Posted on 07/22/2017 12:15:41 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Robots that mimic ivy vines can grow thousands of times their original lengths at speeds faster than the average person can run, a new study finds.
The new soft, flexible robots could one day be used in tight situations, such as to slither through rubble or snake inside the human body...
The newly developed robot is made of soft, flexible polyethylene, the most common plastic in the world. It grows from its tip via internal air pressure, which pushes plastic tubing stored at its base up through the core of its body. The robot is initially about 11 inches (28 cm) long, but can rapidly reach a maximum length of about 236 feet (72 meters), according to the researchers.
"The body doesn't move as the tip extends," Hawkes told Live Science. "That is, you could hold the body of the robot tightly in your hands, and the tip would keep growing."
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
It’s a strange morning. It’s been spent so far in poring over maps of Hurricane and checking out the celebrations and festivals they have during the year as well as all the local places to go for a picnic. LOTS of parks. I think it will be fun to explore.
I thought the day was bad when I woke up but it’s going downhill in a hurry. Except for the stuff on Hurricane, nothing is going right.
I’m trying to remember whose motto it was that, “There’s no situation so bad that it can’t get worse.”
Probably my mother... But hers sounded more like, "It's always darkest just before it goes totally black."
It sounds a little like Linus van Pelt’s “No problem is so big or so complicated that it can’t be run away from.”
Well so far they’ve been wrong. All we have is a dusting that barely turns the drive white.
However within the past half hour it has started snowing again. Little tiny flakes. According to the radar image from the not-necessarily-Accu(rate)Weather folk this line of glowbull warmthing runs from lower Vermont all the way to Mississippi tracking to the northeast and soon could affect Washing DC although it could track just to the west of there so NNB won’t have to deal with it. The local school district is dismissing early.
The guesstimates of total accumulation are still all over the dart board, er, map with those same inaccurately named weatherfolk saying 1-3 inches during the day and an additional 2-4 inches overnight with a 39% chance of over 6 inches.
If we get the 6 inches I will probably need to caress the Olde Deere but they aren’t foreguessing any wind to speak of (5 mph gusts) so drifting won’t be an issue. Six inches of snow coupled with winds can and will create impressive drifts in certain portions of the driveway. Along with bare spots. But to get to the bare spots you must conquer the drifts.
SO in the meantime to keep myself entertained (or frustrated) I have been tasked with beating Mrs. NoC’s computer into submission since it refuses to do a Windoze update and has for the past month at least.
I came back from the mammogram appointment and fell asleep. They said I have “calcification,” should be completely harmless, come back in six months.
Octavision.
Long-time buddy of mine hailed me to their video.
Great musicians on a hugely-varied track.
They really took it up a level with the woodwind, but then — the dulcimer?
For The Win!
So far, it's still tracking to my west. I'm okay with that. I've had enough emergencies in the past couple of weeks to last me the rest of this year, including that issue with the washing machine just last night.
I'll be dealing with that snow I'm missing in a few days. Yay!
Heh. And I thought MY world was messed up! I evidently ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
And T-c, there is NO WAY I will have another mammo. And the doctors don’t like me for it, either!
NoC, I suspect I’ll have plenty of that frozen moisture pellet-stuff next winter, since I’ll be another 1000’ higher. It should help my heart, though, once I get past the “tired all the time while my heart strengthens” phase.
Hkmk, that was strange. That’s about the only thing I can say without taking it apart and parsing every frame.
And now, since it appears that I’m the only one up, I’ll go take my shower.
Nothing here.
It’s 7° in Cabot AR and 26° in Soldotna AK. *shiver* 46° in Hooterville and 41° in Hurricane.
I want some gingerbread! (Where did I pack my baking pans???)
What a regal looking kitteh!
In reading over the “amenities” that Hurricane offers, I see there is a pain clinic there, as well as a “medical center,” and even a church “welfare” office that handles employment, social services and probably the Bishop’s Storehouse, as well. This is all great news for me!
Kitteh will let you know what you can do for him.
Any cold weather water falling over yer way?
Just ordinary cold water. The cats have given up on the day, but the birds are making do.
Seeing a heap of frozen water around here. May you all get to have the same if you all like frozen water.
I’m not especially fond of frozen water, but if it’s going to do it, I wish it would. It’s hard to plan when we don’t know if CPCC is going to open at all today. That reminds me, I need to text my dog-walk customer and find out if I need to walk the dog today.
Yesterday, the dog found the hip-bone of some small animal ... possum? raccoon? ... and was going to crunch it up. Elen took it away from him.
May frozen water, not bones, receive a crushing
The dog doesn’t mind cold, but he hates rain.
Central Piedmont called: they’re closed for the day, “due to worsening conditions across Mecklenburg County.” Tom the Son appeared and rumbled a bit. I told him, “School’s closed for the day,” and he rumbled off back to bed.
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