University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Nebraska Blueprint (Student Publication) Engineering, College of Fall 2005 Nebraska Blueprint - Fall 2005 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/engineeringblueprint Part of the Engineering Commons "Nebraska Blueprint - Fall 2005" (2005). Nebraska Blueprint (Student Publication). 4. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/engineeringblueprint/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Engineering, College of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Blueprint (Student Publication) by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. FFALLALL CONTENTS 22005005 NEBRASKA BLUEPRINT College of Engineering & Technology OONN ITSITS WAYWAY The Patriot, the longest, tallest, fastest full-circuit inverted roller coaster in the region, is under construction at Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City, Mo. The $14 million roller coaster is expected to open in Spring 2006. PPHOTOHOTO BBYY FRANKFRANK PRIBYLPRIBYL COVER STORYpage8 Learn the truth about what makes roller coasters move BEHIND ALSO INSIDE THE SCENES 3 ..... Letter from the editor page11 4 ..... Contributors 6 ..... HHumanoidumanoid rroboticsobotics 12 ... CCGIGI 14 ... Learn a word: Hologram Read a fi rst-hand 15 ... UNL mini baja team account about the staff’s turbulent journey back to Lincoln from Worlds of Fun. FROM THE EDITOR Dear reader, s the fi rst issue Aof 2005 hits the presses, I can say with confi dence that the Blueprint has emerged from its rebuilding phase. Our second consecutive win of “most improved publication” from the Engineering College Magazines Association is testament to this. It has been a diffi cult process, complicated by the loss of most of our senior staff to graduation and our adviser, Roxane Gay, to another school. At the start of this year, organization was something that was not plentiful. Even hard copies of previous issues were diffi cult to fi nd. Just a few short months later, due largely in part to our devoted interim adviser, Constance Walter, we have a new offi ce, a new issue and a good number of skilled staff members. Yet this is not the conclusion of our work. We are still looking to expand and improve further. We hope to increase our circulation to include every Nebraska high school, as well as improve our budget by developing an advertising program. While our staff is at its highest numbers in years, there are still plentiful opportunities for new recruits with a variety of talents. As I was driving Assistant Editor Cecilia Orwig’s car down a pitch black interstate sans headlights, engine power, transmission or any other electrical system (see “Behind the Scenes,” page 11), I realized: It is the people and the dedication they show that make the Blueprint special … and I would gladly do the whole thing again next year! I hope you fi nd this issue as interesting to read as it was to make, Frank Pribyl Blueprint editor 3 CONTRIBUTORS Cecelia Orwig Junior Assistant editor Cecelia Orwig is a junior English major with a minor in Russian. She graduated from Norfolk Catholic Junior-Senior High School in 2003 as salutatorian of her class. She enjoys reading and making glass mosaics in her spare time but is looking forward to giving this spare time to her baby, who is expected to be born in early December. Chris Kohler Junior Advertising manager Chris Kohler is a junior mechanical engineering major. He went to high school at Exeter- Milligan. He currently is a co-op design engineer at OPPD. His interests include all types of music and sports, especially racing and football. Brian Hernandez Sophomore Page designer and reporter Brian Hernandez is a sophomore news-editorial major and works at the Lincoln Journal Star as a page designer and copy editor. Brian is a member of the Society for News Design, American Copy Editors Society, College of Journalism and Mass Communications Student Advisory Board and student government. He also is a mentor for freshmen in the Honors Program and NU Connections. Martin Gakuria Sophomore Reporter and Web site developer Martin Gakuria is a sophomore biomedical engineering major from Kenya. He hopes to enter medical school after graduating from UNL. He enjoys reading and writing, too. 4 CONTRIBUTORS Brian Watt Freshman Cover designer and photographer Brian Watt is a freshman biological systems engineering and pre-medicine double major from Holdrege. Among being involved in Sigma Alpha Epsilon, NU Meds, and the Biomedical Engineering Society, he also is a photographer on the Blueprint. Michaela McBride Freshman Reporter Michaela McBride is a freshman from Lincoln majoring in biological systems engineering with an emphasis in biomedical engineering. She is involved in Chi Omega, FOCUS and the Student Alumni Association. Joel Schulte Freshman Reporter Joel Schulte, a Lincoln native and graduate of Lincoln Pius X High School, is a freshman mechanical engineering major. He hopes that writing will be a good break from the dry formulas of physics classes. He enjoys playing golf and soccer outdoors. He also plays guitar and piano. Ashley Washburn Adviser Ashley Washburn is a writer for Engineering@Nebraska magazine and is the new Blueprint adviser. She graduated from UNL in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Ashley worked for the Nebraska Legislature’s Unicameral Information Offi ce, where she wrote articles for the Unicameral Update and served as editor of the Nebraska Blue Book. Not pictured: Karl Spurzem, sophomore, artist 5 BY BRIAN HERNANDEZ The concept of robots dates as far back as 300s BC when Greek philosopher Aristotle penned his thoughts about automation: “If every instrument could accomplish its own work, obey ing or anticipating the will of ot hers … If the shutt le could weave, and the pick touch the lyre, without a hand to guide them, chief workmen would not need servants nor masters slaves .” With each century, decade, year, now even day, that passes, Aristotle’s thoughts are becoming more of a reality. ART BY KARL SPURZEM WALKING THE WALK Enough talking the talk: Scientists around the ROBOT STYLE world take steps to advance humanoid robots. What Aristotle called instruments, the more joints a robot has, the harder Bekey, a roboticist and professor of scientists are now calling humanoid it is to control. computer science at the University of robots. These humanoids emerged in American Android’s limb- Southern California, said American science-fi ction novels and movies and coordination technology and All- companies haven’t had the motivations were depicted as robots with the same, Terrain Biped are easing this problem. to build them as often or as effectively if not more, mobility and cognitive Its limb-coordination technology is as other countries. skills than humans. improving posture and balance, and “The current state of humanoid Now, scientists around the world creating angles for joints that make robots is best illustrated by the Japanese are taking steps to advance humanoid a more agile robot. The All-Terrain robots,” said Bekey, who in the past robots to the level of their science- Biped focuses on giving two-legged year led a group of roboticists to about fi ction counterparts. robots better mobility and balance. 50 labs in Europe, Korea and Japan. In the United States, companies With funding from NASA and “Their culture is a lot more oriented to such as American Android, which DARPA, Handelman said, American robots than ours is. Japanese companies specializes in developing state-of-the- Android has helped create Robonaut, are much more willing to invest for the art technology for humanoids, work to a humanoid robot intended to assist long term.” advance technologies that help robots astronauts with space assembly, Every major Japanese company, move, think and learn better. inspection and maintenance tasks. he said, is making some type of David Handelman, president and Once the technologies advance to humanoid. founder of American Android, said he level comparable to human movement, For example, Honda has the wants to build “dexterous, agile and he said, robots would be used to perform ASIMO, an acronym for Advanced robust” robots that can move as well as or supplement humans in performing Step in Innovative Mobility. Since athletes can move. tasks that fall under the three Ds: dull, beginning its research in 1986, Honda To achieve that desired result, dirty or dangerous tasks. Such tasks has created 11 humanoid prototypes. American Android has had to address include homeland security, defense, Honda’s most recent venture began the degree of freedom or fl exibility of fi refi ghting and search and rescue. in 2000 with the development of the motion for a robot’s structure compared Although some advances in robotics ASIMO. 6 to a human’s joints. Handelman said are occurring in the U.S., George In 2002, Honda added intelligence technology to ASIMO, which allows it speed of 1.5 miles per hour. to interpret human postures and gestures; Other Japanese companies have “The use of greet and follow people; recognize thrown their efforts into advancing technology to human faces; and address humans by humanoids, too. Fujitsu has HOAP, name. Honda’s Web site claims that the Humanoid for Open Architecture replace manual ASIMO is the world’s fi rst humanoid Platform, which is being used to research labor has been robot to exhibit such a broad range of movement control and communication. intelligent capabilities. As the humanoids in Japan and going on since Now, ASIMO weighs about 115 around the world inch closer to the Industrial pounds and stands nearly 4 feet tall, resembling humans and performing making it the most compact humanoid tasks as well as or sometimes better than Revolution began. Honda has built.