Sharing the Ascension Experience
Science tells us that every square meter of the earth’s surface, when exposed to direct sunlight, receives about 1000 watts (1 kilowatt) of energy from the sun’s light. Depending on the angle of sunlight, which changes with the time of day, and the geographical location, the power of the sun’s light will be somewhat more … Read more
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have accomplished a stunning architectural feat using silkworms. To construct this “Silk Pavillion,” 6,500 live silkworms were guided via computer, creating a 3D print of the domed structure. Students at MIT studied the worms’ spinning patterns and tested whether they could control them by altering the worms’ … Read more
NASA has successfully tested its first rocket engine component made through 3D printing. On Thursday, NASA subjected its new rocket engine injector to a series of high-pressure fire tests involving liquid oxygen and gaseous hydrogen, demonstrating that additive manufacturing (its official name) could one day help the agency build the next generation of rockets faster … Read more
Two 3d printed metal samples made with EOS 3d printers. A Formula 1 race car’s custom heat exchanger and an artificial joint. Consider the Source
URBEE is a return to fundamentals, a rethink of traditional automotive design and manufacturing. As a species endangered by our own actions, we must quickly learn to stop burning fossil fuels. Surely, the ultimate goal of Design is to serve the ‘public good’. Therefore, corporations and individual designers have a responsibility to offer products that … Read more
NASA just threw a $125,000, six-month grant at a project by Anjan Contractor, a mechanical engineer at Systems and Materials Research Corporation in Austin to develop a working prototype of his proposed universal food synthesizer. The feedstocks for this device, including all the carbs, proteins, macro, and micro nutrients are in powder form. Does placing … Read more
Anthony Atala asks, “Can we grow organs instead of transplanting them?” His lab at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine is doing just that — engineering over 30 tissues and whole organs.
Most 3D printers use a technique called extrusion, through which the printer melts plastic and lays it down in layers to create a 3D object. But the Form 1 features stereolithography, which uses a laser to cure liquid resin into microscopic layers, resulting in much more precise creations. For $3,300, the Form 1 package includes … Read more
The house itself has been designed to be airtight and well insulated to cut energy costs and produce net zero carbon emissions. It has also been designed with its eventual sustainable deconstruction in mind. An ‘off-site modular construction method’ will be used to build the house, which will see parts being built offsite and then … Read more
Over winter break, Cornell students began building an affordable and environmentally sustainable model house in Nicaragua. The students, who are part of Cornell University Sustainable Design — an organization that promotes sustainability through design — traveled to Nagarote, Nicaragua to build the house. The house will serve not only as a home for a family, … Read more