Category: Wonders of Science

Unintentionally hilarious research abstract (Doc Ock approves…)

Robotic tentacles provide an interesting alternative to conventional rigid-link robotic arms; in certain situations, they may even be more capable. Kinetic Sciences Inc. has developed a hybrid electric-pneumatic tentacular robot called the KSI tentacle manipulator. It has variable compliance, can bend independently in two or more regions, and can extend to more than five times its contracted length. In total, the Tentacle has six degrees of freedom-or seven with the addition of a distal wrist-rotate joint. The Tentacle’s unusual kinematics and inherent compliance demand new approaches to control. Three schemes are considered here: joystick-based teleoperation, inverse kinematics-based tendon length control, and machine vision-based fine position control. Under control, the Tentacle has broad potential in many applications, including teleoperated vacuuming and spray washing (for nuclear hot cell decontamination), general materials handling, agricultural harvesting, robotic refueling, and endoscopy.

What about …. telesex???  I zoomed in on the “extend five times….” right away.  Okay, now it’s time to go give my dirty mind a shower. 

sundry and various

Last night I had the strangest dream; I dreamed that a guy who was a quadruple amputee had crawled up onto the front of his four storey house to do some work and he lost his balance and when I went to find his body his artificial limbs were all I could find and nobody believed me when I said he’d disappeared.  Then I found his head and as I watched the head folded up on itself until it was just a mask (like that brrr mask in Sandman, you will recollect ‘the talking mask’) and then the mask disappeared while I watched.  Then I went for a walk in a place like the night market and a woman was walking two long haired roan cats and profiles like Nicole Kidman and the owner talked about how she was selling them for ten thousand apiece and could hardly bear to part with them.  It had just rained and the streets had that gritty shine like in anime or Blade Runner.  Then I met a surfer dude who stole a van to rescue some woman and when she needed a lift someplace else and couldn’t drive he just smiled at her and said, “Well I only drive in emergencies, I never really learned to drive because I just live at the beach.” 

Rob of Nine loaned me the first season of Robin Hood (the new Beeb production).  He must KNOW how I feel about men in tights.  And he didn’t give me the season finale, prob’ly cause he likes to hear me beg.

Scary Clown laughed into my digital recorder this morning, so I can hear him laugh whenever I want to.  I will convert to a .wav file and stick on my site so you can all enjoy it.

Thought for the Day: Don’t get me wrong: I love nuclear energy! It’s just that I prefer fusion to fission. And it just so happens that there’s an enormous fusion reactor safely banked a few million miles from us. It delivers more than we could ever use in just about 8 minutes. And it’s wireless! – William McDonough (2006)

a) Failure is not an option b) look at the purty pictures.

Indeed.

These are just gobsmackin’ly gorgeous. Thx biggo Debbie.

 

And somebody sent me an emoticon of a naked Betty Boop playing with herself, but I ain’t posting that.  Every time I think I’m in the lead for bein’ disgustin’, a teenage girl goes by me like I’m goin’ backwards….

Quote from today’s Huffpo written by David Roberts

Read the whole post here.

 

Many people in the environmental field — and I’d even generalize to progressives, broadly speaking — seem to be operating on a set of assumptions:

  1. The facts, organized and clearly conveyed, should carry the day.
  2. When facts do not change minds, more facts are required, perhaps delivered more slowly.
  3. When facts do not change hearts, more facts are required, perhaps delivered more loudly.
  4. Those not swayed by facts are intellectually, possibly morally, deficient.
  5. If sticking to the facts means losing a debate, well, that’s the price of virtue.