A team of engineers at Harvard University has been inspired by Nature to create the first robotic fly. The mechanical fly has become a platform for a series of new high-tech integrated systems. Designed to do what a fly does naturally, the tiny machine is the size of a fat housefly. Its mini wings allow it to stay in the air and perform controlled flight tasks.

    “It's extremely important for us to think about this as a whole system and not just the sum of a bunch of individual components (元件),” said Robert Wood, the Harvard engineering professor who has been working on the robotic fly project for over a decade. A few years ago, his team got the go-ahead to start piecing together the components.“The added difficulty with a project like this is that actually none of those components are off the shelf and so we have to develop them all on our own,” he said.

    They engineered a series of systems to start and drive the robotic fly. “The seemingly simple system which just moves the wings has a number of interdependencies on the individual components, each of which individually has to perform well, but then has to be matched well to everything it's connected to,” said Wood. The flight device was built into a set of power, computation, sensing and control systems. Wood says the success of the project proves that the flying robot with these tiny components can be built and manufactured.

    While this first robotic flyer is linked to a small, off-board power source, the goal is eventually to equip it with a built-in power source, so that it might someday perform data-gathering work at rescue sites, in farmers' fields or on the battlefield. “Basically it should be able to take off, land and fly around,” he said.

    Wood says the design offers a new way to study flight mechanics and control at insect-scale. Yet, the power, sensing and computation technologies on board could have much broader applications. “You can start thinking about using them to answer open scientific questions, you know, to study biology in ways that would be difficult with the animals, but using these robots instead,” he said. “So there are a lot of technologies and open interesting scientific questions that are really what drives us on a day to day basis.”

    Pacific Science Center Guide

    Visit Pacific Science Center's Store

    Don't forget to stop by Pacific Science Center's Store while you are here to pick up a wonderful science activity or souvenir to remember your visit. The store is located(位于) upstairs in Building 3 right next to the Laser Dome.

    Hungry?

    Our exhibits will feed your mind, but what about your body? Our café offers a complete menu of lunch and snack options, in addition to seasonal specials. The café is located upstairs in Building 1 and is open daily until one hour before Pacific Science Center closes.

    Rental Information

    Lockers are available to store any belongings during your visit. The lockers are located in Building 1 near the Information Desk and in Building 3. Pushchairs and wheelchairs are available to rent at the Information Desk and Denny Way entrance. ID required.

    Support Pacific Science Center

    Since 1962, Pacific Science Center has been inspiring a passion(热情) for discovery and lifelong learning in science, math and technology. Today, Pacific Science Center serves more than 1.3 million people a year and brings inquiry-based science education to classrooms and community events all over Washington State. It's an amazing accomplishment and one we cannot achieve without generous support from individuals, corporations, and other social organizations. Visit pacificsciencecenter.org to find various ways you can support Pacific Science Center.

    The Hawaiian Islands

    Hawaii

    The “Big Island” of Hawaii is a paradise playground where visitors can enjoy a popular lifestyle. A visit to Volcanoes National Park, which is described as a true wonder of the world, is a must.

    Accommodations

    Seasons resort Hualala: from $205.00

    Fairmont Orchid: from $108.00

    Sightseeing and experiences

    Circle Island Tour: from $48.00

    Kauai

The beautiful landscape of Kauai has led to it being called the “Garden Isle”, but it is also referred to as the “Island of discovery”, and with good season— a land of striking natural contrasts just waiting to be explored. Green mountains, a breathtaking coastline and white sand beaches combined to make this magical place one of the world's most relaxing locations.

    Accommodations

    Hyatt Kauai: from $101.00

    Sheranton Kauai Resort: from $79.00

    Maui

    Voted the “World's Best Island”, Maui is widely regarded as one of the most romantic destinations on the earth.

    Accommodations

    Hyatt Regency MauiResort& Spa: from $87.00

    Sheraton Maui: from $99.00

    Oahu

    Oahu has a unique rhythm, filling the air with sweet fragrances, music and language from beaches and nightlife to rainforests and valleys.

    Accommodations

    Halekulani: from $121.00

    Hilton Hawaiian Village: from $73.00

    Sightseeing and experiences

    Royal CircleIsland Tour: from $34.00

    Paradise Cove Lu'au: $44.00

    Lanai

    Lanai is one of the smallest Hawaiian Island, yet it's full of surprises. Known as the “Pineapple Isle”, it combines all the natural beauties ranging from the paradise of Shipwrech-Beach to underwater sea caves.

    Accommodations

    Four seasons Resort Lanai at Mancle Bay: from $ 134.00

    All prices are based on per person per night.

    Over 500 dogs being delivered to a butcher house were saved by a Chinese animal protection organization.

    The incident then triggered a debate among Chinese netizens about the necessity of pouring so much money and efforts into saving dogs.

    On Friday, a truck loaded with over 500 dogs were stopped by volunteers from animal protection organization on Jingha Expressway Beijing section. Beijing Times reported these dogs were being delivered to slaughter houses in the city of Changchun, northeast Jilin Province and would be eventually served on dinner tables. After negotiations with the truck driver, pet service provider Leepet Holding Corp. and a philanthropic foundation, Shang shan Foundation purchased these dogs, each paying 50,000 yuan. Dogs were then delivered to the headquarter of China Small Animal Protection Association (CSAPA), being taken care of and waiting for adoption.

    After the "dog saving mission" was reported, Chinese net users debate over whether saving dogs is worth so much efforts and money while there are still many poor and needy people in China lacking assistance. Some net users argue the "dog saving mission" is placing overattention to animals while lots of needy people are still left unattended. A microblogger "Xiaowulaitajie" said on China's twitter like website, weibo.com, "Dogs are saved, adopted and they attracted media spotlight. We'd better spend such money and take such efforts in helping the needy people." Another microblogger, Liluping, said "We poured such huge sum of money into saving dogs. I would rather the money was spent on disaster relief."

    Some applaud volunteers' actions and show eagerness of offering their helping hands to those saved dogs.

    Still many disapprove those "saving dogs" critics, but they argue that such act nonetheless promotes social progress.

    A microblogger named "broken bridge" said, saving dogs does not run counter to taking care of people. Such enthusiasm in public affairs will help raise social awareness in helping the needy.

    I think people and animals are created equal. Attention should be paid to people as well as animals.

    Alexa is a form of artificial intelligence, or Al for short. Many people start their mornings by asking Alexa for the weather forecast or the latest news. A device (设备)that houses Alexa can also play music from your favorite playlists, keep a shopping list, order takeout food, answer questions, send voice messages and even run "smart" home controls.

    Training AI systems to respond to problems with human-like intelligence—and learn from their mistakes —can take months, or even years. Consider Alexa and similar software, such as Apples Siri. To do the tasks its human owners ask, these systems must make sense of and then respond to sentences such as, "Alexa, play my Ed Sheeran playlist" or "Siri , what is the capital of India?"

    Computers can't understand language as it is spoken by people. So AI researchers must find a way to help humans communicate with computers. The technology used to get computers to "understand" human speech or text is known as natural language processing. By natural language, computer scientists refer to the way people naturally talk or write. To teach an AI system a task like comprehending a sentence or responding to a person's last move in a board game, scientists need to feed it lots of examples.

    AlphaGO is an AI system designed by Google that has beaten a human champion, Lee Sedol, at the strategy(策略)board game Go. To train AlphaGo, Google had to show it 30 million Go moves that people had made while playing the game. Then AlphaGo used what it learned to analyze those plays as it played against different versions (版本)of itself. During this practice, the program came up with new moves —ones never seen in games between people.

    Computers, software and devices that are powered by AI can do much more, however, than just play board games and music. And one day they could make our life much easier and much more interesting.

    Taking your pulse during physical activity allows you to measure how hard you are exercising. You should exercise to stay within your target heart range.

    Increasing your heart rate is a key part of exercise but it is important that your heart rate is not too high or too low. If you are a beginner, you should also be able to breathe comfortably while exercising. This will ensure that you are exercising at a level that is safe and effective for your body.

    The chart below illustrates target heart rate ranges for exercise based on the maximal heart rate for selected ages. Here are the steps for using the chart: