2012, SEP 21: UKRAINE - RETURN TO USA

On our way back home, we took a KLM flight from Kiev to Reykjavik. The September 2012 issue  of the KLM's in-flight magazine was devoted to developments in technology. It featured some interesting innovative  items. I would like to bring some of these items to your attention.

First is a KINETIC SCULPTURE, which was created by Marco Kruyt for the GOGBOT Festival. The Festival is held every year, in Enschede, near the German border in the Netherlands. It deals with multimedia, art, music and technology. The theme for the 2012 Festival was memes - an idea , trend or online behavior, that spreads from person to person through social media.

Kinetic Sculpture

Next is a GRASSHOPPER, which was created by Edouard Martinet. Its wings are moped mud-guards, rear legs from bicycle forks, and front legs from bicycle brakes. Its other parts include bits of toys, car parts and bicycle spokes.

Grasshopper

Another item is SILICONE LEAF PLATES designed by NAo Tamura. The plates are made from silicone. They are dishwasher-safe, oven-proof, and do not get chipped!



Silicone Leaf Plates

 

JOGGOBOT is a robot running companion. Programmed by the Exertion Games Lab, of RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, this quadcopter is designed to act as personal trainer, motivating & pacing the runner.  More info is available exertiongameslab.org

Also featured are the WORLD’S FIRST SUNGLASSES. Developed probably around 2,000 years ago, this low tech wonder -  wooden sunglasses with a tiny slit – were originally designed by the  ancestors of today ‘s Inuit, who live on the west coast of Alaska, to protect eyes from snow blindness in the harsh summer.

World's First Sunglasses

Finally there is PLASTIC-EATING FUNGUS. Discovered by two Yale University students in Ecuador’s Amazon, this new type of fungus , can survive on a diet of common plastic, according to a study published in Applied & Environmental Biology.