Scientists at MIT have created a synthetic material
that mimics the texture and color-shifting skin
of an octopus, and a new type of edible fungus
has been discovered growing inside of salami,
and it's fittingly been named penicillim salami.
Vsauce, Kevin here. This is Mind Blow.
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A new device allows you to hear with your tongue.
Researchers at Colorado State University are developing a technology
which uses a Bluetooth-enabled earpiece to detect sound
and then send the electrical impulses to a retainer
that wearers press against their tongue to hear.
They're currently mapping the nerves on the tongue,
then they say it could take two to three months of wearing the device
to teach your brain to interpret the signals on your tongue
as words or sounds.
Eventually, those with substantial hearing loss could use this
as a significantly simpler and less expensive alternative
to cochlear implants.
Researchers at Harvard University have developed
an organic, non-metal flow battery that is chemically similar to rhubarb.
The battery is 97% cheaper to make than those made with metal,
and it's environmentally friendly.
A few models already exist, and the technology could be used
to take greater advantage of intermittent energy sources,
like wind or the sun.
An engineer in London has created functioning synthetic leaves.
They're created by extracting chloroplasts from plants
and binding them together with some silk fibers.
These synthetic leaves engage in photosynthesis,
and could be used to clean city air
or create oxygen in spaceships or space colonies.
Sixth Sense has created a motion-tracking platform
built specifically for virtual reality.
Instead of using only a camera to track a user's motion,
the Stem System has a base station that sends out electromagnetic waves,
which are then picked up by sensors on the head,
in the controllers, and on the legs.
It allows for a wider range of motion by the user
as well as greater accuracy, so it'll be easier than ever to be a Jedi
or go virtual shoe shopping.
Wetlands Work is hoping to implement floating toilets made with plants.
There are a number of floating villages in Cambodia
where traditional plumbing is impossible,
thereby increasing the risk of contracting deadly diseases.
These toilets use pods filled with plants,
like hyacinth, to reduce harmful bacteria
in the waste by 99.9%,
and the hope is to implement them in other countries
where villages exist on or near water.
The Bloodhound is a rocket car aiming to break the land speed record this year.
It has a jet engine and a hybrid rocket motor
and hopes to achieve speeds higher than 763 miles per hour,
and it's outfitted with 500 sensors
and a number of cameras that transmit data in real time
to help teach children about engineering and aerodynamics.
Termites help prevent the spread of desert into drylands.
A recent study from Princeton reveals that termite mounds
are excellent at storing minerals and moisture,
and as a result, help plant life flourish.
Drylands that had termites were less likely to turn into desert
and needed less rainfall to sustain their ecosystems.
This study suggests that other burrowing animals
might have similar impacts on drylands,
and this could change the way we look at microecosystems.
Starry Sky is a project by a Dutch startup
to power 300 LEDs using plants.
It works by harvesting discarded protons and electrons
from the bacteria near the plant's roots, so all you need to generate electricity
is water, CO2, and sunlight.
The project marks Plant-e's first commercial installation,
and you can now buy plant-powered cell phone charging stations,
Wifi hotspots, and rooftop electricity modules from their website.
Finally, students at MIT are experimenting
with ice-based architecture.
By freezing thin cloth with layers of water,
they're able to create winter shelters that utilize gravitational geography
to remain upright.
But those shapes still stood by themselves,
so it was very nice to see that the frozen fabrics
is very strong.
[laughing and speaking Dutch]
You can see it's a very stiff shelter.
I'm going to leave you with a tiny zipper robot,
and as always, thanks for watching.
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[muRatta Cheerleaders] [World's First Robot Cheerleaders] [Murata Manufacturing Co.]
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[Vsauce 2]
[Find More Amazing] [Twitter: @VsauceTwo]
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