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Stories for "Invention"

A streetlamp powered by … algae?

A streetlamp powered by … algae?

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The glowing, neon green lamp you see above is the invention of French biochemist Pierre Calleja, who had the crazy idea of using algae to power otherworldly, tube-shaped streetlamps that double as homes for this growing gloop. In a talk at TEDxLausanneChange, he explains the process behind the invention. You may remember photosynthesis from biology class — if not, Wikipedia will []

The augmented reality of techno-magic: Marco Tempest on TED.com

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Using sleight-of-hand techniques and charming storytelling, techno-illusionist Marco Tempest brings a jaunty stick figure to life onstage at TEDGlobal. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2011, July 2011, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Duration: 5:45.) [ted id=1262] Watch Marco Tempest’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from []

A plane you can drive: Anna Mracek Dietrich on TED.com

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A flying car — it’s an iconic image of the future. But after 100 years of flight and automotive engineering, no one has really cracked the problem. Pilot Anna Mracek Dietrich and her team flipped the question, asking: Why not build a plane that you can drive? (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2011, July 2011, in Edinburgh, []

The strange tale of the Norden bombsight: Malcolm Gladwell on TED.com

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Master storyteller Malcolm Gladwell tells the tale of the Norden bombsight, a groundbreaking piece of World War II technology with a deeply unexpected result. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2011, July 2011, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Duration: 15:01.) [ted id=1255] Watch Malcolm Gladwell’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find []

A thermostat that learns (with a face like an iPod)

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What’s a powerful way to change behavior? Get instant feedback that’s easy to read and act on. It’s a theme that runs through many TEDTalks, from Gary Wolf’s talk on tweaking your personal metrics to Christopher deCharms’ demo of a cutting-edge use for fMRI to manage pain. So we’re intrigued by a new device to []

A prosthetic arm that ‘feels’: Todd Kuiken on TED.com

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Physiatrist and engineer Todd Kuiken is building a prosthetic arm that connects with the human nervous system — improving motion, control and even feeling. Onstage, patient Amanda Kitts helps demonstrate this next-gen robotic arm. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2011, July 2011, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Duration: 18:51.) [ted id=1251] Watch Todd Kuiken’s talk on TED.com, where you []

Unintended consequences: Edward Tenner on TED.com

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Every new invention changes the world — in ways both intentional and unexpected. Historian Edward Tenner tells stories that illustrate the under-appreciated gap between our ability to innovate and our ability to foresee the consequences. (Recorded at TED 2011, March 2011, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 16:10.) [ted id=1217] Watch Edward Tenner’s talk on TED.com, where you []

Wireless data from every light bulb: Harald Haas on TED.com

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What if every light bulb in the world could also transmit data? At TEDGlobal, Harald Haas demonstrates, for the first time, a device that could do exactly that. By flickering the light from a single LED, a change too quick to for the human eye to detect, he can transmit far more data than a []

Medicine’s future? There’s an app for that. Daniel Kraft on TED.com

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At TEDxMaastricht, Daniel Kraft offers a fast-paced look at the next few years of innovations in medicine, powered by new tools, tests and apps that bring diagnostic information right to the patient’s bedside. (Recorded at TEDxMaastricht, April 2011, in Maastricht, Holland. Duration: 18:22) [ted id=1168] Watch Daniel Kraft’s talk on TED.com where you can download []

Struggling with quantum logic: Q&A with Aaron O’Connell

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On stage at TED2011, Aaron O’Connell talked about building the largest object ever put into a quantum mechanical state, a vibrating piece of metal (called a mechanical resonator) — work he completed in the lab of professors John Martinis and Andrew Cleland, and working closely with Max Hofheinz and many others. Now he’s interested in []

How to tie your shoes: Terry Moore on TED.com

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Terry Moore found out he’d been tying his shoes the wrong way his whole life. In the spirit of TED, he takes the stage to share a better way. (Historical note: This was the very first 3-minute audience talk ever given from the TED stage.). . (Recorded at TED2005, February 2005 in Monterey, California. Duration: []

Announcing the finalists in TED’s Full Spectrum auditions

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Last month we announced our first-ever TED auditions, to explore the theme of TED2012: Full Spectrum. The challenge to the TED community: Make a one-minute video that describes your idea worth sharing — and how you’d share it with the world. We received hundreds of submissions from around the world in our short timeframe, and []

Transplanting cells, not organs: Susan Lim on TED.com

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Pioneering surgeon Susan Lim performed the first liver transplant in Asia. But a moral concern with transplants (where do donor livers really come from …) led her to look further, and to ask: Could we be transplanting cells, not whole organs? At the INK Conference, she talks through her new research, discovering healing cells in []

We are makers: Dale Dougherty on TED.com

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America was built by makers — curious, enthusiastic amateur inventors whose tinkering habit sparked whole new industries. At TED@MotorCity, MAKE magazine publisher Dale Dougherty says we’re all makers at heart, and shows cool new tools to tinker with, like Arduinos, affordable 3D printers, even DIY satellites. (Recorded at TED@MotorCity, January 2011, in Detroit, MI. Duration: []