Yuri's Night World Party at NASA/Ames Research Center: April 12, 2008, Part 7 http://www.ynba.org/2008/
Written by Dennis Gonzales.
Photography by Jim Taylor, John Schultz, Kyle Cavallaro & Paul Langston.
Interview with S. Pete Worden by Dennis Gonzales.
Art and Science (Continued)
Also making a return to NASA Ames was "Burning Man Earth" a mapping tool for the Burning Man event at Black Rock City. The output is a 3-D virtual representation of Black Rock City which allows you to zoom in to your favorite theme camp, zip out to deep-playa art installations, and connect with your fellow participants.
Resident Astronaut Yvonne D. Cagle signed autographs and spoke to Yuri's Night fans about her role with the agency.
Foothill college radio station KFJC set up a promotional booth that offered swag and DJs spinning vinyl and CDs throughout the day. This was their first official presentation at YNBA. The station was an unofficial participant in 2007, when they interviewed Plaid and Dr. Chris McKay of NASA Ames. This year the station created two shows for YNBA 2009 hosted by Mr. Goodwrench and Robert Emmett.
Neuro Sky, Inc. presented a technology that seemed to come straight from Sir Arthur C. Clarkeís book, 2001: The Final Odyssey, a demonstration of a brainwave-reading headset that interprets the userís attention and meditation states and uses that information to control a telekinesis-based video game.
The Bay View Space Administration and San Francisco Heavy Pedal Cyclecide Bike Rodeo presented an exploration of Bicycle Flight. Cyclecide is a group of people in San Francisco who take junked bikes, alter them, pre-cycle them and weld them into tall bikes, choppers, and other artful contraptions. The group is composed of welders, musicians, seamstresses, inventors, and bicycle enthusiasts. There were two Cyclecide Bicycle carousels on the tarmac for adults and children to try out (See video below).
Alternative fossil free automobiles also had a presence on the tarmac. Tesla presented its Roadster, the worldís first high performance production electric vehicle. We's (a Palo Alto-based nonprofit startup of entrepreneurs, engineers, environmentalists, and consumers) promoted 100+MPG plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Wrightspeed, which develops advanced electric drive system technology, presented the Wrightspeed X1, which has beaten some of the fastest cars made by Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini on the racetrack.
Artist Michael Christian marked his return to the tarmac with the presentation of an ominous sculpture (the largest one on the tarmac) called I.T. alien. The structure was reminiscent of the walking alien ships from War of the Worlds.
EV/robot designer and builder Justin Gray brought his latest works--moving fire sculptures, robots, and lithium-powered electric motorcycles that lit up the evening sky.
NASA Ames's Intelligent Robotics Group (IRG) brought their IRG Robots Demo to Hangar 211. The group is dedicated to enabling humans and robots to explore and learn about extreme environments, remote locations, and uncharted worlds. IRG's expertise includes applied computer vision, human-robot interaction, mobile manipulation, interactive 3D visualization, and robot software architecture.
Carnegie Mellon West Robotics showcased the MAX Robot. MAX, a Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley initiative, is a new class of low-cost, high-performance rover with a customizable sensor configuration. The robot comes in two versions: a low-cost version for educational purposes (MAX 5.0R) and a high-end research version (MAX 5.0J and MAX 5.0A). MAX was introduced at RoboCamp Silicon Valley 2005 and deployed in limited numbers for select research projects during 2005-2006.
Old Puedlo Engineering Center (OPEC) was there demostrating robots. (See video below).
SETI Institute Explorer, Dr. Friedemann Freund discussed the "Holy Grail of all earthquake research," which would allow prediction of the time, place and magnitude of major seismic events. The concept involves consideration of the non-seismic signals, mostly electric or electromagnetic, that the Earth sends out before major quakes. Though such signals are profusely measured, progress in this field of study has been hindered by a lack of understanding of the physics underlying the generation of these pre-earthquake signals.
The HomeBrew Robotics Club (HBRC) also showcased their work. HBRC members have a range of expertise in robotics that includes beginners, experienced amateurs and professionals.
Astronaut Yvonne D. Cagle bio (PDF)
