Caça-minas a rolar, espuma de casca de àrvore, Arduino, Android em papel, Super Technik, e mais...,

Isto é altamente meritório, pois poupa vidas e membros, desminando Campos de Minas, duma maneira baratíssima, e marca onde as minas explodiram, e já se poderá passar, por GPS.
Por isso, atenção, Angola e Moçambique, é uma ideia a seguir...

 

Mine Kafon: the low-tech tumbleweed minesweeper

James Holloway

An Afghan designer has come up with a novel tumbleweed-esque device to find and detonate mines, a device that has evolved from the wind-powered toys he made as a child. Massoud Hassani's Mine Kafon is made mainly from bamboo and biodegradable plastics, but the simple addition of a GPS chip means the wind-swept spheres can be monitored to reveal the location of mines.

http://www.gizmag.com/mine-kafon-tumbleweed-minesweeper/24821/

Isto, vai dar que falar, no mundo dos Engenhocas, Espuma Isolante feita de Casca de Àrvore, obra de génio!

German scientists create usable foam from tree bark

Antonio Pasolini

Germany is known for its cutting-edge policies on green issues, and its drive towards a clean economy. One of its latest eco-breakthroughs comes from the University of Freiburg's Biofoambark project. Researchers there are trying to green up the insulation foam used in construction, by replacing its petroleum-based ingredients with a naturally-occurring compound that ordinarily goes to waste in the lumber industry.

The raw material for the biofoam is tannin, a compound found in tree bark. Properly processed, it can be used to produce hard foams that are not only good for insulation for buildings and molded auto parts, but that also have flame-resistant properties. It’s also possible that the foams could come to replace the toxic, über-un-green polystyrene (more commonly known as Styrofoam).

http://www.gizmag.com/hard-foam-tree-bark-freiburg/24767

Massimo Banzi vem neste vídeo ensinar-vos mais algumas dicas sobre o Arduíno, Mosfets, e antecipar os problemas de desenhar qualquer Engenhoca, como, neste caso, Picos de Tensão:

 

 

Arduino Starter Kit - Video 6 - Motorized Pinwheel

Simon Holt

In this tutorial Massimo Banzi, shows us how to use our Arduinos for real life situations. This project shows us how to use a DC motor to spin a color wheel at different speeds. Massimo also teaches us how to use a mosfet transistor in order to protect the circuit from potential current spikes from the DC motor. A DC motor is a simple electro-mechanical device, normally powered by a 9V battery, whereas Arduino can only provide up to 5V from its pins. The other issue is when an electric motor is turned off it can generate a spike of voltage that can damage the circuit. In this tutorial, an arduino controlled mosfet transistor is used as a gate to open and close a separate circuit, where the electric motor is wired to a 9V battery. Since the motor and the Arduino are on two separate circuits, the Arduino is protected from dangerous spikes.

http://www.designspark.com/knowledge-item/arduino-starter-kit-video-6-motorized-pinwheel

Uma Feira de Electrónica vai ter lugar na Alemanha, e a DesignSpark vai lá estar:

electronica 2012

Hosted in Munich, Germany between Tuesday 13th – Friday 16th November 2012, electronica is the industry’s leading trade fair for electronic components. Focussing on the hottest topics, the event offers you access to a wide range of new products, software and applications.
Visit the RS Components stand in Hall A4, Stand 117 to see live demonstrations of our innovative design tools, meet the experts and have a drink with the team. You can also be in with a chance of winning one of many fantastic prizes.

http://www.designspark.com/nodes/view/type:page/slug:electronica-2012-2/

Um Android em papel! Obra de Rob Ives, eis algo que podem fazer, em vossas casas, é à Borla, e pode-se pôr o gajo em várias poses!

Android Robot - Download and make! 

Download, print out and make your own Android robot. This poseable robot is available for everyone to download for free.

The Android robot is the logo of Google's Android mobile device operating system.

This Android robot is modified from work created and shared by Google and used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution License.

The project is poseable in three ways.

The legs bend back and forth.	The arms bend with two degrees of freedom	The head rotates.

    http://www.robives.com/content/1st_november_2012_android_robot







MINDS-I, uma espécie de Super Lego Technic, pouco conhecida, está agora à venda, é um cruzamento entre o Lego e o Material de Aeromodelismo, e Robótica, e vem até com um Kit incluíndo um Arduino!

MINDS-i construction sets are not just a LEGO Technic clone. They are bigger, stronger, and will let you do far more. All of the MINDS-i kits are interfaceable with standard hobby servos, motors, and wheels with 12mm or 14mm hex hubs. You can even use Screw Adapters to interface with pieces you build yourself! This is a really fantastic, versatile kit, and it is made right here in the USA!

http://www.robotmarketplace.com/products/minds_i_kits.html

Isto das Patentes,  e da sua Legislação vem desde... A Renascença!
Mais própriamente, da maravilhosa Veneza, em 1474!

March 19, 1474: Venice Enacts a Patently Original Idea

1474: Venice passes the first-known written law to grant and protect patents.

The crafts guilds, especially those of Venice's lucrative glass-blowing trades, had their own restrictions, but the senate was hoping to attract foreign innovators (.pdf) as well. So it gave the new law force throughout all of Venice's territories:

"Any person in this city who makes any new and ingenious contrivance, not made heretofore in our dominion, shall, as soon as it is perfected so that it can be used and exercised, give notice of the same to our office of Provveditori de Comun [State Judicial Office], it being forbidden up to 10 years for any other person in any territory and place of ours to make a contrivance in the form and resemblance thereof, without the consent and license of the author."

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/03/dayintech_0319

Por essa altura, nessa mesma genial Itália, o Génio Leonardo da Vinci inventou, coisa pouco conhecida...
OS PRIMEIROS PLÁSTICOS!
Este, é feito...
Com Leite e Vinagre! Só isso!
E esta, hem?

Homemade Plastic

Coffeebot

This is a quick and simple method for making your own general-purpose plastic. The constituent ingredients are milk and vinegar. That's it. The total cost is less than $10, possibly less than $5 if you can get a good deal.

The plastic is moldable, and has a consistency of soggy cheese (I certainly hope I never encounter cheese that's anything like this!). When all is said and done, it should take you about 10-15 minutes to make the plastic (less if you make a small amount), 10 minutes of cleanup, plus 2+ days to allow the plastic to dry. As always, your milage may vary.

As for the final product's strength and whatnot, I would classify it as "okay." If you roll it thin (as I did in this instructable), it can easily be snapped in half, though it will probably survive a small drop on to carpet. Thicker pieces seem to be more resilient against average abuses - no problem dropping on to carpet, and if it's thick enough, you wouldn't be able to snap it in half. A blow from a hammer or other such object would quickly shatter it, though.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Plastic/