Stick-on sugar sensor
April 1st, 2015
Diabetics monitor blood glucose levels with devices that draw blood, analyze data and display numbers that signal levels outside the normal range. The “finger pokes” are never comfortable, nor are the sore fingers and tiny adhesive bandages that result from a glucose monitoring routine. University of California, San Diego, graduate student Amay Bandodkar and colleagues […]
Capturing philanthropy
April 1st, 2015
Janet Echelman’s large-scale, aerial creations of thread have captured attention worldwide, so when the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Wash., wanted a sculpture that expressed the spirit of the foundation and established the center of its new global campus, Echelman got the commission. Her permanent installation, “Impatient-Optimist,” delicately floats between two buildings, changing […]
Climbing with gecko-tech
April 1st, 2015
Stanford University mechanical engineering graduate student Elliot Hawkes wanted to find out how geckos (small tropical lizards) climb walls. Many geckos have specialized toe pads that allow them to climb smooth vertical surfaces. Now Hawkes is climbing sheer glass buildings on campus, testing a controllable adhesive system that sticks to glass and supports a person’s […]
Gardens, gunpowder and grace
April 1st, 2015
An 1805 former gunpowder store in the Royal Park of Kensington Gardens, London, U.K., became the unlikely beneficiary of the Dr. Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation’s gift to the Serpentine Gallery—the largest single gift ever received by the internationally known gallery of modern art, architecture and design. The generosity of these patrons effected a Cinderella-like […]
Cooped up in comfort
April 1st, 2015
An article in the New York Times calls the growth of backyard chicken coops a “chicken boomlet,” fueled by self-reliant people spooked by the recession; advocates of healthy, locally grown food; and parents who see chickens as teaching tools and entertainment for children. A client requested Juli Woods, president of The Right Angle Marine, Greenville, […]
Mesh “lasso” rounds up data in space
April 1st, 2015
Space is the final frontier, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) just sent a mechanical cowboy into orbit around the earth to round up data about the planet’s soil moisture. NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite has three main parts: radar, a radiometer and the largest rotating mesh antenna ever deployed in […]
Cocktails under the sea
April 1st, 2015
A birthday celebration at a private Beverly Hills estate became a lush, colorful ocean display for an opening day cocktail party, thanks to Revelry Event Designers, Los Angeles, Calif. A 120-foot-long brilliant undersea landscape hung on the side of the large event tent, setting the stage for guests to stroll across the lawn through huge […]
Productivity paired
April 1st, 2015
Father and son team Stewart and Ross Brown embrace the challenge of change by making the most of their strengths. By Sigrid Tornquist When we implement something new—whether in regard to technology, infrastructure or processes—there’s always some doubt about how well it will work out,” says Ross Brown, vice president of Brown Sales Corp. in […]
Stretching colorful options
April 1st, 2015
Here is a winning formula for wide-format print shops: Produce vibrant, high-quality graphics quickly and easily on a variety of materials and in a more environmentally friendly manner. What’s the catch? There doesn’t appear to be one, which is why latex printing is increasingly becoming the choice for many commercial and industrial printing applications. The […]
Keeping on top of trucking
April 1st, 2015
Tarp manufacturers stay up to date with the needs of the transportation industry. By Janice Kleinschmidt Some folks see a semitrailer and think of it as nothing more than an object to pass before the next exit. Tyler Birden sees an object of curiosity. “We are always climbing up on trucks and trailers to see […]