Divers use high tech Exosuit to explore the Antikythera wreck

Archaeologists are using an innovative deep sea diving suit called the Exosuit when they dive to an ancient shipwreck that was home to a very remarkable object, the Antikythera Mechanism. [Image Courtesy of American Museum of Natural History] The Antikythera Mechanism is thought to be the oldest computer in the world, a device from the 2nd century BC, found by divers looking for sponges just off a remote island in Greece in the Aegean Sea. The mechanism is very complex and features as many as 40 bronze gears and cogs which the Greeks uses to help keep track of the cycle of the solar system. It’s believed that it wasn’t until 1500 years later before another sophisticated astrological clock was made in Europe. [Image Courtesy of American Museum of Natural History] Archaeologists will be making another dive to the wreck wearing an up to date high tech diving suit. This means they will be able to dive at more than double the depth they can now, along with remaining on the bottom of the sea for a lot longer. The idea for the Exosuit came from Nuytco Research in Canada and when wearing the suit, divers will be able to go down to 150 metres. Archaeologist Theotokis Theodoulou said that divers will still be able to undertake delicate tasks despite the fact that the suit looks like a cumbersome and puffy space suit. He told the team that have set off to Antikythera that it will expand their capabilities; they will be able to dig, grasp and pluck for several hours at a time. The Greek island dive site is situated between Crete and Peloponnese. [Image Courtesy of American Museum of Natural History] It is thought that there are still many artefacts lying undiscovered in the wreck and previously, divers only had the equipment to operate at up to 60 meters depth. The mechanism was lying alongside a bronze statue of a youth in the wreckage of the ship and researchers believe there could be many other treasures on-board that haven’t yet been discovered yet. “We have good signs that there are other objects present,” said Angeliki Simosi, head of Greece’s directorate of underwater antiquities, after exploratory dives in the area in 2012 and 2013. “There are dozens of items left, this was a ship bearing immense riches from Asia Minor,” added archaeologist Dimitris Kourkoumelis. Divers are hoping to be able to confirm another shipwreck around 250 meters away from the original site. The Greek island of Antikythera was one of the busiest trade routes at one time. The team is going to be helped by a Woods Hole Oceanographic expert, Brendan Foley; he was among the divers who dove down to the wreck of the Titanic. He has been involved in identifying many ancient wrecks during the last five years. The expedition will also be equiped with other high tech devices such as robot mapping equipment and advanced closed-circuit re-breathers. These should allow the diving team to spend more time at the site. The new equipment means that divers can spend an extra 30 minutes at the bottom of the ocean each day along with having greater mental acuity and greater safety margins. Via [PHYS.org] - See more at: http://interestingengineering.com/divers-use-high-tech-exosuit-to-explore-the-antikythera-wreck/#sthash.dgUZlN56.dpuf

Over in South Korea an architectural company by the name of Moon Hoon has come up with a design for a house based on Star Wars. When looking at the property it looks like something that has been airlifted straight from the set of the latest Star Wars movie and dropped in a residential area. The architectural firm designed the Star Wars House with a family on a low budget in mind and it is has fun styling as well as being practical. [Image Courtesy of Moon Hoon] The unusual project was finished in 2013 and was the idea of an airline pilot and ground crew wife. They asked Moon Hoon to make them a home that was suitable for their family and which had a small physical footprint. [Image Courtesy of Moon Hoon] As the husband had dreams of becoming an astronaut when he was younger, this was the starting point for the design. There was a great deal of brainstorming and eventually the company came up with a house that had a Star Wars look to it on the exterior. [Image Courtesy of Moon Hoon] The home does have an unusual shape, however the interior is very practical for families and it is comfortable. It was built over three storeys and offers a total floor space of 131 square meters. The home was designed with a clean and modern look to it with plain wood and walls painted in pure white. Plenty of natural light floods into the house thanks to the numerous windows making the house feel a lot more spacious. [Image Courtesy of Moon Hoon] The living room, along with kitchen and bathroom are spread out over the first two floors and the entire third floor is for playing in. [Image Courtesy of Moon Hoon] What looks to be a bookshelf is actually a hidden door and this can be opened to reveal the hidden play area inside. The play area comes with its own slide and of course, this being a Star Wars house, it has a control room. [Image Courtesy of Moon Hoon] The Star Wars house cost 200 million KRW to design and build, which is around US$192, 000. [Image Courtesy of Moon Hoon] - See more at: http://interestingengineering.com/star-wars-house-takes-design-from-movie/#sthash.SAVBDz5t.dpuf

10 investors who Died of their own Inventions.

While many inventors live happy and prosperous lives, perhaps with plenty of money thanks to their inventions, others are not so lucky. In fact, some inventors have been known to have died thanks to their own inventions and here are 10 of them.

1.Franz Reichelt, the tailor who invented the “wingsuit”.

Franz Reichelt decided to make a “wingsuit” which he said would allow him to glide effortlessly, in a similar fashion to parachutes of today, however it wasn’t to be. On 4 February 1912 the French tailor climbed up to the top of the Eiffel Tower in the wingsuit he had made, having previously told the French authorities that he was going to use a dummy to test the suit out. He changed his mind on arriving at the tower and announced that he would be wearing the suit and jumping himself.

Even though people around him tried to persuade him otherwise, he was adamant that he wanted to make the jump saying that he wanted to try it without any trickery, so as to prove the worth of his invention. The wingsuit had a parachute with a surface area of 320 square feet and was 16 feet in height; all he had to do was extend his arms out like wings.

Watched over by 30 journalists, a large crowd and 2 cinematographers he climbed onto the ledge and jumped over. Sadly, the wingsuit just wrapped around his body and he plummeted to the ground 187 feet below where he left a crater that was reported to be 5.9 inches in depth. He suffered devastating injuries, however it was said that the cause of death was a heart attack on the free-fall down.

2.Perillos of Athens and his Brazen Bull

[Image Courtesy of WikimediaCommons]

Perillos worked as a bronze worker and he made what was known as the “Brazen Bull”. This was a device with the purpose of executing criminals in a slow and agonising death. The Brazen Bull was hollow and prisoners were put into it and then roasted via a fire that was underneath the stomach of the bull. Perillos was making a pitch of his invention to the tyrant lord of Acragas in Sicily and when he showed the bull off he was asked to get inside it. A fire was then lit underneath the bull. It isn’t made clear as to whether he actually roasted to death inside the bull or whether he was taken out before he died and thrown off a cliff.

3.Stuntman Karel Soucek and his shock absorbent barrel

[Image Courtesy of Karel Soucek]   

Karel Soucek was a stuntman who first went over the Niagara Falls in a shock absorbent barrel that he had custom built in 1984. Strangely he survived this rather silly stunt, but then one year later he thought he would like to test it out being dropped from the Houston Astrodome, 180 feet, into a tank full of water. This time he wasnt so lucky as the capsule hit the rim of the tank of water and he perished a few hours later in hospital due to the injuries he suffered.

4.Horace Lawson Hunley and his submarine

 [Image Courtesy of WikimediaCommons]  

Lawyer Horace Lawson Hunley had a passion for submarines and during the battle of the Civil War he helped to design and build three models. The third submarine was funded by him and on 15 October 1863 he along with 7 crewmembers took the submarine down and it sank in Charleston S.C. The submarine was recovered and was then used again; surprisingly the submarine sank a ship and was the first submarine to actually do so. It’s a pity Hunley didn’t live to see it.

5.William Bullock and his Rotary Printing Press

[Image Courtesy of Wikipedia]  

American inventor William Bullock invented a printing press in 1863 that helped to change the print industry. However on 3 April 1867 he was adjusting the press and he kicked a driving belt on a pulley and got his leg crushed. Within days he developed gangrene and on 12 April he died in hospital during an operation to amputate his leg.

6.Max Valier and his Liquid Fuelled Rocket Car

[Image Courtesy of Wikipedia]  

Max Valier worked with liquid fuelled rockets for rocket powered cars and he had success on 25 January 1930. On 19 April 1930 he made a test drive of a rocket car, which was successful, but one month later 17 May 1930 he was killed when testing an alcohol fuelled rocket car and it exploded.

7.Thomas Midgley and his System of Strings and Pulleys

[Image Courtesy of WikimediaCommons]   

Thomas Midgley was a mechanical engineer who after illness became disabled. He then invented a system of strings and pulleys so that people could help to lift him from his bed. However on 2 November 1944 he died after being strangled by the system when he became entangled in ropes of the system.

8.Sieur Freminet and his Rebreathing device

[Image Courtesy of Oddee] 

Sieur Freminet invented a rebreathing device for scuba diving in 1772 that recycled the air exhaled from inside the barrel. However the invention wasn’t that good as he died from a lack of oxygen inside the invention after just twenty minutes.

9.Henry Smolinski and his Flying Car

[Image Courtesy of WikimediaCommons]   

Henry Smolinski was a trained engineer who gave up his job to begin Advanced Vehicle Engineers, with the aim of inventing a flying car. In 1973 they built two prototypes when they fused the back end of the Cessna Skymaster airplane to a Ford Pinto, with the tail section being designed to attach and the detach from the car. On 11 Sept 1973 he tested it alongside Harold Blake, the pilot, and both were killed when the wing strut came away from the car.

10.Valerian Abakovsky and his Aerowagon train engine

[Image Courtesy of WikimediaCommons]  

Russian inventor Valerian Abakovsky invented the Aerowagon, it featured the engine and propeller of an airplane and was made to take Soviet officials backwards and forwards from Moscow. The invention was successful on the outgoing leg when testing it but on the incoming journey it crashed on reaching the station and the inventor died.

- See more at: http://interestingengineering.com/10-inventors-who-died-by-their-own-inventions/#sthash.Qev1lTl3.dpuf

Amazing Yacht..

This Luxurious Island Yacht Design Concept is a truly magnificent example of creative design It was designed by a UK firm named Yacht Island Design Ltd.  The idea behind the concept is to combine a tropical island with a luxury yacht. 
It incorporates island features such as bamboo huts with modern comforts and luxuries. There is also a beach deck which would allow certain popular water sports. Indoor entertainment includes cinemas, a games room and a library. Holiday luxuries such as fine dining and a fully equipped gym are also included in the design.   It is like a moveable island. In order to recreate a natural island feel the yacht features a waterfall, a mountain stream and a beautiful valley pool as well as a replica 

Lumilor Lets your paints with light amazing.

U.S. based company, Darkside Scientific, have developed a new interesting way to paint with light. Their patended and trademarked LumiLor is a technology that lets you add a glow in the dark effect to complex surfaces that lights up when a current is applied. This means there is no fade and it can be controlled to flash, strobe or produce patterns.

[Image Courteys of Darkside Scientific]

The Ohio based company has developed the electroluminescent coating over the past few years but unfortunately you can’t just buy it off the shelf as applying the paint requires some training in order to produce quality results. The colours are currently limitted to white and a luminescent blue-green but they’ve already been put to impressive uses.

Just check out the finish on this Tesla, which is normally a head-turner in its own right:

The tech is a complicated multi-layer coating that includes a conductive base, two-wire connections to electrical power, an insulating primer coat and the final lighting top coat – hence the lack of on the shelf products.

[Image Courteys of Darkside Scientific]

What began as a way of customising motorbikes could now see a lot more uses than originally expected. The company are now looking into everything from household applicances, car accessories and building materials.

“We have broken new ground, and it would be very dangerous for us as a company to compromise our (intellectual property) in any transaction,” said Darkside Scientific’s CEO Shawn Mastrian.

“We have told everyone we deal with that we will walk away from any deal that includes sharing our IP. That’s where our value is.”

- See more at: http://interestingengineering.com/must-see-lumilor-lets-you-paint-with-light/#sthash.Oz5BqX98.dpuf

Amazingly 7 Shah Rukh Khan Controversies That Shocked Bollywood

The Baadshah of Bollywood is known for a lot of things, subtlety sure ain’t one of them.

While Salman Khan may currently be holding the title of Bollywood’s most controversial resident, it isn’t without stiff competition from arch rival, Shah Rukh Khan. Here’s a look at seven of the biggest controversies that SRK has raked up thus far in B-town:

The Wankhede Brawl

They may have hugged and made up (metaphorically) after KKR drove home with the cup, but that did little to sway the MCA officials’ decision to impose a five year ban on the Khan in the Wankhede Stadium given his drunken escapades.

The Salman Khan Saga

It may have happened six long years ago and while the people involved in the scuffle in question may have forgiven, if not forgotten; SRK and Salman’s long standing rivalry still unfailingly manages to make the headlines.

The Shirish Kunder Scuffle

Demonstrating yet again his volatile mood relationship with parties, SRK reportedly slapped close friend Farah Khan’s husband Shirish Kunder and shoved him onto a sofa after supposedly being provoked by him. Well, looks like while we were all busy hating on Joker, SRK decided to actually to do something about it.

The IPL Controversy

The King Khan managed to land with his foot in his mouth yet again after his innocent comment about allowing Pakistani cricketers to participate in the Indian Premier League irked the ire of a political party.

The Sourav Ganguly Mishap

His reasons for dropping veteran cricketer from his IPL team in the fourth edition of the tournament may have been purely logical, but even the most diehard SRK fan lost his love for the KKR team and responded to the snub against their favorite cricketer by boycotting the match held in their home ground at Eden Gardens. 

The Multiple Airport Detentions

The Baadshah also happens to hold the dubious record of having been twice at the US airport as a result of his surname, and has in the past even bluntly spoken up about the same: “Whenever I start feeling too arrogant, I always take a trip to America. The immigration guys kicked the star out of stardom."

The Abhijeet Bhattacharya Spat

After popular Bollywood singer publically alleged that SRK had done him out of his fair share of credit for Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om, the actor snarkily remarked, "Isn't it a coincidence that whoever doesn't want to work with me becomes famous?" 

Your Inner Child Will Love These Houses With Secret Passageways

Wine Cellar Stairway

While the rest of us live in boring regular houses, these people have awesome secret passageways, rooms, and stairways that make living in their home an adventure every day! Click through to check out 15 awesome houses with secret passageways you wish you lived in!

This normal looking kitchen sits atop the most gorgeous hidden wine cellar ever. Lift the door and you find a spiral staircase surrounded by space for all the wine you could ever need to store! Hide it with a rug and no one will ever know it is there!

Passage to Narnia

This child's wardrobe was converted into a secret passageway to a playroom, Narnia style. The playroom is even decorated to look like Narnia!

Private Sauna

Fancy a private soak in your own sauna? You can if you live in this house! It has a hidden sauna in the bathroom, accessible by a door that looks like just another wall.

Hidden Bathroom

What better way to make sure that you never have to wait for the bathroom than to hide it from everyone else? Who would ever think to look for it behind the bookcase?

Hidden Second Floor

Just when you thought that was all to the house and you had hit a dead end, there's more! This bookcase actually hides a hidden staircase to a whole other floor!

Kid's Room Passageway

The kid's rooms in this house are connected by a cute little secret passageway that only they can fit through. No adults allowed!