Blog

Howtoons Kaleidoscope



Check out the latest Howtoon, Kaleidoscope. A kaleidoscope is an instrument that enables the viewer to see beautiful shapes and colors through the reflection of mirrors. The term kaleidoscope was first coined by Sir David Brewster in 1817 and is derived from Ancient Greece: Kalos means beauty, Edios means form, and scope means to look. A Kaleidoscope is a cylinder with typically 3 mirrors placed inside at a 600 angle to form a triangle. When colored objects (glass or beads) are placed into the cylinder they multiply with the reflection of the mirrors creating beautiful symmetrical patterns. Enjoy these beautiful forms!

HTKscopeFNL

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Otherlab and GitHub



A visual display of Otherlab work done on github.

created using the Gsource software version control visualization found here.

Gsource

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Howtoons Gami-Bot



We can all agree that robots are awesome, but building them can sometimes be a daunting task. Check out the latest project from Howtoons. A Gami-Bot is a simple DIY origami robot that is made from a vibration motor, business card, 3v cell battery, and tape. It is so easy it practically builds itself.

Howtoons Gami-Bot

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We think simple is GOOD



While they may have buried the lede, thanks for the kind word from the New York Times green blog. Along with Folium's project to use tobacco to make oil and Proton OnSite's electrolysis for energy storage project, they liked our conformable tanks presentation at this weeks ARPA-E. I guess more trunk space is something we can all agree on.

New York Times: Green Blogs

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Saul Griffith on CNN



March 3, 2:30 eastern CNN show Up Next will be airing an show featuring Dr. Saul Griffith and Dr. Sanjay Gupta about energy, soft robotics, conformable tanks, and electric bicycles.

http://whatsnext.blogs.cnn.com/category/the-next-list/

http://whatsnext.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/26/saul-griffith-and-his-wouldnt-it-be-cool-inventions/



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Otherlab at ARPA-E



Otherlab traveled to DC this week to represent Sunfolding and Conformable Tanks at the ARPA-E Summit. Here are a few articles written about us.

Exciting Ideas In Solar Energy From ARPA-E
Live video talk: The power of storytelling for early stage energy tech

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Solve For X



Solve For X: Saul Griffith On Inflatable Robots



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An Intestine ... for Your Car





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Experiments in Food- Taco Potluck



Here at Otherlab, we work together, play together, and all importantly, eat together. With a kitchen forming the center of our workspace, we agree that the best parties end up in the kitchen.

Here’s a peek into one of our experiments: taco potluck day. Mmm, it sure was delicious!



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Sunfolding



Today Otherlab was named for an ARPA-E award for “Transformational Energy Technology Projects” to develop an innovative heliostat design. The proposal “Adaptive Fluidic Solar Collectors” explores a fluidics-based approach to solar actuation. This new class of actuators combines high-volume polymer manufacturing methods with novel, computationally derived geometries. The result is a radically reduced cost, high-performance actuator for solar applications. Otherlab proposed a lean research program, de-risking and developing prototypes at a fraction of the cost of many other projects. More about the ARPA-E award here.

We’re kicking the project into high gear and are hiring a few exceptional engineers. Find out more about the project and available positions: www.sunfolding.com

The solar project is a success story of science inspired by art. Above is a piece by the incredible artist Ned Kahn, whose work was one of our early inspirations.



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