Beams of light > Spectrum of lights > Inventions
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Parinee Ism is a 140m tall residential tower in India, designed by world renowned architect James Law of James Law Cybertecture International. The design concept of the tower is inspired by the ripple effect generated by water droplets, which is also known as the capillary wave.
The image of the ripple emphasizes fluidity and this idea is reflected in the tower's design. The outline of the tower demonstrates the fluidity and dynamic nature of the ripple. The outline and the ripple pattern can be conceived as an abstract representation of the symbol Ohm (Ω). The ripple effect usually generates a vortex-like space in the center. The tower design is trying to recapture the essence of this space by creating a large void in the middle along with a special designed clubhouse form. With approximately 30 storeys of residential units, Bandra Ohm aims to provide a luxurious living environment and experience to the residents.
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Volkswagen in China today announced the winner of its year-long The People's Car Project contest: a student named Wang Jia who turned in the design for an hypothetical auto that uses magnets to "hover" above the ground.
Scientific American walks us through how it works: The imaginary car stays aloft with the aid of magnetic levitation, much the way some maglev trains travel along special rails using electromagnetic suspension. (Other maglev trains use electromagnetic forces for propulsion without actually lifting the train off the ground.) The Shanghai Maglev Train has been ferrying passengers since 2004 on a 30-kilometer line between Pudong International Airport and the city's outskirts at speeds of up to 430 kilometers per hour.
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Scientists for years have been researching methods to help paralyzed people use their brains to make up for physical loss. Now it seems they have made quite the breakthrough by developing technology that helps disabled people control computers and robotics with their minds. Using only her thoughts, Cathy Hutchinson (pictured below), who has been paralyzed for 15 years directed a robotic arm to pick up a bottle of coffee and bring it to her lips.
The latest report inthe advance of harnessing brain waves to help disabled people was published in the journal "Nature" in May 2012. The reserach findings and results come from scientists at Brown University, the Providence VA Medical Center in Rhode Island, Harvard Medical School and elsewhere.
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Researchers have developed a new form of plastic that "bruises," rather than breaks, when dropped and subsequently heals itself when exposed to sunlight.
According to New Scientist, GADGETS of the future could bruise when dropped or scratched to highlight damaged areas. Don't worry though, as a few minutes in the sun will be enough to fade the bruise and repair the damage. Marek Urban and colleagues at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg were inspired to create their self-healing plastic by signs of healing in nature such as newly formed tree bark. Earlier self-healing materialsMovie Camera do not change colour and require focused laser light for repairs. This new material turns red when damaged and repairs itself when exposed to visible light or changes in temperature or pH. It can also fix itself multiple times, unlike previous materials.
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The America Invents Act, which reforms patent law, will help bring more inventions to market and make the United States more competitive, President Obama said: "The country has always succeeded because we have been the most dynamic, innovative economy in the world. That has to be encouraged."
Patent applications have nearly tripled in the last decade, but 700,000 applications haven't even been opened yet. Obama said: "Somewhere in that stack could be the next miracle drug, the next technological breakthrough, the next idea that will launch the next Fortune 500 company."
