Category Technology

WHAT IS 3D PRINTING? HOW DOES THE TECHNOLOGY WORK?

Your mother wants to make a duplicate set of the house keys. That would involve a visit to the local key-maker. Wouldn’t she be relieved if you could make her a set sitting right at home? Well, that day is not too far into the future and best of all, it’s not science fiction. 3D printing is here!

Additive manufacturing

3D printing is not really new. It is a type of additive manufacturing or AD, which itself means creating an object by adding material to it layer by layer. AD is also known as stereo-lithography, 3D layering and 3D printing 3D printing can be compared to stalactites and stalagmites in limestone caves or to coral reefs. Both are built by adding material layer by layer, bit by bit, until they form a solid structure. This natural process is very slow. In 3D printing, the design is precisely engineered with computer software. The computer directs the printer on how to add the layers.

Used in diverse fields

3D printing was earlier used to build prototypes or models of objects. Now there are a variety of printers that can create products in a vast number of fields. Already available in the market are 3D printers that can roll out anything from a precision-moulded car part, a designer chocolate and a customised toy to artificial limbs, dentures and even living human tissue for building organs!

First, a 3-D model is produced on computer using CAD or computer-aided design software. CAD can also tell you how the model will work when made with the kind of material you are using. In fact, the working can be seen using virtual simulation. The second step is converting the CAD model to a format that will work with the designated printer and then transferring it to the computer that controls the printer. Just as with a normal laser or inkjet printer, you can feed in the size and orientation (landscape. portrait, etc). Each kind of printer uses different materials (printing inks/toners) to build the object-cheese or chocolate for food items and liquid polymers or other chemical binders for making inedible objects like car or aeroplane parts or dental fixtures or even live cells to produce human tissue (bioprinting). The object is layered on a tray made of material that is water-soluble. Once the object is created, this support can be easily removed!

The machine may take hours or days to complete the object and it can take more time to cool, set or cure till it is fit to handle and be used.

It’s expensive, right now

3D printers are expensive right now, ranging from $30,000 to $80,000. However, as the technology evolves, the cost is expected to come down and you may eventually be able to print a set of keys at home!

Critics of 3D printing feel that the technology may be misused to print weapons. One nervous state in the U.S. has already passed a law banning 3D plastic and metal guns, and taken down a website that showed people how to make them!

Did you know?

A family in France became the first in the world to move into a 3D printed house in July 2018. The four-bedroom house took 54 hours to print, with an additional four months for contractors to add doors, windows and the roof! The design of the house was programmed into a 3D printer which worked by printing the walls in layers from the floor upwards. The cost of construction was 20 per cent less than that of a traditionally built house.

Picture Credit : Google 

HOW TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED THE WAY STUDENTS LEARN TODAY?

The digital revolution has penetrated extensively across the country, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The biggest beneficiaries of the use of technology have been students.

From Wordle to Google classroom, to reels and YouTube channels the digital revolution that began in India in the 90s has penetrated extensively across the country, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Every person with a smartphone is now connected globally via the Internet and has some input (whether in the form of text. photos, videos, audios and charts) to share with the public at large.

The biggest beneficiaries of the use of technology have been the student community. Even before the pandemic most academic institutions had shifted their attention to collaborative instruction by introducing audio-visual elements. However, the forms of communication and collaboration that occurred in online teaching is something that was previously unheard of.

Easy access to information

For years, the teacher was considered the primary source of information and the learners passively received it. This model is still very much in evidence today. However, because of the access to information and educational opportunities that technology offers, the teacher now plays the role of a guide and mentor. Students these days take more responsibility for their own learning, using technology to gather relevant information. They collaborate on group projects using technology-based tools such as wikis and Google docs.

Some of the strongest technology buzzwords in recent years are distance learning, big data, machine learning and Internet of Things (IoT). Eventually, it all boils down to integrating technology into our lives, making learning easier.

Educators bring valuable knowledge to learners, both in theory and in real life. But smart educators are those who can create lessons, enabled by technology, and based on what students want to learn. For instance, eLearning is education or training delivered electronically. It can be in the form of slide-based online activities or an online course that helps a business train employees in necessary skills. This content is delivered to learners through computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The decision-making factor, in this scenario, encourages learners to make their own choices on what they want to study next.

New-age scenario

Video-assisted learning is another interesting trend. In this case, animated videos are used to teach lessons, making content easier to understand. Such videos reduce a teacher’s workload and are believed to improve the performance of students.

Then there is blockchain technology which is used in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and ePortfolios to verify skills and knowledge. The Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in blockchain is beneficial when it comes to data storage. Every time new data is added, it adds another “block” to the system, so the storage is technically limitless.

From hospitals to newsrooms, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now a ubiquitous presence. Al can automate basic activities in education, like grading. It is now possible for teachers to automate grading when it comes to multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions. Next comes immersive learning with VR and AR. The classroom experience has undergone a tremendous change since the introduction of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in education. The rise in demand for experiential learning has led to a push in the development of learning with VR and AR. The former provides a constructed reality, while AR gives an enhanced view of a real image. Thus, they help explain complex concepts that plain images or even a lab’s hands-on experiments cannot do.

Learning with creativity

STEM  programmes are now STEAM, with the inclusion of Art. This new trend offers meaningful science, technology, engineering, art and math content to solve real-world problems through hands-on learning activities and creative design. It also creates a safe environment for learners to express and experience their ideas while thinking outside the box.

*STEM  programmes are designed to develop a learners skills in science, technology, engineering and maths.

Did you know

Many educational institutes have started using social media as a communication tool in which students can share study materials, discuss with others in a group, or easily comment on someone else’s post.

Picture Credit : Google 

WHAT IS VAN DER WAALS SPEAKERS?

The Van der Waals speaker aims to create an audio-visual experience by combining sound with an engaging visual display. The Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C speaker, named after Dutch physicist and Nobel laureate Johannes Diderik van der Waals, displays a 9-inch ferromagnetic visualizer. Ferromagnetic fluid or ferrofluid was a magnetic fluid developed by NASA for rocket ships to control fuel in zero gravity. As the song plays, the vibrations agitate the inky ferrofluid, causing it to change shape accordingly and create a mesmerizing audio display. Paired with 2x15W mid bass speakers and 2x15W tweeters, the speaker can also be paired with another in a stereo configuration. Housed in a tempered glass globe with anodized aluminium, the speaker’s LED lights create a contrasting backdrop for the ferrofluid to dance to your favourite songs.

The speaker produces crisp, clear sound thanks to a quality build that incorporates the latest in audio technology. Four speakers that comprise two tweeters and two mid-bass speakers ensure great sound quality. Furthermore, the team used components from two wireless and audio tech leaders: Qualcomm and Texas Instruments. Van der Waals connects via Bluetooth 5.1 and supports SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, and aptX Adaptive. It comes with a USB-C cable and works well on either its own or in a system of multiple speakers. Launched through Kickstarter, the Van der Waals speaker had surpassed the initial goal about 13 times over at the time of writing.

Credit : Gessato

Picture Credit : Google 

What is StoryShots: Book Summaries app?

Can’t get through your list of must-read books? Use StoryShots to learn the key takeaways of bestselling, non fiction books in minutes instead of never. Enjoy takeaways from hundreds of bestsellers; each on average 15 minutes long. Read at your own pace, listen to podcasts/audiobooks at the same time or watch an animation (if you’re a visual learner) for every book in categories such as leadership, self improvement, productivity, habits, health, history, philosophy, science, mindfulness and relationships, among others. Find an interesting book? Order it on Amazon from inside the app. Free on iOS and Android for basic features, with a subscription option for extras like highlighting, offline reading, etc.

Picture Credit : Google 

What is Xbox console?

The Xbox is a home video game console. You knew that already, didn’t you? When it was launched a little over 20 years ago in November 2001, it was a gamble for Microsoft as it was a piece of hardware from a company known more for its software.

As a product that blurred the lines between a gaming machine and an entertainment device, the original Xbox was highly successful and continues to have devotees till this day. If this device had been running long enough without active usage, then it is likely that the owners of the Xbox might have heard some eerie chit chat that almost feels like it is from outer space.

That, in fact, is the truth. In a tweet in 2014, Lawrence Hryb, Director of Programming for the Microsoft gaming network Xbox Live and known commonly by his Xbox Live Gamertag “Major Nelson”, revealed that the ambient sounds in the original Xbox were actually from NASA! Hryb added that the background sounds were created by tweaking public domain audio from NASA transmissions during the Apollo days. How cool is that?

When Sony Computer Entertainment first announced the PlayStation 2 in 1999, the company had positioned the console as a centerpiece for home entertainment, as it not only would play video games, but also could play audio CDs and video DVDs. Microsoft, whose business had been primarily in supporting the personal computer (PC) business with its Windows operating system, software, and games, saw the PlayStation 2 as a threat to the personal computer.

Four engineers from Microsoft’s DirectX team—Kevin Bachus, Seamus Blackley, Ted Hase and DirectX team leader Otto Berkes, began to envision what a Microsoft console to compete against the PlayStation 2 would be like. They designed a system that would use many hardware components in common with PCs, effectively running a version of Windows and DirectX to power the games on the console.This approach would make it easy for developers on Windows to build games for their new system, differentiating itself from the custom hardware solutions of most consoles. Numerous names were suggested for this console, including “Direct X Box”, and the “Windows Entertainment Project”. Microsoft’s marketing team conducted consumer surveys of the name, using the name “Xbox” as a control believing this would be least desirable, but found that this had the highest preference from their tests, and was selected as the name of the console.

Credit : Wikipedia 

Picture Credit : Google 

Which is the first computer virus?

The Creeper program is regarded as the first virus. The idea of a computer virus- a metaphor derived from biological viruses for a computer program that when executed, replicates itself to affect machines-was discussed in a series of lectures in the late 1940s by mathematician John von Neumann.

The Creeper program created by Bob Thomas of BBN in 1971 is often regarded as the first vinus Designed as a security test, it was an attempt to see if self-replicating programs were possible. It had no malicious intent and simply displayed the message: TM THE CREEPER. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN Viruses have come a long way in half a century and are no longer a laughing matter.

Estimates suggest that 3.50,000 new pieces of malware are discovered every single day in a world that is more connected than ever before, the damaging costs of these are also spiraling out of control with conservative estimates placing a figure of $55 billion in annual costs.

An experimental computer network, ARPANET, was created in 1969 and was the precursor to the internet. It was designed to send communications from computer to computer over long distances, without the need for a dedicated phone connection between each computer. To achieve this required a method of dividing and sending data that is now known as packet switching. It’s few early users were mostly computer scientists. Imagine theirsurprise when one day in 1971, connected teletype computer screens displayed the phrase: “I’m the creeper, catch me if you can!” Although they didn’t know it at the time, they were the first computer virus victims. But what did the mysterious message mean, and who sent it? It turns out it wasn’t a hacker who coded the first computer virus, and it wasn’t sent with malicious intent. Bold, Beranek, and Newman* (now Raytheon BBN Technologies) were pioneers in packet switching networks like ARPANET and the internet. One of its researchers, Bob Thomas, had created Creeper as an experimental computer program.

Creeper was a worm — a type of computer virus that replicates itself and spreads to other systems. In this case, its targets were Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) computers which were linked to ARPANET. But it wasn’t malware like we associate with today’s computer viruses; displaying its enigmatic message was all Creeper did. It didn’t encrypt files, demand a ransom, destroy data, steal Social Security numbers, or render centrifuges inoperable. It only displayed its taunting challenge.

Credit : Exabeam

Picture Credit : Google