Main Idea Practice 3

What do you get when you cross a robot and an astronaut? A Robonaut! Robonauts are robot helpers designed to work side-by-side with astronauts. Work on the first Robonaut began in 1997, and by 2002 Robonaut B was revealed to the public. Robonaut B featured interchangeable lower bodies, like four-wheel mode or hydraulic legs. Yet scientists and engineers continued to improve Robonaut. In February of 2010, Robonaut 2 was released to the public. Robonaut 2 moved four times faster than the first Robonaut. An advanced version of Robonaut 2 was finally tested in outer space in 2011. Robonaut 2 functioned exactly as designed.

Automation is the use of machines to reduce the need for human labor. In other words automation is when jobs done by people become jobs done by robots. Automation can be a good thing. Clothing, cars, and other manufactured products are available at good prices and in large supply because of automation. But automation can also be a bad thing. Because of automation there are over 700,000 robots in America that do jobs once performed by humans. The way of automation may not be best for humanity, but it is the course we are taking.

My grandma may not look very strong, but with the help of hydraulic power, she can stop a car with her foot. How does hydraulic power work? First, fluid is rapidly released into a chamber through a valve. As the fluid collects, the valve is slammed shut. This causes a pressure spike, but since the chamber is sealed, the pressure has nowhere to go. The hydraulic mechanism channels the pressure and provides great power. And that's how, with the help of hydraulics, my grandma can stop a speeding car with one foot.

Many people use the words cyborg and android interchangeably, but these words have different meanings. Both refer to beings powered by robotics, but an android is powered entirely by machinery. Cyborgs are partly powered by a living organism. They also look different. Androids may be completely mechanical, but they are designed to look like humans. They may have synthetic skin, hair, and other human-like features. Cyborgs are usually designed in a way that accents their robotic modifications. A cyborg's mechanically enhanced eye may cast a red light or have a chrome plate surrounding it, for instance. So you see, though the terms cyborg and android seem similar, they refer to different things.

It is a widely acknowledged fact that machines are stronger than people. Is it possible for them to become smarter than us too? Some scientists fear that it is, or so says the theory of technological singularity. In a nutshell, the theory of technological singularity says that there will be a moment when a computer can improve its own capabilities. This computer will go into an infinite loop, getting progressively smarter. Inevitably this will lead to machines becoming smarter than people, or so the theory goes. Such gains in available intelligence might lead to huge improvements in science and medicine. Diseases could be cured and such. But it could also lead to the total domination or replacement of mankind by robots, which would be bad. If the latter were the case, I, for one, would welcome our new computer overlords.

Fellow Members of the Springfield Robotics Club: we have a problem. It has come to my attention that the workshop has been left an absolute mess on at least two separate occasions. Remember, that this is a shared space, so we must clean up behind ourselves after every meeting. It is in the spirit of keeping our club meeting space that we establish this rule: when you take a tool off the rack, put it back. If everyone puts their tools back immediately after using them, there will be minimal mess to clean up, and we won't get kicked out of the spot. So, if you like having a meeting place, and being part of our club, put your tools back.

Some people think that some holidays celebrating love are nothing but clever ploys by marketers to sell candy, flowers, and stuffed animals. Who cares? In America, we celebrate two love themed holidays: Valentine's Day and Sweetest Day. Valentine's Day is celebrated in the winter, while Sweetest Day is celebrated in the fall. Valentine's Day is focused on bringing lovers together. Sweetest Day is purported to be for all the friends, relatives, and associates whose kindness we've enjoyed. Both occasions are great times to celebrate what's most important: the people we love.

Congratulations on buying the Flag Master 5000! This state of the art system will allow you to display your bicycle flag higher than ever. Installation is a snap. Just attach the Flag Master carrier unit to the rear axle of your bicycle frame with the provided clamps. Once the carrier is secure, drop the base of your flag into the flag carrier and you're ready to ride. Your heart will swell with pride as you navigate the streets of your neighborhood waving the flag of your favorite sports team, nation, or state. Enjoy your rise to the heights of popularity with this fashionable bicycle accessory.

If cotton candy had a list of ingredients on the side of the bag, it would be a very short list. Sugar and food coloring would be the only two things on it. So, how does sugar become the fluffy treat that we know as cotton candy? The process starts with a small amount of colored sugar spinning in the head of the machine. The sugar is heated until it melts. Then it is squeezed out through tiny holes in the spinning head. The melted sugar becomes solid and is caught in a larger bowl that surrounds the spinning head. The product builds up in the bowl. The person running the machine should twirl a stick to gather the sugared strands. You may not have a cotton candy machine lying around your house, but you probably have all the ingredients to make it. So close, yet so far away...

The brain is the most complicated system in the human body. The brain is separated into two hemispheres or halves. From front to back, the brain is further divided into three parts: the forebrain, the midbrain, and the hindbrain. The forebrain is where most reasoning, thinking, and emotional activity occur. It is also where most memories are stored. The midbrain controls reflexes and processes sensory information (sight, touch, taste, etc.) The hindbrain processes basic survival functions, like breathing and maintaining a heartbeat. The brain is truly the most amazing system in the human body.