Do you remember when Amelia Earhart was the first female pioneer pilot who flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean? She broke several records because of this.  Across the Atlantic Ocean?! That is approximately 41,105,000 square miles long, according to oceanservice.noaa.gov. Who would fly in an airplane more than that, for a longer time, in a smaller plane? Will someone even make it to their destination even before they run out of gasoline? Recently, there has been an ALL solar powered called Solar Impulse 2. Yes, you heard it, all solar powered.  What is more surprising about this airplane was the journey that it took, as it is really outstanding! 

In the year of 2015, Solar Impulse began their attempt to their 'around-the-wrold trip.'
The Solar Impulse 2 took departure on March 9th, in the city of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Arrival 1: Leg 2 was on March 10th, 2015 where the Solar Impulse 2 landed in Muscat, Oman.
Arrival 2: Leg 3 was on March 18th, 2015 in Ahmedabad, India.
Arrival 3: Leg 4 was on March 18th, 2015 in Varanasi, India as well.
Arrival 4: Leg 5 was on March 29th, 2015 in Mandalay, Myanmar.
Arrival 5: Leg 6 of this historic journey was on April 20th, 2015 in Chongqing, China.
Arrival 6: Leg 7 was on May 30, 2015 in the city of Nanjing, China. 
Arrival 7: Leg 8 was on June 28th, 2015 in Nagoya, Japan. 
Arrival 8: Leg 9 was on April 21st, 2016 in Hawaii, USA. 
Arrival 9: Leg 10 (Part: 1) was on April 24th, 2016 in San Fransisco, California, USA. 
Arrival 10: Leg 10 (Part: 2) was on April 24th, 2016 in Mountain View, California, USA. ​

Probably the most outstanding milestone the Solar Impulse 2 has broken, has been to fly ACROSS the ENTIRE Pacific Ocean, and that is 9,600 miles long (15,500 km). The Solar Impulse 2 still hasn't completed what they are aiming for because in order to go all-around the world, the all solar powered airplane still needs to fly across the United States, the Atlantic Ocean, Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and then back to where they began, Ahu Dubai. So, it seems like the Solar Impulse plane is at the center and at the climax of their very long journey. It is very amazing that this small and compact plane can fly across almost AROUND THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD, being fully solar powered! (With only a couple stops in between). If the circumference of the world is 24, 901 miles long around the earth's equator, then a single airplane that is COMPLETELY powered by the sun's energy, it seems like if this was something impossible that wouldn't become a reality. 

According to solarimpulse.com, they state in their webpage, "Solar Impulse is not the first solar airplane, but it is the first to fly day and night, without any fuel, only using energy stored in its batteries. It is also the first to have achieved an oceanic crossing: 5 days and nights from Nagoya, Japan, to Kalaeloa, Hawaii. Behind Solar Impulse’s achievements, there is always the same goal: show that if an airplane can fly several days and nights in a row with no fuel, then clean technologies can be used on the ground to reduce our energy consumption, and create profit and jobs." In other words, this means that the Solar Impulse 2 is a renewed model of being great example of making a difference for 'green' in the environment. 

Before we understand the HOW the Solar Impulse 2 works, we need to know HOW solar panels work and proceed enough function to transfer power. According to highlightskids.com, they state that, '"One solar panel is made up of many small solar cells. Each of these cells uses light to make electrons move. The cell is made up of two different layers that are stuck together. The first layer is loaded with electrons, so the electrons are ready to jump from this layer to the second layer. That second layer has had some electrons taken away, so it is ready to take in more electrons. "When the light hits an electron in the first layer, the electron jumps to the second layer. That electron makes another electron move, which makes another electron move, and so on. It was the sunlight that started the flow of electrons, or electricity."' This means that the sun's rays are what feed the panels the energy in order to give something power and function. This whole procedure is caused by electro movements and how those are being used. 

Now that we have taken a closer look at how solar panels work, we can now fully understand how the Solar Impulse 2 is able to work, being powered by the sun! As similar how a solar panel works, the Solar Impulse 2 basically just functions like a solar panel, The difference is that during the night, since obviously there is no sun, the Solar Impulse 2 ​contains the energy from the sun during the day, and keeps some solar cell energy to use during the night. Other than that, this airplane is being powered by the sun's energy, and it has pure solar panels at the top of the plane, so these panels can collect as much of the sun's energy as possible. ​

This plane is relatively one of the largest planes ever, being bigger in size than the Boeing 747. The Solar Impulse 2 has a 72 meter wingspan, weighs 2.3 tons, and has a number of 17, 248 number of solar cells in the solar panels. This airplane has an average speed of 75 kilometers per hour, and the maximum altitude it has reached so far in it's flights is 28,000 ft high up in the sky. Sadly, this plane has the capacity to only hold one pilot, which is ​Bertrand Piccard. Bertrand Piccard is a unique pilot to be commanding a great airplane like the Solar Impulse 2. According to ​wikipedia.org they clearly state, "Bertrand Piccard (born 1 March 1958) is a Swiss psychiatrist and balloonist. Along with Brian Jones, he was the first to complete a non-stop balloon flight around the globe. He is currently is the initiator, chairman and co-pilot of the first attempted round-the-world solar flight. Piccard was born in Lausanne, Vaud, a Swiss canton, into a family of explorers." Bertrand Piccard is really fortunate to be flying a 'historic' airplane in a worldwide flight journey, as he is indeed coming from a family of explorers, being one of the best pilots in the world. 

in conclusion, it seems like a plane like the Solar Impulse 2 is going to be the future innovation of aviation and engineering. Who knows if the next planes of the future that we will be riding on will be all solar paneled? Since Bertrand Piccard's journey for the Solar Impulse 2 is not done yet, there are still more stops to be done, in order to complete the whole loop around the world. This is a huge milestone for the Solar Impulse 2 because they are figuring out the key to being 'green.' So does this mean that in the future of the aviation field, planes won't be gasoline powered? There has been success of this from electric cars, as we have seen, and now there is success of being 'green' in planes. What is next? 

As amazing as it might sound, the rumors of the futuristic Apple Car sounds like something a lot of people would want to buy. This is a very controversial topic lately in the tech news. Have an iPhone, iPad, iMac, then why not consider buying the Apple Car? The main question here is, how REAL is this thing? Recently, at the Pasadena's ArtCenter College of Design, staff members have illustrated several designs of the FUTURE IMAGINED Apple Car. MOTOR TREND has cooperated with the designs and have displayed this in articles on their website and on their automobile magazines. Both the illustrators at the college and MOTOR TREND state that this was THEIR perspective of the imaged Apple Car.  In other words, it seems like this sleek design of the Apple Car is clearly fake. Although this sounds like something REALLY REALLY cool, and has kept many people anticipating for the future, many automobile companies have payed really close attention to this. 

Now, let's take a closer look into the specs and details of the 'imagined' Apple Car, from what we know form a company like Apple, and other car retailing companies. After reading more than five extent articles like from: motortrend.com, theverge.com, jalopnik.com, macrumors.com, and cnet.com, there is a lot to discuss about! Will the futuristic  Apple Car be a challenge for other automobile companies? Although the Apple Car design provided by MOTOR TREND is absolutely fake, it is believed that Apple IS WORKING on an electric car project, according to macrumors.com. It is believed that it will be all electric-powered, and possibly may or may not be autonomous. It is rumored that the target for it to be launched is by 2019, or 2020 the latest. This vehicle is called, "Project Titan." It will be believed that Siri, will 'drive' the car, and also be your personal assistant. As usual for regular cars, they have wing mirrors, but in the case of Titan, it will have focused accurate cameras that will be indeed more useful than the mirrors we have today. Titan will have their doors oped upwards those similar to the ones Tesla has on their vehicles. 

Besides the little amount of features that we already know, has the rumors of the Apple Car that Apple is working on themselves gong to cause a little bit of a challenge with other automobile companies? Companies that are trying to work on HUGE electric or autonomous car projects like: Tesla, Google, Toyota, Ford, Chevrolet, Nissan, and so much more. Will Apple get in the way of these successful automobile companies? After an extent amount of pure research, it turns out that the electronic car company Tesla's CEO director, Elon Musk, clearly states, "The CEO described Apple’s rumored foray into designing an electric car as “obvious” in a recent interview with the BBC. “It’s pretty hard to hide something if you hire over a thousand engineers to do it,” he said." according to fortune.com. Also, according to fortune.com, in one of their very recent articles they state, "In the BBC interview, Musk welcomed Apple to the field. “It will expand the industry,” he said, echoing comments he has previously made. “Tesla will still aspire to make the most compelling electric vehicles, and that would be our goal, while at the same time helping other companies to make electric cars as well.” So it seems like Tesla will be willing to help Apple in the in the automobile industry? As Elon Musk said it himself to an interview with the German Newspaper Handlesblatt, '“They have hired people we’ve fired. If you don’t make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple. I’m not kidding."' according to fortune.com. ​

Makes me think of other electronic companies. Seems like Google will step into the competition with their Self Driving Car model? (Want to learn more about the Google Self-Driving Car? Click here to read more...) Tesla with their recent 2016 Model S? Toyota with their new 2016 Toyota Mirai? How about the 2016 Ford Focus Electric? The 2016 Chevrolet Volt? How about the 2016 Nissan LEAF? The continuos list can go on and on...

In conclusion, the Apple Car is something that is still something a lot of people anticipate, especially from a company like Apple. Many of us already know what is expected from Apple, with their amazing best-selling products. In particular, what we don't know is that if this big project is going to be made into a competition within other automobile companies. What will go on between Tesla and Apple? What we DO know is some of the outstanding features that are expected from the Apple Car, Titan, also some important rumors that should be taken into consideration. Will Apple now transition into the automobile field? If they are, there MUST be a lot of expectations from several people. Although Apple has tried to keep this project a secret, there must be a lot of curiosity. 

"This real hoverboard can go up to 10,000 ft, unlike those exploding ones," says dailytimes.com. Remember watching the awesome 1989 Back to the Future II film and saw the cool flying hoverboards? Yeah, and remember how Martin McFly rode his cool pink hoverboard roaming the streets in the film?  Well, it seemed like since then, almost everyone wanted and craved the idea of the hoverboard. There has been some pretty decent but STILL dangerous models of what they call the "hoverboard," but it is practically a piece of plastic being held up with two unbalanced wheels that can cause and HAVE indeed caused several injuries, accidents, and even some fatal deaths. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention, they turn on fire and into HUGE flames that can burn your house down! I mean, that's all! Who needs that when you can pretty soon have the REAL hoverboard in your own hands?

But how can air, a mixture of gases, (78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen) be able to 'lift' a person up? It seems like we need to take a closer look into how a hoverboard works, and some principals of how air functions. Basically, a hoverboard simply works with air, thrust is the pushing force against a surface. Also, we need to take a closer look at Issac Newton's 3rd Law which according to sparknotes.com, they state, "Newton's third law proclaims: 'to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."' This meaning that for example in the case of the hoverboard, the hoverboard works with air pressure, so the air is pushing against the ground, to cause elevation. 

So, it seems like with the basic principals of air, and how a hoverboard would work, we could take a closer look into how the Flyboard Air works with these functions. So, in a video featured by Zapata Racing themselves, the hoverboard is absolutely powered by the force of air that is pushing against not a flat surface, but over a water source. 

Since there are a lot of people who crave the idea of the flying REAL hoverboard, to show you HOW MUCH people want it, Zapata Racing has been selling several of their Flyboard Airs for more than $3,499.99 as you can see above on eBay. Only someone with lots of money who would pretty much die to get their hands on this Flyboard Air for themselves. (Oh yeah, I almost forgot, plus shipping and handling is +$13.95 more.) 

In conclusion, what we may consider the "hoverboard" may change throughout the future times. Back then, people used to look at the hoverboard as something that wouldn't become a reality. Now, in the 21st century, there are more and more companies like Zapata Racing, that are trying to make what used to be called "science-fiction" now a reality. I mean before, in such instances like in the movie Back to the Future II, the year 2015 would be seen as all futuristic and filled with lots of advanced technology. No, things can't happen in a quick matter of time, but what can happen are the movements that more companies are trying to make a possibility. Who knows, what if the word "hoverboard" will be seen in a different perspective in a couple of years into the future? 

(You can click here to go and read my other previous article on the plans that SpaceX was going to approach before this!) 
After the four difficult tests that SpaceX has tried on their upcoming 'Reusing Rockets' project, they were epic failures. April 8, 2016 has become a HUGE milestone for the spaceflight company because they have finally nailed their Falcon 9 rocket landing after several tests. Falcon 9 landed on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean, the coast of Florida. In the previous four tests, SpaceX had their rockets land on drone ships, but not exactly where expected, causing huge fiery explosions. 

As theverge.com clearly states, "It’s also the second time the company has pulled off a landing." Yes that is correct, this is the second time SpaceX has been able to make their rocket return back  successfully to earth. The first rocket landing was on December 21, 2015 where SpaceX was able to land their Falcon 9 on a ground base after launching it into space. Theverge.com also strongly claimed, "It's the first time SpaceX has been able to gently touch down the Falcon 9 post-launch — something the company has been trying to do for the past year. It’s a big first step toward reusable rockets." (This was on December 21, 2015) Now, it seems that four months later, SpaceX is also able land their Falcon 9 rocket into a drone ship at sea. It is the second landing of a rocket, but the first landing at sea for SpaceX. 

Although there has ALREADY been a landing on land by the space exploration company Blue Origin, what makes the landing of SpaceX 'better and accurate' is that for the majority of the times, they are using lightweight rockets, Falcon 9. Falcon 9 is 135 ft in height, and measures 12 ft in radius, according to theverge.com. Compared to Blue Origin's landing, they used their rocket called New Shepard that is nearly half the length in height compared to the Falcon 9. The Falcon 9 can travel up to 124 miles distance away from planet earth, while the New Shepard can only go up to 62 miles. Just because Blue Origin accomplished something that SpaceX was trying to do, it's not exactly the same because the Blue Origin rocket was meant to take passengers/crew members to space, while Falcon 9 is supposed to carry satellites and help boost spaceships up into space. It all depends on what you think of a rocket, according to theverge.com. Also, the New Shepard rocket vertically lands, while the Falcon 9 is in any position.

This has become history and a big milestone for SpaceX because it is somethings that will be VERY beneficial in the future. People and the social medias are making a huge deal about it because of its important . For example, SpaceX is taking this time to congratulate themselves for this long process! The videos on the tests are all over the news headline, and the tweets coming from SpaceX and the offices. 

One of the main reasons why SpaceX wanted to try testing if Falcon 9 could land sea was because according to the video on theverge.com, it actually takes LESS fuel for their rockets to land at sea after it has been separated by the main spaceship, and it is a 'more direct' path back down to earth, since there is no gravity in space. This also makes it easier for the drone ships to be able to 'catch' the rocket. Now, the reasons why SpaceX would choose sea landing rather than land is because when the rocket is separated by the spaceship, it takes MORE fuel for their rockets to return, and in a curved difficult path. Also according to the video, SpaceX is expected to land one-third of their rockets on land, and the rest at sea. The main purpose why only one-third of the rockets are going to return to land is because those rockets use a heaver load, and a heavier load results of MORE fuel. We know that MORE FUEL causes a 'curved path' landing. 

​This also means that because of this discovery there is ALSO another benefit, the cost of the rockets used per launch. So it now seems like SpaceX will be collaborating with possible other spaceflight and space exploration companies to limit the cost of the launch per rocket. So the more SpaceX and other companies will be able to reuse their rockets, the LESS it would cost, and the MORE space explorations there will potentially be. 

This big accomplishment is history for the spaceflight company due to the fact they are the first ones to complete a mission in space, and successfully land on a drone ship in the ocean. According to the article of cnet.com, they state, "SpaceX successfully launched its Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station atop the Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Friday at about 1:45 p.m. PT. The drone landing took place about 10 minutes later.The Falcon 9 reached a top speed of over 4,000 miles per hour during launch and then had to be slowed down on its return to Earth and guided to "Of Course I Still Love You," the name of the drone ship landing pad that was waiting off the coast of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean.'" 

If you read my previous article on SpaceX, then you know how I talked about the different methods that they had in mind, when they were attempting the tests. In fact, one of them was the 'Grasshopper' mechanism. SpaceX actually used this mechanism for their final test. If you look at the video above, then you will notice how when the Falcon 9 slowly returns down to the drone ship, you will notice how on the rocket there are these 'legs' that were at the very bottom of the rocket, and that is the 'Grasshopper mechanism. '

It seems like this has become a very HUGE accomplishment for SpaceX, and will be used for several purposes later-on in the future of the Astronomy field. Not only this discovery has caused several benefits for reusing the rockets used for spaceship take-offs, but there are also some economical benefits because there will be MORE spaceflight explorations. Before, there used to be LESS spaceship launches every year, but now that I'm looking closer at it, it seems like there will be more explorations from MORE companies. It seems like in the real world, more companies and industries are trying to help protect the earth, SpaceX is trying to reuse their spaceship rockets, and more companies are trying to do more and more overtime. 

For the past couple of years, 3D printing has become a great manmade utility and discovery for many people who are using this form of advanced and futuristic technology. Doctors have already used 3D printing to make organs for patients, people have made kitchen utensils, phone cases, food, and much much more! Recently, a group of researchers and engineers at the university of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory have been using 3D printing in a different manner. They have designed and made 3D printed robots. They believe that designing and using 3D printed robots allows faster complex designs and models, and is much affordable. 

The robot may look like a child's toy, because of its rare looking design, and the fact that it is made of plastic. This robot is one foot wide and one foot long according to news.mit.edu.com. It took 22 hours to create this six-legged modified robot, weighing 1.5 pounds, costing a little bit more than $100,000 in total, according to Nola.com. In particular, for the robot to be able to move, what makes these NOT your average robot, is that these are hydraulic pumped robots, meaning that they use liquids to give it power. In this case, the hydraulics is like the motor that is what makes the robot have function. These robots also have pneumatic tanks, which are basically air pumps that give it power, instead of water. ​They are solid and liquid material produced. In aspects of what parts this robot uses in order to move, it has inserted a simple single battery, a motor, sensors, and a mini tactic computer. What is interesting about this robot is that since it is 3D printed, there is no need for complicated assembly and looking for parts like usual robots. 

MIT used a Stratasys Objet260 Connex 3D printer in order to printout their robot. Since the design that MIT had in mind was for their robot to be hydraulic powered, the 3D printer they used wasn't necessarily made to accept and liquids, only laserjet plastic cartridges. According to Washingtonpost.com, they state that what MIT did was, "The researchers essentially hacked the machine, inserting a different computer chip in the cartridge holding their liquid of choice — the machine’s cleaning fluid — so that the 3D printer thought it was actually printing plastic, not liquid." 

​According to the MIT video on Nola.com, some 3D printed parts that is accommodated into the robot are: "Gear pumps to move hydraulic fluid, bellows actuators to move the robot's legs, and a rotating crankshaft to actuate the hydraulic transmission."  And yes, all these  parts were 3D printed. 

During the process of the three-dimensional printing, it is printed in terms of layers, starting from the bottom to the way up, and there were some certain textures and structures of the robot that had to be printed a certain way. For example, as seen on the image above provided by the official MIT test video, the color yellow, represented the 'support' or the fundamental base of the robot, the strong structure that holds everything up. The green color indicates the flexible and bendable texture of the plastic from the robot. The dark green indicates the rigid structure of the robot, the unbendable parts, that most likely if you bend it all the way, it could snap! Lastly, the purple color indicates the liquid printed parts, which began as like a 'melted' plastic, and so then it got hard into a solid plastic. 

Nola.com clearly states from the words of Daniela Rus (professor at MIT) saying, "It makes a big difference in what kind of machines you can make," said professor Daniela Rus, who oversaw the project. "If you can make complex robots really fast -- print them like you print a piece of paper -- you can imagine not having to worry so much about whether you lost your robot." It seems like Daniela Rus thinks that 3D printing is just as easy and can be made accurately possible just as printing something on a piece of paper. From what Danile Rus is also saying, it seems like she is trying to state that you can do MORE than just 3D print regular ordinary items, but you can do find more insane things of advanced technology. 

Now, when more and more people later-on in the future have the ability to get ahold of this 3D printing technology, people will be designing and creating all sorts of things, and one of those things are robot s just like how MIT did. Who knows, maybe in the future people will be making other things, maybe food? Is there such thing as edible 'plastic ink' cartridges? Will there be an advancement of edible printed food? There are more than thousands and thousands of items and things that people can make with three-dimensional printers! Will there be such thing in the future where one of your parents possibly say, "Dinner is printed!" 

​1) 3D printed robot image courtesy of news.mit.edu.com.  2) Stratasys Objet260 Connex  printer image courtesy of javelin-tech.com.  3) 3D printing textures image/graph courtesy of MIT official video on www.washingtonpost.com.  4) 3D printed pizza image courtesy of technivorz.com. 

Do you ever see an airplane or spaceship flying across the sky? Do you know what airplanes and spaceships use and do in order to go to space or fly across the world? When a Spaceship (in particular) takes-off, they use rockets in order to 'lift' and carry themselves into space. When the actual spaceship has reached to the earth's atmosphere, while taking-off,  there is no need for the rockets anymore, so there are these explosive bolts that separate the actual rockets from the spaceship. The rockets then drop back down to earth with a parachute, into the ocean and this causes them to NOT be able to be reused again for other departures. 

Recently, the spaceflight exploration company, SpaceX, has been working on their reusable rocket method from spaceship departures. Basically, how SpaceX plans to make their rockets used for lift-offs reusable is to develop a plan for when their rockets drop down back to earth, they don't fall into the ocean, instead they want their rockets to return on their launch pad vertically, or on ocean landing sites.

SpaceX has two methods and goals in mind that they will approach for their reusable rocket plans. Now, SpaceX is currently working on some flight testing, but lately there isn't some accuracy landing. As in the phase of the beginning stages, SpaceX just wants to begin with their rockets landing on their boats and ship launch pads, and in specific, land completely standing in a vertical position. It seems like there has to be accurate precision from the rockets because they had to land in a difficult position in a particular spot and location. How is SpaceX controlling where they land? How do they know WHERE they are going to land? Are they using monitors and computers to know where the rockets land and at what speed coming  from the sky?

The second plan that SpaceX has in mind is to have a springing mechanism, and they call it the 'Grasshopper Reusability Test.' Basically, the point of this second method is that the rockets attached to the spaceship will have the 'Grasshopper' mechanism somewhere around the bottom surface, so since the point of the rockets is to land in a position standing up, the 'springing' mechanism will touch the flat surface. The fact that the rockets have a 'springy' mechanism makes the rockets not be pushed and forced against the ground, so it is a safer landing, and will not damage the rocket, so it would e able to be reused. ​It seems like this method for being able to reuse their spaceship rockets will be the closest to become a possibility. 

The main purpose why SpaceX wants to reuse their rockets is because according to Elon Musk on SpaceX.com, he clear states, “If one can figure out how to effectively reuse rockets just like airplanes, the cost of access to space will be reduced by as much as a factor of a hundred.  A fully reusable vehicle has never been done before. That really is the fundamental breakthrough needed to revolutionize access to space.” It seems like what Elon Musk is trying to say is that if they are able to reuse their rockets, then they can be able to afford more spaceflight explorations. Does it seem like their rockets might be a little bit pricey? After some research, one other possible reason why SpaceX would want to be able to reuse their rockets is because according to Space.com, spaceflight companies like NASA spend at least $500 Million per rocket launch. This makes more sense now. ​

In conclusion, it seems like SpaceX might come down to and end result to HOW they would want to reuse their rockets that were used in spaceship take-offs. There were two methods and plans that SpaceX had in mind, and it is factual thatches spaceflight company might be doing this possibly because they don't want to spend millions and millions of dollars on their rockets launches. Also, not ONLY because of the expensive amounts, but just like how Elon Musk stated, the less the rockets are, the more opportunities and chances astronauts get to go to space explorations. Maybe the next time we see or hear about a spaceship departure, will they possibly be using SpaceX's 'Grasshopper' mechanism, will the rockets STILL have the parachutes, or will they return to their ocean and land launching pads? 

You purchase an Apple device and use it until the end, or either you upgrade to an newer and improved product. There are several metals and components that go into the making of the Apple device that take a long time to mine in other countries. There are more than millions and millions of Apple iPhones and devices  in the hands of many people worldwide. In particular, what happens after you move-on without your device? What happens to all the precious valuable metals that went into creating the device? What goes on after? 

Recently, the all-time company Apple, has been working on their 'Renewing and Recycling' project particularly with their own Apple devices.  Basically, since Apple wants to approach one of the very couple issues in the world, the limited amount of natural resources. The take that Apple has very recently taken in this situation is to begin with the recycling and renewing of their very own devices. Since there is a lot of valuable raw materials that go into producing the device like: copper, gold, silver, platinum, Yttrium, Lanthanum, and Dysprosium, just to name a few, these are considered 'rare earths' according to Quora.com. These raw materials including more, are precious to the earth, and are mined by hand, by people. Apple has taken this problem and has developed their own solution. 

According to cultofmac.com, they had mentioned "Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives. Jackson, a woman of color, talked at length about Apple’s considerable advances in recycling and renewable energy. She reported that Apple is approaching 100 percent renewable energy worldwide and is close to using 100 percent environment-friendly packaging. She introduced a recycling robot called Liam that strips obsolete iPhones of their valuable materials. Liam is not perfect — there’s still a lot of waste — but it’s a step in the right direction." This shows that Lisa Jackson strongly believes that Liam will be a useful robot and tool for Apple, especially looking back at the uses of raw materials used to make their expensive devices. 

Furthermore, also according to cultofmac.com, they stated that "Cook said big companies like Apple need to lead on climate change. In the absence of government leadership, corporations need to act on their own. “This is one of the areas where we could step up and lead,” he said, “especially when there’s a void from government.'" It seems like, Tim Cook, chief executor of Apple Inc., is trying to say that the Apple needs to be one of the very first couple companies to try to stop climate change, and the limited amount of natural resources. In other words, Tim Cook is trying to lead Apple Inc. into trying to be 'green' and make earth a better place to live in, by beginning with their own products. ​

In conclusion, Apple wants to take Liam in a certain direction where they want it to make it something that will really make them as a company look 'better' and even more prestigious because they are approaching a problem that is HUGE worldwide, and as a company, they are using their own robots to deconstruct and take apart their own devices. Although Liam is still something very new and recent from Apple, this is STILL a big project that can help reuse and renew their raw materials  that were used to make their devices. Maybe, it is possible that Apple will want to reuse their raw materials to make their NEWER devices for the future. 

A quad flying drone? A walking robot? What happens if you put these two  technology advancements together, but in a very microscopic size?
Recently, engineers and researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have designed and created a lightweight robot that has many capabilities. You might be a bit confused as their size appears to be a lot like a swarming pact of flying bugs and insects. Surprisingly as it only weighs 30 grams, you will be awed to what this robot drone can do. 

​After given the name "Picobug" this robot drone was inspired by the movement and flight of a stag beetle.  According to PBS, Picobug has the ability to fly up to 13 miles per hour, and walk across a 10-foot-table in about 19 seconds. It can fly, climb, jump, and glide. The robot drone has an insane top flying speed of 6 meters/second and could crawl 0.16 meters/second, according to SPECTRUM.com. SPECTRUM also states that its weight of 30 grams is equivalent to the weight of a third of a regular battery. Its super lightweight makes the robot drone have to capabilities to easily transition from walking and crawling to flying, or the other way around. It is a microscopic quadcopter and walking robot that also accommodates cameras that could be closely possible for surveillance recording.

In fact, surveillance recording is one of the very couple key points that Yash Mulgaonkar, researcher at the University of Pennsylvania's GRASP laboratory, has in mind for Picobug. Not only surveillance, but Yash Mulgaonkar strongly claims, "The robot could be used to explore nuclear reactors or similar facilities where the Picobug would be better able to navigate through any air ducts, holes, or any other confined spaces, Mulgaonkar told IEEE Spectrum." This shows that Yash wants the robot drone to be used in such instances that other robots can't be used in, especially because of it's specifically microscopic size like the: air ducts, holes, confined spaces, etc. 

On the other hand, according to Quartz.com, Yash Mulgaonkar also clearly believes that their robot drone will have a griping and grabbing mechanism for their 'undercover' purposes, as they are still developing this on their robot. So it seems like Yash Mulgaonkar wants this development of this robot drone to be mostly on the 'surveillance and undercover' category, other than using this robot for other uses. It also seems like the factual small size is one of the very couple reasons that made the decision to use it for surveillance purposes. ​

It sounds like the University of Pennsylvania is trying to make their use of the robot drone into more of a spying and surveillance type of robot. The engineers and researchers are taking information from the real world on what they already know, the concept of a stag beetle, to use that to make their own robot. We know that it will be used most likely for surveillance, but what we still don't know and ponder, is that what specific type or use of surveillance will it be added to. Just like how Yash Mulgaonkar said, he waned to perform surveillance in possible areas like to explore nuclear reactors. Will this insanely microscopic robot drone be used with the Police, Federal Government, or even possibly the FBI? ​