chakravarthy

Scientists have developed a new Avtar-style technology that allows a human controller to manoeuvre a turtle's path just using their thoughts. In the 2009 blockbuster 'Avtar', a human controls the body of an Alien. Researchers are developing 'brain-computer interfaces' (BCIs) following recent advances in electronics and computing. These technologies can 'read' and use human thought to control machines. Studies have demonstrated the possibility of combining a BCI with a device that transmits information from a computer to a brain, or a 'computer-to-brain interface' (CBI). The combination of these devices may be used to establish a functional link between the brains of different species. Researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea have developed a human-turtle interaction system in which a signal originating from a human brain can affect where a turtle moves. The entire human-turtle setup includes a head-mo...

Robots that can lay six times as many bricks a day as human builders are set to turn the construction industry on its head. New York-based firm Construction Robotics has developed a robot called SAM (short for Semi-Automated Mason), which can lay 3,000 bricks a day. That's significantly more than most human builders, who can lay an average of 500 bricks a day. The devices have started replacing humans on some sites in US.  "We are going over to the UK in the coming months to meet with some companies and see if we can find a home for SAM there", Scott Peters, the company's President told The Times. While SAM has the ability to pick up bricks, apply mortar and lay them, the robot needs to be heavily supervised. Human workers still need to set up the robot, supervise health and safety and assist with laying bricks at difficult angles, as well as clearing up, according to Construction Robotics. However, some of Britain's biggest construction firms have warned that...

When the head of a small Italian museum called Detective Inspector Alexander Horn of the Munich Police, she asked him if he investigated cold cases. "Yes I do", Inspector Horn said, recalling their conversation. "Well, I have the coldest case of all for you", said Angelika Fleckinger, Director of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeologyin Bolzano, Italy. The victim, nicknamed Otzi, has been in cold storage in her museum for a quarter century. Often called the Iceman, he is the world's most perfectly preserved mummy, a Copper Age fellow who had been frozen inside a glacier along the Northern Italian border with Austria until two hikers discovered him in 1991. The cause of death remained uncertain until ten years later, when an X-ray of the mummy pointed to foul play in the form of a flint arrow-head embedded in his back, just under his shoulder. The glacier not only froze Otzi where he had died, but the high humidity of the ice also kept his organs and skin larg...

Osmania University which celebrated its centenary in April, 2017, is the only university to have observatories. The Nizamia and Rangapur observatories have catalogued nearly three lakh stars, besides charting a large segment of sky. While the Nizamia obserrvatory, which contributed to astronomical research  for decades, is not in use now, the one at Rangapur is being used for outreach activities with negligible research work. The research work that is being done is limited to collection of data obtained from a few observatories from research institutes in other states. The Nizams had the foresight to establish an observatory for astronomy-related studies back in 1908 when it was considered a rarity. Its founder was the England-educated Nawab Zafar Yar Jung Bahadur, youngest son of Sir Khurshid Jah Bahadur, then the defence minister. Until the end of the nineteenth century, British India had only two observatories; one at what was Ootacamund and the other at Nainital. In 1908, N...

Scientists in Germany flipped the switch on Thursday on what's being described as 'the world's largest artificial sun' and which they hope will help shed light on new ways of making climate-friendly fuel. The giant homeycomb-like setup of 149 spotlights - officially known as 'Synlight' - in Juelich, about thirty kilometres West of Cologne, uses xenon short-arc lamps normally found in cinemas to simulate natural sunlight that's often in short supply in Germany in March . By focusing the entire array on a single 20 cms. by 20 cms. spot, scientists from the German Aerospace Center, or DLR, will be able to produce the equivalent of 10,000 times the amount of solar radiation that would normally shine on the same surface. Creating such furnace-like conditions - with temperatures of up to 3,000 degrees celsius - is key to testing novel ways of making hydrogen, according to Bernhard Hoffschmidt, the Director of DLR's Institute for Solar Research. Many consid...

Osmania University (OU) may have been a trendsetter in Indian educational system winning accolades from none other than Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, but there was a time when its degrees were not recognised by other universities. It was before India became free from foreign rule in 1947 that the university faced unacceptability. While all universities were imparting higher education in English, the founding fathers of OU preferred Urdu as medium of instruction, irking the British government. The princely state of Hyderabad was the only 'subsidiary state' in the British India that had freedom to run its own government and institutions including railways and postal services. But other princely states did not enjoy such a freedom and thus, they had no choice but to adopt English as the medium of instruction. By the time OU came into existence, there were seven universities. A couple of them including the University of Madras was, however, in the British Presidency. Acco...

Managing Work-Life Balance : One shouldn't worry too much about being a perfectionist because it makes you too involved with just one thing and ignore other things completely. Secondly, learn to unplug when you need to because rejuvenation gives you time to regroup and come back with fresh ideas. Being a fit woman : To me, being fit and healthy is important not just to look good, but also to be productive. I do strength training and yoga regularly. I love dancing. I also watch what I eat. Energy High and Happiness : Energy starts with the people around you, so my team at office and my family at home keep me positive and happy. Risk-Taker or a Micro-Planner? : Bit of both - there are situations where you have to gamble and go all out as it involves returns that are high. And then there are times where I study my options before taking a decision. Spiritual Diet: Work hard, have goals, but also be content with what you have, because happiness is also a state of mind. Handling ...