One of the most difficult things in animation is to simulate human facial expressions in virtual characters. Usually these virtual characters mimic human behavior through programmed commands or scripts which tends to give them a rather robotic feel. The spontaneous nature of human expression in ongoing communication is lost in this method.

Science experimenters at the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEM) were able to generate expressions and emotions based on real people. This was done by taking recordings of sensors placed on 43 muscles involved in facial behavior on real people’s faces. These were then recorded by 3d cameras and translated into numerical data which could be used in programming languages.

A large number of emotions, intentions, attitudes and moods that vary depending on the social context were recorded for the study. The data collected was then used to generate facial expressions in virtual characters.Unlike video games and consoles, the data collected by this study is not for use by play software but for educational purposes.

The researchers are targeting different educational, scientific or civil strategies. They call it the “Serious Game”.  They want the findings of the study to be used for actually beneficial purposes for humanity. This science experiment is not being frivolous at all.

3D printed anatomy is fast replacing the real thing in medical colleges across the world. The ‘3D Printed Anatomy Series’, developed by experts from Monash University is the first commercially available kit. The has no real human tissue or bone but has all the major parts of the body needed to teach students the anatomical layout of the limbs, chest, abdomen, head and neck.

Professor Paul McMenamin, Director of the University’s Centre for Human Anatomy Education, called it cost effective. He felt that it would dramatically improve trainee doctors’ and other health professionals’ knowledge and could even contribute to the development of new surgical treatments.

It is a great way to overcome the shortage of cadavers that most medical schools face today. The handling and storage of cadavers also have a great number of restrictions and regulations that can be financially prohibitive for smaller institutes. Not to mention the smell which can affect the students adversely. Using this 3D kit which is soon going to be commercially available in the market may be a good solution.

The 3D printed series can be produced quickly and easily, and unlike cadavers they won’t deteriorate. Without the ability to look inside the body and see the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels, it’s incredibly hard for students to understand human anatomy. The manufactirers believe that their version, which looks just like the real thing, will make a huge difference to students of human anatomy.

The technique of gyrochronology includes telling the age of a star using its spin. What the astronomers do to determine the spin of a star is to look for changes in its brightness caused by dark spots known as starspots across the star’s surface. Observation of these starspots allows the astronomers to pinpoint the spin of the star.

Its like watching a a dot on a ball and spinning it. When you see the dot appear you calculate the time it took for the ball to spin around once. That gives you the spin time. Now that the astronomers know the spin of the star they use that data to predict the age of the star. In cases of Sun – like stars the spin in starspots takes about 21 days on average.

The speed of the spin of the also allows the astronomers to know the age of the star. A young star is likely to spin around much faster than an older star whose momentum may not be that much. Think of how a young boy can run around all day without getting tired but an older man will make the same journey at a much slower and sedate pace.

Generating electric current using water is not a new concept.  It has been in use for decades with traditional power generation methods. Hydro power is electricity generated by rushing water. However researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have come up with another way to generate electric power using water.

The scientific community was amazed when it was discovered last year that water droplets spontaneously jump away from superhydrophobic surfaces during condensation. During this process they can gain electric charge. The team of MIT researchers who made this discovery last year has now come up with a means of converting this electric charge into electricity capable of powering small gadgets.

Imagine charging your phone with nothing more than the humidity in the air! While this concept is brilliant, it is still a long way from becoming a reality. In initial testing, the amount of power produced was vanishingly small however the team is working on increasing this. Needless to say if they can convert enough charge into electricity they will be able to work a small electronic device on that electricity.

As of now that seems a long way away in this science project. However it will be interesting to see how the researchers progress from here. The primary restriction is that condensation must occur and so this method is only going to work in areas high in humidity. So don’t think you will be able to charge that cell phone in the desert yet!

Soft and squishy or hard as nails? If you thought that a robot was built only with metals that gave it definite shape and strength, think again. Scientific experimentation over the last couple of decades has led to the manufacture of a number of new materials that can be used for robotic construction.

The latest is a phase changing material that was built from wax and foam which can go from soft to hard states. Robots made from this material will be able to use this characteristic beautifully. The material was developed at MIT by Anette Hosoi and Nadia Cheng along with help from researchers at Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization and Stony Brook University.

The first application they are looking at is to make a deformable surgical robot that can move through the body without damaging any organs along the way. Another kind of robot built from this material will be able to move through rubble while looking for survivors. Its unique construction material allowing it to squeeze into areas other robots can not.

The foam structure coated in wax may be still in experimental stages but the applications of such a material are boundless. A large number of scientific projects could be undertaken just to list out the different kinds of uses that the material could be put to.

Researchers in the medical field have been experimenting with nanodrug particles which can be shot into the body to target a specific organ or problem. It was discovered that with manipulation of properties such as charge, composition, and attached surface molecules, researchers can design nanoparticles to deliver medicine to specific body regions and cell types.

The overall positive response of patients to the science projects worldwide have led to personalized nano drugs being touted as the next big thing in medicine.However at the National Research Centre for the Working Environment in Copenhagen, toxicologist Kristina Bram Knudsen and her team have come up with astounding information as they were testing two types of micelles.

A micelle is a nano particle designed to ferry drugs inside the body.  The two kinds tested on lab rats were charged positively and negatively. While the rats injected with the negatively charged micelles or a saline control solution did not suffer any observable harm from the injections, those injected with positively charged micelles developed brain lesions.

The finds are interesting, but the study is very limited in its scope and can not predict that all positively charged micelles will react in the same manner. Further research and science projects are necessary to see if these nano particles should really be avoided in the treatment of humans.

Traveling in the twenty first century has changed drastically from the past where a wheeled wagon would take you across the country. Today you have first class luxury available in buses, trains and air crafts. However at Etihad Airway they are taking first class luxury to a whole new level.

The airline from the United Arab Emirates has developed a luxury residence for travelers on their A380 Airbus. The consists of three rooms, these are the private bathroom, private bedroom, and a private living room. Each A380 Airbus on the airline has one residence available on board.

This on board luxury residence takes up about 125 square feet of area and is reminiscent of a hotel suite. There is a large screen LED TV for you to view in the living room. The upholstery is pure leather, the kind you find in Ferrari cars! What’s more you have a private butler attending to you for your entire flight duration. Can you get any more pampered?

What all would you add to a luxury area if you were to design one. Remember that flights need to manage weight so you will have to specifically use light weight materials to build up what you design. Think of this as a challenge to come up with the best scientifically designed first class luxury area!

Comets have been feared since ancient times as harbingers of doom. There is little evidence to suggest that they have any effect on our human civilization as they zoom through space. In fact not much was known about comets and even today their secrets have yet to be explored. This is exactly what a space probe named Rosetta is going to do.

The Rosetta orbiter was launched into space to analyse and observe the nucleus and environment of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2004. It has highly complex metal ceramic sensors integrated into two mass spectrometers which are used to measure gas particles in the vicinity of the comet. This data will allow researchers to trace the nature of the comet along with the processes that occur inside one.

Developed by Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Rosetta will be the first probe to collect data on a comet not only as it passes by, but also by landing on its nucleus. Rosetta will reach the comet sometime in the month of August 2014. It is taking preliminary readings of the data being generated by the comet but real measurements will only begin once it hits the orbit of the comet. It will be interesting to keep track of this science project.

In the field of robotics imitating nature is often considered the best way to proceed. In keeping with this tradition the researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a RoboClam that is inspired by the Atlantic razor clam which is a large species of mollusc found on the North American coast.

The razor clam has the ability to quickly dig into the wet sand and hide itself from predators. The RoboClam also is a digging robot that can burrow itself in the wet sand. While the razor clam can go 2 cm into the ground, the robotic imitation can go 70 cm. This action is accomplished by quickly opening and closing the shells of the clam so that the surrounding soil becomes fluid and allows the clam to dig in quickly.

Professor Amos Winter, of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is the leader of the research. As per him there are many applications where a small, lightweight, low-power, reversible anchor would be very valuable. At the moment they are working on a science project with an underwater robotics company called Bluefin Robotics.  They produce vehicles that need to remain stationary in a current, and could therefore benefit from a small anchor said Winter. It will be interesting to see what the partnership produces.

On one hand we are worried about robots taking over the world and on the other they are being seen as a boon in the field of medicine. There is a new kind of specialist at the Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. They are the brand new fleet of telemedicine robots  that are being deployed by doctors to examine patients remotely.

It is an advanced teleconferencing system on wheels that can be accessed by doctors on their laptop, tablet or smartphone. It allows them to examine the patient in far greater detail than they could before. Dr. Anthony Magit, director of Rady Children’s telemedicine program said that the response to telemedicine technology has been very favorable.

Patients realize they are seeing specialists who might not be accessible to them in their own location, so they feel they are getting cutting edge, high-technology care from top experts, said Dr Magit. It also allows the doctors to consult on cases in a timely manner even when they are physically absent.

Would you like to be examined by a telemedicine robot rather than a doctor? How would you design a robot that could do more than just tell the doctor what the problem with the patient was? Think about interesting science projects that you could develop on this theme.