Solar Thermal Demo Plant Rises in Israeli Desert

BrightSource Energy, a Google.org backed startup we covered a few weeks back, opened their Solar Energy Development Center in Israel this week, and it features an enormous test plant that looks as improbably perfect as a rendering.
The tower in the distance of this picture stands 180 feet tall and is surrounded by 1,600 mirrors that focus the sun’s rays onto the commercial boiler that sits atop the tower. In a real plant that boiler’s steam output would be used to generate electricity with a turbine, but the company didn’t put a turbine in the test facility. BrightSource estimates that a plant this scale could generate 1,500 kilowatts of power.

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Faster, more precise MRI for the medical world

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) revolutionised the medical world two decades ago, providing doctors with an unparalleled view inside the human body. Now, MRI-MARCB has taken MRI to a new level with a system that enhances image quality, reduces scan time and improves diagnosis.
Currently in use in several hospitals around the world, the MRI-MARCB system overcomes one of the principal problems in producing MR images of the brain and heart: movement.

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New medical ultrasound technology rides wave of the future

A fully digital 4D ultrasound system is set to provide a ‘next generation’ integrated solution for medical imaging applications, allowing practitioners to provide faster treatment and improve therapeutic success rates.
Developed by ADUMS, an IST-funded project that ended in April 2005, the advanced high-quality imaging system will significantly reduce diagnostic time. In addition, the technology uses off-the-shelf computer hardware, making it a much cheaper alternative to expensive, purpose-produced ultrasound machines.

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Features Robotic perception, on purpose

European researchers developed technology that enables a robot to combine data from both sound and vision to create combined, purposeful perception. In the process, they have taken the field to a new level.
Currently, computer vision is good at recognising objects in images and videos and has been successfully employed in several specialised industrial applications, such as quality control during microchip fabrication.

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Robot Clubs Links United States

Alabama, Huntsville - The Mid-South Area Robotics Society
Arizona, Phoenix - Phoenix Area Robot Experimenters
California, Fullerton - Robotics Society of Southern California
California, Berkeley - East Bay Builders Group
California, Sacramento - Sacramento Area Robotics Group
California, San Diego - San Diego Robotics Society

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FIRST Robotics DVDs

Watch America's brightest high school science students achieve breakthroughs, set the groundwork for brilliant careers, and make extremely cool robots. They're part of the FIRST Robotics Competition, in which more than 20,000 high school students from across the country compete to reach new breakthroughs in robotics. The contest gets its name from "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology" (FIRST).

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Robot Magazine

ROBOT is a unique publication that offers the "how to do it" for the robot enthusiast and robot hobbyist, as well as the "what's going on" in the expanding world of robotics for the interested layperson or technical professional. It offer parents, teachers and kids guidance on using and playing with the new generation of consumer, toy and hobby robot products that serve as educational tools and recreational fun.

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MAKE: Technology on Your Time

Make: Technology on Your Time is a hybrid of a magazine and a book. It's a magazine, but not a typical one.
If you like to tweak, disassemble, re-create, and invent cool new uses for technology, you'll love MAKE the new quarterly publication for the inquisitive do-it-yourselfer. Every issue is packed with projects to help you make the most of all the technology in your life. Everything from home entertainment systems, to laptops, to robots is fair game. If there's a way to hack it, tweak it, bend it, or remix it, you will find out about it in MAKE.

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Dremel MultiPro 7.2-Volt 20,000 RPM Two-Speed Rotary Tool with 50 Accessories

Built for the do-it-yourselfer, Dremel's cordless MultiPro kit delivers the versatility you expect from a Dremel--with the added advantage of being cordless. Lightweight at only 9 ounces, this compact unit maneuvers comfortably in tight spaces.
What will you use it for? Remove old grout in your bathtub, polish your flatware, remove a broken tile, etch glass, hang miniblinds, cut out a pet door, install a new car stereo, sand off a spot of hard-to-reach rust, clean your boat's outboard engine parts, refinish ornate woodwork, install a mortise lock, and much, much more.

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Robot Tools

Every robotics laboratory needs a good set of basic tools. Check our selection below and see if there is an essential gadget that will simplify your work and make your hobby more fun.
Designed with the hobbyist and the do-it-yourself enthusiast in mind, this kit features a high-quality, lightweight pencil iron with variable power control, a cushioned foam grip with a replaceable heating element, and a safety guard iron holder. And it's from Weller, the world leader in soldering since 1945.

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Denali 115-Piece Tool Kit

Every roboticist needs a good set of basic tools, and kits are a great way to get them at a considerable savings. Three things make Denali's kit stand out - the price, an exceptional selection of quality tools, and the custom heavy-duty nylon bag. It's hard to find a set of tools as extensive as this for anywhere near this price. If purchased separately, these items might cost $150.

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Online Robot Parts

Modify your robots or make your own from scratch with these high-quality motors and raw materials.
Online metals is a great place to get the raw materials for your robot because they specialize in sales of small quantities. They stock aluminum and steel in every size and shape you might need. Titanium and tool steel are also available for the high-performance builder, and so is polycarbonate (Lexan). They also have a great selection of 4130 Chromoly tubing, and convenient "Metal Pack" assortments.

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