From the Jetsons to Back to the Future, there's a long list of dreams of flying cars, be it for fun or simply a way to get out of traffic jams. While there have been attempts at making flying cars going back to the 1950's, theres a new buzz in the idea. In the last week Google and Uber have both announced their intentions of making a flying car and putting it into use in the next 3 years, but one company, Aeromobile may beat them to the sky. Earlier this week, they announced that they were now accepting preorders for a car that can turn into an airplane in less than 3 minutes. While its a bit pricy at $1.3 million dollars
Bicycles are amazing machines. Be it for fun, exercise, low cost commutes and travel. At the dawn of the 1900's they served as the technical foundation of the modern automobiles and now businesses use them for green transportation. Some however, want to take that going green to a new level, and are making durable bikes out of recycled paper, cardboard and plastics. While this CNN video is from 2013, towards the initial development of these cardboard bikes, the developers of these recycled bikes are still at it, and earlier this year tried to use Kickstarter to take their dream bike to commercial markets. While they didn't meet their goals, its interesting to see their development timeline. We've talked some about how long it takes to develop a product, they've been at this one for over 4 years!
When you think about art, you probably think of paintings, sculptures, or pottery. When we think of engineering, we might think more of math or construction. However engineering and the availability of software and tools allows engineering to be one of the most creative fields to work in, and its no surprise that artists have been following suit, and large companies like Google, SAS, and Autodesk have been using their resources to help artists use more advanced technologies. As we learn more about Inventor and engineering principles, I encourage you to include your own ideas of art and design to create what you need to peruse your own interests, much like Autodesk does with the Artists in Residence at Pier 9. Even if you don't consider yourself an artist, Autodesk offers programs specifically for students: Autodesk Student Expert Network |
Mr. WelkerTechnology Teacher at Southeast Raleigh High School. Archives
October 2019
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