Individual oral activity!

Individual oral activity here!

Robot "Triple H": Home Helper for Handicapped !

What problem or challenge does the robot solve?

There are many people that lives in a handicapped situation. Many of this people would like and enjoy to live by their own, just like a normal person would do. This is what our robot is for. It is basically a home helping robot, that will allow people with physical disabilities to live on their own, without the cost of a nanny or a nurse.

What are some of the functions you will program your robot to carry out?

Basically, the robot will order the house, putting everything back on its place. The robot can also bring things to the owner, things that the user can't reach.

What materials will it be made out of? Why?

It will be made out of light metals, like aluminum. It will also have plastic parts. This in order to have not a noisy and heavy robot, but a light and stealthy one.

How will the robot sense its surroundings?

The robot will count with a variety of sensors in order to know where he is. It will also have scaners, so it can recognize what he needs to grab and where to put it. Cameras similar to the kinect cameras are used to have a better and more detailed view of where he is moving through.

How will it move and respond to the environment?

As I said before, the idea is to create a robot that doesn't invade the owner's house. Because of this, the robot will try to avoid crushing with persons, and when it is not ordered to work, the robot will turn into a stand-by mode.

How or why is a robot better equipped to handle this challenge than a human?
I'm not sure if it is better equiped. The advantages are that this robot works all week and doesn't need rest, or food. Other advantage is that hiring a person to help handicapped people implies money, but with this robot, you only pay at first (the price of the robot). On the other hand, this robot doesn't cook, so the owner will have to hire a nanny, but just to cook, and not during all day.

What specific functions will the robot carry out? What components will the robot include that help it carry out these tasks?

As I mentioned, the robot's main function is to order the house and bring things that the user asks for. In order to do this, the robot counts with omnidirectional wheels, and four folding arms that grab carefully what the owner asks for. It was a huge memory, in order to learn everything that's in the house, and where to put it or find it. There is also an application for smartphones that allows the user to select something he wants, and the robot will go and bring it to him.

What will the robot look like? Will it look humanlike? Why or why not?

The robot will actually look like a box with several arms. This, because it's the most practical way of doing it. With this design, the robot is more efficient than with a human form. In other words, it develops better his task the way it is designed.

How will the robot’s appearance influence how people interact with it?
Because it look more like a machine than a human being, it will be treated like that, a machime. People won't feel really attached to the robot, because it looks more like a tool than ike a "friend"

What limitations does the robot have?

The robot might be slow, because the technology to make a fast working robot doesn't exist yet. Other limitation is that the robot can't go up through a stair, but that is not actually a huge problem, because people with physical probles won't live in a place with stairs.

About stem cells...


Stem cells are a class of undifferentiated cells that are able to differentiate into specialized cell types. Commonly, stem cells come from two main sources:

1-Embryos formed during the blastocyst phase of embryological development (embryonic stem cells) 2-

2-Adult tissue (adult stem cells).

Embryonic stem cells are derived from a four- or five-day-old human embryo that is in the blastocyst phase of development. The embryos are usually extras that have been created in IVF (in vitro fertilization) clinics where several eggs are fertilized in a test tube, but only one is implanted into a woman.

Scientists and researchers are interested in stem cells for several reasons. Although stem cells do not serve any one function, many have the capacity to serve any function after they are instructed to specialize. Every cell in the body, for example, is derived from first few stem cells formed in the early stages of embryological development. Therefore, stem cells extracted from embryos can be induced to become any desired cell type. This property makes stem cells powerful enough to regenerate damaged tissue under the right conditions.

Stem cell research: Gene control


1-Why did the German scientist decide to study the fruit flies at the larval stage?

They do this in order to watch how the flies develop.

2-How does the mother fly activate the control genes?

She leaves on the eggs different chemical messages, that indicates where the head and the tail goes.

3-What is the role of control genes?

The control gene's role is to tell the cells of the body which organs and structures they should become, and when.

4-Which of the two species are closer to humans?

Actually, how the gene control works in both species is the same as in human beings. Although, the zebra fish because his body plans are closer to ours.

The kite runner

visual interpretation here!

Biofuel process of production

Biofuel is considered to be the most pure and the easiest available fuels on the planet. One of the key features of biofuels is that they are better than other forms of fuels like petrol or diesel that is manufactured by most of the big oil manufacturing companies.

There are various forms of biofuels and most of them are made through a detailed process having various stages. Most of the animal fats, vegetables and oils contain glycerine. In the process of manufacturing the biofuels, all the fats and oils are turned into esters, separating the glycerin. The process through which the glycerin is separated from the biodiesel is known as transesterification. This process also uses lye as a catalyst in the whole process. Some of the chemicals which are used in the manufacturing of biofuels are ethanol or methanol which brings into use methyl esters. Methanol is derived from fossil fuels while ethanol is derived from plants. 

Biofuel Process of production (www.esru.strath.ac.uk)

The process of manufacturing biofuel can be classified in the following stages.

Filtering: In this process, waste vegetable oil is filtered to remove all the food particles. This process generally involves warming up the liquid a little. After warming up the liquid, it can be filtered with the use of coffee filter.

Removing of water: All the water contained in the residual gangue has to be removed which will make the reaction faster. The water can be easily removed by making the liquid boil at 100 degree C for sometime.

Titration: This process is carried out to determine the amount of lye that would be required. This process is the most crucial and the most important stage of biofuel manufacturing.

Preparation of sodium methoxide: In this process, methanol is mixed with sodium hydroxide to produce sodium methoxide. In most of the cases, the quantity of methanol used is generally 20 percent of waste vegetable oil.

Heating and mixing: The residue is heated in between 120 to 130 degree F after which it is mixed well. It should be remembered that process should be done carefully avoiding splashing of the liquid.

Settling and separation: After mixing the liquid, it has to be allowed to cool down. After the cooling process, the biofuel will be found floating at the top while the heavier glycerin would be found at the bottom. The glycerin can be easily separated by allowing it to drain out from the bottom. The person is left over with pure biofuel which can be used for various purposes.

There is also another process, in wich it is used biomass to produce ethanol. The way this ethanol is produced can be separated in three main steps. First, there is a grinding process in wich the biomass is reduced to biomass feedstock. This makes easier to handle the material, and more efficient the production. Then, the hemicelluloses fraction of the biomass is broken down into simple sugars, this, because of a chemical reaction called hydrolysis. Finally, the mash is fermented with the yeast bacteria, in order to turn sugar into ethanol. After this, there are other processes that aim to purify the ethanol.

http://biofuel.org.uk

For more information, click here!

Study questions: The kite runner

Chapter 1-4:

1)Compare and contrast Amir and Hassan, noting their backgrounds, how each boy interacts with his father, and the circumstances surrounding their birth.

They both grew up with out a mother, so they both were educated by their fathers. The fact that Baba and Ali are friends allowed them to be raised almost as brothers. One big difference is that, while Amir is a rich Pashtun, Hassan is a poor Hazara. This difference creates a very special friendship between them.

2)Discuss the origins of the ongoing conflict between Pashtuns and Hazaras. What effect might this have on Amir and Hassan’s relationship?

First of all, Hazaras is a persecuted ethnic group. They are actually opressed by the Pashtuns, Amir's ethnic group. So the relation between them is more like master-servant, just like their fathers.

3)How does Amir feel about Baba? Examine information about Baba, and discuss how Amir and Baba’s differences affect their relationship.

They love each other as a father and son should, but Baba is a little bit disappointed of Amir, because he is different, and he can't stand up for himself. Under my point of view, Amir know this, and that is the reason why he tryes to be like Baba.

4)What does Baba say is the only sin? Explain his theory and whether Amir is able to understand it.

The only sin for Baba is stealing. He thonks that any other crime is a variation of this, such as stealing a man's life.

5)Examine Baba and Ali’s relationship. How is Amir’s relationship similar to theirs? What impact do their ethnic backgrounds have on these relationships?

Because of theur ethnic and cultural differences, the relation they have is a relation between a master, in this case Baba, and a servant, in this case Ali. The fact of being from groups that hate each other, the relation between the boys is similar to the relation of their fathers, Baba and Ali.

6)Discuss the significance of Hassan’s favourite book, the Shahnamah?

Under my point of view, this book is really important for Hassan because when they read, he feels like they are friends, and that he is not a servant. This because Amir is helping Hassan, and they have a good time, just like friends do.

7)Assess the role Rahim Khan plays in Amir’s early life.

He was somehow a father to him, because he supported him in what he liked. For example, when he reads the short story that Amir wrote, and the he menrions in a note to Amir that he have a special talent. Something Baba would never do.