20+ Technology Projects for Kids They’ll Love
You can search the internet for some of the best technology projects for kids , but we have done the hard work for you! This list is sure to get those creative juices flowing! Use this set of 28 Days of STEM Activities and STEAM Activities for Kids (and a few more, too!) posts to excite the kids all year long. Learn using STEM and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, & math) concepts while you explore forces of motion, chemistry, sound, and so much more!
20+ Technology Projects for Kids
Kids love all things tech! Help your creative kids with coding, robots, and more! You’ll find all kinds of great science, technology, engineering, art, and math ideas woven into this set of technology projects for kids. Bookmark this page for great problem-solving ideas you can try this year!
Plus, to get you started, we pulled together a super-helpful Introduction to Circuits printable. It makes a great worksheet companion to all of these fun builds! Just fill out the form below and it will be emailed to you.
FREE! INTRODUCTION TO CIRCUITS PRINTABLE ACTIVITY
Circuits Cards and More Circuit Activities for Kids
These circuit projects are sure to teach kids all about electric circuits!
- How to Make a Lighting Bug Circuit Paper Card || Left Brain Craft Brain – This little bug is so much fun! It’s sure to bring a little light to your next circuit activity!
- How to Make a Coin Battery || Teach Beside Me – Who knew? Learn how to stack coins to make a battery. You want to be sure to try this with adult supervision.
- Light Up Circuit Valentines || Left Brain Craft Brain – Show your love for your friends and family with a sweet light up Valentine!
- Make a Light Up Paper Circuit Thaumatrope || One Time Through – We are fascinated with thaumatropes! This time your STEAM kids can make a light up thaumatrope with just a couple simple materials.
- Fruit Stand Circuits || Left Brain Craft Brain – Who knew? Your favorite fruit has an electrical charge! This is a really awesome science fair project too!
- Solar-Powered House || Left Brain Craft Brain – The kids will learn about alternative energy with this DIY paper house complete with a solar panel!
- Paper Circuit Cards || Science Kiddo – I love this one! You’ll want to grab some copper tape for this easy circuit card. Make your own creations in a couple minutes!
- Circuit Flowers || STEAM Powered Family – These circuits are gorgeous enough to give as a gift!!
- Light Up May the Fourth Be With You Cards || Left Brain Craft Brain – You know we are HUGE Star Wars fans and we make these every year.
- Electric Circuit Kids Valentine || JDaniel4’s Mom – Your Valentine is going to be so surprised with this light up reminder of how much you care!
- Light Up & Pop Up Circuit Flower Card || Left Brain Craft Brain – Who wouldn’t love a light up flower card? This is perfect to add to your technology projects for kids this spring!
Check out the May the Fourth Be With You Circuit Card in action!
Bots and More
You’re going to love this set of STEM ideas for busy kids because bots are so fun to make with kids! And bots are totally our thing over here… Want to make bot-building easy, fun, and successful? Start with The Bot Book we designed with Babble Dabble Do. Check out some of the fun builds in this video…
- 14 amazing bots to build, for beginners to expert engineer kids
- 5 fun ways to play with bots
- Bot basics to help you get started
- Helpful teacher guide to building bots with groups
- Introduction to electric circuits activity
Here are a few more fun bot ideas to try!
- Minion Brush Bot || Left Brain Craft Brain – Aren’t Minions awesome? If you have a little Minion fan at home, make your own Minion bot is just a couple minutes!
- Code Your Own Art Bo t || Kids STEAM Lab – Art bots are the wave of the future! Grab this simple
- Build a Hexbug Maze with Straws || Buggy and Buddy – Add this one to your list of technology projects for kids! Kids will find new life with their old bot with a DIY maze!
- How to Make a Modern Art Steady Hand Game || Left Brain Craft Brain – We are all about amazing STEAM ideas here! This is one of my favorite learning activities for creative kids with an open ended result.
We have had a lot of fun with computers and computer parts over the years. Here are some of our favorite projects!
- Computer Destruction || Left Brain Craft Brain – You know you want to give this a try! Don’t throw out that old computer. Instead us it to explore!
- 8 Ways to Play with an Old Keyboard || Left Brain Craft Brain – For some reason, old keyboards seem to find their way to our house. We had so many! So we left our preschooler explore and learn.
- Play Dough Robots || Left Brain Craft Brain – This is sure to be a favorite for your kids! Grab your favorite play dough recipe and old computer parts for this open ended play idea.
- Computer Part Mandalas || Left Brain Craft Brain – Teach kids about the inner workings of computers while creating a quirky (or should I say QWIRTY?) mandala.
Coding Activities for Kids
Coding is the language of the future! Here are some unique ways to help them learn.
- Unicorn Color by Coding || Left Brain Craft Brain – Kids LOVE this programming upgrade to color by number.
- Lego Secret Code || Frugal Fun for Boys & Girls – I’m in love with this! What a great way to entertain kids with STEM!
- 3 Coding Games to Learn Shapes and Geometry with a Cool Coding Toy || iGameMom – Kids love coding games. Here are 3 to try!
- If-Then Backyard Coding Game for Kids || Left Brain Craft Brain – We always have neighbor kids hanging out at our house. If you do too, try this fun game that even your preschoolers will LOVE!
- Coding a Lego Maze || Research Parent – Bring new life to your Lego stash with this fun coding game you can customize for any learning level.
- Candy Cane Coding || Left Brain Craft Brain For a little festive fun, be sure to code your candy canes this year!
Even More! Fun Technology Projects for Kids
Not sure where to start with coding? I wasn’t either until I started collecting ideas! Here’s the very best Coding for Kids activities for you to get started with today.
Looking for some more STEAM inspiration that you can use right now? Instant gratification style? Check out STEAM Explorers!! The coolest creative experience for kids is here! It's a digital book of the month club filled with tons of fun stuff for the kids to do and learn. All engineer, teacher, and mom-approved. And most definitely KID APPROVED!
What’s included?
- A monthly digital magazine with cool themes that are fun to read
- Hands-on, exciting projects the kids will love.
- Science, tech, engineering, art, and math learning YOU’LL love.
- Delicious recipes the kids can make.
- Fun printables and games
In February we're having fun with spy-themed STEAM! The kids will love building a super-secret highlighter flashlight, making I Spy art, leaving their mark on sweet treats, and using science to catch a spy. You’ll love the helpful standards-based learning, printables, and tools that make STEAM exploration easy!
We’ve split the issue into four weekly themes:
- This issue has four weekly themes to inspire your kiddos:
- WEEK 1: HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT
- WEEK 2: KEEPING SECRETS
- WEEK 3: UNDERCOVER GADGETS
- WEEK 4: CATCH A SPY
28 Days of STEM Activities and STEAM Activities for Kids
These projects are part of an amazing, month-long series of hands on STEM and STEAM projects for kids. Click on over to 28 Days of STEM Activities and STEAM Activities for Kids for 60+ FREE science, tech, engineering, art, and math projects from 30+ education writers. All ready to get your kids excited to learn.
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Latest Projects Based on Technology
The following projects are based on technology. This list shows the latest innovative projects which can be built by students to develop hands-on experience in areas related to/ using technology.
1. All about Green Buildings
A ‘Green’ building is a building that, in its design, construction or operation, reduces or eliminates negative impacts, and can create positive impacts, on our climate and natural environment. Green buildings preserve precious natural resources and improve our quality of life.Any building can be a green building, whether it’s a home, an office, a school, a hospital, a community centre, or any other type of structure, provided it includes features listed below.
2. Wireless Switch Circuit Using CD4027
In our home devices are controlled with help of switches,sensor .Sometimes it dangerous if it physical contact with home appliances.To overcome these drawback the Light Dependent Resistor is replaced here so just pass the hand near to the LDR then the device is ON and to turn OFF again pass the hand above LDR is placed.
3. RF Based Night Vision Spy Robot Using 8051 Microcontroller
The advent of technology has brought a revolutionary change in the field of robotics and automation which ranges in all the sectors from household domestic works to the defense sector. Today in the global market, smart phones also have brought a revolution in changing people’s lifestyle and providing numerous applications on different operating systems. Android operating system is one of these systems build on open source which has made a huge impact providing many applications for robotics to help people in their day today life.
4. Design and fabrication RC speedboat
The three main medium of transports are Land, Air and Water where this project is mainly focused on design parameter and fabricating the RC controlled Speedboat. As we know speedboats are the fastesr way to travel on water as they sail at comparatively higher speed than the conventional boats and ships. Hence the designing of boats plays an important role where the fluid dynamics is the major area to focus and optimize the design for less hydro-static drags.
5. Radio-Controlled Flying Wing
Radio Controlled flying wing one type of elongated or extended wing aircraft having more surface area on wing creating more lift.There are no embellishments or fuselage, its lightweight and fairly easy to assemble of these aircraft are having Delta shape (triangular). Its a kind of delta wing Aircraft having high speed as compared to commercial aircraft. The lift and thrust forces are much more than normal aircraft. Basically, they are made fabricating one long piece of Wood/ Coroplast/ Polyforms.
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6. Autonomous fixed wing (drone)
Here you are going to learn about how to make an automatic flying robot called UAV. Nowadays everything is becoming an automatic system where you are able to reduce the human errors as much as possible.
7. Robotic Bird
We call this as ornithopter, means a mechanical flying machine which can mimic a bird up to 80% and Engineers are trying their best to make this bird most efficient. Basically, these are categorized by flapping wings flying machine which generate lift through the atmospheric air. This machine differs from a temporary power plant or limited ( temporary) power sources. The best application they can be used for Spying, surveillance, surface analysis.
8. Smartphone Controlled Paper Plane
What if I say that you can control your paper plane with your smartphone, that sounds crazy right! All the users have made or gone through the art of folding papers( Origami ) but it can fly up to few second or minutes only. Again your flight duration depends on the fabrication size and shape of your paper plane and a little knowledge of aerodynamics and shallow knowledge of aerodynamic forces acting on your model.
9. Solar Endurance Flight
Sailplanes are aerodynamically streamlined and are capable of gaining altitude and remain airborne, while maintaining forward motion. The main advantage of the sailplane solar glider is to generate free energy from the sun. That's the difference between a normal glider and solar sailplane glider. By using this model you can increase the endurance of flight.
10. Turning Gravity into Light
In today's modern world we have ample amount of facility which can satisfy above our basic need, unfortunately this condition is not satisfied everywhere in countries like Kenya, India where millions of people don't have electricity to lighten their house even renewable energy(wind, solar, water) are hardly available at some places and they are using harmful fuels like kerosene to power their house spending 20% of their income. What is the solution?
11. Robotic Suitcase
A fully autonomous suitcase can go anywhere with you while traveling or any other situation or want to carry stuff with you. There are more than 2 Billion people who travel periodically in their day to day life, this project can reduce the effort of travelers.
12. Traffic Wind Turbine
There are more than 2.5 billions cars in this 21 century which generates wind turbulence and air pollution up to certain percentage every year. We have all seen those creepy old wind mils on farms which are unable to generate electricity efficiently.
13. AERIAL MAPPING DRONE
These days drones are playing a very important role in all the sectors including the surveying lands. Drones make surveying of lands much faster than the conventional methods. Now drone simplifies the collection and analysis of geospatial data, allowing professionals to make better decisions.
14. INDOOR POSITION HOLD MULTICOPTER DRONE
Generally, as we know drones are can able to perform position held in the outdoors with the help of GPS module. In case if it is indoor it's very difficult to perform position hold why because the GPS cannot be able to receive the satellite signal.
15. V TOL (DRONE)
It's a combination of both fixed wing and multi-copter. For flying fixed wing drone you need a bigger area for takeoff and landing. For multi-copter, you don't need a bigger area for takeoff and landing. But the fixed wing can carry more loads with less power consumed than the multi-copter. For the multi-copter, you don't need more area where it can fly any places.
16. OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE DRONE
Recent times all the drones are coming along with the obstacle avoidance technology where it can able to sense any kind of obstacle by using the sensors. This technology protects the drone from crashing.
17. Gesture Controlled Drone
Gesture recognition technology helps you to communicate or control any other devices via your hand gestures. From this technology, you can control the drone simply by moving your hands.
18. Hybrid Drone
In conventional drone lipo batteries are used as a power source where you need to charge for every particular time period. The charging time alone will be taking more time due to which you cannot do continues flying. By adding the IC engine and DC generator with the conventional drone you can build a hybrid drone.
19. HIGH POWERED DRONE
Whatever the drone that is available in the market, it has the endurance of maximum 30 - 40 minutes only. Once the battery got discharged, again that battery needs to be recharged completely to go for the next ride. Also it takes a lot of time to get recharged, which is a major issue in most of the UAVs that we see today.
20. RC-VTOL
Vertical takeoff and landing RC plane does not require more area for taking off and landing. To make this vtol we need a flight controller which can act as a brain of the vtol.
21. Voice Controlled Drone
For a flying drone, people should have minimum knowledge of the flying skill then only they can able to fly properly without crashing, but it's not possible for all the people. If it is voice controlled means anyone can fly without any skill.
22. AUTONOMOUS MULTICOPTER DRONE
This is one of the most widely used UAV in all the places for different types of applications. Whether it is a quad or hexa or octa copter, this concept is the most widely used one. Here you are going to learn how to build a multicopter UAV.
23. How to Build an Stair Climbing Robot?
The robots which are based on wheels can move only on flat surface, and even when there is a hurdle in front of any wheel the robot cannot cross the hurdle or go on it. What if the robot can not only be able to cross the hurdle but also can climb the stairs. In this project idea you will be able to start building a robot that can cross any hurdles.
24. Car Copter
CarCoper is the combination the copter and car having the mixture of two technology Automobile technology and Aeronautical Engineering. Car means something mobily On land and copter means having rotational motion in form of propeller. Its really cool to make the combo of car and copter. Something we call as hybrid technology which is which an nully disadvantage of two individual mode by adding the technology.
25. Electric Balloon Car
Basically this is all about to reduce the weight of the car by using a balloons instead of wheels. It a combination of both electric and light weight wheels. You can call it as Hybrid car which fits in eco cytheria and no emission invention.
26. RC Helicopter
Remote Controlled helicopter world there are basically of two types one with two types of blades on top (co axial blades) and once with one side of blades on top. And a active tail motor/rotor at the back which will give yawing stability (newton third Law). they also have gear and shaft for drive. Vet cool about this helicopter is that you can fly around your house. There are two motors one is at front which will control the rotation of helicopter with help of ESC and second one is micromotor at the tail part with micro prop. Lipo battery as a continuous power source for your model servo for bending of Swash plate.
27. Smart Wallet
What makes this regular wallet smart is trs small pcb chip having a global GPS module which can give a live time location of your wallet above some distance rage so it's also having an distance alarm sensor.it also contain an micro antichief camera which can take pics.you can also add ultra light 2500mAH power bank through which you can charge your mobile as well as other electronic devices.
28. Remote Control Home Automation Using PIC Controller
In home appliances the TV is the mostly available in every house.The television channel is changed by the tv Remote.Same way by pressing the tv remote the home appliance sload can be ON and OFF.
29. How to Design a Water Cleaning Boat?
Due to lack of circulation, water can become stale and undrinkable. In order to ensure safe and clean drinking water on board, your boat freshwater system needs to be sanitized if it hasn’t been used for some time, for example before your first use of the system after your boat has been stored for the winter. In order to clean boat water tanks, you have to remove the old water before starting the disinfection procedure.
30. Sterling Engine Helicopter
About the project.
As we all know that for a flying object to fly, it is important an external source of energy to overcome the gravitational and inertial forces and carry the to desired altitudes. There are different sources of energy used in flying objects like petroleum fuels along with piston & Wankel engines, Jet fuels aka ATF aka avtur fuels along with gas-turbine engines. Another source of supplying power to the flying objects is hot air used along with sterling engines.
31. Battery Free Flashlight
Do you think by using battery constrain you to run the technology anywhere in the world or in a solar system. Our drawback is battery we need some platform or power source for storage of power in the form of chemical energy. What if you are making your project without battery sounds crazy right! You don't need to store energy anywhere or neither you need to convert into another form. What happens when you use the battery you are converting in the chemical energy to store in battery and then again to are converting into electrical energy in that process you are losing some amount of energy in form of power. Usually batteries are made of terrible chemicals among very few are being recycled and finally, in the end, we have to dispose of them in the earth which might be very dangerous for humans in future
32. Salt Light Lamp
The idea behind this project salt lamp is the chemical conversion of energy. It utilizes the scientific process behind the Galvanic cell, but instead of electrolytes, the SALt lamp uses saline solution, making it harmless and non-toxic. SALt lamp project is an LED lamp powered by the galvanic reaction of an anode with saline water. It also has a USB port to charge low-power mobile devices such as cellphones, smartphones, and mp3 players.The anode must be replaced approximately every six months and the saline water daily; sea water is usable.
33. Eco Cooler
As temperature is rise in many parts of the country, we are suffering from heat cramps, exhaustion, dehydration and heat stroke.According to studies in America, hundreds of people around the world die every year from heat-related conditions, which can be completely avoided if preventive measures are taken.where temperature reach up to 45 deg Celsius making corrugated tin huts unbearable to live in.
34. Alexa Controlled Fan
We are now interacting with technology the most natural way possible by talking people talk to your friends, family there device every day. Alexa is one type of brane can control or over millions of wireless devices with your voice command by understanding and replying questions in seconds by telling you weather updates and playing your favorite music. even Alexa is having lots of skills. Alexa is basically a voice service which makes your project more east with combining with Arduino.
35. Respeaker Home Automation
Probably you all heard about ReSpeaker, it is a hackable open hardware voice interface. It is a development board based on Mediatek MT7688 WiFi module and runs on OpenWrt. You an program it using Arduino, Python, Node.js, Lua and C/C++. ReSpeaker also supports various hardware add-ons like Groove Expansion, Microphone Array, etc... I am one of the early beta user of ReSpeaker.
36. Everything you need to know about mercury vortex engines
As well all know that it was the wright bros who gave the first successful manned flight to the world, and there are better proofs that eight years earlier to wright bros, an Indian Sanskrit scholar S B Talpade designed a basic aircraft called marutshakti, unmanned aerial vehicle at Chowpatty beach in Bombay, crediting him the first creator of an aircraft in modern times. He used Vedic technology for designing the aircraft.
37. Bucky paper Technology
We all have come across the carbon paper used in billing and other materials. Ever wonder if the same carbon paper has strength equivalent to steel but size equal to human hair? Bucky paper supports this fact when manufactured with Nanotechnology.
38. Cryogenic grinding
As a mechanical engineer, we have always learned about properties and behavior of different materials under development of heat. Study of materials under different temperatures is very important and the analysis is not limited only to the production of mechanical application but analysis involves where ever there is a material used and different temperatures involved. As an example, a gulf country completely differs from temperature condition in sub-continent or an African country.
39. Plasma Rail Gun
A plasma railgun is a linear accelerator uses two long parallel electrodes to accelerate a "sliding short" armature. In a plasma railgun, the armature and ejected projectile consist of hot, ionized, gas-like particles heated by a very high temperature. Scientific plasma railguns are operated in a vacuum.
40. Coarse Aggregates Replacement with Jhamma Bricks(Concrete Prep)
Concrete is considered the world’s most used construction material. Typical concrete mixtures are comprised of water, sand, cement and an aggregate of rock. This civil project focuses on the coarse aggregate in concrete. Here you will replace the coarse aggregate by burn brick or Jhama brick and you will study the effect of salient parameters that affect the properties of Jhama class brick based concrete. You will also study the short-term mechanical and physical properties of fresh and hardened Jhama class brick based concrete.
41. Comparison of Strength Characteristics of Concrete Made by TSMA using Fly Ash and Nominal Concrete Made by NM Approach
It is known that wastage in India in the construction industry is as high as 30%. This is a large, yet relatively simple and straightforward challenge needs to be tackled by engineers. These wastages are activities that absorb man hours, resources and materials but create no value. In this project, you will use those waste materials to make something productive by making a concrete using recycled aggregate and fly ash. After making concrete you will compare the compressive as well as flexural strength characteristics of the concrete made through NMA and TSMA.
42. CFD Estimation of Heat Transfer in Copper Tube for Heat Exchanger using Passive Heat Transfer Augumentation Technique
Heat exchanger has been a part of many works producing devices such as air conditioner, refrigerator, automotive, manufacturing, thermal power plants etc. Convective heat transfer is the main phenomena behind the working of heat transfer. A lot of research going on around the world to increase the heat transfer rate of a heat exchanger. One way of increasing this is by introducing extended surfaces inside the fluid flow which will result in more surface area and flow velocity. This technique is known as passive heat transfer augmentation technique. In this project, you will work on increasing the coefficient of convective heat transfer inside a Copper tube using the above technique and will observe the benefits of this technique.
43. Eco-Friendly Self-Curing Concrete
Concrete technology has undergone a rapid improvement in the last two decades and internal curing of concrete has gained popularity and is progressing steadily from the laboratory to field. Water consumption has also been an issue and the scarcity of water is increasing exponentially too.
44. Plasma Ignition
As long as the internal combustion engine has existed, engineers have been trying to find better ways of igniting the highly combustable mixture of air and gasoline that powers cars.
45. Reconnaissance Drone
Drones are everywhere in the world. It is estimated that by the year 2020 there will be approximately 7 million drones in the sky and looking the trend it is important to ensure that drone enthusiasts are operating in a peaceful and safe manner.
46. 3D Printed DNA extractor
Biotechnology is powerful, but only for those with the tools to experiment with and utilize it. Biotechnology combined with 3d printing can be make wonders and leads to bioprinting, tissue engineering, centrifuge dna extractor.
47. Self-Healing Concrete
Cracks are a common phenomenon in concrete structures due to shrinkage. These cracks create a path for liquids and gases (contains harmful substances) into the concrete members. Reinforcement may get corroded if the liquids reach the steel reinforcement. So, it is necessary to take precautionary measures to end these cracks at the very beginning stage. Self-healing concrete is one of the ways to avoid the formation of cracks problem.
48. Green Roof Technology
Buildings affect the environment adversely in many ways. Buildings produce almost 40% of global carbon emission it leads to global warming problems. Methodologies like green roof technology, green buildings, and net-zero energy buildings are necessary to minimize these problems.
49. Silica Fume Concrete
50. hybrid bricks.
The building materials play a major role in our national economy. From stones, we have shifted to bricks and now more advanced compressed stabilized earth bricks can be used which are also called as “HYBRID BRICKS”. This bricks can be used for almost all the applications of burnt clay bricks.
51. Permeable Concrete
52. applications of ferrocement members made of self compacting concrete, 53. non-destructive testing of concrete, 54. cellular lightweight concrete, 55. application of nanotechnology in construction industry, 56. forward swept wing rc aircraft.
Swept wing is a type of wing configuration used in fixed-wing aircraft. There are two types: Swept-back (wing is angled backward) and Swept forward (wing is angled forward). This project deals with the fabrication of forward-swept wing remotely controlled aircraft. Forward-swept wing aircrafts are highly maneuverable (ability to change direction quickly) at low speeds and drag produced is also low compared to backward-swept wing aircraft. The characteristic "sweep angle" is usually estimated by drawing a path from root to tip, twenty-five percent of the way back from the leading edge, and matching that to the perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. Wing sweep has the effect of delaying the shock waves and accompanying aerodynamic drag rise caused by fluid compressibility.
57. Waterproofing of Roof With Discarded Tyre Rubber Crumb
Around 110,00,000 new vehicles are been added to Indian roads every year. Due to this, about 3 crores of tyres are been discarded by the vehicle users every year and causing a potential threat to the environment.
58. Unmanned Aerial Photography using Flying Robot
There are different types of security system that are available in the world but most of them are having some disadvantages. One of the disadvantages is Closed Circuit camera is fixed on the walls and can record only one side at a time, so it can be damaged from the other side.
59. Removal of fluoride from water using iron oxide-hydroxide nanoparticles
Nowadays it is very hard to find drinking water which is free from bacterias and viruses and hence drinking these type of water reflects the human health.
60. Magnesium doped cobalt ferrite nanoparticles
With the advancement in technology and growing nations, many things are developed in the field of construction and chemical industry.
61. Osteoporosis
Due to the advancement in the technology many miracles are seen in the field of engineering, medical sciences, etc.
62. ANN for Predicting Concrete Compressive Strength
ANN (artificial neural network) is a huge architecture which has the capability of generalizing and learning from the data which is given in the form of exercises and examples from the humans. This ANN gives us a meaningful solution to problems if the input data isn’t correct or incomplete from the previous examples and experiences. This property makes ANN an outstanding tool for solving complex engineering problems.
63. Green Concrete
People refer green concrete which is having the coloured pigment. But generally, the concrete which is environmentally friendly is called as green concrete. This concrete will use less energy for its production, and also emits less carbon dioxide than normal concrete. The concrete is mainly comprised of cement. The main component of the manufacturing of the cement is limestone (calcium Carbonate CaCO 3 ). During the manufacturing of the cement the raw materials are heated about 800 – 1000 degree Celsius. Approximately 1kg of cement releases around 900gs of CO 2 into the air.
64. Reactive Concrete
There are many different types of concrete in the world. Each of the them are having added advantages and disadvantages when compared to each other.
For example, if concrete is made from the sulphate-resisting cement then it is good in resisting concrete from sulphate attacks but will not be good in strength as compared normal or traditional concrete.
Different concretes are been developed in the world for different purposes. Some of them are used under water some of them for rapid hardening, some of them in Ready mix concrete etc… one of them is this reactive concrete. This was first developed by P.Richard and in the early 1990’s. this RPC is prepared by replacing the ordinary concrete with quartz powder, silica fume. It has very high strength and also ductility. The compressive strength may vary from 250-810 Mpa.
Reactive concrete will have very fine powders such as sand, quartz, steel fibres, super plasticizer and cement. The quantities used are generally as follows: OPC – 1000, Water -18, Fine sand – 500, Silica Fume – 230, Quartz powder -390, Super plasticizer – 18, Steel fibers – 630 all the weights are in kg per cubic metre. And this mix give approximate strength of 800Mpa.
Requirements:
Knowledge of concrete technology.
Knowledge of Mix Design.
Quartz Powder
Silica Fume
Steel Fibers
Super Plasticizers
Test apparatus for the concrete (concrete lab can be used)
Project Implementation:
- Make the mix design of required grade (Refer IS 10262)
- Find the quantities and make the cubes.
- Test them for the compression, tensile and flexural strength.
- Make the reactive concrete from the materials above and in different proportions.
- Make the cubes and test it for all parameters.
- Report the difference between both the concretes.
Software Requirements:
- If you need to plot the graph for the values you can use software like MS-Excel, Origin Pro etc…
Advantages:
- It makes concrete void proof as we are using fine ingredients.
- Greater resistance for the earth quake loads
- Reduction of the dead load
- Higher shear capacity.
- Higher Ductility
Disadvantages:
- Expensive as we are replacing the aggregates.
- No official code for the design concrete mix.
Conclusion:
This project is still in development stage and do more improvisation by adding or removing the materials used in it. If you want to make something new or learn something new regarding the concrete technology then you can do this project and experience it yourself.
65. Transparent Concrete
Concrete is being used since very old times. It is used since roman age for the development, housing and infrastructure. But the materials used in the concrete is been not changed. Concrete is majorly made of the three components, cement which is a very fine powder and acts as binder, fine aggregate, which comprises of small and fine sand particles, Coarse aggregate, which comprises of large to medium pieces of the stone or gravel.
66. Ducted Fan Drone
Nowadays drones are used in almost all the fields, from this article, you will get an idea to fabricate a ducted fan drone. Ducted fans have the advantage of producing more thrust than a conventional propeller with the same diameter. Ducted fans are silent when compared to the conventional propellers and have reduced blade tip losses which increases efficiency.
Ducted fan drones can be easily operated in indoors or can be flown near to the people. Conventional drones (with propeller) may hurt people or the propellers might get damaged during the indoor flight.
67. How to Build a Fire Fighting Drone?
In this project, you will learn how to build a fire fighting drone, which can able to detect and put off the fire both autonomously and manually. Making a final year project on drones will definitely help you to build a nice career.
In recent years drones gained more popularity because of its wide range of applications and the day to day advancements in their features. Fire fighting is one of the difficult tasks where firefighters risk their lives to save the victims. To make the rescuing process easy and safe, drones are implemented to extinguish the fire.
68. Smart Energy Meter using GSM
You can build this project at home. You can build the project using online tutorials developed by experts. 1-1 support in case of any doubts. 100% output guaranteed. Get certificate on completing.
69. CNC Machine using Arduino
70. gps & gsm based tracker, 71. iot using raspberry pi, 72. automobile prototyping, 73. automatic solar tracker, 74. 7 robots (combo course), 75. 2 mechatronics projects, 76. gesture controlled robot, 77. robotic arm, 78. pcb manufacturing, 79. surveillance robot, 80. gesture based robotics, 81. soccer robotics, 82. iot using arduino, latest projects based on technology, any questions.
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Bring Creative Technology to Seventh-Grade Classrooms!
Use these examples of projects created by students and tweets from classroom teachers to inspire technology integration in your seventh-grade classroom.
Whether you have Chromebooks, iPads, PCs, or Macs in your classroom, you can use technology to engage and inspire your students in the curriculum.
These multimedia projects were created by students using Wixie.
Character Scrapbook
To show what they know about a character in a novel they are reading, students create a digital scrapbook for this person.
Creating Comics
When developing their own comic books and graphic novels, students practice summarizing and creating non-linguistic representations.
Blog: Using Wixie for Comics and Graphic Novels
Infographics
To help students understanding information more deeply, ask them to create infographics to share knowledge and data about an issue or science topic.
Blog: Creating infographics with Wixie
Historical Newsletter
To help students better understand the perspectives of those in different times and cultures, have them develop newsletters that recall and retell historic events.
Public Service Announcements
Give students a real world task for argument writing by asking them to raise awareness or change behavior through a public service announcment regarding an issue they are passionate about.
Illustrated Poetry
Students create visual poetry by combining images that portray the meaning of text.
Trading Cards
Students research a person from history, or a character in a book they are reading, and summarize their findings in the form of a trading card.
Blog: Designing Trading Cards with Wixie
Point of View
Retelling a story with different points of view helps students better comprehend an author's use of voice.
Journey Journals
Students connect with the past as they write a first-person account of events in history.
Lab Safety Posters
Marley 7th grade students created Wixie Posters of Lab Safety Rules. #growing #AACPSAwesome pic.twitter.com/RrcWRbJpHb — Marley Middle School (@MarleyMSAACPS) September 17, 2020
@BaysideMSVBCPS 7th grade Algebra I Honors students are learning how to use #wixie ! #vbits pic.twitter.com/sawsdLGozO — Katie Knapp (@StlrFan) March 8, 2017
Narrative Writing
7th grade ELA students create Fractured Fairy Tales using Wixie #awesome @Sec_ELA_BCPS @DrPenK #bcpslh pic.twitter.com/di9FyJNPBM — Cockeysville Middle (@CockeysvilleMS) June 15, 2015
Students are using Wixie to bring their words, their voice, and their art to the curriculum.
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9 Collaborative Technology Projects Your Students Will Love!
If your classroom is far from a 1:1 environment (more like 1:32), it can be hard to find great technology projects that really work.
If your classroom is far from a 1:1 environment (more like 1:32), it can be hard to find great technology projects that really work. Here are some simple tech tools students can use to create awesome projects. Students can work together in cooperative learning groups or independently depending on your access to technology in your school district. Bonus: They’re all free!
Inkle is a fun digital storytelling tool for students. Rather than having students use Microsoft Word, change things up by having them create a digital book. Students will love adding images to make their story come to life! Cooperative learning idea: Students can collaborate and create a Choose Your Own Adventure story! Each child adds a paragraph to the story and at least two options for readers to choose from. They insert images by adding the link to an image they like online. This Web 2.0 tool is free and the children’s work can be saved and shared.
2. Story Bird
With Story Bird , kids can choose images and invent their very own unique story to go along with the pictures. Students must use their inference skills to depict an image. What is the character feeling? Where does the story take place (setting)? What’s the plot? It’s up to kids to decide after they carefully examine every detail of their image. There is no right or wrong answer.
Cooperative learning idea: Have students share a computer and agree on an image. Then they go off and depict the image as they see it. The students can then compare and contrast their results.
3. Build Your Wild Self
New York Zoos and Aquarium / Wildlife Conservation Society has an interactive game called Build Your Wild Self! Students choose different body parts and limbs for their creature. Then, they choose a habitat. When they’re all finished, the site describes each attribute they chose. For example, orb spider eyes: “You have six eyes, but you can’t see very well. You use your keen sense of touch to track down prey.”
Cooperative l earning idea: Have students work together to build a “wild self” and write a paragraph describing what their animal would eat, their animal’s habitat, exceptional characteristics and talents, as well as their unique adaptations. You could also group students into teams to create a habitat that would be suitable for all of their animals!
4. Blabberize
Blabberize is a free tool that makes photos come to life! Students upload a photo, create a mouth and record whatever they would like their image to say!
Cooperative learning idea: Students can take turns talking. This tool can be used to give a history or science report. Students could describe an animal’s adaptations by making the animal they researched talk!
5. Little Bird Tales
Students can create digital books, add or draw photos and insert their very own voice with Little Bird Tales ! You could have each student create a page to create a class book. Click here for an example.
Cooperative learning idea: Older students can work in teams and create a digital book for a presentation. This is a great project for students who don’t enjoy giving oral presentations.
6. What if? Genie
If students aren’t feeling inspired, have them ask the story genie ! The genie randomly generates a “what if?” question for kids. The “what if?” questions are crazy and imaginative, ones kids would have a blast writing about! Hit the genie square to generate a question.
Cooperative learning idea: Students can share a computer, generate a “What if?” question, then go off and write! Then they can compare and contrast their results.
7. Free Rice
Have students make a difference by practicing their math, chemistry, anatomy, geography, foreign language, vocabulary, grammar, humanities and even for the SAT. “For each answer they get right, 10 grains of rice is donated through the World Food Programme to help end hunger.”
Cooperative learning idea: Students can go on Free Rice and calculate how much rice they donated as a group and create a graph to show their weekly results. This can be an ongoing project throughout the year. Groups can compare and contrast their results.
A free Animoto account lets students create 30-second videos, which can be challenging!
Cooperative learning idea: Have students explain something in 30 seconds through music and images. Above is an example of a water cycle video.
How many letters can you chain together to form a word? Point value: 3 or 4 letters = 1 point, 5 = 2 points, 6 = 3 points, 7 = 5 points, 8 or more = 11 points. Goal: Try to form as many words as you can before time runs out! Visit Teacher Led for a free letter generator!
Cooperative learning idea: Have students work in teams to create words. Then as a math project, they can create fractions (words created / how many times they rolled the dice) or graphs (compare/contrast the number of words created).
Erin Bittman is a designer turned teacher. Check out her blog E Is for Explore ! You can also find E Is for Explore! on Facebook and Pinterest .
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The 9 Best Online Tools for Student Collaboration
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Seven Technologies Remaking the World
An mit smr executive guide, march 09, 2018, by: albert h. segars.
Once upon a time, business leaders could leave technology to the technologists. But today, we are at the starting line of a universal technological revolution — one that is fundamentally altering four key realms of our world: commerce, health care, learning, and the environment. Given the pervasive and diverse nature of this revolution, business leaders must understand the technologies that are driving it, the capabilities they offer, and their potential impacts.
This report provides executives with a lexicon to the revolution. It identifies seven core technologies — pervasive computing, wireless mesh networks, biotechnology, 3D printing, machine learning, nanotechnology, and robotics — and describes their implications for commerce, health care, learning, and the environment. Use it as a guide and a basis for strategic discussion as you and your team seek to understand today’s business frontiers and the opportunities that lie ahead.
Seven Technological Sparks
“You’re only given one little spark of madness,” said the late actor and comedian Robin Williams. “You mustn’t lose it.” Williams used his spark to ignite his comedic rocket and blast past the established boundaries of his craft. Technology provides a similar spark: It enables us to push beyond the established boundaries of our world.
The mechanized spinning of textiles, large-scale manufacturing of chemicals, steam power, and efficiencies in iron-making sparked the first Industrial Revolution (1760-1840). Railroads, the telegraph and telephone, and electricity and other utilities sparked the second Industrial Revolution (1870-1940). Radio, aviation, and nuclear fission sparked the Scientific/Technical Revolution (1940-1970). The internet and digital media and devices sparked the Information Revolution (1985-present). In each instance, the inflection point that marked the new revolution was the appearance of new technologies that fundamentally reshaped key aspects of the world, such as commerce, health care, learning, and the environment.
Today, we see technological sparks everywhere. They are emerging from the digital, chemical, material, and biological sciences, and they are precipitating a revolution that is altering nearly every dimension of our lives.
About the Author
Albert H. Segars, is the PNC Bank Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and director of UNC’s Center for Sustainable Enterprise. He has held posts in research and development at the U.S. Department of Defense, IBM, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He can be reached at [email protected] .
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3. M. Weiser, “The Computer for the 21st Century,” Scientific American, September 1991.
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5. M. Noer, “One Man, One Computer, 10 Million Students: How Khan Academy Is Reinventing Education,” Forbes, Nov. 2, 2012.
6. H. Ishil and B. Ullmer, “Tangible Bits: Towards Seamless Interfaces Between People, Bits, and Atoms,” MIT Media Laboratory, Proceedings of CHI ’97, Association for Computing Machinery, March 1997.
7. G. Gustafsson, Y. Cao, et al., “Flexible Light-Emitting Diodes Made from Soluble Conducting Polymers,” Nature 357, no. 6378 (June 11, 1992): 477-479.
8. A. LaFrance, “The Promise of a New Internet,” The Atlantic, June 10, 2014.
9. T. Simonite, “Build Your Own Internet with Mobile Mesh Networking,” MIT Technology Review, July 9, 2013, www.technologyreview.com.
10. K. Finley, “The Ingenious Plan to Turn Toyota Land Cruisers into an Outback Wireless Network,” Wired, May 11, 2016.
11. E. Hellweg, “Technology Responds to Hurricane Katrina,” MIT Technology Review, Sept. 2, 2005.
12. R. Jurdak, A. Nafaa, and A. Barbirato, “Large Scale Environmental Monitoring Through Integration of Sensor and Mesh Networks,” Sensors 8, no. 11 (Nov. 24, 2008): 7493-7517.
13. D. Piperno, A. Ranere, et al., “Starch Grain and Phytolith Evidence for Early Ninth Millennium B.P. Maize from the Central Balsas River Valley, Mexico,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106, no. 13 (March 2009): 5019-5024. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0812525106.
14. Le Cong, F. Ann Ran, et al., “Multiplex Genome Engineering Using CRISPR/Cas Systems,” Science 339, no. 6121 (Feb. 15, 2013): 819-823.
15. D. Moren, “7 Surprising Biometric Identification Methods,” Popular Science, Dec. 30, 2014.
16. J. McGregor, “Some Swedish Workers Are Getting Microchips Implanted in Their Hands,” The Washington Post, April 4, 2017.
17. B. Herzogenrath (ed.), “From Virgin Land to Disney World: Nature and Its Discontents in the USA of Yesterday and Today,” Critical Studies 15, 2001.
18. D. Dobbs, “Why There’s New Hope About Ending Blindness,” National Geographic, September 2016.
19. J. Cohen, “Memory Implants,” MIT Technology Review, April 23, 2013.
20. J. Domingo and J. Bordonaba, “A Literature Review on the Safety Assessment of Genetically Modified Plants,” Environment International 37 (2011): 734-742.
21. J. Kilbane, “Future Applications of Biotechnology to the Energy Industry,” Frontiers in Microbiology, Feb. 4, 2016.
22. J.R. Tumbleston, D. Shirvanyants, et al., “Continuous Liquid Interface Production of 3D Objects,” Science 347, no. 6228 (March 20, 2015): 1349-1352.
23. H. Kang, S.J. Lee, et al., “A 3D Bioprinting System to Produce Human-Scale Tissue Constructs with Structural Integrity,” Nature Biotechnology 34 (2016): 312-319.
24. H. Shieh and R. Jennings, “Three-Dimensional Printing of External Airway Splints for Tracheomalacia,” Journal of Thoracic Disease 9, no. 3 (2017): 414-416.
25. L. Parker, “3D-Printed Reefs Offer Hope in Coral Bleaching Crisis,” National Geographic, March 13, 2017.
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30 Cool & Creative 7th Grade Engineering Projects
June 8, 2021 // by Nicole Muir
Theodore Von Karmen said, “Scientists discover the world that exists, engineers create the world that never was.” Is your child or student interested in designing something new that has never been created before? Many children around the world enjoy making their ideas a reality by building creative inventions.
Check our list below to find 7th grade engineering projects that your student can do with common materials to make their ideas into ground-breaking innovations.
1. Solar Oven
Your students or child can use common household items to design and build their own solar oven. While learning about how to harness solar energy, they will be able to experiment with their favorite recipes.
Learn more: Child Sci
Looking for fun and educational kits for teens? Check out our Favorite Subscription Boxes for Teens
2. Helping Hand
Everyone can use a helping hand! Check out the link below to learn more about how to construct a prosthetic hand while also learning about human health, biology, and anatomy.
Learn more: Science Buddies
3. Paper Roller Coaster
You can have your own amusement park in your house or classroom. Starting with paper track segments, your child or student can make curves, straight tracks, loops, or hills and connect them to build an entire amusement park!
4. Life Boat
Your child or student can craft a lifeboat and conduct experiments to test its strength while it floats on water. They will use their knowledge of buoyancy, displacement, weight, and measurement as they progress through the designing and hypothesis testing process.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
5. Water Wheel
Building a water wheel will showcase an early form of power and ingenuity before we had access to batteries and electricity. This activity has excellent connections to history lessons about how ancient civilizations harnessed their water resources.
Learn more: Deceptively Educational
6. Balloon Car
Learning about transportation can be a party. By using those left-over balloons, you can power a balloon car using balloon science. You can encourage your 7 th grader to make more than 1 using different designs and race them or race their friends.
7. Marshmallow Catapult
Satisfy your sweet tooth by eating some marshmallows and taking on an engineering design challenge by creating a catapult that launches them into the air. Your student and child can conduct many trials to see which design launches marshmallows the farthest.
Learn more: DIY Network
8. Leprechaun Trap
Leprechauns don’t stand a chance against the leprechaun trap your young learner can put together. This activity can be used around St. Patrick’s Day in March or can be adapted to suit other holidays. Try an Easter bunny trap or Santa trap!
Learn more: The Best Ideas for Kids
9. Fire Snake
Learn all about chemical reactions by creating a fire snake. If you have 30 minutes to spare and safe space outside, children can experiment with chemical mixtures to learn about carbon dioxide gas and oxygen.
10. Pinball Machine
Channel your inner gamer while making a pinball machine. Your young learner will feel like they are in an arcade while using spare cardboard and some creativity. Don’t forget to customize it!
Learn more: Make Zine
11. 3D Geometric Gumdrop Structures
By simply using candy and toothpicks, your child or students design 3D shapes and then create bigger structures from there. Try out: a cube, a rectangular prism, and a pyramid while not eating too many of your materials!
Learn more: Little Bins for Little Hands
12. Straw Rockets
Learning about the force of air, drag, and gravity has never been so fun. Children can make predictions and test how far their rocket will go. They can think of strategies to reduce drag to let their rockets fly farther.
Learn more: Artsy Fartsy Mama
13. Egg Drop
Keep the egg safe by engineering a container to make sure it doesn’t break when dropped from a high distance. The possibilities are endless using everyday items. Challenge your learner to drop their egg from a higher point every time!
Learn more: Buggy and Buddy
14. Newton’s Cradle
You can reinforce your students’ learning by building a version of Newton’s cradle.
This project showcases the principle of conservation of momentum. Assembling simple materials can provide a visual application of this principle to help your child witness science in action.
Learn more: Babble Dabble Do
15. Rubber Band Helicopter
Soar to new heights with this rubber band helicopter activity. Your student or child will learn about the energy that is contained in the rubber band as they wind up the propeller. They will learn about air resistance and drag.
Learn more: Instructables
16. Mini Drone
If you are focusing on simple circuits with your young learner, this mini drone is a fantastic way to scaffold their learning as they discuss the wireless communication that occurs between the person and the drone itself.
17. CD Hovercraft
Building a CD hovercraft will teach your 7 th grader about high pressure, low pressure, and lift. Your 7 th grader can experiment with successful ways to make their hovercraft hover for a longer period of time.
18. Paper Airplane Launcher
Children who are also interested in woodworking may enjoy crafting this paper airplane launcher. They can also experiment with different folding techniques and paperweights to make their paper airplane fly the furthest and fastest.
Learn more: Big DIY Ideas
19. Mini Zipline
If you are looking for an adventurous activity, designing and constructing a mini zipline is an exciting way to teach your child about slope, acceleration, pulley systems, and friction using hands-on exploration.
Learn more: PBS Kids
20. Levitating Ping Pong Ball
This is an activity that demonstrates Bernoulli’s Principle. The device allows the ping pong ball to hover in the air above a straw that they blow into. How long can your student keep the ball in the air?
Learn more: STEM With The Standards
21. M&Ms in Space
Your 7 th grader can design a delivery system and package that will let astronauts snack on M&Ms while they are in space. They can test multiple designs using their materials to see which delivery system and package are ideal.
22. Solar Car
If you are teaching your 7th grade science students about solar power, different forms of energy, or the law of conversation of energy, this solar car is a hands-on application that can be customized. Try out different sizes or shapes!
Learn more: Home Science Tools
23. Homemade Flashlight
Light the way to your child’s learning by helping them to create a simple series circuit flashlight. Your child will learn about electricity and create a useful tool to use the next time there is a blackout.
Learn more: Teach Engineering
24. Bubble Blowing Machine
Your child can participate in the engineering design process by designing, building, and testing a bubble-blowing machine. This activity can be connected to lessons about molecule layers. How can they create the biggest bubbles?
Learn more: Teach Beside Me
25. Seismograph
Building a seismograph will allow you to teach, or reinforce, how scientists are able to measure the motion of the ground that occurs while an earthquake is happening. You can also discuss how different amounts of movement create different results.
Learn more: Scientific American
26. Lego Water Dam
Children can learn about controlling the flow of water by constructing a LEGO water dam. They can make predictions about which of their designs will work best. Doing this project outside will allow for even more fun and learning opportunities!
27. Straw Bridge
This activity can support your 7 th grader’s learning about structures, specifically the mechanics behind the designs of bridges. Using a few simple materials, children can meet increasingly difficult challenges to test the best strategies for building the strongest bridges.
Learn more: YouTube
28. Make Your Own Kite
Children can experiment with different sizes, shapes, and materials to determine which combination is the best to produce a kite that flies the highest out of all the rest. They can record their results. Don’t forget to add a tail!
29. Carnival Ride
Bring back memories of going to the carnival while building a ride that is as fun to create as it would be to ride. Challenge your children to incorporate as many moving parts as they can!
Learn more: Yuri Ostr
30. Water Clock
Measure time by taking note of the inflow and outflow of water. Children will learn about older methods of timekeeping while they construct a device that allows them to measure water lines.
Learn more: Nano Girl – STEM Activities for Kids
Refer to these activities if you are looking for fun and interactive ways to teach your 7th grader about the scientific method and engineering design process. These projects can be simplified or made to be even more complex as you meet the needs of the specific child or group of children, you are working with.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good science project for a 7th grader.
A good 7th grade engineering science project typically includes an experiment that produces observations, which lead to data and results. You can check out the list above for good 7th grade engineering science fair projects . Beyond those listed, some additional ideas include: designing a ball launcher or constructing a water filter system.
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Future technology: 22 ideas about to change our world
The future is coming, and sooner than you think. These emerging technologies will change the way we live, how we look after our bodies and help us avert a climate disaster.
Technology moves at a relentlessly fast pace in the modern world. It can sometimes feel like every single day there are new technologies and innovations that will change our futures forever. But in a steady stream of announcements about new massive futuristic technological upgrades and cool gadgets , it is easy to lose track of the amazing ways the world is progressing.
For instance, there are artificial intelligence programs writing poems from scratch and making images from nothing more than a worded prompt. There are 3D-printed eyes, new holograms, lab-grown food and brain-reading robots.
All of this just scratches the surface of what is out there, so we've curated a guide to the most exciting future technologies, listing them all below.
Necrobotics
Sometimes new future technologies can offer amazing development, with the possibility of changing the future... while also being incredibly creepy.
This is one way to describe the idea of necrobotics which, as the name suggests, involves turning dead things into robots . While this sounds like a plot to a creepy horror film, this is a technology being explored at Rice University.
A team of researchers turned a dead spider into a robot-like gripper, given the ability to pick up other objects. To achieve this, they take a spider and inject it with air. This works because spiders use hydraulics to force their version of blood (haemolymph) into their limbs, making them extend.
Right now this concept is in its infant stages, but it could mean a future where dead animals are used to further science... it all feels very Frankeinstein-like!
Sand batteries
Not every technology bettering our future has to be complicated, some are simple, yet extremely effective.
One of these kind of technologies has come from some Finnish engineers who have found a way to turn sand into a giant battery.
These engineers piled 100 tons of sand into a 4 x 7 metre steel container. All of this sand was then heated up using wind and solar energy.
This heat can then be distributed by a local energy company to provide warmth to buildings in nearby areas. Energy can be stored this way for long periods of time.
All of this occurs through a concept known as resistive heating. This is where a material is heated by the friction of electrical currents.
Sand and any other non-super conductor are warmed by the electricity passing through them generated heat than can be used for energy.
E-skin could help us hug long-distance friends
While modern technology allows us to communicate verbally and visually almost anywhere in the world, there is currently no reliable method of sharing the sense of touch across long distances. Now, a wireless soft e-skin developed by engineers at the City University of Hong Kong could one day make giving and receiving hugs over the internet a reality.
The e-skin is studded with flexible actuators that sense the wearer’s movements and convert them into electrical signals. These signals can then be sent to another e-skin system via Bluetooth, where the actuators convert them into mechanical vibrations that mimic the initial movements. The system could be used to allow friends and family to ‘feel’ each other over long distances, the researchers say.
Researchers at the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) recently invented what they're calling a 'novel, wireless, skin-interfaced olfactory feedback system '. In other words, VR attachments that let you smell stuff.
The smells are generated by the devices heating and melting odorous wax that releases adjustable concentrations of stink. There are two versions of this tech. One is 'mounted' on your upper lip for easy access to your nostrils, and the other is a facemask-like design with hundreds of different odour combinations.
The university said their new tech has a broad range of applications that includes online teaching and 4D movie watching. That's right, in the future, you'll not only be able to watch your favourite movies in VR, you'll also be able to smell them. Now that's immersion!
Catapulting satellites into space
Who would have thought the best way to get satellites into space was with a makeshift catapult! Okay, it is a lot smarter than a catapult but the technology exists in a similar way.
SpinLaunch is a prototype system for getting satellites or other payloads up into space. It does this by using kinetic energy instead of the usual technique of using chemical fuel found in traditional rockets. This technology could be capable of spinning payloads at 8,000km/h and 10,000G, then launching them skyward through a large launch tube.
Of course, small rocket engines will still be required for payloads to reach orbit, but SpinLaunch has claimed this system cuts down on the fuel and infrastructure by an impressive 70 per cent.
The company has signed an agreement with NASA and is now testing the system.
Xenotransplantation
Inserting the heart of a pig into a human feels like a bad idea, and yet, this is one of the latest medical procedures that is seeing rapid progress.
Xenotransplantation - the procedure of transplanting, implementing or infusing a human with cells, tissues or organs from an animal source - has the potential to revolutionise surgery.
One of the most common procedures performed so far is the insertion of a pig's heart into a human. This has now successfully happened twice. However, one of the patients was only alive for a few months, and the second is still being observed.
In these surgeries, the heart cannot be instantly put into a human, gene-editing needs to take place first. Certain genes need to be knocked out of the heart and human genes need to be added, mainly around immune acceptance and genes to prevent excessive growth of heart tissue.
Right now, these surgeries are risky and there is no certainty around success. However, in the near future, we could see xenotransplants happening on a regular basis, providing hearts or tissues from animals to humans in need of it.
AI image-generation
As artificial intelligence continues to perform jobs just as well as humans, there is a new industry to add to the list – the world of art. Researchers at the company OpenAI have created a software that is able to create images from just worded prompts.
Type in ‘a dog wearing a cowboy hat singing in the rain’ and you’ll get a host of completely original images that fit that description. You can even choose what style of art your request will come back in. However, the technology isn't perfected and still has issues, like when we gave it poor prompts on designing cartoon characters .
This technology known as Dall-E is now its second iteration and the team behind it plans to continue developing it further. In the future, we could see this technology used to create art exhibitions, for companies to get quick, original illustrations or of course, to revolutionise the way we create memes on the internet.
There is also technology known as Midjourney , a AI image generator that creates gothic masterpieces with a simple text prompt. We are truly living in the future.
Brain reading robots
No longer a science fiction trope, the use of brain reading technology has improved hugely in recent years. One of the most interesting and practical uses we’ve seen tested so far comes from researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL).
Thanks to a machine-learning algorithm, a robot arm and a brain-computer interface, these researchers have managed to create a means for tetraplegic patients (those who can’t move their upper or lower body) to interact with the world .
In tests, the robot arm would perform simple tasks like moving around an obstacle. The algorithm would then interprets signals from the brain using an EEG cap and automatically determine when the arm had made a move that the brain considered incorrect, for example moving too close to the obstacle or going too fast.
Over time the algorithm can then adjust to the individuals preferences and brain signals. In the future this could lead to wheelchairs controlled by the brain or assistance machines for tetraplegic patients.
3D printed bones
3D printing is an industry promising everything from cheap house building through to affordable rugged armour, but one of the most interesting uses of the technology is the building of 3D printed bones.
The company Ossiform specialises in medical 3D printing, creating patient-specific replacements of different bones from tricalcium phosphate – a material with similar properties to human bones.
Using these 3D printed bones is surprisingly easy. A hospital can perform an MRI which is then sent to Ossiform who create a 3D model of the patient-specific implant that is needed. The surgeon accepts the design and then once it is printed, it can be used in surgery.
What is special about these 3D printed bones is that because of the use of tricalcium phosphate, the body will remodel the implants into vascularised bone. That means they will enable the full restoration of function that the bone it is replacing had. To achieve the best integration possible, the implants are of a porous structure and feature large pores and canals for cells to attach to and reform bone.
3D-printed food that takes the cake
What’s for dinner tonight? Soon it could be a piece of 3D-printed, laser-cooked cake. Researchers at Columbia University School of Engineering have created a device that can construct a seven-ingredient cheesecake using food inks and then cook it to perfection using a laser.
Their creation contained banana, jam, peanut butter and Nutella. Tasty. The technology could one day be used to create personalised meals for everyone from professional athletes to patients with dietary conditions, or could be useful for those who are simply short on time.
Natural language Processing
Natural language processing is the big new trend taking over the internet. While you've most likely seen it in use in Google's autocomplete software, or when your smartphone offers a prediction of what you are trying to type, it is capable of much smarter things.
OpenAI is a company that is at the forefront of artificial intelligence, originally taking the internet by storm with its image generator Dall-E 2 . Now it is back, making a chatbot known as ChatGPT , creating poems from scratch, explaining complex theories with ease and having full-length conversations like it is a human.
ChatGPT is powered by a software known as GPT-3, trained on billions of examples of texts, then taught how to form coherent and logical sentences.
ChatGPT is an example of AI and its future. It has proven its ability to make completely new websites from scratch, write entire length books and even make jokes... although, it clearly still hasn't mastered humour yet.
Boom-free supersonic flight
NASA’s X-59 ‘quiet’ supersonic aircraft is set to take to the skies for its first test flight at the Armstrong Flight Research Center later this year. The plane is currently being assembled in a hangar at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California.
Its fuselage, wings and tail have been specially designed to control the airflow around the plane as it flies, with the ultimate aim of preventing a loud sonic boom from disturbing people on the ground below when it breaks the sound barrier. If the initial test goes to plan, the space agency aims to carry out further test flights over inhabited areas to gauge the public’s response to aircraft in 2024.
Digital "twins" that track your health
In Star Trek , where many of our ideas of future technology germinated, human beings can walk into the medbay and have their entire body digitally scanned for signs of illness and injury. Doing that in real life would, say the makers of Q Bio, improve health outcomes and alleviate the load on doctors at the same time.
The US company has built a scanner that will measure hundreds of biomarkers in around an hour, from hormone levels to the fat building up in your liver to the markers of inflammation or any number of cancers. It intends to use this data to produce a 3D digital avatar of a patient's body – known as a digital twin – that can be tracked over time and updated with each new scan.
Q Bio CEO Jeff Kaditz hopes it will lead to a new era of preventative, personalised medicine in which the vast amounts of data collected not only help doctors prioritise which patients need to be seen most urgently, but also to develop more sophisticated ways of diagnosing illness. Read an interview with him here.
Direct air capture
Through the process of photosynthesis, trees have remained one of the best ways to reduce the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. However, new technology could perform the same role as trees, absorbing carbon dioxide at greater levels while also taking up less land.
This technology is known as Direct Air Capture (DAC). It involves taking carbon dioxide from the air and either storing the CO 2 in deep geological caves under ground, or using it in combination with hydrogen to produce synthetic fuels.
While this technology has great potential, it has a lot of complications right now. There are now direct air capture facilities up and running, but the current models require a huge amount of energy to run. If the energy levels can be reduced in the future, DAC could prove to be one of the best technological advances for the future of the environment.
Green funerals
Sustainable living is becoming a priority for individuals squaring up to the realities of the climate crisis, but what about eco-friendly dying? Death tends to be a carbon-heavy process, one last stamp of our ecological footprint. The average cremation reportedly releases 400kg of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, for example. So what's a greener way to go?
In Washington State in the US, you could be composted instead. Bodies are laid in chambers with bark, soil, straw and other compounds that promote natural decomposition. Within 30 days, your body is reduced to soil that can be returned to a garden or woodland. Recompose, the company behind the process, claims it uses an eighth of the carbon dioxide of a cremation.
An alternative technology uses fungi. In 2019, the late actor Luke Perry was buried in a bespoke "mushroom suit" designed by a start-up called Coeio. The company claims its suit, made with mushrooms and other microorganisms that aid decomposition and neutralise toxins that are realised when a body usually decays.
Most alternative ways of disposing of our bodies after death are not based on new technology; they're just waiting for societal acceptance to catch up. Another example is alkaline hydrolysis, which involves breaking the body down into its chemical components over a six-hour process in a pressurised chamber. It's legal in a number of US states and uses fewer emissions compared with more traditional methods.
Energy storing bricks
Scientists have found a way to store energy in the red bricks that are used to build houses.
Researchers led by Washington University in St Louis, in Missouri, US, have developed a method that can turn the cheap and widely available building material into “smart bricks” that can store energy like a battery.
Although the research is still in the proof-of-concept stage, the scientists claim that walls made of these bricks “could store a substantial amount of energy” and can “be recharged hundreds of thousands of times within an hour”.
The researchers developed a method to convert red bricks into a type of energy storage device called a supercapacitor.
This involved putting a conducting coating, known as Pedot, onto brick samples, which then seeped through the fired bricks’ porous structure, converting them into “energy storing electrodes”.
Iron oxide, which is the red pigment in the bricks, helped with the process, the researchers said.
Self-healing 'living concrete'
Scientists have developed what they call living concrete by using sand, gel and bacteria.
Researchers said this building material has structural load-bearing function, is capable of self-healing and is more environmentally friendly than concrete – which is the second most-consumed material on Earth after water.
The team from the University of Colorado Boulder believe their work paves the way for future building structures that could “heal their own cracks, suck up dangerous toxins from the air or even glow on command”.
Fuel from thin air
Chemical engineers from Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne have created a prototype device that can produce hydrogen fuel from the water found in air.
Inspired by leaves, the device is made from semiconducting materials that harvest energy from sunlight and use it to produce hydrogen gas from water molecules found in the atmosphere. The gas could then, potentially, be converted for use as liquid fuels.
Internet for everyone
We can’t seem to live without the internet (how else would you read sciencefocus.com?), but still only around half the world’s population is connected. There are many reasons for this, including economic and social reasons, but for some the internet just isn’t accessible because they have no connection.
Google is slowly trying to solve the problem using helium balloons to beam the internet to inaccessible areas, while Facebook has abandoned plans to do the same using drones, which means companies like Hiber are stealing a march. They have taken a different approach by launching their own network of shoebox-sized microsatellites into low Earth orbit, which wake up a modem plugged into your computer or device when it flies over and delivers your data.
Their satellites orbit the Earth 16 times a day and are already being used by organisations like The British Antarctic Survey to provide internet access to very extreme of our planet.
Read more about future technology:
- Dude, where’s my flying car? 11 future technologies we’re still waiting for
- Exciting new green technology of the future
- Future tech: The most exciting innovations from CES 2022
3D-printed eye tissue
Researchers at the National Eye Institute in the US have produced retinal tissue using stem cells and 3D bioprinting. The new technique may help scientists model the human eye to better understand – and develop treatments for – diseases and conditions that affect people’s vision, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
The researchers created tissue found in the outer blood-retina barrier, which is the area AMD is known to start in, by printing stem cells taken from patients into a gel and allowing them to grow over several weeks. They are currently using the tissue to study the progression of AMD and are experimenting with adding additional cell types to model more of the human eye.
Car batteries that charge in 10 minutes
Fast-charging of electric vehicles is seen as key to their take-up, so motorists can stop at a service station and fully charge their car in the time it takes to get a coffee and use the toilet – taking no longer than a conventional break.
But rapid charging of lithium-ion batteries can degrade the batteries, researchers at Penn State University in the US say.This is because the flow of lithium particles known as ions from oneelectrode to another to charge the unit and hold the energy ready for use does not happen smoothly with rapid charging at lower temperatures.
However, they have now found that if the batteries could heat to 60°C for just 10 minutes and then rapidly cool again to ambient temperatures, lithium spikes would not form and heat damage would be avoided.
The battery design they have come up with is self-heating, using a thin nickel foil which creates an electrical circuit that heats in less than 30 seconds to warm the inside of the battery.The rapid cooling that would be needed after the battery is charged would be done using the cooling system designed into the car.
Their study, published in the journal Joule , showed they could fully charge an electrical vehicle in 10 minutes.
Artificial neurons on silicon chips
Scientists have found a way to attach artificial neurons onto silicon chips, mimicking the neurons in our nervous system and copying their electrical properties.
“Until now neurons have been like black boxes, but we have managed to open the black box and peer inside,” said Professor Alain Nogaret , from the University of Bath, who led the project.
“Our work is paradigm-changing because it provides a robust method to reproduce the electrical properties of real neurons in minute detail.
“But it’s wider than that, because our neurons only need 140 nanowatts of power. That’s a billionth the power requirement of a microprocessor, which other attempts to make synthetic neurons have used.
Researchers hope their work could be used in medical implants to treat conditions such as heart failure and Alzheimer’s as it requires so little power.
- 11 future technologies we’re still waiting for
- CES 2023: The 10 gadgets that will change the future
- Disco fridges and tech that wants you to pee on it: The 7 weirdest gadgets announced at CES 2023
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10 Breakthrough Technologies
The end of passwords
For decades, we’ve needed passwords to do things online. New forms of authentication will finally let us get rid of them for good. Instead, we’ll use a link sent via email, a push notification, or a biometric scan. Not only are these methods easier—you don’t have to remember your face—but they tend to be more secure.
Covid variant tracking
The pandemic brought unprecedented investment in genomic sequencing and dramatically expanded the capacity for this type of monitoring around the world. Better surveillance has allowed scientists to track the spread of the covid virus and to quickly spot and warn about new variants.
A long-lasting grid battery
We’re using more renewable power than ever. But what happens when the sun sets or the wind stops? Grid operators need a way to store electricity for later. New iron-based batteries may be up to the task. They’re made using abundant materials and could be cheaper and more practical than other types of grid storage.
Break down the breakthroughs
Explore the promising, the elusive, and the unexpected with MIT Technology Review.
AI for protein folding
Nearly everything your body does, it does with proteins. And the way a protein folds determines its activity. But figuring out proteins’ structure can take months. Now an AI called AlphaFold2 has solved this longstanding biological puzzle, which could make it possible to quickly design drugs for a wide range of diseases.
Malaria Vaccine
Malaria kills more than 600,000 people a year, most of them children younger than five. A new malaria vaccine approved by the World Health Organization could help save hundreds of thousands of lives every year. It’s also the world’s first vaccine for a parasitic infection.
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Something went wrong, try again., proof of stake.
Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin use huge amounts of electricity. This is due to the way transactions are verified, which now requires significant computing power. Proof of stake offers a way to verify transactions without using so much energy. Ethereum plans to transition to the system this year, cutting energy use by 99.95%.
A pill for covid
A new drug from Pfizer provides effective and broad protection against the covid-19 virus, including the newest variants. Now other companies are developing similar medicines. Combined with vaccines, these pills could provide a way for the world to finally exit the pandemic.
Practical fusion reactors
The promise of limitless, carbon-free electricity has for decades inspired researchers to try to make fusion power work. Now one startup plans to deliver it to the grid by the early 2030s. Its design relies on a powerful new magnet that shattered records and should allow the company to build smaller, less expensive reactors.
Synthetic data for AI
Training AI requires vast amounts of data. Oftentimes, though, that data is messy or reflects real-world biases, or there are privacy concerns around the information included. Some companies are starting to create and sell synthetic data to avoid these problems. It’s not perfect, but it could be a better way to train AI.
A carbon removal factory
Reducing emissions is a key step to mitigating climate change. But it’s not enough, according to the UN. To avoid catastrophic future warming, we must also remove carbon dioxide from the air. The world’s biggest carbon removal factory recently opened in Iceland to do just that.
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Aging clocks.
DNA markers are making it possible to track the aging process in real time, and helping scientists understand why people age at different rates.
About the list
10 breakthrough technologies 2022.
Our annual list of 10 Breakthrough Technologies highlights the technological advances that we think will have the biggest impact on the world in the years to come. Every year, our reporters and editors survey a wide range of topics, from medicine to energy to digital technologies, to select advances that will affect our lives in meaningful ways. Some have already started to change the way we live and work, while others are poised to do so soon. This is the 21st year we’ve published this list. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into the future.
Editing: Rachel Courtland, Mat Honan, Amy Nordrum, Michael Reilly, and David Rotman Copy editing: Linda Lowenthal Design: Rachel Stein, Solomon Henry Roh Art direction: Eric Mongeon, Rachel Stein Illustration: Andrea D’Aquino Additional images: protein model courtesy of Deepmind, practical fusion reactors photography by Tony Luong, carbon removal factory photography by Kristján Maack Engineering: Jack Burns, Andre Vitorio Analytics: Danielle Golds Engagement: Abby Ivory-Ganja Product: Mariya Sitnova
16 tech projects from 2023 that could change the world
From phytoplankton-based carbon capture to 3D reconstruction scanners, scientists are working on cutting-edge technologies they believe can reshape humanity for the better.
Challenges like climate change and dwindling natural resources and can make the future seem uncertain and even scary. But our fate isn't sealed so long as scientists around the world have a say. They're busy dreaming up technologies, from the practical to the zany, that could make the future a little brighter.
Prototypes for Humanity , a Dubai-based organization that runs a contest to spur innovation, has highlighted 100 projects in 2023 that they believe could change the world — from electrical skin to devices that predict air pollution without any air sensors. Here are some of our favorites.
Real-time monitoring to predict natural disasters
NatCat aims to use satellite imagery, remote sensing and machine learning to assess the risk of natural hazards in different locations, which could help to reduce the risk of harm for those living there. The tool generates risk assessments for any location in the world, regardless of the availability of local data. It can also use climate change data to project the frequency and intensity of some natural hazards in the future.
Converting air humidity to electricity
This project, called Electric Skin, creates a self-powering biomaterial for electronic devices that harnesses the electrically conductive properties of the mud-dwelling bacteria known as Geobacter sulfurrenducens . Specifically, the bacteria's protein nanowires can generate electricity from the air's ambient humidity. The scientists have extracted the bacteria's DNA and embedded this into E. coli for production. To create the power source, the team placed the nanowires harvested from E. coli into compostable biomaterials to create a flexible and textured membrane that can power electronic devices from the air and water.
Recycled tiles that regulate heat and humidity
Spurred by the excessive production of non-recyclable plastics alongside the effects of climate change in south India, Wastly Roof Tiles aims to replace conventional roof tiles with tiles made of a recycled material that can reduce indoor temperatures.
These tiles, which are created by shredding and melting multi-layered plastics, are lightweight and waterproof and can reflect heat. This project is inspired by the cryosphere — icy parts of Earth that regulate the planet's temperature — and the finished product incorporates a blend of the blue and white that many might associate with these regions.
Phytoplankton-based carbon capture
Phytoplankton transfers 40% of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to the ocean using photosynthesis . With PhytoMat, scientists now want to harness this natural process on an industrial scale.
PhytoMat is a flexible, carpet-like technology that is installed horizontally and vertically on surfaces and contains recycled materials embedded with live phytoplankton. As they grow, they absorb carbon dioxide from their surroundings and convert that into biomass — organic material that can be repurposed — before it's harvested and delivered to recycling plants. This material can then be transformed into new products, like bioplastics.
Electricity-free medical injection in disaster recovery
Using only air pressure and the elasticity of balloons, Golden Capsule is a device that can administer intravenous drugs without the need for another human to hold a medicinal pack.
This project stands apart from other devices because no electricity is needed — making it ideal for use in disaster recovery scenarios. Golden Capsule uses elastic force and air pressure differences to deliver medicine, rather than gravity, which is used in other non-powered or low-powered systems.
The biodegradable polystyrene replacement
Carbon Cell is a biodegradable expanding foam made from biochar — a secret combination of biological ingredients derived from food waste — that's mixed and expanded using a patented manufacturing process.
The process is similar to injection molding and enables many different shapes and sizes to be formed quickly when, say, packaging items. The scientists behind this technology ultimately want to replace polystyrene, which they said is toxic and harmful to the environment.
A graphics card that can slash AI's carbon emissions
Generative AI models need to be trained in massive data centers, normally using the power of specialized graphics cards (GPUs). This means generative AI has a huge carbon footprint. But Tasawwur D310 is a GPU that its creators say is vastly more energy efficient than today's leading GPUs. The chip is super dense — with electronic components fitted much closer together and stacked on 10 layers (versus two layers in one of the leading competitors, Nvidia's, chips) — meaning data is exchanged much faster, saving energy and speeding up the training process.
Programmable soft robotics
FlowIO Platform claims to be the world's first general-purpose way to make prototypes of soft robotic parts. This tiny device includes integrated pumps and batteries, and it features five programmable ports, which users can manipulate through a web browser via a Bluetooth connection. Each port can inflate, vacuum, release, hold, sense pressure and alter flow rates. This device also features onboard batteries and 10 different sensors. Its creators say it'll enable robotics experts to bring their ideas from conception to reality much faster than before.
Mixed-reality building inspection with drones
FlyVision combines mixed reality with drone flight to help drone users inspect buildings and other spaces more effectively. Using Microsoft's HoloLens 2 augmented reality (AR) headset, the system gives drone pilots the tools to scan immediate surroundings and create a 3D digital twin within the system. They could then plan a path inside the space and use the planned path to guide a drone through its environment.
AI-augmented renewable energy
This software platform, called "Renescout", uses data mining, remote sensing and AI to better assess whether renewable energy projects are worth pursuing — a process that normally takes 18 months. "Go" or "no" decisions can effectively be made without investing additional time and resources into exploring the viability of unearthing prospective renewable energy sources, the company claims.
Detecting microplastics with high-tech imagery
SPLASH is a system that uses an advanced form of imaging to detect microplastics in water and the air. The imaging, called intelligent polarization holographic probing, works using light-based scanning and 3D modeling to establish the presence of microplastics that can't be seen by the naked eye.
Sustainable solid-state batteries
These batteries are made from copper, aluminum and a sodium-based solid-state electrolyte. These novel materials work as both current collectors and electrodes. The battery's coaxial architecture and beam-like structure enable it to retain energy while reducing wasted space and material. The makers of the batteries, dubbed Ferroelectric Electrolyte Batteries, say they are non-flammable and sustainable alternatives to today's lithium-ion batteries. The researchers imagine they could serve in a variety of uses in the automotive and aerospace industries.
AI feedback to improve surgery outcomes
This AI system, called Surgical AI Trainer, assesses the performance of surgeons and offers feedback on how they can improve their technique. When looking at video recordings of procedures, the system analyzes various components of the operation, such as the intricate movements the surgeon performs. It offers precise and quantified feedback — citing particular segments of the video alongside a rationale for picking it out — on how a surgeon performs in the operating theater. This reduces the need for subjective feedback from an expert peer, which can be laborious.
3D scanning with advanced laser-based radar
The MindPalace-360 is a machine that uses advanced algorithms and 3D reconstruction tools to generate a photorealistic digital render of a real-world environment. Built primarily for those in architecture, construction or engineering, this system essentially creates digital twins that are incredibly close to the real thing. It lets users capture, process and visualize spatial data much more accurately, which feeds into better design and planning.
Extending lithium-ion battery life
Lithium-ion batteries in products like laptops or even electric cars tend to have charge limits to extend the batteries' longevity. But many e-mobility systems, like e-scooters, lack these controls, which could lead to more e-waste generation as batteries degrade quickly and need to be thrown out much sooner than they should have been. BetterE implements charge limits on the AC side of a charger for electric vehicle lithium-ion batteries. For drivers, this would reduce the operating costs of their electric vehicles while also reducing e-waste on a broader level.
Real-time air pollution monitoring
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Data2Action uses AI algorithms to monitor air pollution in real time — even if the area has no air sensors. The system takes monitoring data from areas that have sensors installed, and then uses this to extrapolate information and determine predicted air pollution readings in places that don't have sensors installed. The machine learning models also predict potential health outcomes based on air pollution exposure levels, its makers say.
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Keumars is the technology editor at Live Science. He has written for a variety of publications including ITPro, The Week Digital, ComputerActive, The Independent, The Observer, Metro and TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a technology journalist for more than five years, having previously held the role of features editor with ITPro. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist and has a degree in biomedical sciences from Queen Mary, University of London. He's also registered as a foundational chartered manager with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), having qualified as a Level 3 Team leader with distinction in 2023.
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7 Project Ideas for Creating Virtual Reality Environments
Though head-mounted VR displays have been around (in one way or another) since the 60s, modern computing speeds have fueled their resurgence onto the tech stage. Creative teams are attempting to learn more about its application in other industries. While the power and capabilities of advanced VR technologies are still raising societal questions, it’s an exciting new mode of practicing art and design.
The latest virtual reality applications, many built in Unity, Maya, and Unreal Engine, open up a new medium for artists to venture in and experiment with techniques. Look through these fun project ideas and get started on your own virtual reality creation.
1. Design an escape room
Going through an escape room is a fun exercise in problem solving, but what about trying to create one? This tests your spatial awareness and gets you to think about how to set up mentally challenging clues. Pick a theme like a dungeon or house of horrors, or take it a step further by creating a labyrinth with multiple rooms of increasing difficulty. Get some friends to test out the room and see who can make it out the fastest. Unity offers an approachable introduction to VR. While it’s a preferred choice for advanced game developers, it’s suitable for those with even basic programming knowledge and helps you learn along the way.
2. Recreate famous artwork
Get some cultural inspiration by recreating your favorite artworks. Channel the fluid brushstrokes of Van Gogh or emulate the bold self-portraits of Frida Kahlo. The project allows you to express traditional art in a new medium, and tools like Google Tilt Brush or Mozilla A-Painter get you off the ground quickly. Since you get to apply your paint within a three-dimensional space, you’re essentially laying on brushstrokes in mid-air. One advantage is that you’ll get a better view of the many layers and depth of your work, providing you a new way to interact with your creation.
3. Build an architectural space
Architecture students and structural engineers often make scale models of their building designs, but why settle for that when you can make something you can actually walk through and explore? Getting to see the physical dimensions gives you a better feel for the layout and how it would be navigated in the real world. You can experiment with design elements and mix and match styles. With VR tools, the range of color options gives you a better visualization than a standard pencil blueprint. You can get a sample of what’s possible with VR apps like ARKi (iPhone only, for now).
4. Develop a theme park ride
Another project ideal for students is to invent an imaginative ride design. Create a rollercoaster or plan narrative scenes for a fun dark ride. Since your “rider” doesn’t need to directly interact with most of your environment, this is a great way to focus on your world-building. VR is an excellent environment to design and build theme park rides since you can build a smaller model of the ride and quickly add or erase elements. The virtual environment lets you address different stages of development, from mock-ups where you can visualize mechanical components, as well as deciding what kind of scenery is positioned throughout the ride. Once the model is complete, do a test run!
5. Plant a botanical garden
A beautiful virtual botanical garden makes for a relaxing space and ambitious artistic project. Create an escapist organic landscape where you can cultivate flowers, trees, and even add wildlife. For this project you can use Quill by Story Studio, one of the more powerful artistic programs admired by filmmakers for its studio-quality look. You can divide the finished environment into themed areas and draw aesthetic inspiration from architectural styles, like a Roman villa or Japanese garden. Finish with detailed touches like winding walkways, ponds, art displays, and bridges. It’s not quite the same as a living garden and you don’t get the pleasant scent of fresh flowers and air, but it’s a pretty close substitute for the real thing.
6. Construct set design spaces
Creatives working in entertainment industries can create their own virtual studios to make it easier to consider concept designs. Whether it’s dressing a set or designing wardrobe pieces, VR tools allow you to quickly flesh out your work even while its in its beginning stages. Similar to modeling objects in animation software like Maya, designing in a virtual space lets you view all angles of your project. Since set design encapsulates everything from the stage to the props within it, you can choose from various applications like Tilt Brush or architecture programs.
7. Make an underwater environment
A popular choice for many animators and visual development artists, creating underwater environments are never a boring option that lacks inspiration. The ocean’s myriad shapes and exquisite color palettes make it a great starting project for beginners and more experienced artists to learn VR techniques. Including natural features like lighting, bioluminescence, and unusual sea creatures help to strengthen the overall visual impact and makes the environment more convincing. Similar to Tilt Brush, PaintLab’s basic features like painting, sculpting, and object manipulation make it accessible for artists of all skill levels.
If you’re looking to learn more about how to take the next step in VR, these courses focusing on Unity and Maya (respectively) can get you there:
Exploring the Mixed Reality Landscape
Pacific Northwest College of Art
Introduction to 3D Modeling and Animation With Maya
California College of the Arts
12 Mind-Blowing DIY Tech Projects to Conquer This Summer
Short of ideas for projects this summer? These DIY projects are ideal for DIYer, whatever your skill level.
Let’s face it: following the events of 2020, you’ve found yourself spending more time in the house than you ever imagined. While being holed up can be boring and uninspiring, it’s the best time to get your creative juice flowing.
Now that your summer vacation is fast-approaching, how will you keep yourself busy knowing that you can’t travel or visit places as much as you’d like due to Coronavirus? Here are some interesting DIY tech projects that are worth your time.
1. DIY Image Hosting Service
Facebook and Google Photos are some of the popular platforms where most people host their photos. However, being at the mercy of a company’s privacy policy and terms of service may not give you full true control of your files. Why not roll out your hosting service using tools such as JAlbum and the Gallery Project?
If you want to organize and control your own galleries, it’s advisable to auto-sync with a tool or app of your choice. The next step is managing files locally but keeping a backup off-sight.
2. DIY Amazon Echo
Although it’s not the most budget-friendly project, you’ll learn a ton about how Echo works by creating an Amazon Echo using Raspberry Pi . You’ll not only understand how the Raspberry Pi works but also how to unlock its potential.
For this project, you need a microphone, Ethernet cable, line-in speaker, Raspberry Pi 3 or 2, Wi-Fi dongle, and USB power supply. You can get some of these components from your old gadgets.
3. Add Wi-Fi to Your Mirrorless/DSLR Camera
If you still use your mirrorless or DSLR camera, manually transferring videos or photos to your computer for sharing or processing can be a daunting task. Give that camera a Wi-Fi upgrade and forget those inconveniences of sharing files. You only need the right SD card.
Some of the ways of adding wireless features to your camera are using Wi-Fi-enabled SD cards and third-party adapters. Weye feye, iUSBportCamera, and CamRanger are incredible options. Alternatively, you can pair the camera with your smartphone.
4. Gamer Night Lights
How about changing the ambience in your gaming room with LED night lights? Decorate each side of the cubes with gamer-themed images that depict classic characters and games. These lights offer some amazingly nostalgic themes.
Such decor ideas offer gaming enthusiasts a chance to pay tribute to their favorite or classic gaming characters, allowing them to infuse a playful sentiment into their rooms.
5. DIY Streaming Dash Cam
Dash cameras aren’t vital but they can capture amazing moments. They’re also fun to watch, especially when you visit new places. The best thing is that you can make your own, and learn a lot about mobile recording and electronics in general.
To get started, grab that old smartphone you barely use. Add livestreaming capabilities to that camera using Raspberry Pi. When ready, you could include other advanced features such as GPS and status LEDs.
6. Build a DIY Computer
Building your own gaming rig or home theater PC is a project that could save you a lot of money. Use your understanding of software, RAM, hard disk, streaming media, and downloadable movies to create a system you can connect to your TV.
Take your time to choose hardware that suits your intended purpose. Some of the components to keep in mind are the motherboard, CPU, and the case. You don’t have to buy new components as you can reuse some from your old computer.
Related: How to Build a Cheap Android PC With Inexpensive Parts
7. DIY Functional Arcade Cabinet or Table
Combine woodworking and carpentry skills with electronics to build something fascinating and functional. If you have an old console gathering dust somewhere in your room, it’s time to squeeze some life out of it.
The other components you need for this project are buttons and joystick, arcade stick motherboard, monitor, HDMI cables, black stickers, a desk, a stool, speakers, and a panel.
8. DIY Spray Can Lighting
This DIY LEAD reading lamp is made out of an aerosol deodorant can. It’s a great way to repurpose and recycle old cans. The best thing about using spray cans made from aluminum is that they create an effective reflector.
At first glance, this handmade lamp may not be the prettiest, but it’s cool and interesting. Remember to paint the exterior to complement your interior decor.
9. DIY PCB Jewelry
Circuit boards are covered in resistors, conductors, capacitors, other interesting electronic components that can be viewed as works of art. With such delicate and intricate designs, PCB is perfect for making unique jewelry.
Related: How to Recycle Old PCs, Phones, and Other Tech
Wipe dust off your old cell phone or computer, and get started. Other materials you’ll need are electrician scissors, needle-nosed pliers, clear nail polish, and earring hooks. Cut rectangular, square, circular, or triangular shapes, based on your taste and preferences. Paint the PCB with clear nail polish to give it a glossy look.
10. DIY Smartphone Speaker System
You need two party cups and a paper towel roll to build this interesting speaker system. The two cups are connected to each end of the paper towel roll. The cups work as amplifiers, so they make the speakers louder. In addition, they support the entire system.
This is a perfect accessory for your outdoor activities during your summer vacation. And if you haven’t booked a vacation, try these apps and websites for the best summer vacation ideas .
11. Circuit Board Keychain
This accessory is made of a real circuit board covered with clear nail polish or resin to give it a glossy look. If you’d like to surprise a friend or family member who is a techie lover, try making this uncommon keychain. Put those old computer parts to use.
12. DIY Syncing Cloud Storage
Dropbox is easy, and most people have an account, but having full control of your data is vital. Therefore, it’s important to build your own syncing cloud storage where you are not limited to anyone’s private policy. You can easily create a Dropbox clone. On the other hand, you could create one with a Raspberry Pi, then look for file sharing apps.
For this project, you’ll need to expand your knowledge and skills of file sharing and networking. Resilio (formerly known as BitTorrent Sync) can do the job. You’ll learn a lot during the process, but most importantly, you protect your data.
Find Ways to Recycle Your Old Tech
As you’ve probably noted with all the above projects, your old gadgets can have a host of alternative uses. Instead of throwing away non-functional electronics, repurpose them to reduce e-waste.
54 Most Interesting Technology Research Topics for 2023
May 30, 2023
Scrambling to find technology research topics for the assignment that’s due sooner than you thought? Take a scroll down these 54 interesting technology essay topics in 10 different categories, including controversial technology topics, and some example research questions for each.
Social technology research topics
Whether you have active profiles on every social media platform, you’ve taken a social media break, or you generally try to limit your engagement as much as possible, you probably understand how pervasive social technologies have become in today’s culture. Social technology will especially appeal to those looking for widely discussed, mainstream technology essay topics.
- How do viewers respond to virtual influencers vs human influencers? Is one more effective or ethical over the other?
- Across social media platforms, when and where is mob mentality most prevalent? How do the nuances of mob mentality shift depending on the platform or topic?
- Portable devices like cell phones, laptops, and tablets have certainly made daily life easier in some ways. But how have they made daily life more difficult?
- How does access to social media affect developing brains? And what about mature brains?
- Can dating apps alter how users perceive and interact with people in real life?
- Studies have proven “doomscrolling” to negatively impact mental health—could there ever be any positive impacts?
Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology research topics
Following cryptocurrency and blockchain technology has been a rollercoaster the last few years. And since Bitcoin’s conception in 2009, cryptocurrency has consistently showed up on many lists of controversial technology topics.
- Is it ethical for celebrities or influential people to promote cryptocurrencies or cryptographic assets like NFTs ?
- What are the environmental impacts of mining cryptocurrencies? Could those impacts ever change?
- How does cryptocurrency impact financial security and financial health?
- Could the privacy cryptocurrency offers ever be worth the added security risks?
- How might cryptocurrency regulations and impacts continue to evolve?
- Created to enable cryptocurrency, blockchain has since proven useful in several other industries. What new uses could blockchain have?
Artificial intelligence technology research topics
We started 2023 with M3GAN’s box office success, and now we’re fascinated (or horrified) with ChatGPT , voice cloning , and deepfakes . While people have discussed artificial intelligence for ages, recent advances have really pushed this topic to the front of our minds. Those searching for controversial technology topics should pay close attention to this one.
- OpenAI –the company behind ChatGPT–has shown commitment to safe, moderated AI tools that they hope will provide positive benefits to society. Sam Altman, their CEO, recently testified before a US Senate He described what AI makes possible and called for more regulation in the industry. But even with companies like OpenAI displaying efforts to produce safe AI and advocating for regulations, can AI ever have a purely positive impact? Are certain pitfalls unavoidable?
- In a similar vein, can AI ever actually be ethically or safely produced? Will there always be certain risks?
- How might AI tools impact society across future generations?
- Countless movies and television shows explore the idea of AI going wrong, going back all the way to 1927’s Metropolis . What has a greater impact on public perception—representations in media or industry developments? And can public perception impact industry developments and their effectiveness?
Beauty and anti-aging technology
Throughout human history, people in many cultures have gone to extreme lengths to capture and maintain a youthful beauty. But technology has taken the pursuit of beauty and youth to another level. For those seeking technology essay topics that are both timely and timeless, this one’s a gold mine.
- With augmented reality technology, companies like Perfect allow app users to virtually try on makeup, hair color, hair accessories, and hand or wrist accessories. Could virtual try-ons lead to a somewhat less wasteful beauty industry? What downsides should we consider?
- Users of the Perfect app can also receive virtual diagnoses for skin care issues and virtually “beautify” themselves with smoothed skin, erased blemishes, whitened teeth, brightened under-eye circles, and reshaped facial structures. How could advancements in beauty and anti-aging technology affect self-perception and mental health?
- What are the best alternatives to animal testing within the beauty and anti-aging industry?
- Is anti-aging purely a cosmetic pursuit? Could anti-aging technology provide other benefits?
- Could people actually find a “cure” to aging? And could a cure to aging lead to longer lifespans?
- How might longer human lifespans affect the Earth?
Geoengineering technology research topics
An umbrella term, geoengineering refers to large-scale technologies that can alter the earth and its climate. Typically, these types of technologies aim to combat climate change. Those searching for controversial technology topics should consider looking into this one.
- What benefits can solar geoengineering provide? Can they outweigh the severe risks?
- Compare solar geoengineering methods like mirrors in space, stratospheric aerosol injection, marine cloud brightening, and other proposed methods. How have these methods evolved? How might they continue to evolve?
- Which direct air capture methods are most sustainable?
- How can technology contribute to reforestation efforts?
- What are the best uses for biochar? And how can biochar help or harm the earth?
- Out of all the carbon geoengineering methods that exist or have been proposed, which should we focus on the most?
Creative and performing arts technology topics
While tensions often arise between artists and technology, they’ve also maintained a symbiotic relationship in many ways. It’s complicated. But of course, that’s what makes it interesting. Here’s another option for those searching for timely and timeless technology essay topics.
- How has the relationship between art and technology evolved over time?
- How has technology impacted the ways people create art? And how has technology impacted the ways people engage with art?
- Technology has made creating and viewing art widely accessible. Does this increased accessibility change the value of art? And do we value physical art more than digital art?
- Does technology complement storytelling in the performing arts? Or does technology hinder storytelling in the performing arts?
- Which current issues in the creative or performing arts could potentially be solved with technology?
Cellular agriculture technology research topics
And another route for those drawn to controversial technology topics: cellular agriculture. You’ve probably heard about popular plant-based meat options from brands like Impossible and Beyond Meat . While products made with cellular agriculture also don’t require the raising and slaughtering of livestock, they are not plant-based. Cellular agriculture allows for the production of animal-sourced foods and materials made from cultured animal cells.
- Many consumers have a proven bias against plant-based meats. Will that same bias extend to cultured meat, despite cultured meat coming from actual animal cells?
- Which issues can arise from patenting genes?
- Does the animal agriculture industry provide any benefits that cellular agriculture may have trouble replicating?
- How might products made with cellular agriculture become more affordable?
- Could cellular agriculture conflict with the notion of a “ circular bioeconomy ?” And should we strive for a circular bioeconomy? Can we create a sustainable relationship between technology, capitalism, and the environment, with or without cellular agriculture?
Transportation technology research topics
For decades, we’ve expected flying cars to carry us into a techno-utopia, where everything’s shiny, digital, and easy. We’ve heard promises of super fast trains that can zap us across the country or even across the world. We’ve imagined spring breaks on the moon, jet packs, and teleportation. Who wouldn’t love the option to go anywhere, anytime, super quickly? Transportation technology is another great option for those seeking widely discussed, mainstream technology essay topics.
- Once upon a time, Lady Gaga was set to perform in space as a promotion for Virgin Galactic . While Virgin Galactic never actually launched the iconic musician/actor, soon, they hope to launch their first commercial flight full of civilians–who paid $450,000 a pop–on a 90-minute trip into the stars. And if you think that’s pricey, SpaceX launched three businessmen into space for $55 million in April, 2022 (though with meals included, this is actually a total steal). So should we be launching people into space just for fun? What are the impacts of space tourism?
- Could technology improve the way hazardous materials get transported?
- How can the 5.9 GHz Safety Band affect drivers?
- Which might be safer: self-driving cars or self-flying airplanes?
- Compare hyperloop and maglev Which is better and why?
- Can technology improve safety for cyclists?
Gaming technology topics
A recent study involving over 2000 children found links between video game play and enhanced cognitive abilities. While many different studies have found the impacts of video games to be positive or neutral, we still don’t fully understand the impact of every type of video game on every type of brain. Regardless, most people have opinions on video gaming. So this one’s for those seeking widely discussed, mainstream, and controversial technology topics.
- Are different types or genres of video games more cognitively beneficial than others? Or are certain gaming consoles more cognitively beneficial than others?
- How do the impacts of video games differ from other types of games, such as board games or puzzles?
- What ethical challenges and safety risks come with virtual reality gaming?
- How does a player perceive reality during a virtual reality game compared to during other types of video games?
- Can neurodivergent brains benefit from video games in different ways than neurotypical brains?
Medical technology
Advancements in healthcare have the power to change and save lives. In the last ten years, countless new medical technologies have been developed, and in the next ten years, countless more will likely emerge. Always relevant and often controversial, this final technology research topic could interest anyone.
- Which ethical issues might arise from editing genes using CRISPR-Cas9 technology? And should this technology continue to be illegal in the United States?
- How has telemedicine impacted patients and the healthcare they receive?
- Can neurotechnology devices potentially affect a user’s agency, identity, privacy, and/or cognitive liberty?
- How could the use of medical 3-D printing continue to evolve?
- Are patients more likely to skip digital therapeutics than in-person therapeutic methods? And can the increased screen-time required by digital therapeutics impact mental health
What do you do next?
Now that you’ve picked from this list of technology essay topics, you can do a deep dive and immerse yourself in new ideas, new information, and new perspectives. And of course, now that these topics have motivated you to change the world, look into the best computer science schools , the top feeders to tech and Silicon Valley , the best summer programs for STEM students , and the best biomedical engineering schools .
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Mariya holds a BFA in Creative Writing from the Pratt Institute and is currently pursuing an MFA in writing at the University of California Davis. Mariya serves as a teaching assistant in the English department at UC Davis. She previously served as an associate editor at Carve Magazine for two years, where she managed 60 fiction writers. She is the winner of the 2015 Stony Brook Fiction Prize, and her short stories have been published in Mid-American Review , Cutbank , Sonora Review , New Orleans Review , and The Collagist , among other magazines.
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Home » GRADE 7 TECHNOLOGY
GRADE 7 TECHNOLOGY
Download free printable Grade 7 Technology Worksheets, Tests, Assignments, Investigations and Projects.
Advantages and disadvantages of technology
Application of distance and force
Assessment on fires
Assessment on stability
Assessment research findings
Bias against the disadvantaged
Bias against the vulnerable workers
Bias poor service delivery
Cams and cranks
Cams in a toy fire engine
Capability task – Design and make a cam in a toy band
Capability task – hydraulics and pneumatics
Case study on an entrepreneur
Case study – Denim as a strong and durable fabric
Case study – Plants used in the treatment of malaria
Case study – The uses of Aloes
Changing texture and colour through processing
Changing the type of movement
Changing the type of movement 2
Child electrocuted by illegal wire
Class of levers
Colours and shapes
Comparing circuits
Cranks and slider diagram
Design a technology solution
Design and make a card
Design and make a winch
Design and make an electrical game
Design and make water filters
Design and make with wheels
Design and make your own pulley wheels
Design make a power paper
Design water pump
Designing a torch
Different types of movement
Different wheels and their functions
Distance and force in a wheel
Electrical components
How we use electricity
Electricity audit of power energy used
Strengthening a weak material such as paper straws
Evaluation of a product
Exploded drawings
Extra drawings
Fire fighting
Flow charts
Food fruit and vegetables
Food primary and secondary
Food processing
Forces bending
Grid drawings
Hinged toys – Puppet
Hinges moving joints
Identification of strong material
Impact of technology on the lives of people
Inclined plane
Input, process and output
Insulation and types
Integrated mechanical and electrical systems
Introduction to design or drawing process
Investigating series and parallel circuits
Investigating catapults
Investigating circuits
Investigating pulleys
Investigating stability and centre of gravity
Investigation – Pulleys in a lift
Investigations water resistant and repellent material
Joining box joints
Joining frame
Joining straws
Levers – clothes pegs
Levers – Practical work
Levers and linkages toy
Making a wheelbarrow
Material resistance
Positive and negative impacts of cellphones
Other advantages and disadvantages of technology
Other drawings
Parallel and series circuits
Practical investigation hinges
Practical investigation – the screw
Processing systems approach
Research audit on service delivery
Research access bias in your community
Research jewellery
Conduct a survey on denim
Research on textile processes for improvement by decoration
protective clothing
Safe use of different tools
Screws and screwdrivers
Self evaluation
Self-evaluation list
Series and parallel connections
Shell structure tri-angular
Source food
Strengthening paper by making paper machè
Strengthening reinforcement beam
Strengthening shape of beam
Structures comparisons
Structures frame
Structures rigid
Structures stiff or rigid
Electricity and differently-abled people
System approach input – process, output
Systems and control
Systems and control circuit diagram
Systems and control circuit diagram 1
Systems and control circuit diagram 2
Systems and control circuit diagram 3
Systems and control draw circuit diagram
Systems and control electrical components
Saving electricity
Systems and control electricity 2
Systems and control electricity 3
Systems and control electricity 4
Systems and control input process and output
Systems and control processes
Questionnaire
Technology and the environment
Technology is a human response to a need or problem
Technology processes
Test for flammable materials
Test on levers
Test on mechanical systems
Test on the processing of fibres
Test on pulleys
Testing for conductors and insulators
Testing of products
The history of the wheelbarrow
The torch bulb
Thermal insulation
Three dimensional drawings
Traditional materials and designs
Two and three dimensions
Two dimensional drawings
Two dimensional views
Types of cams
Types of drawings
Types of food preserving and processing
Understanding hydraulics
Understanding pneumatics
Waterproofing materials
Water-resistant and water-repellent materials
Reimagining engineering to deliver more projects, more efficiently
Build, build, build. That’s the order of the day to meet the world’s urgent demand for everything from battery factories and renewable-energy projects to energy-efficient work, housing, and transportation infrastructure. The energy transition alone requires an estimated $9.2 trillion in annual investment between now and 2050, with around $6.5 trillion projected for low-emission assets. 1 For more, see “ The net-zero transition: What it would cost, what it could bring ,” McKinsey Global Institute, January 2022.
Is the engineering sector up to the task? If past performance is any indicator, not likely. Research confirms the widespread perception that capital projects consistently overrun on cost and schedule. 2 “ Capital investment is about to surge: Are your operations ready? ” McKinsey, April 7, 2022. Yet to achieve near-term climate commitments, for example, renewable-energy generation capacity would need to come to market at nearly triple the current rate—meaning that more than 520 gigawatts of solar and wind power would need to be installed annually during the current decade. 3 “ The energy transition: A region-by-region agenda for near-term action ,” McKinsey, December 15, 2022.
This is not a gap the world can afford in terms of time, money, or emissions.
Delivery challenges are compounded by a shortage of engineering talent. Just in the United States, there were about 400,000 vacancies in the architecture, engineering, and construction sector as of late 2023, while in the United Kingdom, vacancies in the sector have risen by about 50 percent since 2019. 4 NAICS 23, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2023; UK Job Vacancies (thousand): UK Office for National Statistics, January 2024; Jose Luis Blanco, David Rockhill, Aditya Sanghvi, and Alberto Torres, “ From start-up to scale-up: Accelerating growth in construction technology ,” McKinsey, May 3, 2023.
Despite the urgency, the engineering sector is up against a traditional business model that does not incentivize the level of transformation required. The usual compensation structure is based on hours and rates—therefore, inputs: the more inputs, the more revenue and margin. To achieve a step change in performance, incentives for both engineering and asset owners would need to realign around shared incentives and shared risk and reward.
This article explores seven disruptive features—and potential incentives to unlock a reimagined business model—that together could transform the sector, and its ability to create the built environment of the future.
A sector ripe for disruption
Despite the availability of some of the most cutting-edge digital tools since the 1980s, engineering remains largely unchanged in the way it works. Most projects are still organized by discipline (for example, civil, mechanical, and electrical), and inefficient work processes create an enormous amount of paperwork—even when digitized.
Agile software engineering at a glance
Inspired by agile software development, the engineering sector could deliver optimized assets that are digitally native and ready for production—and with guarantees of success. Unlike traditional, linear ways of working, agile approaches are iterative and build in more opportunities for testing, learning, and adapting along the developmental path.
There are multiple parallels between agile software development and the engineering, procurement, and construction sector:
- Redefining the product to provide just enough documentation to support a handover
- Initiating pull requests to accelerate delivery and merge information sources to all individuals or teams
- Deploying incentives to encourage product managers to take product ownership and collaborate across disciplines to deliver the full product
- Having a single source of truth to attain agreement on sub-units and APIs by allowing continuous parallel updates
- Harnessing agile development with rapid iteration cycles and integration with AI tools at any level, as well as global automated updates to changing design requirements
- Using automated testing of the full product with every iterative design update
- Making non-IP parts of the workflow management system available for the global community through open sourcing
However, seven disruptive features are emerging in the engineering sector, largely driven by fast-moving changes in software engineering (see sidebar: “Agile software engineering at a glance”):
- Redefining the “product”
- Switching from push to pull workflows
- Switching from a discipline focus to a cross-functional focus
- Creating a single (real-time) source of truth
These first four changes have produced time and cost savings of anywhere between 30 and 50 percent, significantly improving quality and “first time right” metrics, as well as leading to construction productivity further downstream. To speed up the performance transformation needed, engineering could also leverage three disruptive features:
- Using AI-enabled design automation
- Applying continuous integration and automated testing
- Adopting open sourcing
While engineering firms (and teams within larger organizations) are beginning to experiment with these changes —with encouraging results—an organization is yet to emerge who has brought together all seven facets. Combining them could truly disrupt engineering as we know it.
One: Redefining the “product”
The first, crucial disruptive feature is reframing the “product” that engineering provides. Currently, engineering produces drawings, which inform cost and schedule estimates for investments and instruct construction on what must be built. Traditionally, the different engineering disciplines have little awareness, incentive, or practice of looking at the ultimate product that is being engineered.
Placing the (real) customer of engineering outputs at the center of the profession could help to reframe the product delivered. This “customer” is actually the construction (ability to deliver the asset in right sequence on schedule), and ultimately the asset owner (NPV).
In this reimagined approach, the engineering product becomes the construction-ready drawings for all elements involved, in the exact sequence and at the required volume and quality, to enable execution of the instructions.
This approach could be incentivized in different ways. Increasingly innovative contracting practices link engineering fees to outcomes “downstream”—for example, to the start of construction or to the net present value (NPV) the asset produces. The engineering team of a global transport sector manufacturer, meanwhile, was incentivized based on revenue generation from its newly completed production lines.
In the case of early engineering or front-end engineering design (FEED), the product is a robust business case that is attractive to investors. Engineering’s contribution in this vital early stage of the project delivery process would be a product that is viable enough to inform decisions on whether to take an investment decision, to continue to a detailed design (or not).
Two: Switching from push to pull workflows
Once the downstream customer and product are established—for example “construction” to start—a shift from push to pull workflows becomes possible.
In essence, this means prioritizing the engineering deliverables in line with what the downstream construction customer needs next to maximize throughput and asset completion for operation. Although this might seem obvious, we repeatedly observe a mismatch between engineering outputs and requirements of teams and work processes that follow. Aligning the two is not a new principle—famously, the Empire State Building was built in this way. More recently, Toyota made it the basis for optimizing its manufacturing process by reducing waste and inventory, while maximizing valuable throughput at its factories.
In this reimagined model for engineering—designed to create a major acceleration in project work—aligning engineering deliverables with construction needs and sequencing would unlock schedule and cost savings across all industries.
Three: Switching from a discipline focus to a cross-functional focus
Agile principles can accelerate the cycle times and product quality for software and physical products across industries and could be a game changer for engineering, too. The principles are intuitive if we focus on a product. They combine all the capabilities required to deliver a product (or an integrated unit of it), empower teams to make decisions on the delivery of the product or unit, and create a cadence that allows for speedy resolution and escalation when bottlenecks occur.
Composing teams in this way requires bringing together skills from all relevant engineering disciplines, as well as from commercial, construction, and procurement, and including key suppliers. The design process becomes robust for the customer (e.g., construction, asset operator) and the contributors because designs are geared toward the ultimate operations, availability of components and materials, and constructability.
One oil and gas supermajor piloted agile ways of working with its well-delivery team, including key suppliers. On the first try, it shortened the timeline for concept selection by 60 percent, reduced design development for a horizontal well to 13 weeks from 26, and saved 240 full-time equivalent (FTE) days (40 percent) in well planning. All of this was achieved while improving employee engagement scores and increasing empowerment scores by 30 percent.
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Four: creating a single (real-time) source of truth.
Currently, engineering workflows are mainly executed in siloed use of PDF-equivalent documents and myriad spreadsheets. This makes it challenging for owners and engineering contractors to bring together large amounts of work into an integrated design—requiring lots of manual work and rework, without the ability to drill down into root causes of discrepancies or provide forward-looking perspectives on expected outcomes.
Establishing a single source of truth (SSOT) for all stakeholders could be one disruptor the industry needs. Structuring information models in such a way that every data element (design or schedule detail) is mastered in only one place would make it much easier to prevent mistakes, duplication, or inconsistencies, thus improving control.
A basic-level SSOT would provide transparency on priorities, progress, and current and potential bottlenecks in delivery. This kind of improvement was demonstrated in a multibillion-euro capital program relying on one supply chain to deliver multiple megaprojects simultaneously. The owner and contractor worked together to create transparency in supply chain performance —from the outlook of an individual purchase order to an aggregated view by category, project scope, and asset. Appropriate access was secured for project teams, central functional teams, and top leadership to enable joint problem solving on current and emerging bottlenecks.
A higher-level SSOT could see engineering carried out in a single data set or so-called “digital twin” from the start, rather than using multiple documents. Such digital-native engineering would pivot engineers from a document-driven way of working to cross-collaboration between engineers, subcontractors, and operators to develop the design in real time.
Five: Using AI-enabled design automation
Much of what an engineer does today could be grouped into one of two categories: first, understanding the size of the component needed, then picking a relevant design from a catalog; second, doing the “creative” work on how to put together the various building blocks.
The first category is ready for disruption through algorithmic approaches. An oil and gas player in Asia recently digitized its subsea tieback design process, cutting the timeline for getting a very good first design to less than a day from around 12 weeks. This design could then be fine-tuned by engineers.
The second, or creative part of engineering, is likely to see disruption on the horizon, too, judging by recent advances in generative AI. Current technology could already enable blueprints and specifications to be produced in seconds instead of days for final refinement by an expert.
Tasks such as structural design detailing and construction schedules could also be optimized by AI. Generative scheduling, which involves optimizing the sequence of activities for execution, is already being successfully deployed in the construction industry. AI construction simulation and optimization platforms have resulted in generated major productivity improvements for a number of project owners and contractors. For example, when constructing a $300 million petrochemical factory, one such platform tool identified the opportunity to decrease labor idle time by 33 percent, reduce labor requirements by 8.5 percent, and save three weeks on the critical path schedule.
Six: Applying continuous integration and automated testing
Implementing a continuous integration (CI) workflow could significantly reduce the overheads of synchronization and tighten feedback cycles through automated testing. For example, continuously (or regularly) updating the SSOT would allow advanced automated testing of all iterative changes. This could provide immediate feedback on whether a change is both within parameters and an improvement on the existing design.
Many teams and organizations already harness simulations and physical requirements in their digital design process. This could be further optimized through digital twin and AI-powered use-based tests. These could validate improvements by simulating the final stakeholder’s asset operation, thus ensuring rapid actionable feedback on every design iteration.
This kind of product-use simulation is a step up from the classical physics-based simulations typically used in engineering. In effect, it provides end-to-end visibility for all stakeholders at every design update. Downstream consequences, such as financial implications or maintenance requirements, could also be calculated and made visible instantly, supplemented by AI-enabled user testing of the full asset.
Such a use-based approach allowed the Emirates Team New Zealand to iterate ten times faster on their sailboat design —ultimately winning them the prestigious America’s Cup. For the sailing vessel, the QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey team took physical simulation and design one step further by training a digital AI pilot as a stand-in for the team’s pilot. This allowed the team’s sailors to spend less time in their simulator, and designers to iterate an order of magnitude faster by simulating the use of the vessel in the competition. 5 “ Flying across the sea, propelled by AI ,” McKinsey, March 17, 2021.
Seven: Adopting open sourcing
Open sourcing is commonly used in software engineering, allowing universal access to designs or scripts to encourage collaboration on new ideas, optimize existing products, and provide broad access to solutions.
A significant proportion of engineering design work is repeating what has already been done—for example, designing a distillation column. Open-sourcing designs, with no (or limited) real business IP value, could spur innovation. This could especially help nascent technologies that play an important role in the energy transition, where risk is high and debugging essential.
A gold-mining company used an open-source approach to solve some of its biggest technology issues. Every year, the company organized a global conference in a compelling location and paid for invitees’ flights and accommodations. To participate, delegates needed to have done meaningful research and written a paper on the company’s most pressing technology challenges. This moved problem solving from a small group of engineers to a global pool of talent.
Open sourcing has also emerged as a tool to find solutions for reducing carbon emissions. For example, the Northern Lights project is developing the world’s first open-source CO 2 transport and storage infrastructure, located on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. This initiative is partially funded by the Norwegian government and has attracted partnerships with energy players, engineering firms, and oilfield service companies.
Rethinking the traditional business model
Combining all seven disruptors could be a game changer for the engineering sector—and critical to the net-zero transition. However, realizing these changes will not be easy. The engineering sector finds itself trapped in a traditional business model that does not incentivize acceleration and optimization.
However, if the product delivered by engineering is reframed, the industry could shift its business model from being paid for inputs, to being paid for output (the product).
For example, in early-stage engineering, the product is a business case for investment with a robust NPV. Could a reimagined engineering remuneration approach be linked to the NPV of the target asset instead of to expectations of a potential on-time delivery of design, cost, and schedule estimates?
In detailed engineering, the product is construction productivity in relation to sequence, volumes, schedule, and quality. Revenue generation comes from first or ramped-up production. Could a reimagined engineering incentive be instead linked to construction productivity or to first at-scale production?
Naturally, a reimagined business model would need to share the gains and the pains across project stakeholders. Here, new, more collaborative contracting approaches are already delivering materially better outcomes than traditional “adversarial” models. For example, in hospital buildouts in the United States, collaborative contracting has resulted in 15 to 20 percent improvement in cost and schedule performance compared with traditional contracts.
The urgency of the energy transition is creating the positive momentum for change that the engineering sector needs. By daring to combine all seven disruptive features—each of which has been proven to work on its own—and by engaging with asset owners to redefine the business model to align incentives, engineering players could create a credible, sustainable competitive edge.
Sverre Fjeldstad is a partner in McKinsey’s Oslo office, where Natalya Katsap is an associate partner. Prakash Parbhoo is an alumnus of the Johannesburg office.
The authors wish to thank Jan Koeleman, Matthew Oswalt, and Koen Vermeltfoort for their contributions to this article.
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Gemma: Introducing new state-of-the-art open models
Feb 21, 2024
Gemma is built for responsible AI development from the same research and technology used to create Gemini models.
At Google, we believe in making AI helpful for everyone . We have a long history of contributing innovations to the open community, such as with Transformers , TensorFlow , BERT , T5 , JAX , AlphaFold , and AlphaCode . Today, we’re excited to introduce a new generation of open models from Google to assist developers and researchers in building AI responsibly.
Gemma open models
Gemma is a family of lightweight, state-of-the-art open models built from the same research and technology used to create the Gemini models. Developed by Google DeepMind and other teams across Google, Gemma is inspired by Gemini, and the name reflects the Latin gemma , meaning “precious stone.” Accompanying our model weights, we’re also releasing tools to support developer innovation, foster collaboration, and guide responsible use of Gemma models.
Gemma is available worldwide, starting today. Here are the key details to know:
- We’re releasing model weights in two sizes: Gemma 2B and Gemma 7B . Each size is released with pre-trained and instruction-tuned variants.
- A new Responsible Generative AI Toolkit provides guidance and essential tools for creating safer AI applications with Gemma.
- We’re providing toolchains for inference and supervised fine-tuning (SFT) across all major frameworks: JAX, PyTorch, and TensorFlow through native Keras 3.0 .
- Ready-to-use Colab and Kaggle notebooks , alongside integration with popular tools such as Hugging Face , MaxText , NVIDIA NeMo and TensorRT-LLM , make it easy to get started with Gemma.
- Pre-trained and instruction-tuned Gemma models can run on your laptop, workstation, or Google Cloud with easy deployment on Vertex AI and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE).
- Optimization across multiple AI hardware platforms ensures industry-leading performance, including NVIDIA GPUs and Google Cloud TPUs .
- Terms of use permit responsible commercial usage and distribution for all organizations, regardless of size.
State-of-the-art performance at size
Gemma models share technical and infrastructure components with Gemini , our largest and most capable AI model widely available today. This enables Gemma 2B and 7B to achieve best-in-class performance for their sizes compared to other open models. And Gemma models are capable of running directly on a developer laptop or desktop computer. Notably, Gemma surpasses significantly larger models on key benchmarks while adhering to our rigorous standards for safe and responsible outputs. See the technical report for details on performance, dataset composition, and modeling methodologies.
Responsible by design
Gemma is designed with our AI Principles at the forefront. As part of making Gemma pre-trained models safe and reliable, we used automated techniques to filter out certain personal information and other sensitive data from training sets. Additionally, we used extensive fine-tuning and reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF) to align our instruction-tuned models with responsible behaviors. To understand and reduce the risk profile for Gemma models, we conducted robust evaluations including manual red-teaming, automated adversarial testing, and assessments of model capabilities for dangerous activities. These evaluations are outlined in our Model Card . 1
We’re also releasing a new Responsible Generative AI Toolkit together with Gemma to help developers and researchers prioritize building safe and responsible AI applications. The toolkit includes:
- Safety classification: We provide a novel methodology for building robust safety classifiers with minimal examples.
- Debugging: A model debugging tool helps you investigate Gemma's behavior and address potential issues.
- Guidance: You can access best practices for model builders based on Google’s experience in developing and deploying large language models.
Optimized across frameworks, tools and hardware
You can fine-tune Gemma models on your own data to adapt to specific application needs, such as summarization or retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). Gemma supports a wide variety of tools and systems:
- Multi-framework tools: Bring your favorite framework, with reference implementations for inference and fine-tuning across multi-framework Keras 3.0, native PyTorch, JAX, and Hugging Face Transformers.
- Cross-device compatibility: Gemma models run across popular device types, including laptop, desktop, IoT, mobile and cloud, enabling broadly accessible AI capabilities.
- Cutting-edge hardware platforms: We’ve partnered with NVIDIA to optimize Gemma for NVIDIA GPUs , from data center to the cloud to local RTX AI PCs, ensuring industry-leading performance and integration with cutting-edge technology.
- Optimized for Google Cloud: Vertex AI provides a broad MLOps toolset with a range of tuning options and one-click deployment using built-in inference optimizations. Advanced customization is available with fully-managed Vertex AI tools or with self-managed GKE, including deployment to cost-efficient infrastructure across GPU, TPU, and CPU from either platform.
Free credits for research and development
Gemma is built for the open community of developers and researchers powering AI innovation. You can start working with Gemma today using free access in Kaggle, a free tier for Colab notebooks, and $300 in credits for first-time Google Cloud users. Researchers can also apply for Google Cloud credits of up to $500,000 to accelerate their projects.
Getting started
You can explore more about Gemma and access quickstart guides on ai.google.dev/gemma .
As we continue to expand the Gemma model family, we look forward to introducing new variants for diverse applications. Stay tuned for events and opportunities in the coming weeks to connect, learn and build with Gemma.
We’re excited to see what you create!
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Using Digital Technology for Project Success in Denmark’s Construction Sector
In Denmark today, the construction industry faces some significant challenges, ranging from budget overruns and delays to communication breakdowns. And with new government legislation as well as the drive to deliver greener projects to schedule and cost, it’s imperative the industry explores all avenues to achieve our goals.
Setting up for Success
To ensure projects are set up for success, Danish construction teams must conduct robust scope and project planning exercises. Stakeholders can align their efforts and resources by clearly defining the project’s objectives, deliverables, and timeline. This helps prevent scope creep, reduces the risk of delays and cost overruns, and ensures that the project stays on track.
For major construction projects today, construction software features have grown in sophistication.
But where should teams begin? A common data environment (CDE) is key – for project data and the people using it.
A Common Data Environment as the Foundation
The adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) – project management software and other digital tools has the potential to revolutionise the way projects are conceived, planned, and executed. The integration of these technologies allows for real-time collaboration, streamlined communication, and data-driven decision-making.
For many construction companies, the design and construction phases on many of their projects happen simultaneously. This means a common data environment is absolutely critical when it comes to delivering projects safely, on time and on budget. Many companies adopt a CDE to execute digital project delivery methods adhering to BIM Level 3.
Connecting documents and drawings to BIM models allows project collaborators to access everything digitally. Rather than printing out copies of drawings over and over again, teams are enabled to work entirely digitally and, as a consequence, can reduce project-related carbon dioxide emissions.
Building Blocks to Better
Features such as an asset tracking module enable construction teams to track and manage project assets through the entire building lifecycle – from design through handover – from one centralised location. These modules also give construction teams increased access to asset data from the project site, allowing them to perform commissioning and resolve issues on-site, decreasing the time to operations and ultimately reducing risk.
When it comes to developments within the sector, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform the construction industry. With its ability to analyse vast amounts of data and perform complex tasks, AI can streamline various aspects of construction projects. For example, AI-powered algorithms can optimise resource allocation, schedule tasks, and identify potential risks and bottlenecks. By automating repetitive and time-consuming processes, AI frees up human resources to focus on higher-value activities.
A People-Centric Approach
Denmark’s progressive approach to embracing digital solutions aligns with the global trend toward smart construction. The emphasis on transparency, accountability, and efficiency mirrors best practices seen in successful projects worldwide.
But with any change, we cannot underestimate the importance of our people Acknowledging the need for training and upskilling the workforce to harness the full potential of these tools is a crucial aspect often overlooked when adopting tools. A harmonious blend of technology and skilled workers who feel confident in using the technology provided is the key to achieving sustainable success and on-time projects.
And by using modern tools like AI to access insightful data, people on our projects will be equipped with the information they need to keep construction projects on track.
In the construction industry, it is crucial to recognise that simply thinking you are in control is not the same as actually being in control. This is particularly important when you have a digital platform that connects data, providing valuable insights into both facts and risks. It is essential to understand that having access to this information can make a significant difference in managing your operations safely and effectively.
By leveraging the power of a digital platform to gather and analyse data, you can gain a deeper understanding of your operations and make informed decisions that will help you to achieve your goals while minimising risk.
So, where can I get started? Schedule a demo to see software built for every construction workflow.
Related reading Discover how the construction industry in the Nordics is addressing the skills and talent challenges for the future workforce
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US offers $710 million in loans for EV technology projects
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A global slowdown in electric-vehicle demand is rippling through the industry, costing jobs and leading to changes in strategic plans, layoffs and production cuts, suggesting pain in the near term could slow the transition away from gasoline-powered combustion engines.
7 Key Criteria for Selecting the Right Technology for Your Project
Choosing the right technology for your software development project is not just a decision—it’s a strategic practice that profoundly impacts the success of any software project. This notion is underscored by findings from a comprehensive study titled “What Makes Agile Software Development Agile?” . The authors suggest that selecting practices, such as the choice of technology, can significantly influence the agility and, ultimately, the success of a software development project.
These insights align with startling statistics from the Standish Group’s Annual CHAOS 2020 report , which analyzed 50,000 projects globally. The report revealed that a shocking 66% of technology projects ended in partial or total failure. It’s a stark reminder of the importance of choosing the right technology.
At HyperSense, we’ve dedicated our expertise to helping companies navigate this crucial selection process for over a decade. Our experience consistently demonstrates that the key to successful project outcomes lies in aligning technology choices with specific needs, performance expectations, and scalability potential.
In this article, we will guide you through the 7 key criteria to consider when choosing the right technology for your project. These insights are born from our experience in mitigating project risks and championing software success from the very start.
1. Identifying Business Needs and Project Goals
The first and foremost criterion in choosing the right technology for your project is understanding your business needs and goals. This is crucial because different projects have different requirements and, thus, other best-fit technologies. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach in the ever-evolving world of software development.
For instance, a high-traffic e-commerce platform may require technologies prioritizing scalability and robustness. Conversely, a locally-focused community app could require technologies emphasizing user interface and engagement.
It is essential to start any project by comprehensively understanding the business model, user base, market niche, and project objectives. This forms the foundation for aligning technology choices with specific needs, significantly enhancing the likelihood of project success.
2. Web, iOS, and Android User Distribution
A crucial factor to consider in selecting the right technology for your project is understanding your user distribution across different platforms. Are your users predominantly web-based, or do they prefer using mobile applications? What is the distribution between iOS and Android users?
If your audience predominantly interacts with your service on the web, focusing on a robust web application should be your priority. Here, it would be best to consider whether your application requires significant search engine visibility, which could influence the choice between different web technologies.
Alternatively, if a significant proportion of your audience prefers mobile platforms, it may be beneficial to develop a mobile app. In this situation, it is crucial to understand whether your users primarily use iOS or Android and whether your app requires specific native functionalities. For applications needing intricate features like location tracking or Bluetooth connectivity, going native might be the ideal choice. If the user base is primarily on iOS, you might consider Swift, while Kotlin could be the preference for a predominantly Android audience.
However, if your app doesn’t require complex native functionalities and you aim for a consistent look and feel across both platforms, cross-platform development might be the better approach. In this case, a framework like Flutter could allow you to write code once and deploy it on Android and iOS.
Understanding your user distribution across web, iOS, and Android is pivotal. It helps align your technology choice with your users’ preferences, directly influencing the user experience and the overall success of your project.
3. UX Expectations
User experience (UX) can be a significant differentiator for your project. In a world where users increasingly expect engaging, intuitive, and seamless experiences, choosing a technology that delivers high-end animations and interactive elements becomes crucial.
If UX is likely a key differentiator for your project, consider exploring technologies known for their robust support for animations and graphical interfaces. For instance, Flutter, a UI toolkit from Google, is renowned for its ability to render high-fidelity visuals and complex animations directly within the application, making it an excellent choice for projects that demand top-notch UI .
On the other hand, if your project is web-focused and you’re aiming for dynamic, interactive animations, Angular might be the way to go. Angular and the GreenSock Animation Platform (GSAP) can provide a highly flexible and efficient environment for crafting intricate animations and transitions.
Understanding and aligning with your users’ UX expectations can significantly contribute to the success of your project. After all, a compelling user experience can retain existing users and attract new ones.
4. SEO Considerations
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is essential when choosing the right technology for your project, especially for web applications. If your project needs to reach a wider audience through organic search engine results, you’ll need a technology stack that supports comprehensive SEO optimizations.
You might opt for a more flexible solution for projects where the entire application does not need to be indexed by search engines. For example, for the core application, you could use a technology like Flutter, renowned for its capability to develop high-quality UI for both web and mobile platforms.
However, for the sections of your application that need SEO-optimized, consider separating them into a distinct public website. This separation allows you to select a technology with robust SEO support. For instance, choose a technology like Angular for a public website that demands effective search engine indexing.
It’s worth noting that SEO is not a one-time effort but requires consistent optimization and updates. Hence, choosing a technology that seamlessly supports these efforts can enhance your project’s visibility and success.
5. Expertise and Resources Availability
Selecting the right technology for your project extends beyond immediate project requirements—it must also align with the expertise of your development team and the scalability of your project. Additionally, consider the availability of the talent pool in the market for the chosen technology.
For instance, if you’re considering cross-platform development, Flutter is a technology worth considering. A 2022 survey found that 46% of global developers who use cross-platform mobile frameworks favor Flutter . However, it’s crucial to remember that only about one-third of mobile developers use cross-platform technologies or frameworks, while the rest use native tools.
On the server side, Node.js might be a viable option. Currently, t he Node.js framework is used by over 1.4 billion people and powers at least 30 million websites , making it the most-used framework. Notably, 43% of Node.js users employ it for enterprise applications. It’s important to understand that these statistics include all users who have downloaded and used Node.js, not just professional developers.
6. Enterprise Support
Integrating with enterprise systems could become a critical necessity as your project scales. In this context, selecting a technology that provides robust enterprise support in terms of both software capabilities and the availability of plugins or packages that ease such integrations is essential.
Node.js, for example, serves as an excellent illustration of a technology with comprehensive enterprise support. Its extensive collection of packages, available through the Node Package Manager (NPM), can significantly ease the process of integrating with various enterprise systems. Furthermore, its scalable architecture makes it an ideal choice for building enterprise-grade applications.
Aside from integration support, consider the backing of the technology by established corporations or communities. Technologies supported by large organizations often have more reliable support channels, frequent updates, and a more extensive user base, all of which can contribute to smoother project execution and scalability.
7. Community Support and Long-Term Sustainability
When selecting a technology for your project, it’s crucial to consider the level of community support and its potential for long-term sustainability. A vibrant and active community can be a reliable source of solutions to common development challenges, and the sustainability of the technology can ensure your project doesn’t become obsolete.
One way to evaluate this is by checking the activity and engagement on the technology’s GitHub repositories. High engagement levels usually indicate a committed and responsive community. For instance, as of June 2023, the Flutter repository on GitHub has over 154.000 stars and more than 25.500 forks, suggesting a very active community. On the other hand, Angular, another popular technology , also has a large following with over 88.700 stars and more than 23.700 forks on its GitHub repository.
In addition, consider the technology’s development roadmap. A technology with a well-defined roadmap backed by a reputable organization will likely receive long-term support and continue evolving, ensuring your project remains current with modern technology trends.
In conclusion, the level of community support and long-term sustainability of technology are important considerations that can significantly influence the success and future-proofing of your project.
Choosing the right technology for your software development project is complex, encompassing factors from understanding business needs and audience behavior to long-term sustainability and community support. It’s a strategic endeavor with significant implications for your project’s success. As outlined in the seven criteria above, many factors come into play when making this critical decision.
At HyperSense, we understand that these decisions can be challenging to make. Our decade-long experience in the software development industry has equipped us to effectively navigate this process and align technology choices with business needs, user expectations, and project goals.
If you’re embarking on a new software development project or evaluating the technology of your current project, we’d be more than happy to lend our expertise. We can provide insight into the most appropriate technologies and strategies to help your project thrive in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us for an in-depth consultation . Together, let’s shape the future of your project with the right technology. Your software success is our mission.
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Andrei Neacsu
Andrei, CTO and co-founder of HyperSense Software Inc., has an extensive career spanning over 15 years in the tech industry. With hands-on experience in mobile and web development, cloud infrastructure, and DevOps, he has been instrumental in both startup launches and enterprise-level tech transformations. His approach intertwines deep technical knowledge with strategic business insights, aiding in everything from vision setting and market research to contract negotiations and investor relations. As a member of the Forbes Business Council, he consistently delivers valuable insights in the areas of technology and people management.
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1918 shares You can search the internet for some of the best technology projects for kids, but we have done the hard work for you! This list is sure to get those creative juices flowing! Use this set of 28 Days of STEM Activities and STEAM Activities for Kids (and a few more, too!) posts to excite the kids all year long.
The following projects are based on technology. This list shows the latest innovative projects which can be built by students to develop hands-on experience in areas related to/ using technology. 1. All about Green Buildings
Use these examples of projects created by students and tweets from classroom teachers to inspire technology integration in your seventh-grade classroom. Whether you have Chromebooks, iPads, PCs, or Macs in your classroom, you can use technology to engage and inspire your students in the curriculum.
1. Inkle Inkle is a fun digital storytelling tool for students. Rather than having students use Microsoft Word, change things up by having them create a digital book. Students will love adding images to make their story come to life! Cooperative learning idea: Students can collaborate and create a Choose Your Own Adventure story!
Seventh Grade, Computer Science Science Projects (34 results) From cell phones to social media, computer science is a part of your daily life. Everything from traffic lights to medical devices requires both computer hardware and software these days.
How to Make Slime What are the Chances? - A Probability STEM activity Enter the realm of technology with computer science experiments. Code, create, and explore the wonders of computing. Find the perfect seventh-grade science experiment from this collection of top science explorations.
Seventh Grade Science Projects (697 results) Topic Selection Wizard . The wizard asks students to respond to a series of simple statements and then uses their answers to recommend age-appropriate projects that fit their interests. Let us help you find a science project that fits your interests, with our Topic Selection Wizard. Find me a project!
It identifies seven core technologies — pervasive computing, wireless mesh networks, biotechnology, 3D printing, machine learning, nanotechnology, and robotics — and describes their implications for commerce, health care, learning, and the environment. Use it as a guide and a basis for strategic discussion as you and your team seek to ...
Perlmutter Technology | North America The project to build what's billed as the world's fastest artificial intelligence supercomputer just wrapped in May.
1. Solar Oven Your students or child can use common household items to design and build their own solar oven. While learning about how to harness solar energy, they will be able to experiment with their favorite recipes. Learn more: Child Sci Looking for fun and educational kits for teens? Check out our Favorite Subscription Boxes for Teens 2.
The future is coming, and sooner than you think. These emerging technologies will change the way we live, how we look after our bodies and help us avert a climate disaster.
10 Breakthrough Technologies 2022. Our annual list of 10 Breakthrough Technologies highlights the technological advances that we think will have the biggest impact on the world in the years to ...
Tech 16 tech projects from 2023 that could change the world Countdowns By Keumars Afifi-Sabet published 29 December 2023 From phytoplankton-based carbon capture to 3D reconstruction scanners,...
7. Make an underwater environment. A popular choice for many animators and visual development artists, creating underwater environments are never a boring option that lacks inspiration. The ocean's myriad shapes and exquisite color palettes make it a great starting project for beginners and more experienced artists to learn VR techniques.
The other components you need for this project are buttons and joystick, arcade stick motherboard, monitor, HDMI cables, black stickers, a desk, a stool, speakers, and a panel. 8. DIY Spray Can Lighting. This DIY LEAD reading lamp is made out of an aerosol deodorant can.
GRADE 7 TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION Description ... projects in each area of technology, which reflects their abilities and newly attained technological and hands-on knowledge. Students will engineer, evaluate, and modify rigorous specific projects based on STEM standards. This is a hands-on collaborative environment that incorporates project based ...
Artificial intelligence technology research topics. We started 2023 with M3GAN's box office success, and now we're fascinated (or horrified) with ChatGPT, voice cloning, and deepfakes. While people have discussed artificial intelligence for ages, recent advances have really pushed this topic to the front of our minds.
Home GRADE 7 TECHNOLOGY Download free printable Grade 7 Technology Worksheets, Tests, Assignments, Investigations and Projects. A Torch Advantages and disadvantages of technology Application of distance and force Assessment on fires Assessment on stability Assessment research findings Bias against the disadvantaged
Three: Switching from a discipline focus to a cross-functional focus. Agile principles can accelerate the cycle times and product quality for software and physical products across industries and could be a game changer for engineering, too. The principles are intuitive if we focus on a product.
If you are in IT or interested in pursuing a career in information technology, you will greatly appreciate our hands-on skill-based projects. Our IT projects cater to users with different skill levels and diverse needs, aiming to assist you in building an impressive portfolio that can attract potential employers or enable you to practice the skills required in your current job. Whether you are ...
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has forecast a 13.1% jump in global chip sales to $595.3 billion this year, compared with a drop of about 8% in sales in 2023. The amounts Altman has ...
Meanwhile, the labor management solution Triax uses IoT technology and connected devices to provide real-time tracking of workers, equipment, and other resources that you have on the jobsite. Solutions like these allow companies to access metrics and forecasting analytics to better allocate resources to the right projects at the right time.
In a nutshell, IT project management is the process of planning, managing, developing, deploying, monitoring or reporting on information technology projects. This includes any project information ...
Ball Launcher: 2018 Engineering Challenge Spark your interest in electricity and electronics with these science experiments. Discover how circuits work and design fun electronic devices. Find the perfect seventh-grade science experiment from this collection of top science explorations.
Gemma is built for the open community of developers and researchers powering AI innovation. You can start working with Gemma today using free access in Kaggle, a free tier for Colab notebooks, and $300 in credits for first-time Google Cloud users. Researchers can also apply for Google Cloud credits of up to $500,000 to accelerate their projects.
Setting up for Success. To ensure projects are set up for success, Danish construction teams must conduct robust scope and project planning exercises. Stakeholders can align their efforts and resources by clearly defining the project's objectives, deliverables, and timeline. This helps prevent scope creep, reduces the risk of delays and cost ...
OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman is working to secure US government approval for a massive venture to boost global manufacturing of artificial intelligence chips, an effort that risks ...
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1. Identifying Business Needs and Project Goals. The first and foremost criterion in choosing the right technology for your project is understanding your business needs and goals. This is crucial because different projects have different requirements and, thus, other best-fit technologies. There's no one-size-fits-all approach in the ever ...