Ingenious Innovations

Background Information: We're all familiar with the idea of printing on a two-dimensional scale, but three dimensional printing is a fairly new advancement in the manufacturing and engineering industries. The first instance of 3D printing was in 1980 when Dr. Kodama used it as a rapid prototyping technique. Since then, 3D printing technology has taken off and advanced in many ways. 3D printers have been used to produce 3D printed organs from the cells of a patient, they have been used in the automotive and aerospace industries, and to create prosthetics.  How it Works: Most 3D printers use plastic or metal that is melted down or in powder form to create layers of an object until it is complete. The printers are controlled by a computer that directs the arm and head in the X, Y, and Z directions. The melted plastic or metal is placed in specific spots on the base by the arm, as programmed on the computer, creating the first layer of an object. Once the first layer is co

Background Information: Today's phones have built-in fingerprint readers, bezel-less displays, and in-screen cameras, all of which make the experience of using a phone much more seamless. But, have you ever considered using or purchasing a foldable phone? Foldable phones bring back the nostalgic feeling of using a flip-phone, but it a more technologically complex fashion. Modern "flip-phones" or foldable phones utilize new technology that gives their screens the ability to bend. Like many flagship phones on the market today with astonishing features and capabilities, foldable phones will cost a hefty dollar. Despite the outrageous cost of foldable phones, they essentially act as a phone and tablet in one device. How it Works:  Foldable phones involve a lot of revolutionary technology. Foldable phones contain flexible OLED displays and a polymer screen, which allows the screen to bend when the phone is folded. OLED displays work by pulsing electricity through a

Background Information: The virtual reality technologies of today are products of years of experimenting and developing. The term "virtual reality" is a relatively new title, dating back to 1980 when Jaron Lanier, founder of VPL Research, started developing devices needed to experience the newly termed virtual reality experience. Simply put, virtual reality is the simulation of seemingly realistic environments. The technology used to simulate environments has been used for numerous decades, and although it has improved drastically, the function of the technology remains fairly homogenous to the technology used today to provide simulated experiences through virtual reality mediums. How it Works:  Virtual reality essentially works by immersing the user into a simulated environment with realistic sounds and movement/interaction capabilities. VR tricks the brain into thinking it is in a 3D world with the use of stereoscopic displays, which works by displaying two slightl

Background Information: Wireless charging isn't necessarily a new concept, but within the past few years, it's application has become more and more practical. Wireless charging is used to charge many newer phone models and eliminates the need for cables, while also providing a source of efficiency and easier accessibility.  Besides from charging your phone, wireless charging is used for many other purposes in healthcare, automotive and manufacturing industries. Wireless charging offers increased mobility in these industries and could provide advances allowing IoT devices to receive power from across the room. How It Works: Wireless charging functions by transferring energy produced by the charger to a receiver on the back of a phone through electromagnetic induction. The charger creates this energy with an induction coil that produces an alternating electromagnetic field. The receiver in the back of a phone converts the energy in the electromagnetic field of the

Background History: Taxis provide a great source of transportation and make the lives of people in large cities much easier, but what if I told you that flying taxis could be coming to a city near you within the next decade? For the past two or three years, there have been numerous air taxi concepts revealed to the public, many of which were extremely unrealistic and had improbable chances of success. Unlike previous concepts, Bell revealed its realistic air taxi concept, Bell Nexus, at the Consumer Electronics Show in January and gave us hope for a new generation of transportation.  How it Works:  The Bell Nexus has six tilting fans that face horizontal during take-off and tilt to a vertical position during flight. Rather than being an entirely battery-relying electronic flying machine, the Bell Nexus incorporates a hybrid system that utilizes a singular turbine engine to produce electricity for the six individual tilting fans and the batteries that power them.  This flyi

Background History:  There have been many breakthroughs in artificial intelligence over the past few years. Although the use of artificial intelligence is supposed to be beneficial to humanity, developments like Deepfake AI are proving the malicious potential of artificial intelligence.  The term deepfake refers to forged, computer-generated video and audio that is difficult to discern from authentic, unchanged content. Deepfake AI is essentially the equivalent of Photoshop, but for video. Deepfake has been utilized to reproduce unsettling audios of presidential voices and to completely delete objects once present in video.  How It Works: Deepfake depends on the the use of generative adversarial networks (GANs), which includes two subset artificial intelligence systems. One system generates content and the other guesses or determines whether images are real or counterfeit. The two AI adversaries progressively get better and better at their function over time, and event