Sener eed CT er ean eee gery erent Cee pe eee Se eres ceeeer st eee tt ee es eer uma foe Le To uo Peed cece peas cen fe eae coe’ (4 milion tens re ery et sagt Coa cast: 5.03% ‘cast: Sunn, oa ey Cay co ed enc oe ers ers con eee ere oats Pet od uTunoK:sieny, ff OUTLOOK: Good Pe lecticmotors OUTLOOK: Stomp. uTLNOK- Fa. Incresed mining [J There's plenty cna cota ery ee eed rad Salat ec) Sead ee) Ce industry wit bef sceataut more nore col every Furth foredtasitch ff deposits anc rod tolecsetticient ff improve extrac Peer ry cos rr ney Ce ead Te eee eee eee oe ene erento era rear Pere ett ee Pett eee) Fe, 26) Pt 78 y ho, oni Ce paladin, esspage, e-maitr IM com tains ier a ee ery See et pe ee) ee Nee eee ee eg eee erate Seed er al appear as pee ee ce er eter ry authorized LT) aad 6 ly for Iranian but Heap sayshe has rece fer Did RESERVES een Unknows tut vast 16 billion tons ee £08 ition cai Cor Cay oa Coa (CRITICAL FR PT Co pa Camputarchigs ff) Feriier ed Peers Pena Ca Cede Cee Strang, Thce's so) worries. Amer Peete og ruth that slices) cansuse about Soo esa isaconvenien, — f] Ammon ons) intovictricty ax) can be sonserved iessetfecve, inter well lermtves [and rcyied substitute or re ree See compli us et on Uess-eticient |) giart porate adapt th evenberecpced [elements suchas ff allins ces cod il be ready. that theAL STS Ee 3 TOBACCO MAKES GOOD New tobacco that produces flu vaccines could rescue the plant's reputal ‘Smoking tobacco is well known, eoaue cnaiaah once acousnef part ats Se ein fae esmemre seruae Tis don, Coen a P= emce tase 0 bree reeves $00 —— ‘millian to Texas ASM University ‘be modified to coe ‘and pharmaceutical manwlacturer 6-Con te launch Project Greer, ‘an effort to speed vaccine pro- duction by growing itin tabacca, First, scientists engineer bacteria tocarry the tates: Rumarkers ‘and wash them over Nicotiana benthamiana tobacco plants. The bacteria dump the ONA inte the plant's cells, which follow its structions to chuen out the flu protein, Technicians then grind up the laaves to extract the protein, Injected into a person. the protein works ike any vaccine, traning the body to attack the fluvirus, ‘The entire process is about a quarter of the cast and three times as fast as the esnventionat ed ‘method. growing live viruses in chicken eggs. a system so slug- _ Gish that f contributes to vaccine shortages last fal. Next year the team plans todo a demonstra GREEN THUMB sick. This winter, Arizona State species of tobacco could dominate tion production run of 10,miltion iaven mae UNVOFEHY Biologists demonstrated the market, Likeits cash-crop HIM! vaccines—about 10 percent en etamy the first tabacce-made treatment cousin. its fast-growing and cheap, ofaseasonal supply—and start Couiemys -—«*tocure disease inmice a pratein It easily takes up foreign DNA, tobacco-made vaccine in clinical that gums.up the part ofthe West points out Giang Chen, the Arizona: Irlals, which tne vaczine must pass Nile virus that ina’ to animal project leader, and tobacce Is much before it could bedistributed. cells, They hoe to kick off clini lawer-maintenance than chicken Researchers think a similar cal trials in about five years. (e995 and other animal-based meth- ‘approach could provuce prateins Asplant-grown medicines gain ods “itjust needs water, minerals to'reat peonle who are already industry popularity thisparticular and sunlight" LYNNE PEEPLES 4 POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2010 Popsci.comOLD MacDONALD HAD A PYROLYSIS DOOHICKEY Mobile biofuel refineries provide sustainable energy for farms [Akundced years ogo. threshing \0$3 agallon—going mostiyo shis- microwave generator which machines chugpefrom form to ping raw materils end he enzymes rakes chunks of or gone material farm across the plains, separating eases used to break themdown. Sixyears — from the inside out, Off-the-shelt stalk ram gran and turingrow TMEBFENV® 399, Roger Ruan aliaaystems engi- tech elps keep the price below that crops ino valuable commodities. By Met neeratthe University of Minnesota, of conventional systems sharing the machine. farmers coule Seamaryog’ began designing a emalir.simplar—_—_-Ruaricommistioned a Chinese eeu peeducttywithotawning “peat way loconvert biomass a biafvel.factorytobuld a carnper-site pro the profbtlvaly pricey squipreet. (compas tag a procestcalled praia totype and this fll el itch it fo Toédj.thatbysiness model could tah saug The lchnique vavilyinvolres. apt and bith roads rural Wworkot anew prague biatuel, ‘er mmaleand ringing biomassinto a powrder and Minnesota tocondue a ald study. Biofuel from farm waste is a ‘other solids heating ito break itinto its chemi- “We've got the choir signed on.” says promising alternative tacil, butit's nto twels cal components, which areturned Linda Macehke, a Minnesota farmar toc expensivefor anyone farmer = infofuel. Thepuveriing ensures wha ning uptarmstor te plat tomake alone. Manufacturing cel thol the material heats evenly bul is sty, and a enflive congregation losicethanal, the ost common energy-hungry and slow. Toelimi- _walching to see what happons nex iia ear ron noticed rate the grinding stp, Ruan added MAGGIE KOERTHC BAKER HOW TO TURN TRASH INTO POWER es by a ag ony co PP Te ey ed pore} Ee anit Pree] rd preety heated wi Pe rtzowaves yer) err cen Peni Ee eal ror rn rod pee ere Beano Pretty Sole ore eer ses Cea eee eed Poe Ca rng tes Fit tie Pa Popsci.comwR STL When the World Cup kicks off in Sa Afric 69.070 seccer fans inside the new Cape Town Stadiurt will scream atthe top oftheir lungs to Urge on their favarite team, But thanks tosome clever engineering. the people living nearby will hear hardly a peep, The open-air stagium sitsin Cape Town's tany Green Point neighbor: hood. where residents had raised concerns about erowd noise. To keep fans’ cheers te.a minienum eutside the building, a design team fromthe German engineering fiem Schlaich Bergermann topped the structure with the world'stargest glasscelling, The 398,265 square-(oat roof consists ‘oF #000 half-inch thick glass panets arranged in a ring above the stands, ‘anda Teflon and fiberglass mesh sus pended below the glass, Tagether the Fefleet the erowels rear back onto the field and stands (natentiatly handing an advantage to the team withthe loudest cheering section} to prevent noise fram escaping through the roofs central hole, thismanth, 1 ORE Aa vent nm Papsci.co Tmrezorten “2H! glass reotis: ciedamiabaaeisins wrod tie n four seasons in ee aday because ‘of two major acean currents; warm from the indian Qeean and-col! fram the Allantie. Combined with turbu: lent winds spiling aff the city's Table Mountain, qusts can reach mare than SQ miles an haur. The root's concave shape deflects the wind and redi- ‘ects it around the stadium, Let the ‘games begin.~PATRICK ALBERTSON nt stamens in he ra JUNE 2010 POPULAR SCIENCE 37 . E CHEMIST eee tee entree eet tera’ pene mei) utility cuts in masonry surfaces. Pere etree pate eerie a ee iquid bonding apent. By definition, ene erred eee ent renner fis aera eedetee te eaten pe et eer See ee ernAlmost everyone has had an idea for the perfect invention—that single innovation that solves an intractable problem, makes our lives easier, or even changes the world. For most of us, it stops at the fantasy, But the annual PoPULAR ScieNce Invention Awards celebrates those individuals who are inspired, tenacious and, frankly, obsessed enough to turn their vision into a reality. One of them made a miniature greenhouse that can grow plants in any climate. Another created a way to “feel” movies and videogames throughout your body. And one designed a medical device to keep thousands of people alive ina pandemic. Here are 10 such success stories. Plus: Our past award winners predict what the next great garage invention will be. a ac e2 ai a R cy g PaPsci.com UNE 2010 POPULAR SCIENCE 39ern system that makes snowmobiles go faster, brake quicker, and consume less gas ‘¥ HOW IT WORKS Driving the snowmobile’ track from the rear creates torque. During acceteration, the torque shifts ground pressure te the rear for bet- ter contral and speed: during braking, pressure shifts forward again for improved stopping ¢apbllity 40 POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2010ULD HAVE NoBopy wo! Lael baa ig ee ee a as ATE PPC CISCUM LE CCI Sd in the pipeline, including one that will be used at the base of the Statue of Liberty” —JAMES PERET. POPSCLCOM POPULAR SCIENCE “lLtack, the other tigh rea of te sleds 120 by 43 percent ssa conventional lec which track is bast economy, 1 SkiDoo le autftted vith RAD, W ng reeorded a 10 speeds increase the sled’s ground pressure shifts ta ‘the rear of the track. That improves brakes, ipronnel pressarre ack ts tuack, dliminating the fisht that plo especially personal for Watling, rho lost three high school friencls toscxnetncb A Boncher came models Ihave bee extremely well, amd corners und power better sopping his RAD Technology to the big foar hopes that it will be incorporated into production trait-sed In the meantime, he's al RAD.“ wend be see this go imto prod the thousands of hours Ive Liens of thousands of he says, and pauses, “But Fd be doing i anyway."—Mase aNOERS 42 POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2010 THERIGHT TRACK The Rear Ale Drive’s tension of the snowmabite': track even when the ter iets rough THE SYSTEM INCREASED FUEL ECONOMY BY 72 PERCENT. eed Peta et ier) eset eee ere eee een St ee eer ee eee eee et ec Se Leeecuaseaerien Lapses sebrelgeumtcateasbeaeal Ce ey ee ee te tee eee ee eet POPECL.COMpatel ae cai An underwater energy “i ote al UT as lel r EUnet R UL} W. SCOTT ANDERSON spent ihe post = water looperate, Andersen’ malls units nee only 10. five decade creating complicated machines fo “Anderson had used a revolving horizontal corkscrew manufacturing, chiding a istic lacler and a plastic to foe plasticto machines in his New ferey factory straw maker, So when two ycars ago the 77-year ald ‘andl knevr that ancient Egyptian farmers used augers fail engines eine crite to inigae high ground. To sce fa wrterdriven anger turbine that Books ke ould he [os of cavern turbis biedes, eee twist of fate thal every manulaetuser he approached an eight ancl plastic protatype in a pool, measiuned the suid it was foo complex ta produce economically: But a Aorque, an ran itn a tank of minnoms, When ‘that dd’ step hie. that it worked with acting the fish, he spe There area handful of companies using wind months in his garage haneerafting a two-footdi like turbines to capture the untapped ensergy in tial polyurethane and fiberglass auger that in atest captured streams, bays and inlets anal ennvent it to electricity, But 14 percent of the water's energy —not as ruc as the these projects tend to be fnige andl expensive, andl require " percent that huge propellerdriven turbines can [permument installations that can disrupt anarine ilcbut Anderson says that percentage will go up as the Anderson's ECO-Auger isased onta much clfferent i es and fora fraction ofthe cos cesseniengy that regalar water Recently the inventor banght two castalminen turbines can't Rather that usin blades, it predaces soles to make the first few see fool diameter pctotypes re vhwen the cn a dell shaped device called and has permaded a plasticenolding earnparyy to produce + which has tapered ends that don Var Fish. them in segments. ie gets approval he wall have teen us lo leive an attached gervaalo spinning in inlets around the wold this year. Ina 16 kot he nasecnne purnps highypressure oil ‘curvent, cach will generate five to seven kikowatts,enoxgh 1 autside the water. The arrangement to power four to sx homes, Most important, he wants to Instead of us hydraulic pup wma agenera lets the turbinecapture energy in shallow waters ancl to show that his method of mass proshuetion is sous tether to bridges and other structures so that the auger heean move on tothe fullsxale, 16-footediameter augers is relatively easy tolift cut of the water for maintenance “Wie alreary know it will work, "he say “Now its just a ‘Whereas most bladed wrbines need at beast 35 feet of matter of doing'it"-RENA MARIE PACELLA see tecmieee MOTT Cae rn Bie ra ren CCD Tate an Mere coe aL Tat RMR RUE Cc UB ee Sate CUTE ee Cc ‘A HIQWT WORKS The auger creates enough torque to drive ‘ahydraulic pump, which moves eit out of a storage tank thraugh pipes tadrive a generator located outside the water, Eeass oll pumped in strong currants is diverted wan accumulator tank until the current slows, when its Uusedite keepthe generator turning at the proper speed. Sev Rear 44 POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2010 POPECL.COMWATERING a scncarcam tata PLANTS IN iu Ss: THE DESERT fe 2s rainwater. The collected water keep A box that quenches thirsty FYBAS she plant and ts nas hydrate plants without irrigation ae bo dowty itp pal hanes ay plants de and Everywhere you look, at can tao this alone,”—COREY ans ae at Naas Umea IIS a aed cae sa tet center cere . See eet rene Pee need poeasel ls lel A SOLDIER'S THIRD EYE THE ROLLING GREEN hilis of Sowora, California, no longer hive prospectors with the prornise af gold, but-for Matthew Hagerty the craw is jst as powerful: They’ a secudel hideaway ide foe pevfocting his military invention, calle hang, Se system that allows a soldier to sae around enemers ane shoot targets without putting himself in the line of fire I consists of a witeless video camera mounted tothe railof an Ny oF 308 SOCOM carbine, a small computer worn on a military vest, and a thumbrait sup display affised to a pair a protective ses In elect, Sm raze of an ssi fle ners th rch isa gunrcam, lichind a blockade, stick his we shoot his target with the sme accuracy as if he were taking at ormally,” Nooshier weapons sight can da that” Hagerty says. "What yr sce is what you get While working as a weapons tester femntractar Hughes Aircraft inthe 19905, Camera soldier to see whatever the qun is pointed af, oven while heremaing cately hidden, ) Agun sight that lets a shooter hit his target while staying out of harm's way senaght the ace of many sal ly what they li anid li "When the company began developing a video sight Foran Army program calle Land Wartog,he Kew right away that it was too be ‘running from thw camera ta the soldier would ait ‘maby and that the-video feed lagged, Hughes ‘was se on the design, though, so when Hagerty later left the enmpany, he decided 10 devel his ‘own system, perfectly tailored to te sles Today, Hagerty proficted, the Army has cancel the Ssaomillinn Land Wartios program. Martie, sath $7 moll rsand learned want in weapon. Fraen Congress and four plents pending, Hagerty i preparing to turn aver his ‘ith prototype of SmartSight ta the Special Opexations eee fo testing next yea The prototype shioweases SmartSights biggest Innenation—its atime wireless video transmission, ‘which untethers the soldier fram his ifle's camera. Miniaturizing the harehware found tn ews beoadeasing xquipment, Hageety devised a wary to bs uncompressed hi live, pality video From the +5 pound eamera at aspeedly yo frames per seesatel; meanwhile, re overlays the shooters tee Lange dat so that the view appears exactly Joos theexigh the gun's:conventional seape, all ‘with no-delay. Former Navy SEAL captain Larry Lasky, wwiio has demoed SmartSight, says this-capability could transform warfare, especially in urban emt Hagerty runs 3 lean aperation, overseen 1oemployees and opting to work oul of his fourcar garage."I go from ane end of ‘and that's my com stom soll jhe fn the head up displ house to the other he says, SmartSighht hears the aks of his relentless ‘weighs jast tho est prototype panels —10 poainds lighter than ut, the team streamlined the electronics and reduced the ‘number of circuit boards fren one. They abso places the protective aluminim casings wilhtones thal they machined out ofa lightweight plastic ugh enough ts ithstane shock, heat, cold and water A sel-desexibed perfectionist, Hagerty isn't dlone making Improvernents. For ome, bed Hike to make the device even lightes, Ubimmately, though, if Smarrsight Impresses the people who wall acially use it, Hagesty coud etter tha jlitary contract to beg nfo ing doves by the a 48 popuLar NCE JUNE 2010PP TESTS TO THE ual Boo SUPER crc) Inventor Matthew ae Smartight a ere an NST ATC Aaa ac et Sa eer ey Ce ee Ce ed A uceke auasliet cae desdesals ucaemet iat Ce ee ead Ce eee eg ce Pty Pre et eee eet Cecile asluetattcuad Ce cs See rune cries POPSCLCOM POPULAR SCIENCE 49PLUG IN AND ROCK OUT q Abridge that keeps guitars perfectly tuned, all the time IN A SMALL engineering studi i Bromville, New Viok, Cosmos Lylesand Poul Borne eagerly take nurs at springs, levers shred hurdler ever: abridge ily loosened or tightenes i hols the stings theend of each ‘even ifthe tuning pegs get ti wel aceidestally Each string is attaches toa lever, which is in turn a spring, To bilge thal eur resparndings spring, chan ltsTeveraye to obtain the right ‘or tightens after being set. the GUITARISTS INCLUDING SLASH HAVE STARTED USING EVERTUNE. SO POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2010 deyerane board, sketching out diagranns-af cl tension curves This may not seem very rack ‘nal, bbutwhat they're creating will et the Tuding Slash ane Rob Zombie's erp the seurent cemitinnasly i tne Guitar strings need eanstant ped, but they'e e changes, the instrument ‘gets knocked arounel,or the guitarist just plays too hand. In an EverTune ‘equipped guita, the bridle, which igganel lever contraptin tg These ep the strings'tension camstaat ‘or the strings became loosened tached toy ps the guitarist tightens an adjustor serew at the ithe prsitian of tension. Ifthe guitar string loosens lever shifis,b bay the spr desiced tension rmplaceel, (The guitarist can char the tuning anytime simply by readusting the screws) For musicians, this elegant design translates to less tine spent ling with guitars, ane more time ‘onstage and in the stdin While recording, Dawe says, “everyon acted ithaldsthe ti it needs to be guitarist to tune up. They ee” Al caring live stoves, guitarists enay swap for a ew guitar with In 2005, Lyles, Duke University ‘engineering graduate and an avid ‘guitarist, built his First tuner out of plywond, two screws, a skate crn: el some spare ui version (based oma Lept only wo se stein in hae with ene Next he attempted! to figure out row to keep all six strings in absolute tune using springs ut after a year of toiling aloce, he grew eager to find a partner to The refi his dea“ hasically Googled ‘prototype erg This bed hin to ewe. th comer of Creative Engineering, a productevelapment company, nel am aratear guitarist himsell The partnership paid aff Dawe catne typ with the essential leverand spring system that makes EverTune werk, Together the twealsa devised a bend siop, ametal spp leve poin sarings sideways and “bend” nates, a conan telanigue hwo fom rainy pasta co enving musicians to mave solos rie 16th nc are honting the Final tice, They have about 35 EverTune guitars etter on the road, in the Stuclio oF waiting tue retrittec They are also in tls with guitar makers, and hope torhave electric ‘guitars and Basses ennbeded with EverTune by niet January: Ever Tune retrofits For old guitars should be fon the markes by the follwing ‘May: After that, the invertors say, they would like to tackle other instrument strings—like the 230 ar ‘on a pina ~-BROORE BOREL. ‘¥ HgW FT WORKS The quitaris tuned by turning a screw an the EverTune bridge (no tuning pegs are used, which adjusts the tension of ‘correspendsto on spring that he six strings. Exch spring attaches tos ever that holds the string in place: the lover shifts ifthe string oasen: tightens, butFAX MEN Cosmos Lyles [left] and Paul Dowd show oi electric guitars retrofitted with the EverTune system. By next year they hone to ‘sel new guitars with EverTune builtin. Beech ETN Pat Pra ee eg Daeg eo) Ca Cette ets Pete eed Ce a ea) Ce ete Cee ee eT ert oo enc PORE og AR SCIENCE SI} 2010 POPSC! BREATHING, EASY j An inexpensive portable ventilator designed to save lives during a pandemic FOUR YEARS AGO when ‘Matibiew Callagh fester at the Unive VENTION: Dey ty at ancisee, the me the pre ack of would leave hecoukd develop able, no idelimin: ering Yani don't s and whistles” That impetus behind the Exhale valve calaas howt took osin thn poten ange Based on date froma sense, tadthan desta Teomoressor Sener airtwougna ress tone, ot Inhale valve housing 2 POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2010 toc wr spectaliged co lorsense when the patient needs take an at which pot the software directs the com ‘Other low-com have tis kin st to individual reds hecween pati that bs exposed to patient ai ancl one that never eames into ‘contact with it When the inne valve opens as the patient inhales, a Sy UES FOR LESS mI} rage ee Pee per pirereeteen T seeer Se ey pearsonapped ithe FDA he will make | le." rain se Peer et Sos et ee eed Ce eee Se tee ee Se ee th ee aed rasa thn dts aig inthe comput it woul’ be ring your’ ed anattcmedttedaiiteduitseuedocsedee! Re eee led eet td Reem meee Turan ansea ele ana HEARING REPAIRED Adevice that restores hearing by ‘transmitting sound through the teeth and bones ONE DAY jn 2006, stuck in Hay Are acl a pee to bum went. Formerly vie president of RAND for Invis comparty known far tasparent dental braces, he had recently heen chatting with a friend wher ware working’ hearing aids AAlolfatli knew tha chictor, What good senind if he could somehew make termovable oral hearing aid — ane that could chaninel sound f wearers’ teeth to their ear t head? frocary the beames in the That moment inspiration gave rise to the ScunilBin, a devioe ds sferers af single-sided « which strikes about $2000: people every yearn the US. After his 1, Michael en} ynigologis In Oho, tod Dir it come hy hep to sal problem, ot turing his iebea lity. The biggest challenge siaturization, sa set SA POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2010 the vibrations that travel through boae. That allawed him te use @ 4y-cmaller battery, raking the comfortably in the mouth Made of acrylic, SoundBite snaps aro a user's molars. A tiny BAHA but repires no surgery: [nto ‘ea be popped in and out of toatl lke a retaines lei lias that wrapped up patients typically reported that it restored from Bo to 160 petee their hearing in the deaf «a that they scarcely noticed they from the teeth through the bones in fe jcc ih pt | aoe ming echle) The batery toch haus ata tn earl oak aids only amplify seund, so TIME: ty or single-sided crore vpuariag I: Lavrenon Lar nity the market sa | | MVE sc directo ofthe University AHA), UNGEREGREN California ot Son Francisca Coches which, like the Sound diteet home conduction to deliver sound to the coedslea But BAHA, stallion involves surgically Product (ape caues oe eeu jb he Suu he ey ome ee ite device scores FDA sive papcar ing vou lay Sécoa (Surgery fora BATA ean enol ane tlasoe) abst corqigaerin dete - aa a am wrindshiekds 9 ped laa 3 “Our company, Ecovative, raised more than $1.5 million in financing this spring from private investors and prrrigeerndt COTTE UML TEC IL Ca aC TIT lt tofogup.tt so, it POPE U UU CM aT RC) ecu COU ERE CULT a that prevents the i Sees o2remternns: ~ ee SB POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2010 POPScLCOMINVENTION AWARI Py as An accessory that makes you feel—iterally ike you're in the videogame youre playing eee) ee tt oct ee Seer ee ee eed videogame and movie experiences. hut when Wwe Ct cee eet eee ee eee ord ete Mat ete ee eee See ee ee ee Perea ee eee CS ee tet ns’ ee ee ry Riese ce? ee ren ee cet eer ree ‘An inyentor sinee his childhood in Iran, he decided to design a solutian that would pravide gamers with Seer ey Cece ee end es oo OWT yon ‘of 3 pair of headphones and sits-over the should ae oe ete eee fot ee ne er ee ee eer tes ene ene ere te eee es ees ee ne ee es amet sere ney to the sound through earphones the T. rev’s footsteps DO cd eee te Teeter eer cd ect Se oe eg ‘Afshar says future versions of KOR Dx will create ee ete er tec ‘wasn’t ready for my tet, but he says he ean generate frequencies of vibration thet act-an the visceral nerve system, tricking the user's brain into belicving that ee Ce eae ce ee em eee ta Pheer een teen tee ett rs fone eee Perea are tet eer teed Pe eee eet ees era et eee te ee et ee ad says Tl ea Oe US Shas MRR AU DEEPER INTO THE GAME. Sens = eensrere Sree peer 7 Pie feieaeye | ia its) ee eee Rng Pecan heeh aia coe Pee Cy ices) still blow an audience's ) mind. Here are the best Been EU eR A Mot to spoil anything) BY GREGORY MONEIRON MAN 2... SPOILERS? Wo QT; Britian inventor Tony Starebattes new exoskeleton vias. The sapisticted tak-word on Man suits ‘Theteicat chaps necessity o creitea been exeseletanoxt ot (CGarenothngeongared wih whatit takes nbd nen eae Star Rb (Downey Js Mar suis mage of 10 diferent ncuing dst urethanes and autumtie pins cat (he dens, oam-nber cae. givngit a aden, meal, acai to designer Stane Mahan of Legacy Ets. (hac the haa the ral maslony, though The Mark gloves rigizted frome scan af Onaney than. Mahan team designed them digitally andthen ‘api. sretatyped each component oat al plastic and ving. The pieces were met plated, sealed wan cps and apes. and snug opts with ‘endon-ie cablsatahed ta esion saringhien net the metacarpal bones. Yo realyloking aan articslatg, inieracking Finger it” Waban says. Teosutsinthereyfimazeruch lites oahu cosesses hat histime etttthelegs. Framthe thighs down, theactrs wee conse Inigttrastrs ante atom pat lth ets erie add with. Thang na Man atm ants. IRON STARE Robert Downey Je. sports aphysical Iran Man suit. Sear= lett Johansson plays: suporsey Black Widow. MORE SUMMER SCI-FI FILMS THE LAST AIRBENDER war HEPLOT A tutte between sering es ed tytn whe cancontal the Heme wate earth ao fire—an a he ued Aang wh ‘anmuniutate aur dements Waly soning slow: maton fight scenes MEWULY 1h An sniated ‘uma 03 the seri mbar? sauperelaiand tisetots tata hen spet by PREDATORS »». ‘The Avatar methodol ereting 2 alot ‘wah with dita lating mountains and hovering epic creatures the ary waytaconvince an audience Predatrs nstaod res an carefully conceiees propo generat tal abn rystigue. "We tried sari [05] as muchas we could” soyedectorNined ata Atthestart af heim a sal band f madera day ra INCEPTION ERS?ia Th Lid Moybe THE PLOT: The Pedr series resis ng ons Animapinary werd m pa eal preps fraranstinds theses myteiuay Aransperted ta deneret Thy assure esos pees of spaces, alin sats, ‘machinery tom thr planes, ad tos aud weapens ram different izations, Fen Be poder arecocumed acters, Artal “Ahainy Wookie salva: ping tole beter an 205 Jr Jar” oon ROOM ‘This 190-foot- ong ream inincestion rotates Uke a big hamster wheel. VT: A cigorain has i panera peop rev, Swen scenes tilt and fimed aside the compute ‘The storys exgelyamystery but nceptintralle promises same mind bending science-fiction fale: cy rolling over ots Ue rg, a ight ina tating htt nal ream ‘eaplasion with either she na ir, Ft ater, speial-eflects cording toe is Cshoweé tested high-res POPSCLCOM POPULAR SCIENCE niveges explosions the raduction tumpany Landen stata ist. There di fr real ona Pars set. Wh the actor siting calmly ata table inthe foreground, hese oft 20 simtareous tplosins, Inthe scene aflame shop inthe bockgraund effectively erupts threning as cantents ign tea, 6aCou eGR ee)Scanning your brain while you watch horror movies De RU mn RUN nL frightening. The findings could reshape the way scary movies—perhaps all movies—are filmed THERE'S NO POPCORN sold in this movie ea eet tt ee cr aT erie ee errant Ce ee Se ee serial killer fick projected on the screen afew inches Se ee tae) ee ee up from behind and slowly stabs her to death. The pede ipa sperms Heo Seer ia oy nt cee ee eee eee tae ete eee This particular device belongs to the Sam Diego ee eee eres) Pe ces eg ‘movie trailers based on peoples’ neural responses ta emer) The young Fil of nenremarketing i a San e neat ge eee cents eet ee es ec ee ge ers See eee er eet eet eet) fee Se cen et eet Pree aero Pests eee ete eee eee says Martin Lindstrom, a neuromarketing expert and eee eeeMonitoring tessther of tutor: an examination ofthe sje, ave reasons Fen in this tube. watching this passh to increase the amyge activity he tehinology hasafutureas ool far echtng ims, And Tam ber guinea pg seeping alon could strip sus . thse ining hil bids fro) Litctat year Peer Kouan independent film proce, rukn woul pec marketing and A few months Inter, Kate described his experiment -anis com ell hirn about his tothe t «mv, Poy Skul He tead abst MindSign re appresched Hubbard. What makes M. Night Shy andl jolin Dowdle, the directors ind out if our provide esiuigh inform (0. amore compelling experience of test final proxduct |. characters 4 SECOND 17 i green tie consistently roeent groups will tll scihsigtion you what they think you want een ere 10 bear. what they beliewe out te reduce ai the arsswer should be,” says the brain. Clinton Kilts, director of the Removing the Brain in hs iter: atthe Unive make ‘Ne cut rough scone searier. those layers of bias."In other inmates the subjective objective. It has worked before GG POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2Britain universally hated pare, (Asked 10 rate the shor tn aoe, foes rus led Ch con.a sale of goed trbad, 30 percent hated it wo ich, they eiew a bax for Yernbe"} The etvatk est i with NRL and found evidence upset like he show. It went en ta become 3 The scene the Dowie provided, howeves, seems an unlikely caniate to benefit from this process. With vrailers, IMIR helps Mindgn engineers ktcrmine stich sequence of action arcammerawemk elicits the realest response. But the twor mime soene Tina wai isa single ste shot th fist 21 seeds tat pape wll the viet, bound and in the foreground, whimpering, The killer’ band in the corner af the 1000 je 22; Inte xan slowly that it ues him 40 seconds toczass the rooen, The next 20 second are filed with the killer standing ups revealing his Freddy Krueger-tike talons only atthe last Over the next few seconds aetivity drops off steeply ‘Asked what I thought of the scene, Freported that E was terrified the entire time, Nothing in myexperienice made me think that the tension Iu lessened, muck less that a slight colar change Bad been tlt cause, But accoreing to the readings, my brain Hod ost interest in te scene by the time the killer reveatethinnselL,"Onex: you see the scans laid out next to the scene” says Drew Dawdle, "i's right here” Simply removing the green filter will provoke a stronger neural response and make a scary scene eves Hubbard hopes that this kind of informed recditing will become a pr the technology. “The best ome cars hope: torkearn Focus gtonp is that certain sees ii working, says. "Bat IMI might be alse to pinpoint the exact spot hinge go wrong, ane, psi data to fis the problem. Is the differen btile ax ora scalpel to perforin surgery between ising instant, In the final ae second he presses thase talons into the womar’s neck, and she bleeds his takes place with an eennoimy SMILE FOR way, Bandi teould dave socially THE CAMERA zh : THECAMERA raving his detache nes like Simon Says 0 eae then sta shouldes.to-plastic hide-and-seek and, social activities with, ee shoulle backs people. As USC em engage children z wan ewisms off The bevy is like none has sterea cam- ly, emboldene ve erasforeyes. leans his face toward it, cic lent. For nits current form, Bandit has only rudimentary social shi fearon yet understand LL BY GREGORY MONE cinta kerala ip meepcod te Alle pues PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN B. CARNETT it, But early results are encouraging. Matarit’s team POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2010,Ree a They find unlawful can't cope. So. they to the world of o experiments similar ta the interaction mowvith 14 08 Robots and computers ; May APPEAL sthers could tak in all sertences bt were pi inch rei a beat WITH on average about five minutes—not longenough to autism ra anid incr Gates enone dsm cg eda Because seeat, with a robot in the they are aa predictable, unlike humans. robotics: artificial intel nd electrical design. signal processing. requirements, rabot therapists must be ociabie, and more scaring them away, and sn recognize ‘laptop, a decade farm HELP WANTED mnmnonly defined ax a developmental id communication ean pretty much Au : going todo next about go. disorder ch percent of th netions obsey dificul very few entirely pred aws And this, Baron details, A series Cohen explains, is diffieutt for children with autism, determines the diagnosis. In wh objects and typicallyier look appar have jumped in rio kids “MOTHER OF INVENTION. Computer ‘scientist Maja Matarié’s ‘humanoids:Re dt Matari¢ envisions aday when parents will be able to like ‘bots home for round- the-clock care. training, and oft but “without question, there are curvently mote people with autism than there are therapists who know how to assess ane! help them says Matthew Goodin, the research at the Massac Media Lab, where he's 72 POPULAR SCIENEE JUNE 2010 ‘4 ROBOT SEE, ROBOT 00 Matarié plays a mirraring game with humanoid Bandit for haut centers, pack up and move, family aed a ins a-day when parents will jan ltke ‘bots ho afer hot co less pexdictable ot thetic way to track improvements or sethacks in 's therapy hat end, MIT electrical engineer Rosalind Picard has co founded acompany called Affectiva to develop sensor waisthands that record mavement, ternperanuire and perspiration, Tnearparated into chilcl-robot therapy sessions, the wristbands comet pick up hielden physiological ewes and inform robots if the child is, Likewise, abot ight be getting am comld begin recording audio and video anytime the ige-and flag that elip for analysis. Later, therapist or parent could study the se iF ther was anything in partie grow tn THE MAN-MACHINE DIVIDE Matarié used to rescarch military applications, but as the raised a family, she decisied that she “didn’t want tobe the mommy who builds killer robots” And Bandit does not resemble a killer in the tere the robot at M lab last fly, it was powered dawn and standin Wet | firs enicona suill. Compact arms with bulging triceps h its side, is eounded, hatrless geay In snequin’s, and ils torso sat-on a base stacked witha Linux computer, speakers, a router, b and an electric motor to drive the wheeled “legs. # small stature, playful face, and maveable, rubber covered wire lips all gave ita harmless, come play with:me charm, For additional kiel appeal, the bubble blawers used in ase and added a clicking noise that many autistic kids Find soothing I was transfixed by Bandit's Inimanlike face silvery eyes, but researchers have been careful » avoid making it look too human. A realistic face could be off putting, since autistic chileren often find other childeen intimidating, Matarié wanted the difference ta be clear. “The robot is not a substitute for other pense” she says. “Ws like the monie ALI did't want to da the perfect boy who's a robot Later that day; USC computer scientist Pierre Johnson in mirroring. therapists. Therese abilities, and Johnson wanted to see how well its and sl me towbserve dit perform a jon software tracked t ff his arms. The idea is for Bandit to ew ne tn perfecthy imitate a wide in response to the chil id, spreading ng the same, liftin its ares on ve hand but nat th cher, and so on, T ld serve as entertaining way of teaching eye contact or even just engaging with anther per ‘Most of the formal child-robos experiments ya ugh td ae ai ee pal yeniste aster take pl Hie Las Angeles the narne 8s wield hereto poet theildrensprvseyy A Pulling an 1 begins with a brief introduction showing. imaginary what the robot can do-—here’s how the head ad : arms move. how the buble blomer works. The train och chiar pare ave et lane with Hands for whistle, roughly five minutes. The therapist anc other experts chserve the inleractinn throwghthe twoway minor — the boy Necaimccetng, ASKS, fetes "Robot, CaM name. you make The results of such tests have werified some atrain SC group's assumptions aniichallenged SOU for others. As hnped, the highe me?” ‘sistance of it.and haw often he speaks to ar and, enpprtan a parent in the inte They weren't clas themselves off with the mbot; they weee act pre saciable than usual. At the same time, some of the lower-functioning POPEC|COM POPULAR SCIENCE 7378 | 80 82 Turn any kind of Why classic films ‘data into light Web to your TV are better on Blu-ray Anthony Le, 25, hasibeen atan at iron Man since he was aid, but when he heard thatthe camic- book superhero was hitting the big, seraen in 2008, he was inspired to tle his ew Irom Man suit, That version was more of a costume, but hiamew one, finished just iatime for the movie's sequel, edges closer ta the real thing. With its dent-proot exterior, motorized faceplate and spinning mock Gatling gun, his take an the movie's War Machine sult ld easily frighten a supervilain Le aftness consultant, studied Some concept sketches ofthe sult posted an the Internet. He used thin high-impact.urethane for the armor, "cutting it inte plates and joining theen with sorne 1.500 sivets.and washers. He sculpted a clay helmet mold and then used a lguid resin imix to create the final product, But that was just cosmetic works He also addedia small servo motor that ‘opens the faceplate, asin the movie, and built a gun out of pipes and a motor, LEDS in the eyes and chest- plate further add to the illusion, Le plans to wear the sult to the movie and already has quite following, especially at sci conventions, “Tm kind of hard te miss," he says.© WEAPONRY Li built replica of the machine gun on the sts shoulder out PVC pipes and other materi Me added a small chr apd bel rive a mike the clinical qun spin ike the reat thing, Te aetvate the presses a bu tonintepatmotthe suits glove He saysthequn could also be converted into paintball shaver © POWER Le built an LEN-based replica of ron Man alter ego Tony Stark's tor for the chest, but unlike the movie version, it doesn'tactually power the sui. Instead, all the LEDs and the ‘mater’ that drive the gun and the faceplate have their awn batteries hidden within the suit's large frame, © CONTROLS Inside the chestplate, Le added » 71 POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2030 hands-free button that activates the helmet. When the facenlate is open, he just stands up and points his arm forward, causing his chest te press agains the button, triggering the ‘Servo motors in the helmet teciose the mash, This, inturn switches en the red LEDS set inside the eye open- Jings. which are Large enaugh for him {0 also see out of. To open the mask upagain, he presses another button, © BACKUP Le says he focused on the War Machine suit. donned by Stark's buddy Jim Rhectesin fron Man 2, ln part because “it just looks more hardcore” But be alse bull anew ‘and-improved replica ofthe suit that ran Man himself wears in the itm the Mark VI That version also has the LEDs.and motorized faceplate but, ‘las. no cannon, (OUR HERO Lewareane ot his suits to the Children’ etallsen Las sult, oad to myspace com! AnthonyOLe. YOU DIDNT | KNOW YOU COULD DO WITH TWITTER (CONTROL YOUR COMPUTER ‘awrite ea Mac \hemackorcn twee) 1 Pe wei cacepe can) ‘amale your erpaterespand ‘ecarmands al yu send via @ pat Tite account. ow can sbut tv, lose program haf ‘bam pour hard he alia yu. (COMMUNE VITTH NATURE ‘Letyoar plans el you when eye bitsy The Ethene -connected B= ‘anal 100 botarclls com) uz anaes alt esse ‘Bemaste of our pebias—aex ‘Spe ry a microconalrsnds wees ating eu, HIT THE UGHTS ‘ut your compute wh equine ‘en ten tra atts pu cont ight NCand pp ‘ane mot ve the We, Then atl Unksafvare ante (etsplace comin Lima ample, 36 ‘well dst cage wi Tr progam meric api nec Inbeich te eget ‘areca totueted cermands ‘TRACK YOUR PET oki can Tite oOo xt ene put radon tgs ‘on st fies andenupped ter dor witha reader Te sie is ooked uptaa camera and atop ‘wh sttvae at tees phn ot very eance tel Got weotng. |) acca das, (MAKE POPCORN ‘Get your tweets to relly gp Two ‘tnkeres wre 2 pega Bat fics, ‘wert tgged “popcorn for ‘exey one, wmson abot hat cops ‘ares rt ata gogpe. Search ‘a “poncom tweets’ on Youle ox TBoviden—anannna ScHUPAK | Popsci.comcuemo BRING INFORMATION TO LIGHT Create an LED-lit cube that changes color while monitoring any kind of data you want ‘The vast amount af information at our fingertips these days can be as distracting as its useful. Track- ing something lke the movernent of an index an the stock market by feverishly checking a ticker all day soften more than you wantte deat with, Sa this cube lets you display datait receives wirelessly from the Internet—trends inthe market, the ‘weather, your Teter tratfic—in the simplest form possible, as ight that subtly changes in color and inten= sity, Say the skies are expected to clear up: Per your pregramming Instructions, the cube will just turn ‘a pleasant blue, Inside, an open. source Arduina micrecentratler with WisFi connectivity runs the show, downloading any data source (RSS feeds, tor example) and trans- {ating it inta instructions for the attached LEDs. Then you can just hick back and enjoy the light show. 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The integration provides access to media on your PC. so you can get photos, videos and music thraugh your console. This setup is also very customizable—iry Tersity (versity com for easy access to a variety of Weeo-content portals, such as Hulu. eamone live iTUNES USERS ta our madi oniTues (ona at ota PO. the Apl is your beset WHAT YOU CANGET QUT OF THE BOX: Seeamig or synced media from Manes ad Photo ‘acepuns acess 1 TV shows, moses erat alastations IF YOU WANT MORE: hnstll (raed 2 Bada BCH TOO12 Fle mi cad (5.9, lepesonptyco ne boxto enable cetento ply rcugh free XBW cofteare (rb. wich can pay widen 1065 0 and handle vide formats ie BK and i EVERYONE ELSE Sony/$100 PtayStatin3 Sim offers sty tearing capability, along wna Blu-ray payer forbes ana ‘oral version of te conse cat WHAT YOU CANGET DUT OF THE BOX:B0- back: movies and TV stows ‘ba Pitan hetwork and Netix IF-YOU WANT MORE: Install PlayOe' software (Sl payoat tn (get vio en yor P33iram YouTube, ety, ant ter sites ina networked PC. Thin diigadteethed-party plugs for ren me casei em es it th Ford Met wrk ard Sy, JUNE 2010 POPULAR SCIENCE Bl| TJASKAGEEK °™ SHOULD | RE-BUY | <-> CLASSIC MOVIES {= WHEN THEY COME OUT ON BLU-RAY? : Yes. assuming you own a high de! TV Even the older sig format has impraved dramatically inthe past 35-millmeterflm used te shoot classics ike Spartacus few years. That gives mastering artists moreto wark can deliver upward of &,000 Lines cf resolution —far ‘with when they apply tools ts even aut fim grain ‘more than DVD's 480 or Blu-ray’ land your HOTV's) and remeve fading. flm cuts and other damage that 11080. When movie studios create their Blu-ray ver befalls elderly prints. As aresuit, youl se brighter sions, they digitize directly trorn the aiginal fm ‘dearer colors less variance in quay between print $0 a remastered Blu-ray wil get you much ‘scenes anda sharper image. Ofcourse. sometimes closer to the original quality than a DVD. and for the RICK DEAN'S themastering isso gaod tha 8 exposes flaw in the foreseeabie future it will probably remain the man ESTE? original fim, For example, 6 you know that they our resolution widely available for heme use to) painted the geass green in the opening segment of The Having spent years inthe remastevig trenches fe ‘Sound of Music? Old VHS copies loled fin. but when though. ican give an even boter reason to upgrade: The ‘we transierred ittrom the original 65-millmeter fim, Quality of the film scanners used to canvert fim toa ‘you coud telL-AS TOLO TOCHUCK CAGE GOT A. QUESTION? SEND IT TO US AT h20—@bennieresrp-cam. ARR L A amie y Easy 10 Use Website fase BylotEEE FILLANYPOF.COM — THE WATER-BOTTLE KAYAK oes pie tt) a ed Automotive Accessories Cea a | Pes eet] 800-441-6287All vertebeates have called semicincular eanats inside py strucises their ear that help ther to maintain balance even when their heads are bobbing around vigorously. That's why rocees hull-ean back willy and net fall vee, The rule of this that the the ratio of canal size body ‘weight, the more agile the beast, But that rule desi scem to hold for dolphins and whales: A bottlenose dolphin’s canals are the same stze as a momse's. “Same people thonght that, hecnise theres nathing to namp into in the ove come get hy with says Timothy Hillar, (huuman} specialist at Washington University in St Louis, “But dolphins are ‘acrobatic swirnmers—they can cir barrel rolls and flips!—so there BH POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2019 A must be a ao Send your most batting First, Hullarn ‘uch dotpins jerk thes heads aroun! by packing. a-sentscr th records thre dimers fen a watesproottabe and get phen te swe dlc cut en tog st the senso, s dolphi figured terkeep it In is mouth" fe says, “Tt wook a tot of reward fis.” He then analyzed the ‘motionsef-a raded ball, which is just as active di ry sized tnt ‘mich larger eanals than a coiphin. Hiullar act taped the tube toa bull's Fors ard He t buck The device rene sin sagt 1 that dolpsins’ ca lar hese 3s foe bulls endl dalphins, efter moee efficient or that they conher enechanisen. Hullar th balance through some ks dolphins and whales may roeed ‘more sertsation through their skin than other animal, and that those: sensations supplement the Flowing over its body from left to right, maythe the comclusion that storming left" he dolphins beep their headlan straight, Hillar cays, could belp humans suffering from loss of Function in the inner ear, acripp the will ther sense of touch we Jht be able to help th bystirn senvary input the says. 1h wuld be teally nea if this i how wwe Figured that oa."=B.0®N CaReyTo conform terthe New Stat Reaductin deplayed nuclear strategic warheads by roughly 729, Once the National Nuclear Security Administration’ scientists inspecteach warhead to determi the best way to take it opart goes to ntex Plant in Texas, the only facility yeArms US. enusteull its Treaty cdeated to disassemble rakes. nial explo ive to tigger the nucle ‘mast volatile pa bornbs, so itis removed first and buried, Phat ighly enn mate remaved ancl shipped to other fori where they are later converted inn rods for use-in nuclear power plants, igh hala pe Je mics reed a steady supply of antacid But bombs are recycled in the same slony, reliable, boring soet of way technologies —only, while a radiation suit, “That never lase respect of Hing" sys One: Fron otiston, manager at the Yo12 faciity at the National Security Connex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, shone handled. “Safety is factory“=ALESSanoR4 CAL OF RIN Cee one oe POPSCI.COM POPULAR SCIENCE 89 Keeps Paint Out. 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Coon ame 7 pty Hot and Gloss... ttle gm stele Det ed d ao ae eee ee Ce rl ed oa 812 POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2010Ma The New Face of Lea Bandit needs to be affordable, Mataric says, because ye families standing and With : autistic kids already have enough expenses. regory Mone’s new novel, FISH pea rem a humidor for just i} -sel tele t=) 7-888. 650-6522 eee ec puy eee Get your Super 20 Sampler with bumidar naw! 20 phlei wth rumor er 2395 (498574), pls $45 sspping 6c torn hma FROM THE POPULAR SCIENCE ARCHIVES “Gi DECEMBER 1924 The Mono Motorcycle ‘As cars became smaller and nimbler,talian matorcyele policeman Davide Gislaghi became ‘convinced that shrinking his bike ‘would increase its efficiency as ‘well, Inhis Milan workshop, he hounted a standard cyele engine and pedals oniea single whee! five: feet in diameter. The driver saton 3 steel frame, which in turn sat on top: ‘ofa series of rollers that spun the ‘ater pneumatic tire, Rather than motarcyels handlebars, Gisiagh! ‘opted for a car steering wheel. Like a bike, though. the loop stil required thedriverto shit his weight te balance the cratt. Te prave to other mechanics and engineers that it was mora than a novelty, Gislaghi rode the mare than 300 mites trom Milan to Rome. but he never made it See all as far as production. Over the years, | two-wheeled cycies found other ‘ways, including lighter fiberglass: bodies, tose bulk withaut losing @ wheel, Te see what teday’s garage ientors have up theie sleeves, tun to page 37—LANA BIRERAIR: says Caron Air Ong the hevet- ‘razed 30s, an itinois phan Waa. Beko shored hisownafile ismmotorcycie’s front lamd-and-water craft vith aad totter tha rueeromakes ply taliting Agha, da as agin. 104 POPULAR SCIENCE JUNE 2010 RADIO SECTION ular “ ence ~=- vo MONTHLY “ ee Oe Thrilling escapes of a lion-hunter ( ss) sone 1972 ‘Water Taxi The opedo-e shape ever Feta Nanbes assailed speed oat itt wich ct hough gh sad easy igh sat otra i, POPECL.cOM