When Engineers Get Bored: Lego vs Rubik

 So what do engineers do when they find themselves with a bunch of Lego parts, a Rubik's Cube and lots and lots of free time in their hands. How about the Cubestormer 3?

   The Cubestormer 3 (Apparently there was a version 1 and a 2) has shattered the previous speed world record for solving the RC. A feat which, in my opinion, will be hard to overtake. Being a mechanical device your average RC has mechanical limits for how fast its sides can turn before it  flies apart. Perhaps future Cubes might have to be constructed stronger and more flexible to allow faster speeds?
    Which implies that in essence now we will be designing toys not for us to play but for our toys to play with.Think about it, we will be making toys... for our toys...

   Here is an article with a bit more information about the CS3.

"Viva Cristo Rey!!"





  

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When Engineers Get Bored: Acoustic Levitation

  Acoustic Levitation is a very well understood phenomenon. In fact you can find many examples of this in Youtube. However students at University of Tokyo Nagoya Institute of Technology have taken this lab trick to the next level with their three dimensional manipulation of objects using acoustic standing waves. I will not bore you with the details, just watch the video and think how many practical applications can this technique have. Time will tell. Here is the video:

You can visit their web site for more information here.

"Viva Cristo Rey!!"

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When Engineers Get Bored: Engineering Students are at it Again!

Well folks, the Engineering students at the University of Toronto have accomplished the seemingly impossible: A human powered helicopter. Of course this is a prototype, and the sheer size of this apparatus makes it unpractical,  but Orville and Wilbur would be proud of them (and I thing there are reports that Leonardo Da'Vinci just sat up in his grave).

 Here is the video:

Viva Cristo Rey!!

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When Engineers Get Bored: I Know What I Want for Christmas!!!

If you follow me in facebook you might have noticed a series of videos which I have titled "When Engineers Get Bored" (or WEGB for short).

Back in my college years, when a I was a very busy engineering student, boredom was something me and my peers hardly ever encountered. When we did however, we became a dangerous lot, always trying to channel our creative energies by coming up with some really outrageous ideas just for fun.

In honor of those days and of the hundreds of engineers and engineering students that know what I'm talking about, I give you the first installment of what I hope will be a recurring feature.

From the University of Maryland I present to you: RoboRaven

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