This jelly-inspired jackhammer cushions workers abdomen + wrist from machine’s vibration hazards

While we are mesmerized by the architectural marvels of our race, so much effort goes into erecting a structure that leaves its mark for decades to come. One vital element of the construction industry is the use of a jackhammer to break tough rocks or any other tough construction material. Surprisingly, a jackhammer’s basic design hasn’t changed much because it does what’s needed without much fuzz. But the toll it takes on the construction workers’ body is something needing attention, and industrial designer Shin Youngjin has been considerate enough to offer the ignored solution to this predicament.

The young graduate from the Department of Industrial Design at Hanseo University has won quite a few awards for his mindful creations to solve everyday life’s hassles. The Jelly Breaker jackhammer is one of his designs aimed at keeping in mind the health hazards of working with the breaking tool which can damage the worker’s wrist and abdomen due to vibrating pressure generated by the machine. Since a construction worker has to press down the jackhammer with the wrist and abdomen’s power to get the task done efficiently, there is always a risk of instant injury or long-term injury when done for a considerable length of time. Shin has proposed the blueprint for a jackhammer that’s safe for the workers as it has an air pump and cushion inside the soft jelly-like material that absorbs the machine’s vibration from reaching the worker’s body.

Shin’s solution is very simple, one not many seemed to have given much thought over these years – right from the time when jackhammer was first commissioned into in the late 1800s. The very idea of designing a jackhammer in a way keeping in mind the worker’s long-term health without any compromise in the effectiveness of the tool is something XtremepowerUS and Mophorn can learn from.

Designer: Shin Youngjin

Researchers end quest to drill through 3km of ice after fuel runs low

Researchers end quest to drill through 3km of ice

Sad to say, but British researchers have called off their quest to drill through the 3km-thick sheet of ice over Lake Ellsworth in Antarctica. The mission to find organisms that have evolved in isolation for at least 100,000 years was called off after the team realized it didn't have enough fuel to power its water jet drill all the way to the lake. Complications arose trying to connect the drill's main hose to a cavity of water created in the ice by a short pilot hose. The team burned through so much fuel trying to get the hose connected properly that they no longer had enough left to reach the lake below the glacier's surface. The plan has not been scrapped entirely, however. The scientists are heading back to the UK, along with all their kit, to revise their plan and modify their equipment for the next attempt. Still, it appears breaking through to Lake Ellsworth is at least three years out. For more from geoscientist and expedition member Martin Siegert, check out the source link.

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Source: New Scientist

Researchers to bore through 3km of Antarctic ice, seek organisms isolated for 100K years

UK researchers to bore through 3km of Antarctic ice with hot water jet, seek life

UK researchers are ready to see if life can exist in one of the harshest environments on the planet: Lake Ellsworth in the Antarctic, 3 km (2 miles) below a glacier. They'll try to drill through the ice by December 12th using a high pressure sterile water jet heated to 90 degrees Celsius (194 Fahrenheit) and sterilize the patch of lake with intense ultraviolet light before attempting to retrieve a sample. If any organisms can be found, they'll have evolved in isolation for at least 100,000 years, according to team, and probably even much longer. That could help scientists understand more about how life evolves on this planet, and possibly elsewhere -- like iced-over oceans on Europa, Jupiter's moon, or other harsh planetary environments. It'll be the deepest borehole ever made with hot water, and the team will have a mere 24 hours to sterilize the lake entry and collect samples before it refreezes. When asked which part of the tricky experiment worried him the most, lead scientist Chris Hill replied, "everything." For a video tour of the drill site, head below the break.

Continue reading Researchers to bore through 3km of Antarctic ice, seek organisms isolated for 100K years

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Source: The Guardian

Polaris rover will travel to the Moon in search of polar resources, try to survive the long lunar night

Polaris rover will travel to the Moon in search of polar resources, try to survive the long lunar night

The Polaris rover may look a little punk rock, but that mohawk is no fashion statement. It's for catching solar rays which shine almost horizontally at the Moon's north pole, a location Polaris is due to explore before 2016. Built by Astrobotic Technology, it'll be ferried aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to our celestial companion, where it'll drill into the surface in search of ice. The company, spun out of the Carnegie Mellon University, hopes to identify resources at a depth of up to four feet that could be used to support manned Moon expeditions in the future. The plan is to complete the mission during a 10-day window of sunlight, digging at up to 100 sites over a three-mile stretch. However, if it can live through the harsh two-week-long nights, then it may continue to operate "indefinitely." NASA is backing the project, providing ice-prospecting gear and money, although Astrobotic hopes to get more cash for its work -- over $20 million from Google's Lunar X Prize. Right now, Polaris is a flight prototype and there are still improvements to be made, mainly on the software side, before it tackles the rough terrain. Check out the short video of its public unveiling below, although we don't think the soundtrack quite matches the hairdo.

Continue reading Polaris rover will travel to the Moon in search of polar resources, try to survive the long lunar night

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Polaris rover will travel to the Moon in search of polar resources, try to survive the long lunar night originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 15:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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