Typing with your mind

                Ever wondered if we will be able to one day type without physically touching the keyboard? That is becoming a possibility due to the Brain- Computer Interface (BCI) created by Wadsworth Center in Albany, NY.

The BCI home system Source: http://www.wadsworth.org/

                The way it works is with a machine which takes readings of patterns when certain letters flashes, verifying the target letter. For now, it is extremely expensive and uses very complex programming. In hopes of this becoming a affordable way for anyone with disabilities limiting their abilities to type. While typing is a major point in this program, it is only a speck of the possibilities such programs can provide.

Are we closer to Back to the Future?

Source: Back to the Future

Source: inventist.com

Electric skateboards and magnetic skateboards with no wheels are becoming more common as 2015 is coming closer. In the 1985 movie, "Back to the Future" Marty McFly used a hover board. The truth is, we might not have that technology any time soon, so we have to make due with what we have now, motorized personal transportation. They are simple concepts, attaching motorized wheels anything transportation. Ranging from different sizes of small to large, from the size of a baseball to the size of a long board. They are often very versatile and fairly affordable. Many independent companies like Inventist have started to take on the challenge of creating a easy, safe, and effective way to commute to work, to the movies, to the park, or simply go down the street to a friend's house. They made a very compact and easy to control way of transportation such as their Orbit Wheel.

Water that is out of this world.

Artist's rendition by David A. Aguilar, CFA

A planet found in 2009 known as HAT-P-11b proven to host water recently. Found by Jonathan Fraine and his colleagues, its diameter is barely larger than 4 times the Earth's. Until recently, Neptune had been the only exoplanet to contain water. The temperature of the planet is roughly from 828° Kelvin to 928° Kelvin (1031° Fahrenheit to 1211° Fahrenheit). Its atmosphere's composition is primary hydrogen, hypothesized to have been drawn from nearby infant stars. Made primary of hydrogen the planet is found to have trace amounts of unidentified heavier elements. The atmosphere absorbs certain colors of light and filtering star light.

Deadly force against rocks

The US is stockpiling nuclear weapons to prevent asteroids from hitting the Earth when the time comes. Spending time envisioning such an event, the United Nations and NASA has an increasing favor towards nuclear  weapons. Stockpiling nuclear warheads, bombs, and more might seem useless to citizens, but not in the eyes of the UN. As stated in Wired.co.uk, Former NASA astronaut Ed Lu remarked that there are "100 times more asteroids lurking in space than have ever been located," and that our challenge is "to find them before they find us". A device called Sentinel Space Telescope (SST) is being created by the B612 Foundation, co-founded by Lu. A SST is a privately built infrared device allows the UN to accurately track asteroids on route to hit the Earth years ahead of time. The time estimated for the project to finish is told to be 2017.

Obama creates large marine reserve

MAGGIE SMITH, NG STAFF. SOURCES:
U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE;
USGS; MARINE CONSERVATION INSTITUTE

Pacific Ocean reserve Photograph: Guim

Announced last Thursday, by existing monument around U.S. controlled islands, it will be the largest marine reserve ever.  Acting quickly, for the 12th time Obama has bypassed Congress and used the Antiquities Act for environmental protection. It will expand the reserve while some parts are untouched. Three times the size of California, 6 times it's original, at 490,000 square miles. Even with the enormous amount of expansion, it is nowhere near the size of 754,400 square miles that President Obama was hoping for. This will take effect in January of 2015. Protecting waters near a tiny island state of Kiribati, one of the last great tuna grounds left in the world.

How fast can humans run?

Source: NASA

After 40 years in the dark, this question was finally answered. Experiments to see how fast a human can run on the moon has taken place. Taking place on NASA's DC-9 aircraft. An aircraft capable of reducing its internal gravity to the match the moon's while in the swooping motion. There were eight participants, three being astronauts. Each astronaut was asked to run for 20 seconds long in the artificial lunar gravity.

Source: NASA

The theoretical average calculated by NASA was 1.8 miles per hour (2.89 km), was a dramatic difference to the average on Earth being 4.5 miles per hour (7.24 km). After the experiments, the results was an average of 3 miles per hour (5 km), a much closer calculation. The theory revolving around why their theoretical calculation is the boost created by the counter-swinging motion of the participants' arms and legs.

How 3D printing can change our lives.

Source: The Verge

Source: Space.com

The first 3D printed object was created in 1984 by Charles W. Hull. From the cost of $20,000 for a printer to only $1,000 in the course from 2010 to 2013 alone. Now this technology no less than 2 years has been growing in popularity and the uses of it. As in my last blog, NASA has made a rocket injector (fuel injector) using 3D printing. As more attention is attracted to this technology, more of the bigger companies are buying printers and coming up with cheaper and easier ways to innovate. As it began growing in popularity, their uses were only for creating small objects such as cups or decorations. Since then, now their uses range far and wide, ranging from a mere simple printed name to a working bicycle to a working weapon. Caused by the uses and possibilities this provides, are many risks and many dangers. The reliability and efficiency it provides even NASA has uses for it. Instead of sending a space ship to give simple tools to the space station, a new one can be printed on the station. As NASA plans to send 3D printers in space for use, a Boston hospital recently 3D printed a toddler's brain before his actual hemispherectomy to insure success. Hemispherectomy is one of the rarest and most challenging surgery which half of the brain is removed or disabled. The versatility is said to boost economies and help smaller businesses.