Archive for August, 2007

Musical Robot

Wednesday, August 1st, 2007

 

 
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Robots are picking up the beat. We’ll explain — today, on Engineering Works!
Musicians and computer engineers have been trying to figure out for a long time how to use robots to play music, 50 years or so. The drum machine is probably the best-known robot musician. Program in the rhythm pattern you need and [...]

Coliseum

Wednesday, August 15th, 2007

 

 
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When most of us think of Rome, we get one image in our minds — the Coliseum. We’ll visit, today, on Engineering Works!
The Romans seem to have invented amphitheaters, round or oval structures with seats around an arena. They used amphitheaters to put on big, extravagant games. Modern football stadiums are descended from probably [...]

Old new tech

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007

 

 
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A lot of modern technology has been around a while. We’ll take a trip down engineering’s Memory Lane. Today, on Engineering Works!
When we fire up our wireless laptop computer to read e-mail, it’s easy to think that everything techy was invented yesterday, or last year at the earliest. Some of the technology we take [...]

Tire Treads

Tuesday, August 28th, 2007

 

 
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There’s more to making tracks than meets the eye. We’ll look at tires, today on Engineering Works.
Most of us don’t think about the tires we’re riding on until we have to. Tires do more than get you from here to there. They need to hug the road in turns and sudden stops, on wet [...]