What if you arrived home to find it delicious hot meal waiting for you, prepared by your very own kitchen robot? It might sound like science fiction. but professors at the university of Tokyo  have  taken  the first steps toward making that  scenario a reality. The team recently introduced a humanoid kitchen robot that can pour and other drinks into cups and serve the m to guests. When teating is over, the robot can also wash the dishes and put them away.

    In California, another interesting kitchen robot has been developed, called Readybot. It can pick up objects and either store them in  cabinets (橱柜）or put them in the trash. It also carries a separate floor-cleaning robot that can operate by itself. Unlike the Japanese robot, Readybot just looks more like a large box with arms and wheels.

    Readybot was created by engineers and designers who established a club called the Readybot  Challlenge. They believe that in the future millions of robots will be needed in homes to perform ordinary household tasks. Readybot is just the first step in their plan to create a robot that can do jobs not  only  in  kitchens but  in other rooms of homes and in offices as well.

    Clearly there are technological difficulties to solve before robots can cook a Complete dinner, and there arc also many safety concerns (忧虑） .Not everyone (especially parents) would be comfortable with the idea of robots in their house, manipulating hot pans and sharp knives. The European Commission recently funded(资助） a project to study these concerns. According to lead researcher Professor Chris Melhuish,“ Enabling  robots to work  safely with humans is a key need for the future development of robotics.”

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    Many people have long dreamed of being able to fly around as simply as riding a bicycle. Yet the safety and strength of a flying bike was always a big problem. Over the past 10 years, developments in technology have moved the dream of personal flying vehicles closer to reality. Now, two groups of inventors say such vehicles may be available soon.

    The British company Malloy Aeronautics has developed a prototype (原型) of its flying bicycle. Grant Stapleton, marketing sales director of Malloy Aeronautics, says the Hoverbike is able to get in and out of small spaces very quickly." It can be moved across continents very quickly because it can be folded and packed," he adds.

    Mr. Stapleton says safety was the company's main concern. He says the designers solved the safety issue by using overlapping rotors to power the vehicle.

    The company is testing a full-size prototype of the Hoverbike, which will most likely be used first by the police and emergency rescue teams.

    In New Zealand, Martin Aircraft Company is also testing a full-size prototype of its personal flying device, called the Jetpack. It can fly for more than 30 minutes, up to 1, 000meters high and reach a speed of 74 kilometers per hour.

    Peter Coker is the CEO of Martin Aircraft Company. He said the Jetpack "is built around safety from the start". In his words, “Reliability is the most important element of it. We have safety built into the actual structure itself, very similar to a Formula One racing car.

    The Jetpack uses a gasoline-powered engine that produces two powerful jet streams. Mr. Coker says it also has a parachute that would be used, if there should be an emergency. "It starts to work at very low altitude and actually saves both the aircraft and the pilot," he adds. Mr. Coker says the Jetpack will be ready for sale soon.

    Shellharbour City Library provides a range of Library Special Needs Services for people who are unable to access our library service in the usual way. As long as you live in Shellharbour City, we'll provide a full range of library services and resources including: large printed and ordinary printed books, talking books on tape and CD, DVDs and music CDs, magazines, reference and information requests, and so on. You will be asked to complete a "Statement of Need" application form which must be signed by a medical professional.

    Home delivery service

    Let us know what you like to read and we will choose the resources for you. Our staff will deliver the resources to your home for free. We also provide a service where we can choose the resources for you or someone instead of you choosing the things from the library. You can also choose the resources you need personally.

    Talking books and captioned videos

    The library can provide talking books for people who are unable to use printed books because of eye diseases. You don't have to miss out on reading any more when you can borrow talking books from the library. If you have limited hearing which prevents you from enjoying movies, we can provide captioned videos for you at no charge.

    Language besides English

    We can provide books in a range of languages besides English. If possible, we will request these items from the State Library of NSW(New South Wales), Australia.

    How to join

    Contact the Library Special Needs Coordinator to register or discuss if you are eligible (合适的) for any of the services we provide—9 am to 5 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Call 4297-2522 for more information.

Why Mars (火星) is New Settlement

    Is it possible to live on other planets? The United States government is taking a serious look at the moon and Mars as potential places for future human settlement. The moon could serve as a training ground for later journeys to Mars. Currently, with Mars becoming the eventual long-term goal, serious questions exist as to whether the dangers of the settlement on the moon are too extreme and unnecessary.

    One major reason the settlement on the moon is too dangerous is the difference between the atmosphere environment of the moon and Mars. Atmosphere is important because it protects humans and all other life from a continuous attack of radiation (辐射) caused by sources such as the sun. This radiation is especially dangerous to humans because it increases the risk of cancer and can negatively change DNA. The fact that the moon has no atmosphere can cause great harm to human beings. Although Mars' atmosphere is significantly thinner than Earth's, at least it has one and would create some sort of protective barrier for humans.

    Another important characteristic necessary for human settlement is natural resources like water, of which the moon is believed to have none. Mars, however, contains vast quantities of water ice, dry ice, and also snow. There is also sufficient evidence that water once existed at the surface of Mars and might return in the future if the planet warms. With increased technologies, the potential for settlers to remain on Mars by being increasingly self-sufficient makes Mars a much more attractive goal as the space settlement than the moon.

    Future settlers will not only benefit from potential water on Mars; the planet is also rich in other natural resources such as oxygen, hydrogen, and minerals, which can be well used in productive ways.  For example, hydrogen can be used as fuel, and it can be combined with nitrogen (氮气) to form new materials necessary for human settlement. Due to these advantages,

    Mars would be a more successful planet for exploration and settlement because it contains the basic resources necessary for humans to survive.

    Since the environment of Mars is more similar to that of Earth and it contains resources necessary to  help  life  exist,  it should  be  the  only option for any kind of long-term human settlement. The settlement on Mars would not only be a milestone in space but also an excellent chance for mankind to improve itself from past adventures on Earth and preserve and make the best use of the natural resources Mars has to offer.

The Nautilus Expedition(探险) to the Cayman Islands

Hi! I'm Talita and this is my blog! Enjoy!

Day 1: August 15^th

Wow! I can't believe I'm actually here on Nautilus. I'm one of five very lucky students chosen to go on Nautilus's four-day expedition to the Cayman Islands. We had a talk from the expedition leader Dr. Katy Croff Bell about where we're going and what we'll be doing. Oh, and all the safety rules as well, of course!

Day 2: August 16^th

What an amazing day! In the morning, we met Dr. Robert Ballard, who discovered the wreck(残骸) of the Titanic! After lunch, we had a tour around Nautilus. We looked at the labs, and we went up to the bridge—that's where the captain of the ship works. I even got a chance to guide the ship! Later we learned about Hercules. This robot is sent deep into the sea to look for shipwrecks, to study the plants and animals, and to look at the rocks in an area.

Day 3: August 17^th

This morning we appeared on the Nautilus Live website and talked to students around the world about our expedition. It was amazing—I feel like a real famous person now! The afternoon was NOT cool, however. There was a big storm , and we all felt very seasick!

Day 4: August 18^th

This morning was beautiful, and the sea was peaceful. Perfect for a dive. Unfortunately, it was Hercules, not us, who got to go diving. In the afternoon, we arrived at Grand Cayman. Although I'm sad to leave the Nautilus team (especially Hercules), I'm excited to explore the islands and the waters!