Technology

GirlsWithToys Are Blowing Up Twitter

May 21st, 2015

In case you’ve been out of the loop, there’s a kerfuffle brewing on Twitter right now and it’s getting pretty awesome.

It seems that over the weekend NPR ran one of their usual boring interviews which usually just serve as background noise while you’re doing something else. The interview in question was with Shrinivas Kulkarni, an astronomer who teaches astrophysics at the California Institute of Technology. During the interview he was quoted by NPR as saying, “Many scientists, I think, secretly are what I call ‘boys with toys.” That stupid off-color comment set in motion an epic reaction from women in the science community who took to Twitter to remind everyone that women also play a role in these fields.

Using the hashtag #girlswithtoys, bad ass scientists from around the world shared dozens of images of women “playing” with microscopes, telescopes, Mars rovers, water pumps and more.

girlswithtoys
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Blind mom-to-be meets her unborn baby through 3D-printed ultrasound

May 7th, 2015

The folks at Huggies came up with an amazing use for a 3D printer

Blind mom gets 3D ultrasound

BRAZIL – Most expectant mothers get a glimpse at their baby during ultrasounds, but if you’re pregnant and can’t see, the experience of an ultrasound may be less profound.

However, a video posted by the Brazilian branch of Huggies, called “Meeting Murilo,” is showing the world how one blind woman was able to bask in the incredible first ultrasound moment — even if she doesn’t have sight.

Tatiana Guerra, 30, has been blind for almost half of her life. She now primarily experiences the world through touch.

“If you could touch him, would that let you know what he’s like?” her doctor asks.

When Tatiana says yes, he presents her with a 3D-printed rendering of the ultrasound.

Tatiana could touch the model and use it to “meet” Murilo in a way she otherwise couldn’t until his birth.

Check out the video

Disney’s Cool New Robot Etches Massive Pictures Onto The Beach

January 12th, 2015

beachbot
Sure, we didn’t get Baymax, but this little guy is still pretty cool.

The robot — aptly called “Beachbot” — works by dragging a set of pins through the sand, sort of like a rake. Each pin is individually raisable, allowing the bot to draw lines of varying thicknesses. More pins down = thicker lines drawn.

The artist behind the robot starts a canvas by setting down poles, which the robot uses as markers to finely calculate its position. At that point, the robot can be passed an image file to draw automatically, or the artists can steer it manually.
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