One of the continuing goals of scientists and engineers is to develop technologies which reduce the severity of physical disabilities. Hearing loss due to defects in the middle ear occur with great frequency, and the more severe cases can be treated with ossicular replacement prostheses. The main focus of this article will be on the [...]
Created as a teaching toy twenty years ago, Erno Rubik's cube quickly became a popular toy that entertained, challenged, and confounded millions of people. The cube consists of a core and attached outer cubes designed to allow rotation on three axes. Rubik's cube can be used to study permutations and algorithms, as well as serving [...]
Frequently used and often overlooked, the radio has played an important role in our lives and the lives of those before us. The mysteries of radio are abandoned because we simply expect wonderful sound to emanate from the speakers when the power is switched on. Seldom do we ponder the physics behind how the radio [...]
Robots are often relegated to the realm of fantasy. But Minerva, an interactive tour-guide robot, which was successfully exhibited in the Smithsonian Museum, has brought robotics to everyday life. Robots: Cuddly or Deadly? From the terrifying annihilators of Terminator II to the cute, artificial creature of Short Circuit, contemporary science fiction has done so much to shape people's [...]
From perfecting the coffee bean preparation process to creating the various machines used to brew the java, it has taken hundreds of years of scientific knowledge and engineering to bring the process of coffee making to the state it is in today. Creating new systems for roasting coffee beans requires that many chemical and mechanical [...]
