The individual Oral

Brief points:

• Image analysis
• FIRST Robotics Competition (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)Robots replacing games
• Decrease of human interaction
• Robot's integration to our daily life
• Lower amount of children practicing sports
• Robots accomplishing another functions
• Impact in society
• Future impacts

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Designing a robot

TRIPLE H: Home Helper for Handicapped
We were assigned to develop a robot which could accomplish a specific task. With my partner, Mr. Ugarte, we decided to solve the dependance of another human when people is incapable to solve their own every day problems.

1. What problem or challenge does the robot solve?
The main challenge is to order and carry different stuff, in order to make the handicapped people's life easier.

2. What are some of the functions you will program your robot to carry out?
To bring what you need, food, books, clothes, etc.

3. What materials will it be made out of? 
It will be made out of racicled materials to decrease the price of it.

4. How will the robot sense its surroundings?
By different sensors and cameras, like the ones used to park cars, and some thermal sensors to notice people.

5. How will it move and respond to the environment?
With omnidirectional wheels, to make the movement in any direction, fast and safe.

6. How or why is a robot better equipped to handle this challenge than a human?
Maybe is not better equipped than a human, but in long term issues is cheaper and can work full time, 24/7.

7. What specific functions will the robot carry out? What components will the robot include that help it carry out these tasks?
It will scan products from the kitchen and bring them to the person, it will scan the bar code to know what is handling. It will also carry stuff with an arm with multiple movements.

8. What will the robot look like? Will it look humanlike? Why or why not?
It will be very similar to a spider, with multiple arms. Because of functional issues, it will be better than a human becuase it will carry more than one thing at the same time.

9. How will the robot’s appearance influence how people interact with it?
Maybe it will be kind of scary to interact with, but the main purpose is to carry things, so the interaction is minimum.

10.  What limitations does the robot have?
The robot will not be able to go up-stairs, so the place to work must be modified or limitated to the robot. It will be slow in his movement and will not reach every corner in the place.

Stem Cells Breakthrough & Seeds of Hope

• Why are stem cells considered so valuable for medical research?

Becuase Stem Cells can transform into any cell of the body (plurypotent)

• Why did the researchers have to narrow the spectrum of genes within stem cells? (video 1)

Beacuase they needed to find an specific combinationon of genes that make this cell.

• What are the sources of stem cells and the advantages and disadvantages associated with using each?

The advantages: create any cell you need to regenerate an organ.

The disadvantages: to regenerate organs, you need to take stem cells from an embryo, which will die after.

• What are the three cases presented at the beginning of the second video?

A hockey player injured on his spinal cord; a man with diabetes; two little girls who had Tay-Sachs.

• How might a stem cell be used to treat spinal cord injuries?

Introduce them in the affected zone and then whait until it regenerates.

• Explain the outcome of the experiment with injured rats presented in the second video?

Some rats were used on the experimentation, they were handicapped, and after the treatment, they were able to walk, improving their life expectancy.

• What issues surround the debate over of stem cell research?

Some ethical issues, because killing an embryo for the beneffit of other people is very controversial, for example.

• What issue do you think needs to be debated as we make decisions about stem cell research?

To have the abbility of controling other people's life.

Stem Cells Research: Genetic Tool Kid video

1. How has evolution tinkered  with genes of animals?
2. What role has embryos played in the study of evolution?
3. What did the experiment with fruit flies and mice show?
4. What does the presence  packages of information suggest about evolution?

1. Evolution have been creating new combinations every time, producing new species.
2. It is easier to whatch the development of the being in this stage,the differents evolutive stages of the embryo. 
3. The genes are the same, because all the species came from one being. But how they decode the gene is what makes the difference between the species.
4. Every single specie have the same package of information, but evolution have been creating new combinations, without taking new information, to create other types of animals that are there outside in the environment.