How Paralympic Wheelchairs and Prostheses Are Optimized for Speed and Performance

Trouble viewing? View in your browser. View all Scientific American publications.

    

August 31, 2021

Dear Reader, During the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, a wide array of assistive technology is on display. This week's lead story looks at how prosthetic limbs and competitive chairs are optimized for a specific athlete playing a specific sport, whether that requires maximum stability, speed or maneuverability.

Sophie Bushwick, Associate Editor, Technology @sophiebushwick

Sports How Paralympic Wheelchairs and Prostheses Are Optimized for Speed and Performance The engineering and designs vary widely from sport to sport and athlete to athlete By Sophie Bushwick

Public Health YouTube's Plan to Showcase Credible Health Information Is Flawed, Experts Warn Search results may include a special section with videos from sources that are deemed reliable By Grant Currin

Agriculture In-Hive Sensors Could Help Ailing Bee Colonies The technology could help beekeepers reduce short-term losses, but it doesn't address long-term problems facing honeybees By Allison LaSorda

Natural Disasters Home Seismometers Provide Crucial Data on Haiti's Quake A volunteer network helps to monitor aftershocks and illuminate the country's earthquake hazards By Alexandra Witze,Nature magazine

Public Health U.S. Forces Are Leaving a Toxic Environmental Legacy in Afghanistan Legal and practical obstacles make it difficult to clean the burn pits and health-damaging chemicals that remain at military bases By Kelsey D. Atherton

Behavior Apple's New Child Safety Technology Might Harm More Kids Than It Helps Features designed to guard against sexual abuse carry the potential for unintended consequences By Elissa Redmiles

Transportation Chip Shortage Could Slow Electric Vehicle Rollouts And no one is certain how long the shortage will last By Corbin Hiar,E&E News

Climate Change The Technology to Reach Net Zero Carbon Emissions Isn't Ready for Prime Time, But ... It's already under development in research labs By Daniel T. Schwartz

Electronics Flexible Microprocessor Could Enable an 'Internet of Everything' Researchers have developed a microprocessor built on high-performance plastic rather than silicon—and they say it could enable smarter food labels and supply chain management. By Christopher Intagliata | 04:16

FROM THE STORE Special Editions Volume 30, Issue 4s

QUOTE OF THE DAY "Convolutional neural networks (CNNs), designed to analyze images, have been used to good advantage in a wide range of applications, including recognizing faces and helping to pilot self-driving cars. Why not also use them to authenticate art?" Steven J. Frank, IEEE Spectrum

ADVERTISEMENT

FROM THE ARCHIVE Blade Runners: Do High-Tech Prostheses Give Runners an Unfair Advantage? Four years after Oscar Pistorius made history at the London Olympics, the question remains unanswered By Larry Greenemeier | August 2016

LATEST ISSUES

Questions?   Comments?

Download the Scientific American App

To view this email as a web page, go here. You received this email because you opted-in to receive email from Scientific American. To ensure delivery please add news@email.scientificamerican.com to your address book. Unsubscribe     Manage Email Preferences     Privacy Policy     Contact Us

Create, Build, and Learn With All-New STEM Kits From Discover ⚙️

Presenting: Discover Magazine STEM Kits

Magazines    Globes & Maps    Books & DVDs    STEM Toys    Gifts    Posters    Sale

Introducing all-new STEM Kits from Discover magazine! We are proud to present our first-ever line of STEM kits perfect for educators and families. Create, build, and learn with these fun-filled project-based kits and activities! Each kit features the supplies you need to create your own projects while learning the basics of electronics, circuitry, and solar energy. The included step-by-step guide is easy to follow whether you are a seasoned educator or a parent looking for something fun to do with your child. SHOP ALL STEM Kits Exclusively from Discover magazine Make Vibrating Bots Zip, Spin & Zoom! Bristlebot Kit 5-Pack These whimsical little bots are lots of fun! Created from a toothbrush head, pipe cleaners, battery, and small motor, they teach basic engineering, motors, circuitry, and principles of balance. RESERVE NOW Solar-Powered Bugs that Creep & Crawl Solar Bug Kit 4-Pack Decorate and create your own creepy crawly bug! Assemble and attach the simple solar circuits to enjoy your own creature powered by the sun. RESERVE NOW Illuminate Any Paper Craft Project Paper Circuits Kit Create dozens of light-up paper craft projects! Follow the step-by-step guide or add lights to your own projects to explore STEM concepts such as conductivity and circuitry. RESERVE NOW Light-Up Any 3-D Paper Project! Origami Circuits Kit Add lights and motors to your paper craft projects! Create dozens of origami projects that light up and move using conductive tape, LEDs, and motors. RESERVE NOW Transform Textile-Based Projects with Lights! Sewing Circuits Kit Perfect for costumes, crafts, and cosplay! Just sew on and connect the custom LEDs and battery holders using the special conductive thread. RESERVE NOW Shop today to check out these unique, easy to complete projects! SHOP ALL

Magazines   Globes & Maps   Books & DVDs   STEM Toys   Gifts   Posters   Sale

Sales tax where applicable. Discover STEM Kits are expected to arrive in September 2021. Unsubscribe  •  Preferences  •  Customer Service  •  Privacy Policy  •  View in Browser This message was sent to ceo.studentlike.spuniv@blogger.com. © 2021 Kalmbach Media Co. 21027 Crossroads Circle Waukesha, WI 53186 P39511