Rio Olympics Construction and Sports Engineering - GineersNow Engineering Magazine

RIO
OLYMPICS:
THE ENGINEERING
BEHIND THE LARGEST
SPORTING EVENT
More stories about
the Rio Olympics inside
AUGUST 2016 ISSUE NO. 006
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Note
Editor's
As soon as the doors closed and the
tv stations left London after all the
winners of the London Olympics
were announced last 2012, people
started looking forward to what
exciting things Rio Olympics will
bring us this 2016. With only a few
days left, we can see from major
international and local news how
athletes from all over the world are
preparing for another big event - a
once-in-a-lifetime chance to bring
glory to one’s country.
One exciting thing about the Rio
Olympics is the integration of sports
engineering to all the games and
developments in the event itself.
From making it possible to develop
an area that would unite people from
all over the world together in one
place to training athletes with latest
technology, it’s an exciting time for
everyone - the athletes, the trainers,
the audience, the organizers and the
engineers.
Here at GineersNow, we are
constantly updating ourselves
with the latest news and feature
stories that can affect the entire
sports world. From the constant
evolution of different gadgets and
equipment that can help transform
someone into the perfect athlete,
we want to find out which product
of engineering and technology can
help master one’s field in sports.
While our focus in this month’s issue
is the engineering behind the Rio
Olympics, we have also compiled
the best feature stories that will help
all the young engineers out there
in their careers. Being engineers
ourselves, we know what it feels like
to struggle inside the office. These
feature stories will guide you on
your way to the top of the corporate
and field world.
So sit back, grab your favorite drink
and enjoy reading this month’s issue
filled with action and life-changing
advices. We’ve collected the best
sports and office stories for the
month of August just for you. Lastly,
may your favorite Olympic team
win in this year’s epic sports event.

CONTENTS
06
09
10
14
18
23
PAGE TITLE
24
26
PAGE TITLE
DUBAI SOON TO HAVE
ANOTHER LANDMARK
STADIUM
WORLD’S FASTEST GOLF
HOLE RECORDED
HOW WILL THE WORLD’S
FIRST EVER CYBORG
OLYMPICS LOOK LIKE?
THROUGH A PREY’S POINT
OF VIEW IN FALCONRY
RIO OLYMPICS:THE
ENGINEERING BEHIND THE
LARGEST SPORTING EVENT
A TECH AND SOCIAL MEDIA
PREVIEW OF THE RIO 2016
OLYMPICS
THE HOME OF THE RIO OLYMPIC
GAMES 2016:THE MARACAÑA
STADIUM
GETTY IMAGES’ 1.5 MILLION
PHOTOS GAMEPLAN FOR THE
2016 RIO OLYMPICS
28
39
47
48
GADGETS YOU SHOULD
BRING TO THE RIO 2016
OLYMPICS
NIKE'S BEST SHOES EVER!
MERCEDES-BENZ UNVEILS
HIGH TECH, SPORTS CAR-
INSPIRED GOLF CART
NBA GETS NEW LED SHOT
CLOCK
62
64
66
68
70
72
77
82
ARE YOU TESLA THE
ENGINEER OR EDISON
THE BUSINESSMAN?
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
YOU FAIL A CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING SUBJECT
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE:
SCIENCE FICTION OR
REALITY?
TOP 5 HARDEST
SUBJECTS IN CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING
AN ENGINEER, A
LAWYER AND A
BANKER WALK INTO A
BAR
HORRIBLE ENGINEERING
BOSSES
THE ENGINEER WHO SAYS
"I DON'T KNOW" HAS
BETTER DECISION MAKING
SKILLS
THE HABITS OF
HAPPY SUCCESSFUL
ENGINEERS
84
86
BEFORE QUITTING
THAT ENGINEERING
JOB, DO THIS
THINGS ENGINEERS
MUST DO DURING THE
WEEKEND
COVER STORY

Photos by: Emirates 247
AUGUST 2016
Sports Engineering and Other Special Features
6
DUBAI SOON TO HAVE ANOTHER
LANDMARK STADIUM
His Highness Shaikh
Mohammed bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, Vice President
and Prime Minister of the
UAE and Ruler of Dubai,
was informed and updated
about the model pilot
design of the Mohammed
bin Rashid Stadium which
will accommodate 60,000
people.
The cost of the stadium is
around Dh 3Billion and it
will be situated on the site
of Dubai Sports Club at Al
Aweer area in Dubai.
The Stadium will add a new
appealing landmark to Dubai.
It’s shape is like a half-ball
lifted on foundations. It is fully
air-conditioned and complies
with the required standards
and specifications of the
World Football governing
body (FIFA).
According to Mattar Al Tayer
in his briefing “Out of tens
international companies
working in the field of sports
buildings design worldwide,
Perkins + Will, the global
engineering and architectural
consultant has been chosen
to execute the mega stadium
which takes in more than
60,000 spectators , 8941 seats
for VIP's terraces and 6688
seats for the below terraces.
The stadium will include
sport buildings, exercise pitch,
sports training hall and car
parking lots that take as many
as 5000 motor vehicles, sports
museum spreading on an
area of 1500 square meters,
multi-purpose hall spanning
on 3500 square meters area. “

WORLD’S
FIRST DRONE
RACE USING
BRAIN-
CONTROLLED
INTERFACE
The competitors wore black headsets with arm-like sensors
stretched over their foreheads. They stare at cubes floating on
their computer screens as their assigned drones prepare for
take-off.
Once the announcer hollers "Three, two, one ... GO!", the racers
concentrate on pushing the cubes, the drones start up, rise
and start buzzing through the air. Others had a difficult time
moving the drones, while others zoomed across the finish line.
This competition was considered as the world’s first drone race
that involves a brain-controlled interface (BCI). 16 pilots used
willpower—or brain power to drive drones through a 10-yard
dash at an indoor basketball court at the University of Florida
this past weekend.
The Associated Press recorded the event, and the organizers
hope to make this an annual inter-collegiate event, and they
plan to involve dynamic moves and challenges and a trophy for
the winner.
According to Chris Crawford, a PhD student in human-centered
computing. “With events like this, we're popularizing the use of
BCI instead of it being stuck in the research lab.”
"BCI was a technology that was geared specifically for medical
purposes, and in order to expand this to the general public, we
actually have to embrace these consumer brand devices and
push them to the limit."
Photo by: Deccan Chronicle
AUGUST 2016
7

AUGUST 2016
8
THE WORLD’S
MOST LUXURIOUS
FOOTBALL STADIUM
According to FootballsTopTen,
an online sports publisher, The
Pancho Arena in Felcsut ranks
number 1 in their list of top
ten luxury football stadiums in
the world.
The Pancho Arena was
named after the Hungarian
and football legend Ferenc
Puskas. The luxurious stadium
was designed by Hungarian
architect Imre Makovets, and
was opened in 2014.
The Hungarian Prime Minister
Viktor Orban grew up in the
village where the stadium
was built, and is known for
his love of football. Despite
the fact that the stadium has
a larger capacity than the
village it is built in, we cannot
deny that the Pancho Arena
is truly beautiful. Its wooden
interior and lighting make for
a perfect place to play and
watch football.
Photo by: sefutbol
Photo by: HungarianAmbiance
Photo by: Hungarian Spectrum

WORLD’S
FASTEST GOLF
HOLE RECORDED
AUGUST 2016
9
Everyone knows that golf is a sport that requires an estimate of
exerted force by the swing amid the wind resistance and weather
conditions. This is why it’s questionable how the new record
holders of the world’s fastest golf hole managed to do it.
French golfers Raphael Jacquelin, Alex Levy, Romain Wattel, and
Gregory Havret are names to be remembered in golf history as
they successfully scored birdie, going from tee to green, in just 34.8
seconds. It is the fastest hole record in the world.
Under the record rules, each of the four golfers played a stroke
to score birdie on the par-5 fourth at the Valderrama Golf Club in
Spain. It is also in the record rules that the hole should be 500 yards
or longer to count, and they met that rule.
The question now is how did they do it? Perhaps it is because of
constant practice and a good estimate of their swings plus the
cooperative weather. It’s also possible that they engineered their
way to the new world record, measuring the projectile given all the
necessary factors.

HOW WILL THE WORLD’S
FIRST EVER CYBORG
OLYMPICS LOOK LIKE?
Photo by: Cybathlon
Photo by: TheVerge
AUGUST 2016
10
An Olympics which will involve
persons with disabilities called
Cybathlon is pending to take
place in Zurich, Switzerland
in October 2016. It will be
some sort of robots versus
robots, but will only involve
those with prostheses, metal
limbs, and latest assistive
technologies.
Spectators can expect to
watch athletes who tackle
flights of stairs in the new
wheel chairs and also move
around proving their speed
and skills with their modern
prostheses. There will
also be races for athletes
with powered arm and leg
prostheses, for those wearing
a robotic exoskeleton and for
powered wheelchairs. Cyclists
using electrical muscle
stimulation and even a brain-
computer interface race may
be watched on the October
8 event.
Robert Riener, the event
organizer said, “It’s less about
force and speed, and more
about control of the body
and the device.” This idea led
them to name the athletes as
‘pilots.’
Cybathlon aims to provide a
platform for the development
of novel assistive technologies
that are useful for daily life,
according to their event
website. There will be 80
teams to watch out for.

Photo by: Sports-961
Photo by: Neurogadget
AUGUST 2016
11

A GO-KART FOR THE
DISABLED DEVELOPED
AUGUST 2016
12
Racing enthusiasts
without legs can now
enjoy the sport they love
thanks to this genius
invention of a go-kart.
Students of Kennesaw
State University Greg
Newman and Jonathan
Beckdevelopedago-kart
especially fit for disabled
individuals who do not
have legs. Both students,
who are members of
KSU’s motorsports
team, were given an
assignment to build a
go-kart that stays out
from the conventional
acceleration and braking
systems: to use hands
instead of the foot. They
were asked to build the
go-kart by the staff at
Andretti Indoor Karting
and Games on Roswell
Road in Marietta.
Senior mechatronics
major Beck who has
been in the team for
four years said that the
challenge was mainly
on how to mechanically
control the brakes. But
they managed to create
a system of having a
hand control that can be
easily connected to the
go-karts when needed
and detached when not.
A prototype will be
finished by the pair in
time for the Andretti
Karting this month.
Photo by: Kelly J. Huff via Marietta Daily Journal

IMAXSHIFT:TAKING SPIN
CLASSESTO A NEW WORLD
Photo by: NYMag
Photo by: WTSP
AUGUST 2016
13
“Lose Yourself. Re-imagine
indoor cycling. Immerse
yourself in a ride that’s
intense, emotional, spiritual,
performance-driven and
altogether epic. Cycle through
the solar system, soar over the
coasts of Hawaii, or pedal to
the beat with music reactive
visuals – all from your seat.”
–IMAXshift Website
Soon, the world’s first IMAX
spin class will be tested in
Brooklyn, this will let indoor
cyclists feel like they are
pedalling into different places:
solar systems, forests, and
other scenes.
This spin class is called the
“IMAXshift” and the duration
will be 45-minutes long. The
class will be taking place in a
studio in Brooklyn, and they
will be incorporating a large
screen technology that is
similar to those used in movie
theaters.
By combining indoor cycling
and awesome audio-video
effects, participants of this
fitness class will be able to
have a completely immersed
experience as they cycle
through the solar system or
go through the forest. The
matching music also helps
add depth to the visuals for a
more believable effect.
As of now the class is
limited to groups of 50
riders in Brooklyn, but will be
expanded to other locations
if this idea is successful.

THROUGH A PREY’S
POINT OF VIEW IN
FALCONRY
AUGUST 2016
14

Before there were skyscrapers
and high-class offices that
rose above the grounds of
Dubai, you’ll find its men
enjoying a traditional sports
of falconry. As ancient and
traditional as it is, only few
people of foreign blood are
accepted into this sport
known for its majestic
falcons.
One of these men is Peter
Bergh. He’s a tour operator
and trainer that has been
working on his skills for
more than ten years. Now,
Bergh plays side by side with
the sport’s elite in Dubai.
To make the sport more
interesting, he’s mixing it up
with drones.
Working together with
creators of drone racing,
they’ve modified drones
just to give the viewers a
glimpse of what it’s like
being the prey. By tinkering
with different cameras with
super fast aircraft, developed
quadcopters are smaller and
look like the meat a falcon
lays its eyes on.
According to Bergh:
“Over the years we’ve
progressively changed the
cameras, gone smaller,
adapted and modified
aeroplanes to fit these
cameras, and some of the
footage we’re achieving
is radical and we can now
put ourselves in the prey’s
perspective.”
He added:
“Filming it and capturing
the style, the flight the
aggression, the movement
of the body of the birds - it’s
fascinating. The technology
of the cameras is improving
everyday, so the future looks
really bright.”
AUGUST 2016
15
Photo by: slate

Photo by: Futura-Science
AUGUST 2016
16
THE WORLD’S SMALLEST CARS GEAR UP
FOR THE WORLD’S FIRST NANO-GRAND PRIX
The world’s smallest cars which are built to a jaw-dropping
small scale of billionths of a meter, are getting ready for the
world’s first nano-grand prix.
These cars aren’t simply molecules put together, the cars are
complete with chassis, two axles and four freely rotating wheels.
They are so small that they have to be monitored by special
high-resolution microscope.
Of course, these cars—and the race won’t be seen by the naked
eye. But these nano cars from five teams will be viewable with
the use of special instruments, known as tunnelling microscopes
which are developed especially for the grand prix to be held in
October at the French city of Toulouse.
The entries will be propelled across a custom-built gold surface
by using an electric current which is supplied by the tip of
a scanning electron microscope. The track is kept cold, -268
degrees, and in a vacuum.
The race will involve trials to see which nano-car is the fastest.
Photo by: Nanoqed

Michael Jordan has always been and
always be a sports icon. But aside from
being regarded as one of the best basketball
players in the history, Jordan has made its
way into being an internet meme--a teary-
faced emotional guy. In the world of sports,
losing teams and defeated players are seen
in the internet world as people with Jordan's
meme. It could even be in losing mascots,
losing fans, or even losing coaches. But
where and how did this meme start?
Back in 2009 when Jordan was about to
be placed on Basketball's Hall Of Fame, he
first delivered a heart-felt speech that is
overwhelmed with emotions. Then internet
happened. So after some years, a photo of
Jordan's crying face was transformed into
what is now a sad sports meme.
WHY IS MICHAEL
JORDAN CRYING?
AUGUST 2016
17
Photo by: Dmarge
Photo by: oreganlive
Photo by: opencourtbasketball
“Everyone runs faster when there’s something to beat. But how do you beat a record when you can’t
see it?” These words create just the right amount of intrigue at the start of Puma’s new technology
ad. If you run track alone, you might have problems in accurately checking your time to see how well
you’ve improved. Well, that’s now a worry of the past with this new creation by Puma.
The Puma Beatbot is any runner’s most welcome companion. It’s a line-tracing robot that you can
place beside you on the field to “run” along with you. The operations are simple: set the distance of
your run and the time you want to achieve then start the bot from your phone. It works by following
the line on the track with its 9 infrared sensors and it counts wheel revolutions to gauge the speed
and distance.
Challenge your time, your rival’s time, or even Usain Bolt’s time. This robot not only races you, it helps
you train for speed.
CHALLENGE YOUR
RUNNING TIME WITH THIS
RACEABLE TECH ROBOT

COVER STORY
AUGUST 2016
18
RIO
OLYMPICSTHE ENGINEERING
BEHIND THE LARGEST
SPORTING EVENT

Photoby:bp.blogspot
AUGUST 2016
19

Growing up, we’ve all watched
the Olympics as different
athletes compete in different
games to bring honor and
fame to their countries.
We’ve been exposed to
different heartfelt stories
about how these athletes
started from the bottom
and now, they’re going to be
representing their coun-tries.
But have you ever thought
about the engineering
behind the Olympics? How
did the engi-neers made all
of this happen? What are
the technologies behind this
global competition and how
are these changing our lives?
We have to admit it. A lot
has changed since the first
games that were originally
held in ancient Greece. The
first Olympic games held
happened around 3,000
years ago and then revived
during the late 19th century.
When the even was revived
in 1896 in Athens, Greece,
around 280 partici-pants
from thirteen nations were
present. It came a long way
since then. With the most
advanced technology held
inside hi-tech establishments,
more than 11,000 athletes
represent more than 200
countries in this prestigious
sporting event.
As soon as you turn on the
TV or check your social media
accounts, you find yourself
filled with the latest news on
the Rio Olympics. It’s about
to start and everyone’s just
dying to find out which
teams would bring home gold
medals to their countries.
Friends are starting to bet on
their teams while local news
stations start to add feature
stories about the rookie who’s
about to join the Olym-pics for
the first time. People would
start comparing the Olympic
events throughout the years
and how it has changed.
What was once a simple
sporting event for a few
people to look forward to has
now become a global event
everybody is obsessed with. As
for the others who just want
to join the bandwagon, they
find it easy to love since the
Olympics has the capability
to change the way we see the
world.However,let’snotforget
what makes the Olympics a
global phenomenon is the
technology behind the sports
and people involved.
Using today’s technology,
everyone is able to connect
COVER STORY
Photo by: Rio 2016
Photo by: Rio 2016
AUGUST 2016
20

with each other. Athletes can
share their journey to the
Rio Olympics through social
media easier. With just one
snap, they can tweet it to the
rest of the world and gain
the fame and support they
need. Coaches can inform
sponsors about what exactly
makes their teams worth the
millions of dollars spent for
their journey. Multi-billion
companies easily use the
internet (specifically social
media) to search for the next
big thing in sports. They hire
the best researchers and
engineers to come up with
a better technology to help
athletes perform better or
break world records. Start-
up tech companies are even
offering their groundbreaking
wearable technologies for
athletes to try and use in their
training.
As for the fans and the rest of
the world, technology can help
us connect with everyone else.
We can cheer or fight other
fans with just a simple post
on Twitter. We can update
our friends with just a simple
“share” on Facebook. We can
keep up with our favorite
athletes’ stories with every
post on Twitter, Snapchat,
Instagram and Facebook.
As soon as the game’s over,
we can get the re-sults from
different media companies.
Let’s not forget to mention all
the gadgets available in the
market right now. Whatever
we’re inter-ested in, they
have the latest devices that
allow us to experience what
it feels like to be a world-
class athlete. Engineering has
found a way to make normal
people train the way these
profession-al athletes do.
That’s how amazing today’s
engineers are - they’ve
accomplished ways to make
us feel like we’re part of the
Photo by: Rio 2016
Photo by: Rio 2016
AUGUST 2016
21

Rio Olympics. They’ve even
found a way for us to be just
like the mem-bers of different
Olympic teams.
Now let’s talk about the
innovative developments
made since the London
Olympics. It’s been four years
and everybody is excited to
see what’s new this coming
Rio Olympics. For different
games, the organizers and
engineers working behind the
Rio Olympics have something
new to offer.
According the the official
Olympic organizers, it’ll be a
brand new experience for both
the athlete and spectator as it
will feature “state-of-the-art
technologies”. For volleyball
and beach volleyball, we’ll
be seeing athletes use video
reviews to call out a referee
for giving a bad call. Replays
can be shown on huge screens
where another referee can
decide on the fate of the
game. Now that may lead to
a lot of drama for the fans.
While swimmers can now
use digital lap counters that
automati-cally update the lap
count of every swimmer.
For the canoe sprint and
rowing, fans will surely love
the new GPS technology
which allows them to easily
follow the athletes as they row
their way to that gold medal.
According to Sebastian Cuat-
trin, the rowing manager
of Rio 2016, “It totally
changes the experience for
the audience. The big screen
will make it possible to see
the different tactics used by
different teams, in particular
when there is a change of
speed."
Let’s head to the Shooting
event. While electronic targets
are no longer new since it’s
been used since the Beijing
Olympics (2008), organizers
are introducing an upgraded
scoring system that re-places
the acoustic system with laser
technology. Radio-frequency
identification tags will also
be used to inform organizers
where every weapon can
be found any time of the
day. As for weightlift-ing,
audiences can easily watch
the weightlifter’s every
moment using a camera
dolly. According to Eduardo
Villanova, technological
operations manager for
weightlifting of Rio 2016, "We
will be able to capture full
movements. Normally you
need to take it from the side
or from the front. We've got
all angles covered.”
Another sport with an
interesting feature is archery.
Rio 2016 will allow athletes
and spectators to know the
accurate details of where the
arrows hit - with an accuracy
of 0.2 mm. Another cool fea-
ture they’re adding? We get
to check the athlete’s heart
rates in real time.
With all of these new features
waiting to make Rio 2016
the best Olympic event
yet, companies are ready
to capture every important
angle at different times.
Getty Images, the official
photo agency of Rio 2016,
is planning to use a brand
new technology involving
robots to never miss the most
important shots of the game.
Expect a lot of cool photos
and full 360 degree views -
videos and pictures - that will
become “trending” in social
media.
Lastly, given today’s need
to merge technology
that’s not only good in the
advancement of hu-manity
but also one that’s good for
the environment. Rio 2016 is
working with Atos, its official
IT partner, that aims to
minimize the carbon footprint
of the event itself. The
technology provided passed
when it was tested for natural
disasters and cyber security
attacks. As Michele Hyron, the
company’s chief integrator
for Rio 2016, confidently said
in an interview, “Our team is
very well prepared.”
With thousands of people
flooding the games everyday
and millions of fans waiting
for updates all over the globe,
there’s a lot of pressure for
the people behind the games.
Athletes are training harder
for the last few days before
the games officially starts
and everybody else is waiting
for the fun to start. Bets are
already made and the most
advanced technology were
already set-up just to make
this event the best one yet.
Through engineering, the
Olympics has made it possible
for people all over the globe
to connect easily.
COVER STORY
AUGUST 2016
22
Photo by: Rio 2016

A TECH AND SOCIAL
MEDIA PREVIEW
OF THE RIO 2016
OLYMPICS
AUGUST 2016
23
The Rio 2016 Olympic Games
are just around the corner,
and for us sports-loving, data
gathering techies, it’s time to
get our geek on. Here is a tech
and social media preview of
we can expect in the Rio 2016
Olympics.
Social Media
In the technological world we
liveintoday,almosteverything
is connected to the internet
and for us millennials—
everyoneisconnectedtosocial
media. How many emails and
notifications do you receive
on a daily basis? How many
do you think a gigantic event
like the Olympics would
send and receive? Here’s
an estimate, they have over
15,000 email accounts being
created, 16,000 mobiles
being provided, 15,000
landlines being used and over
16,000 walkie-talkies are on
hand. The Olympic Games
will certainly have intense
communications.
Aside from these, here’s
some social media trivia. Ever
wondered which athletes
have been talked about most
on Twitter during last year’s
Olympics? The Top 10 most
tweeted about individuals
last Olympics are: Usain Bolt,
Michael Phelps, Tom Daley,
Ryan Lochte, Gabby Douglas,
Andy Murray, Kobe Byrant,
Yohan Blake, Lee Chong Wei,
and LeBron James. Every
one of them received over 1
million tweets with Usain Bolt
receiving over 74,000 tweets
per minute for both his 100m
and 200m sprints!
Apps
As for the tech that is going
to be used in the event,
spectators can expect second-
screen applications, which
gives them the ability to see
their favorite sports in a new
way. This will be great for
spectators who love to see
stats, since they will be able
to see information about
anyone participating in the
event. They can also see
previous record holders, and
collect data.
We will also see other apps
such as 3D mapping; apps
to increase the ‘Olympic
experience’; performance
tracking apps for athletes
to help their muscular
performance and reduce
fatigue; and various high tech
customer consumables.
With all these in store, Rio
Olympics 2016 is sure to be
a tech-packed and awesome
event that all sports-tech
lovers around the world will
enjoy.
Photo by: Rio 2016
By Cielo Panda

AUGUST 2016
24
The world’s best of the best players
and athletes will gather in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil come August 5 for the
opening of the Rio Olympic Games
2016. To prove might and athleticism,
they will compete against each other,
after vigorous training, and go after
the coveted gold medals in the most
prestigious sports event in the world.
This year’s host city Rio will deliver
the Games of the XXXI Olympiad until
August 21.
THE HOME OF THE RIO
OLYMPIC GAMES 2016:
THE MARACAÑA STADIUM
The opening and closing ceremonies
will be celebrated in the largest
stadium in South America found in
Rio, which is the Estádio Jornalista
Mário Filho, commonly called Estádio
do Maracaña, or simply Maracaña
stadium. This iconic stadium has
been a majestic soccer temple that
has been a go-to place for soccer fans
especially in the region.
Photo by GettyImages

AUGUST 2016
25
The Maracaña Stadium
Constructed in August 1948 primarily
for the 1950 World Cup, the
Maracaña stadium is home of many
of the greatest soccer achievements.
According to its website, the stadium
has hosted the largest audience in the
history of soccer (Brazil - Paraguay,
1969, about 200 thousand people),
the thousandth goal by Pelé (1969),
the 1950 World Cup and the Pan
American Games in 2007, in addition
to unforgettable shows by names
like Frank Sinatra, Madonna, Paul
McCartney and the Rolling Stones.
Although opened in 1950, it wasn’t
until 1965 that the full construction
of the original project ended. Ever
since, the stadium was renovated
a few more times to cater to the
growing demand of soccer spectators
and sports events.
No wonder that this is the chosen
location for the 2016 Olympics, as it
has been revamped at its best form
after being chosen to host the 2014
World Cup. As a result, the stadium’s
bottom tier was rebuilt, the stadium
had a new roof, and the capacity got
to 79,000 seats.
Photo by trekity
Photo by grohe
It’s accessible to the capital city of
Brazil. It lies towards the east of Rio,
about 5 kilometers from downtown
Rio. The stadium is also not so far
from the beach areas, and only 12
kilometers north from Copacabana
and Ipanema – a perfect setup if
Olympics 2016 spectators want to
take a dip.
Will you be joining the Rio 2016
event? Check out a preview of
what you will be seeing inside
the Maracaña Stadium.

Getty Images’ 1.5
Million Photos
Gameplan for The
2016 Rio Olympics
AUGUST 2016
26

AUGUST 2016
27
We are done with the days
where Getty Images would
carry hundreds of canisters of
film to Kodak to get them all
developed. Being the Official
Photographic Partner of the
Games for more than 25 years
now, Getty Images is up for
some serious, not to mention
faster, business of providing us
the greatest moments in the
2016 Rio Olympics.
Captured photos by this
esteemed photo agency of
the Games will be transmitted
to the media clients within
120 seconds of the shot being
taken, at least for the key
moments. But photographers
have committed to produce
more than 3,000 images per
day collectively, uploading
them later to the Getty
Images website. By the end of
the Olympics, Getty Images
targets to produce 1.5 million
images from the event.
Getty Images also installed
100 kilometers of fiber optic
cables to connect all the
venues to the Getty Images
office housed at the Olympics
press center.
Moreover, part of Getty’s
gameplan is to replicate the
company’s executions during
the London Games in 2012,
including robotic cameras,
which has full flexibility;
and 3D and interactive
format photography, which
will enable readers to have
an interactive 360-degree
Olympics environment at the
comforts of their own home.
Photo by: gettyimages

By now, there will be many who
will be travelling to South America
for the Rio 2016 Olympics which
will begin in August 5, and will end
on August 21, 2016. As a traveller
who wants to witness this awesome
worldwide event, one should always
be prepared. Aside from clothes and
necessities, what gadgets should one
bring to this event?
By Cielo Panda
GADGETS
YOU
SHOULD
BRING
TO THE
RIO 2016
OLYMPICS Smartphone
Basics first! It’s very important to
have this on the top of your gadget
list to bring along. It is an essential
and important planning tool. The
smartphone will be your major
communicationdevice,anditwillalso
connect you to your favorite Social
media apps like Twitter, Instagram,
and Facebook. After all, these social
media apps are where most big news
can be found nowadays—and the
Olympics 2016 is definitely BIG news.
Camera
Brazil is known for its colorful
sceneries, eye-catching outfits and
cheerful people. You’ll surely want
to capture all of these aside from the
Olympic events. Make sure to bring
extra batteries and other accessories.
Also, don’t forget to get a good
camera case that’s easy to carry
around while you’re sightseeing.
Photo by CNet
Photo by DigitalPicture
Binoculars
The Olympics is sure to be packed
with action, and we’ll all want a
closer glimpse. Getting tickets for the
front row is difficult and really pricey,
and some events happen in a large
stadium wherein you can’t really see
much up close no matter where you
sit, so the best way to get a close
sight of the event is by using a pair
of binoculars.
Photo by Amazon
Photo by TravelandLeisure
AUGUST 2016
28

Photo by Engadget
Electrical Adapter
The official standard socket in Brazil
is the type N socket and plug. In some
parts of Brazil, an electrical outlet
lets you use plugs with two round
pins and also American-style plugs.
Unfortunately, this isn’t common. So
it’s important to get an adapter that
will match the standard in Brazil.
VPN Connection
In the United States, the only way
to watch the Olympics is to see it on
television and only customers with a
cable subscription can use this service.
To be able to bypass this restriction
you can use a VPN service, like the
Private Internet Access to create a
proxy that will allow you to stream the
games.
Photo by Amazon
AUGUST 2016
29

THE
ENGINEERING
BEHIND 2008
BEIJING
OLYMPICS’
BIRD’S NEST
The Beijing National Stadium
is more than meets the
eye. There is an interesting
engineering story behind this
iconic landmark other than
holding the opening and
closing ceremonies of the
2008 Olympics Games, which
went on from 8 August to 24
August.
Called Bird’s Nest because
of its architectural design of
twisting steel webs as its roof,
the stadium has become a
landmark building with its
superb qualities. It has a
gross volume of 3 million
cubic meters, which is now
considered as the world’s
largest enclosed space. The
Beijing National Stadium is
also dubbed as the world’s
largest steel structure having
26 kilometers of unwrapped
steel used in construction.
But before the stadium got
to its feats, the overall design
was a struggle. Its designers,
Herzog & De Meuron
Architekten, Arup Sport and
the China Architecture Design
and Research Group, took
quite a while before realizing
the perfect design to put
Beijing’s holding of the 2008
Olympics on the map.
As seen now, the 91,000-seat
stadium boasts of the Chinese
art and culture. It can be seen
through its enormous saddle-
shaped elliptic steel main
structure, weighing 42,000
tons. The circular shape of the
stadium is said to represent
heaven but changed to a
bird’s nest instead with an
inspiration from Chinese-style
crazed pottery.
Other than the stadium’s
aesthetic, the designers
focused on optimum Olympic
viewing experience by laying
out comfortable seats and
strategized placement for the
spectators. The audience are
properly shaded too with the
series of cantilevered trusses
that also support the roof.
Seismic provisions, which is
a design able to withstand
earthquakes, are also noted
AUGUST 2016
30
Photo by: CBSNewYork

by the designers since the stadium
stands along an active seismic zone.
Being an Olympic stadium, Bird’s
Nest had to conform to a lot of
sports standards. It followed track
widths, location of the long and high
jump pits, and of course the football
field, as set by the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) and the
International Amateur Athletics
Federation (IAAF).
Moreover, the 8,000-square meter
football field has enough space
for the underground pipes of the
geothermal heat pump (GHP)
system, which enables collection of
ground-source energy. In winter, the
system absorbs the heat from the
soil and helps heating the stadium,
while in summer the coldness from
the soil is stored which cools the
stadium.
Not only that, there is a technology
in the Beijing National Stadium
calledcomputationalfluiddynamics
which calculates temperature and
airflow speed at each angle of
the structure. This system is used
to optimize ventilation facilities
accordingly.
All these are a product of
requirements from the National
Stadium Company to create a bold,
stand-out, world-class stadium that
can are built with flexibility for
other use.
The stadium extends 333 meters
from north to south and 294 meters
from east to west, standing 69.2
meters. Its construction began in
December 2003 by the Beijing
Mechanical Construction Company
for earthwork and foundation, with
CITIC Internationals Contracting
Inc as the major construction
contractor. The sports arena was
finished early in 2008.
The entire construction of the
National Stadium entailed US$
396.1 million, which 42% was
raised by the China International
Trust and Investment Corporation
(CITIC) consortium and the
remaining 58% by the Beijing
Municipal Government.
AUGUST 2016
31
Photoby:SmithsonianMagPhotoby:ChinaDailyPhotoby:AllPostersImages

AUGUST 2016
32
VISA UNVEILS THE
RIO OLYMPIC RING
It might be a hassle for some athletes
to bring a lot of extra baggage when
they’re at the venue for the Rio
Olympics coming August 2016.
Bringing a wallet or a purse isn’t
exactly an option especially when you
have all your training goods packed
in your bag and there’s really no more
room to fit anything else in. And
when you’ve finished training and
just want to buy something to fill your
stomach or a cool drink to quench
your thirst. This is where Visa’s new
NFC ring comes into play.
Photo by: Metro UK
With the Near Field
Communication technology,
athletes only need to bring the ring
and nothing else to pay for any
merchandise they need during the
2016 Rio Olympics. A ring is very
small and compact and is also the
universal symbol of the Olympics
which is why Visa chose to unveil
the technology on this perfect
event.

AUGUST 2016
33
By Dion Gteg Reyes
With researchers finding drug-
resistant bacteria in the host
city of the 2016 Olympics, some
of the world’s best athletes
convening in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
are exposed to a level of risk. To
answer this, a textile engineer
from Philadelphia University
developed anti-microbial suits as
an extra measure of safety.
Mark Sunderland will perhaps
save a few athletes with his
ingenious design. He created a
unisuit for rowers that will not
hampertheathlete’sperformance
being lightweight and seamless.
The suit has an anti-microbial
finish, knitted into the suits.
Producing such textile doesn’t
produce more than one gram of
waste, making this an eco-friendly
garment.
Engineered Textile
Made for Rowers in
2016 Rio Olympics
Might be Life-Savers
The provider of these special
unisuits is Philadelphia-based
Boathouse Sports, whose founder
is former Olympic rower John
Strotbeck III.
Among the first to try and fit this
suit is Chierika Ukogo, who was
born in the said state and will
compete as Nigeria’s first ever
Olympic rower. She describes the
suits to be perfectly fit that she
‘can’t even feel it.’ She will wear
the green suit. The blue and white
unisuits will be worn by athletes
coming from the United States.
Its maker warned though that this
shouldn’t be treated as a medical
device, and just an added layer of
protection to the rowers.
Photos by Unitsuit3

AUGUST 2016
34
THIS LED EMBEDDED JUMP ROPE
ENHANCES YOUR WORKOUT
THIS POOL GIVES SURFERS
THE PERFECT WAVES
Add some tech into your cardio
workout with this awesome new
gadget—the Tangram Smart
Rope. This rope uses magnetic
sensors which are attached to
ball bearings in the handle to
count each of your jumps. In
turn, it sends this information
to its pair Smart Gym Pro app
on your iPhone or Apple Watch.
This jump rope also has 23
embedded LEDS on the rope
itself which flashes a thousand
times per minute to create an
animated effect in mid-air while
working out.
The Smart Rope can be bought
at Apple retail and online stores,
and will be available in white
color. It has four sizes: S, M, L, XL,
so it will meet varying heights of
If you’re a surfer, you’d always
want to search for the beaches
with the perfect waves. Finding
one is a surfer’s dream come
true but one doesn’t always get
it. Even if they expect to get
one in a specific season and
sometimes they end up feeling
disappointed when it doesn’t
happen.
So world surfing champion, Kelly
Slater, decided to take matters
into his own hands. For ten years,
he and his team has developed
a man-made wave pool to give
him the perfect wave he needs
to show off his awesome surfing
skills. According to Slater, this
the users. In the United States,
this jump rope costs $89.99.
If you wish to have other colors:
Gold, Black, and Chrome, you
can purchase them directly from
the Tangram website and Best
Buy.
wave pool wouldn’t be possible to
create if they attempted to a few
years ago.
However, no one really knows
where his company, Kelly Slater
Wave Company, built this wave
pool. The only idea people have
is that it’s 100 miles from the
coast in an undisclosed location.
No need to search for the perfect
waves or check the weather reports
with this one. With the perfect
weather and wind direction, Slater
and his team can surf anytime
they want.
But that’s the thing: only he and a
chosen few know where it is.Photo by: Surfermag
Photoby:SurfReport
Photos by youtube Photos by TheGrommet
PhotosbyNordicsemi

AUGUST 2016
35
By Dion Gteg Reyes
People love to play a lot with balls. That’s an unintended pun, but that statement
is true being a huge majority of the sports involve balls. There’s not a day in sports
channels that the word ball is not mentioned because sports and games involving
such are that prevalent.
Although popularity of such ball sports varies from country to country, here are 9,
in an arguable order, of the most widely used balls in the world of sports:
ENGINEERED:THE TOP
9 BALLS IN SPORTS
Volleyball
It is that sport that is one of the
most anticipated especially in
the Olympics. Famous brands for
volleyballs are Tachikara, Molten and
Mikasa, which are made of rubber
bladder, cloth layer, and leather
panels in its inner, second, and outer
layers respectively. It approximately
weighs 10 oz. with a 25.6 to 26.4
diameter.
The Cricket Ball
Made from a core of cork, with a
layer of tightly wound string and a
cover of leather, the cricket ball is a
more solid version of the baseball.
The most popular cricket ball is
that of Kookaburra, which produces
different sizes of cricket balls
according to age and gender.
Ping Pong Ball
Ping pong balls or table tennis
balls are filled with air that smells
like the material celluloid, which
is a colorless flammable material
composed of nitrocellulose and
camphor. This explains why this ball,
among the smallest in sports, can
easily be burned.
Golf Ball
This ball is one of the few balls
that has evolved over the years.
Originally, it is composed of wood,
which was in the 17th century. It is
now made of titanium compounds
and hybrid materials, with a mass no
more than 1.62 oz.
Football
Often attributed as American
football, this sport has a non-
spherical ball made of leather. It is
actually a prolate spheroid. Such is
used with the related sports Rugby
and Australian football.
Basketball
Usually Molten, Spalding, Wilson
or Baden, basketballs are made
of synthetic rubber, real rubber or
leather. Its inside has a bladder,
which is a balloon-like structure that
holds air, and the carcass. The former
is made of butyl rubber while the
latter consists of treads of nylon and
polyester. Its circumference varies
from 72-74 cm for women and 75-76
for men.
Tennis Ball
This ball is covered with felt made
from nylon and wool with pressurized
gas on the inside. It is a hollow, two-
piece rubber shell, usually 2.5 inches
in diameter and fluorescent yellow.
The first tennis balls were composed
of leather and cloth filled with rags
or horsehair.
The Baseball
Used for the sport baseball,
obviously, the baseball features a
rubber of cork center, with a yarn
wrap. According to the official
baseball rules, it should have the
two strips of white horsehide or
cowhide, tightly stitched together. It
is approximately 9 to 9.25 inches.
The Soccer Ball
Perhaps the most famous among
these balls, the soccer ball is
composed of multiple layers of lining
of polyester or cotton blend. This
gives the ball its strength, structure
and bounce. There is also a bladder
inside the ball holding the air, made
of latex rubber or butyl. Soccer balls
are among those that have most
evolved.
Photos by askaboutsports

Photo by SBsportlive
Photo by Mercola
AUGUST 2016
36
CAN
COCONUT
WATER
REPLACE
SPORTS
ENERGY
DRINKS?
Most athletes and busy
people like engineers, nurses,
and even students rely on
sports energy drinks to be
able to be productive in their
routines. Unfortunately,
while sports energy drinks
do work, they are artificial.
So is there a more natural
alternative for energy drinks?
Yes—Coconut water.
Pure coconut water is loaded
with lots of electrolytes, like
sodium which is the one that
is most lost from our body
when we sweat. According
to a study published in
Medicine & Science in Sports
& Exercise, coconut water
replenishes our bodily fluids
just as well as sports drinks
and even better than water.
It is only the flavor of the
sports drinks that attracts
the masses.
Accordingtosportsnutritionist
Nancy Clark, MS, RD and
author of Nancy Clarks Sports
Nutrition Guidebook, coconut
water won’t rehydrate the
body unless you can drink
plenty of it. If one can tolerate
large amounts of this, it could
help in keeping you hydrated.

AUGUST 2016
37
THE ONLY SHOE ENGINEERED TO
WRAP AND FIT ANY FEET
If you want to get your friends or
family member a shoe as a gift but
doesn’t know his or her shoe size, it
doesn’t matter if you just buy this
athletic footwear suited to any kind
of feet. And we have a Japanese
designer and Italian shoemaker to
thank for it.
The Furoshiki series, created by
Masaya Hashimoto with Vibram,
is a shoe collection that features
soles that wrap anyone’s feet like
a burrito. It folds around the feet
without a need for laces, with the
upper constructed with stretch
fabric. Its simple hook and loop
system allows for a quick, easy fit,
flexible to any size of feet. The
innovative shoes are lightweight,
also providing comfort on any
surface with the unique design of
the sole.
Photo by: Vibram
This might be the perfect footwear
for travelers who will find this easy
topackandwillalreadyskipwearing
socks to their comfort. Fashion wise,
it wouldn’t be a problem as well
because of the wide variety of
designs in the collection.
Vibram explained that this concept
is derived from the Japanese
custom of packaging items by
wrapping them in cloth fabric. The
company thought of using the
same system to the feet, making
the Furoshiki the first and only sole
on the market that wraps around
the entire foot.

AUGUST 2016
38
EQUIMÈTRE:
A WEARABLE
DEVICE TO
MONITOR
RACEHORSES'
HEALTH
Horse-racing is a dangerous sport.
There are more than 150 horses
in UK are killed each year, and
thousands are injured. In the US,
around 500 are killed every year.
With this in mind, Arioneo—a start
up in Paris, France has developed a
wearable device that monitors the
health of the horses during a race.
The new device is called Equimètre,
and it is designed to reduce the
numberoffatalitiesaswellasprevent
injury. This will also help trainers to
monitor the horse’s performance.
The devices sensor fits into the
horse’s girth. It records physiological
data like temperature and heart
rate, as well as respiratory rate
and the animal’s acceleration and
speed. The Equimètre monitors
other environmental conditions like
humidity, and the trainer can check
all these through an app.
There are already existing racehorse
smart devices that do this. But
Equimètre runs the data through
algorithms which compare them
with past performance data.
“A trainer’s eye is very important
and we do not want to replace their
expertise,” says Valentin Rapin, the
Arioneo co-founder “but this tool will
give trainers information they don’t
have today.”
Photo by scoop

AUGUST 2016
39
NIKE'S BEST
SHOES EVER!
Almost 30 years ago, after
Back to the Future became
a box office success, its
producers approached
Nike Inc. innovator Tinker
Hatfield to create a
futuristic pair of sneakers
for the second installment
in the trilogy, which resulted
in what is now a pop culture
icon.
Over 15 years later, Nike
released 1,500 replicas
of the shoes. They lit up,
but didn’t lace. Last year
however, on the date that
Doc Brown and Marty McFly
traveled to the future to in
the movie – 21 October 2015
– Nike sent actor Michael
J. Fox a pair of actual self-
lacing sneakers, which must
have been a massive blast
from the past.
Since then, Nike has been
teasing a commercial release
of the self-lacing pair-- the
Nike HyperAdapt 1.0. It has
lights, a futuristic design,
and – wait for it – the laces
tighten when your heel hits
a sensor inside the shoe. The
awesome Nike HyperAdapt
1.0 will be available ONLY to
members of Nike + beginning
Holiday 2016 in three colors.
The current design has
buttons on the side that
lets you adjust the tightness
of the shoe, but Hatfield is
promising that in the future,
the shoe itself will know if
you need it tight or with a
little wiggle room. Hold on
to your pink hoverboards,
people, your shoes are about
to get way smarter.
Photo by: complex

ENGINEERING
STUDENTS INVENT
AUTOMOBILE FOR
COMPETITION
GLOBAL HYBRID
ELECTRIC CAR
CHALLENGE
FEATURES STUDENTS'
CREATIONS
Engineering students from
universities all over the world
willgatheratRochester,New
York to show their design
and engineering skills in
the 40th Annual Mini Baja
Competition. For the first
time, 25 student from the
School of Engineering will
be representing Fairfield at
the event.
This competition is run by
the Society of Automotive
Engineers (SAE). It will test
each team’s mini baja, a
dune buggy-like vehicle. The
bajas will be tested on their
capability to get through
A 300-kilometer race
track tested the abilities
of student-built electric
cars in the Global Hybrid
Electric Car Challenge held
at Al Forsan International
Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi.
Students who came from
UAE, Egypt, Kuwait and
Qatar universities joined
the competition with hopes
of winning and launching
their careers as engineers
and car enthusiasts. Racers
were required to design
their vehicle by only using
US$6,000 and more than
the speed, the efficiency of
the cars were tested.
UAEU Electrical Engineering
student Alaaddin Al Khuzai
said in an interview that to
get the edge, and to get a
leg-up on the competition,
they’ve decided to make
hill climbs, finish four hour
endurance tests and other
strenuous events.
The SAE is a globally active
professional association and
standards organization for
engineering professionals in
different industries ranging
from aerospace, automotive
and also commercial vehicles.
Building these cars are not
only difficult, but are pricey
as well. Building a mini
baja would cost around
$10,000. Luckily for the team
members, the University
agreed to cover the costs.
their build as lightweight
as possible. While some
teams installed generators
to supplement the energy
used while moving and
chose energy efficiency over
weight, some teams opted to
put them in several pit stops.
Last 2015, the first place in
the race was awarded to an
all-female team from Qatar
University.
Event director Dr. Fahad
Almaskari believes that in
doing the race, students
are receiving support to
develop solutions for the
next generation of electric
cars. He also said that it is
an exciting opportunity to
not only build innovation
capacity across the Middle
East but also to invest in
a sustainable future for the
youth.
Photo by TheNational
Photo by UAEInteract
AUGUST 2016
40
Photo by LSU
Photo by NIUToday

THIS ROBOT
CAN BEAT YOU
AT BADMINTON
NEUROSTIMULATING
HEADPHONES IMPROVES
ATHLETES’ TRAINING
AUGUST 2016
41
A group of students
and professors from the
University of Electronic
Science and Technology of
China developed a robot
that can play the sport
badminton just like any
amateur player. This robot
uses cameras, motion
sensors and a special
navigation system.
It was named the
Robomintoner, and was
created for competition.
The UESTC team was
given a task to create a
badminton-playing bot for
Dan Chao, cofounder
and CEO of startup Halo
Neuroscience, released
n e u r o s t i m u l a t i n g
headphones called “Halo
Sport”. The arch of these
headphones contain two
electrodes that deliver
a very small amount of
electric current to the
user’s head, aimed at the
neurons in the motor cortex,
which the brain region that
coordinates movement.
This mild stimulation is
called transcranial direct
the Asia-Pacific Robocon
2015, wherein the robots
would compete against each
other in doubles matches.
According to Huang Xi, a
student from the University
of Electronic Science and
Technology of China, "We
were the only team who
made this robot fully-
automated. We are in the
business of making clever
devices. We might as well
make it fully intelligent,"
current stimulation. It makes
it “slightly easier for the
neurons to fire,” Chao said.
Theoretically, this should
cause them to form more
new connections. According
to Chao, the company’s
research data suggests this
effect can be used to help
athletes to get more out of
their training.
Research shows that such
mild stimulations can
indeed make neurons
This robot has become very
popular in China. It played
ceremonial matches against
Dong Jiong, an Olympic
medal winning badminton
player. Recently, it competed
against table tennis
champion Wang Liqin.
more or less likely to fire,
and have produced some
promising evidence that this
technology could be used
to help improve cognition,
aid in stroke recovery, and
improve motor skills.
Photo by technologyReview
Photo by prog3

AUGUST 2016
42
Triton is an 'oxygen respirator
that allows its users to breathe
underwater for up to 45 minutes
at a maximum depth of 15 feet'
developed by Korean designer
Jeabyun Yeon. With a fully charged
battery, it promises a supply of
breathable air without the need
to resurface from the water. It is
suppose to work because of the
microporous hollow fiber (MPHF,
with thread holes smaller than
the molecules of the water) built
inside the apparatus. The MPHF,
together with a micro compressor
allows the oxygen molecules to be
extracted and remain inside while
the water molecules go out.
However skeptics can't help but
raise a lot of questions regarding
this 'concept gadget'. Let's just
say that based on the volume of
air displaced between an inhale
and exhale action of the lungs, an
average human breathes about
500 milliliters of air per breathe-
-with 5% of the pure oxygen
being absorbed by the body (air
is 21% oxygen when inhaled, and
16% when exhaled). That 5%
oxygen would be 25 milliliters
(which is also 0.0011 mol or 35.52
milligrams by stoichiometry) of
oxygen gas. To obtain that, Triton
would need to work on a hundred
percent efficiency and filter about
6 liters of well-oxygenated surface
ocean water per breathe. But how
many breathes would a person
need to take per dive?
If an average swimmer would
take 15 breathes per minute, that
would leave the Triton with 90
L (almost 24 gallons) of filtered
THE
WORLD'S
FIRST
'HUMAN
ARTIFICIAL
GILLS', A
FAUX?
Photo by: indiegogo
Photo by: Arstechnica
water just to supply the amount
of oxygen needed. How can that
much water go through and
out the gadget by just relying
on the swimming and suction?
No, definitely a pump way bigger
than the Triton would be needed
to do that.
Yeon's vision is good, but unless
a nanopump or nanoopen-circuit
Scuba system and closed-circuit
nanorebreather is developed and
incorporated inside the Triton, it is
impossible to generate that much
of oxygen, air at a right amount
of pressure into its users.

‘BONER KAYAK’ SOUNDS LIKE AN
EXCITING RIDE, AND IT ACTUALLY IS
It is highly likely that there won’t
be ads for the Boner Kayak in the
English-speaking world at least for
the foreseeable future. Nonetheless,
you’vegottoadmitthatitisabeautiful
kayak. The design is sweet enough
to appeal to any kayak enthusiast
irrespective of the language barrier or
the unusual name. The Boner Kayak
is the creation of one Hans Boner, a
Swiss inventor.
However, once you take a look at
the kayak, the name will be the
last thing in your mind. It features
a modular design that allows the
kayak to be broken down into 3 parts.
These pieces can be slotted together
to make it easier to carry. Broken
down, the kayak can be stuffed inside
the backseat of your car. No more
do you have to indulge in a bit of
exercise trying to get the damn kayak
attached to the roof of the car.
Of course, modular kayaks by
themselves are nothing out of the
ordinary. There are quite a few of
them these days. However, what
makes the Boner Kayak stand out is
that it eschews plastic, the popular
construction material for modular
kayaks. Instead, it opts for fiberglass
and wood. That makes the kayak look
like a classy work of art when floating
across the waters.
When assembled, the kayak will
give you a high seat along with a
comfortable support for the knees.
There are even foot rests that can
be adjusted as per your needs. Pretty
nifty, right? You even get locking
hatches to store items. The storage in
front has a capacity of 55 liters and
75 liters in the one at the back. Quite
useful for those tranquil overnight
trips.
When broken down, you can use the
wheel attachment provided to carry
it wherever you want, even to the
very edge of the waters. Moreover, it
can be assembled in just 3 minutes
without any tools whatsoever.
Kayaking is now extra convenient
because of this innovation.
AUGUST 2016
43
Photo by: woodz

Camel racing has been a part of
UAE’s rich heritage and sports
history. It is considered to be
cultural tradition across their
lands for centuries.
The sport, similar to horse
racing, is an event for betting
and is also a tourist attraction.
But despite the sport’s popularity,
Saeed Alnofeli, a Master’s student
from the Masdar Institute of
Science and Technology believes
that there are some aspects of the
sport that need improvement.
“I found some challenges in
the camel racing industry,
including a poor understanding
of the camel’s health and how
to improve camels’ racing
performance, which is what
motivated my research,” Alnofeli
said.
By incorporating the latest
technological advances in
If you’ve ever been inside a
boxing gym, you’ll see athletes
training in a whole lot of ways.
Some might be hitting the bags
while some might be sparring
up in the ring but did do you
know that all that training is
planned in a room far from all
those equipment? Coaches plan
training regimens by watching
how their athletes fight and what
better way to do that than in the
video room. Hours and hours are
spent in this room to study how
their fighters could improve on
specific fields. This is what drove
Hykso into creating a sensor that
does all that.
Hykso gather’s data from a
fighter’s punches like speed,
MASTER’S
STUDENT
INVENTS
MONITORING
SYSTEM FOR
CAMELS
computer science and signal
processing in his research,
Alnofeli was able to create a camel
monitoring system.
Knowing the potential
commercial applications of
Alnofeli’s innovation, Masdar
Institute has filed a provisional
patent with the United States
Patent and Trademark Office
(USPTO) for the innovative
camel monitoring system.
This invention was based on
Alnofeli’s thesis research entitled
“Customer Driven Product
Development Process for Camel
Monitoring System.” The research
focuses on optimizing monitoring
systems for camel training, which
can help improve camel training
and racing.
frequency, and accuracy which
could help in formulating a
regimen to create an optimal
training experience for the
winning condition. There are
some factors like “time between
attacks” that can be measured
accurately with Hysko and could
determine a win or lose situation.
Fighters in the Rio Olympics are
already using the technology to
drive results for the fight ahead.
AUGUST 2016
44
BOXING GETS
ENGINEERED
WITH THIS
WEARABLE
SENSOR
Photo by: Wamda
Photo by: Hykso

It’s common knowledge that
North Korea is the kind of
Korea that is way too exclusive,
that there is little knowledge on
the whereabouts of the country
including its engineering and
architectural state. But when
one has gained access of the
country through city tours,
one can appreciate the superb
infrastructure and tall buildings,
including the sports arena that is
considered to be the largest in the
world in terms of capacity.
The May Day Stadium is indeed
one of North Korea’s hidden
gems. Built in 1989 as a response
to Seoul’s Olympic Stadium with
their then conflict, it emerged as
the country’s host of many soccer
matches, athletic competitions,
and the famous annual Arirang,
or Mass Games, events. This is
where the North Koreans also
perform gymnastics and colorful
dance performances while on the
bleachers.
History was made in this arena
for having the largest pay-per-
view event for professional
wrestling way back in 1995.
Notably, it also was the stage of
a public execution of generals
plotting against dictator Kim
Jong Il in 1992.
It took two and a half years for
this arena to be completed, in
time for the 13th World Festival
of Youth and Students. But
in 2014, it was remodelled to
optimize its use.
This national stadium of North
Korea, found in Pyongyang
that lies adjacent the Taedong
River, can accommodate up to
150,000 people seated. Its total
floor space is over 200,000 square
meters, with an exterior that
resembles that of a parachute or
a magnolia flower – depending
on perspective. But it’s intended
to be the said flower with 16
petals, each of which are all
steel covering 60 meters inside
the stadium and 40 meters out.
The roof covers 94,000 square
meters, doubling the figure of
the previous record holder King
Fahd Stadium in Riyadh.
This stadium wouldn’t be
standing now if it weren’t for
the leadership of Kim II Sung,
who led the country from 1972
to 1994. Performances are held
every Arirang ceremony to pay
tribute to its country’s founder.
THE LARGEST SPORTS
ARENA IN THE WORLD
IS IN NORTH KOREA
AUGUST 2016
45
Photo by: Telegraph
Photo by BusinessInsider
Photo by flickr
Photo by Listabuzz

Cool Hi-Tech Jet For
The Rich Athlete
When you’re filthy rich, you
get to travel in style. First
class seats and hi-tech modes
of transportations are made
available in just a snap of
your finger. That’s exactly
how famous athletes live their
lives for sure. Now, a Russian
company has made it available
for athletes to fly in this new
hi-tech jet!
Sukhoi, an aircraft company, is
giving athletes the option to
fly first class in its latest jet, the
SportJet. Of course it will be
every athlete’s dream to fly in it.
Why? Because it allows them to
train while they’re flying on the
way to their next game.
The public can get a glimpse of
the hi-tech jet during the Rio
Olympics. The jet provides its
users equipment to train while
other equipment are available
for data and analysis of the
players. Four different zones are
also present in the jet: a zone
for coaches, players, the medical
team and the staff.
Aside from gadgets available
for the players in each seat,
there’s also a massage table,
a 4K resolution screen and a
smart toilet available. The jet
can also make a team feel at
home since it can change colors
depending on the team’s color
and individualized seats with
their respective numbers.
Sukhoi plans to start production
of SportJet by 2017 and make
it available for the rich athletes
by 2018. The company wants
Russian teams to be its first
customers.
AUGUST 2016
46
Photo by: Sukhoi Via Sport
Techie

MERCEDES-
BENZ
UNVEILS
HIGH TECH,
SPORTS
CAR-
INSPIRED
GOLF CART
If you want to drive around the golf
course in style and have the cash
for it, then this may be for you.
Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a high-
tech golf cart that looks similar to a
sports car! 3 years ago, they asked
fans to submit ideas for a “golf cart
of the future”, and this futuristic
golf cart has been the company’s
response.
This golf cart was designed by the
automaker and its project partner,
golf cart designer Garia. The cart has
a 10.1 inch tablet installed, which
displays its current speed and power
consumption, as well as the controls
of the vehicle. You can tap on the
screen to change driving modes,
wherein you can choose between
sport or eco. You can also switch the
headlights, heater, AC and wipers
with the tablet. It also displays your
vehicle's position on the app of the
golf course and provides you access
to different programs like weather
apps.
Other than the tablet, the golf cart
also has integrated Hi-Fi Bluetooth
speakers and a fridge. In the future,
Mercedes intends to add smartphone
integration to their futuristic golf
cart.
AUGUST 2016
47
Photo by: Ecomento

If there’s anything about the
NBA that has been left behind
despite it being the leader in
digital technologies in major
pro leagues, it is the shot clock.
But now that is also about to
change.
In collaboration with Swiss
watchmaker Tissot, the NBA
shot clock will have a major
upgrade. It will now be made
of transparent LED glass which
will enable those seated behind
the shot clock to watch the
game unimpeded. Although the
new shot clock looks a little too
fragile, it has been tested to be
durable during dunks and hard
hits. A spare shot clock is ready
in cases it will be broken.
This technology comes with
an automatic data transfer to
any location in the area, like
the video board, press box, or
broadcast trucks.
All NBA arenas will have the
exact same shot clock, a first in
the league. Eighty-seven shot
clocks will be issued to the NBA
stadium with three for each.
AUGUST 2016
48
NBA GETS
NEW LED
SHOT CLOCK
Photo by: Tissot

AUGUST 2016
49
THIS AI PERSONAL
TRAINER HELPS YOU
BE A BETTER RUNNER
Did you want to become a runner just to get fit and healthy?
You might be one now but would you prefer to have a
trainer to help you achieve your running goals? There’s a
new artificial intelligence program that’s designed to be
your personal trainer!
Get ready for Vi.
It’s a Kickstarter campaign that aimed to reach a goal of
$100,000 and surprisingly, it reached that amount in just
90 minutes as soon as it was introduced last June. The
money raised for the project was even doubled in just 24
hours after the campaign started. Just goes to show that
people are eager to have their own personal trainer.
So what does one get in this AI personal trainer?
It has real-time insights and can guide you throughout your
workout. It even motivates you to improve and do better. Vi
recognizes commands and questions as well - responding
to questions such as “how’s my heart rate?” The personal
trainer was designed to be sweat proof and non-slip so that
you don’t have to worry about losing it along the way.
While it is still recommended for runners, the developers
are currently working on making it available for swimmers
and bikers.
Vi is developed by LifeBEAM, a wearable tech company
that has clients like NASA and US Air Force.
Photos by Sport Techie

AUGUST 2016
50
AvidfootballfansdistinguishBeckham
and Maradona with their curls on the
inside of the soccer cleat. There are
also Eder, Nelinho, and Roberto Carlos
with their curls on the outside. These
impressive curls are what we call in
physics as the Magnus Effect. Not air
bending.
The Magnus Effect is so called after
the scientist, German physicist and
chemist Heinrich Gustav Magnus, who
discovered it in a laboratory through
an experiment in 1853. It is the side-
force on a sphere that is both rotating
and moving forward, diverting its
directions from its principal flight
path.
An object, in this case the football,
spinning through a fluid stays away
from its straight path when there
are pressure differences developed
from the changing velocity caused by
the spinning body. This effect is best
explained by a topic in fluid mechanics
called the Bernoulli’s theorem, which
states that fluid pressure decreases
at points where the speed of the
fluid increases. Such explains why a
By Dion Gteg Reyes
spinning football drags some of the air
around with it.
Imagine this explanation from the view
of the football: there is air rushing on
all sides, but on different directions. The
drag of the side of the ball turning into
the air slows downs the airflow; while the
other side speeds up the airflow.
When a soccer player kicks the ball the
right, the ball spins counter-clockwise
with the Magnus effect acting left, thus
curving also left, and vice versa. This
causes a deviation several feet from the
original trajectory.
This creates the spin or the curl that
famous footballers have mastered over
time, which goes to their score card. The
football players use this air-bending skill
to score as this is less predictable for the
goalie to act upon.
Of course this isn’t exclusive to only
soccer football but to other ball games
as well.
THE PHYSICS
BEHIND THESE
AMAZING
FOOTBALL CURLS
Photo by: benditsoccer

AUGUST 2016
51
By Dion Gteg Reyes
Most sports haven’t essentially
changed over the years. Standards
are always as they were when
the sport started, and such is
the case in baseball and softball.
The bat and the ball have been
the same, which enabled the
field of engineering make better
understandings of the relationship
between the bat and the ball.
Further, this has lead to better bat
performance.
Yup, bat performance in baseball
and softball can be engineered.
There are two ways that this
can be measured: elasticity and
stiffness. Both are dependent on
repeated tests.
Every time a ball is in a play, there
are three important factors to be
considered to in measuring bat
performance. They are the speed
of the pitch (vp), the speed of
the bat (vb), and the collision
efficiency (ea). The collision
efficient is readily computed as
the ratio of the ball’s rebound
speed to the ball’s inbound speed.
Given these three factors, the
speed of a hit ball in play can
be computed using the following
formula, which will set as the
standard in comparing tests:
vh = vp ea + vb (1 + ea).
This is one measure of the accuracy
of baseball and softball players.
There are digital models that
simplify bat performance, which
further ranks the players according
to their accuracies. Moreover, this
serves as basis in studying the
opponent’s abilities as batters and
pitchers.
Who says baseball and softball
are sports that are merely miss
and hit?
BAT PERFORMANCE IN
BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL
CAN BE ENGINEERED
Photo by: usatoday
Photo by: lehighvalleylive

5 AWESOME
GADGETS TO
IMPROVE YOUR
SPORTS GAME
Technology has been constantly improving in the field of sports engineering.
To be able to help create better athletes, sports tech has evolved from ever-
shrinking sensors to deep learning gadgets. Here, we present to you five sport
gadgets according to TIME that can give you data to help you raise your game.
By Cielo Panda
AUGUST 2016
52

Adidas MiCoach Smart Ball
This is more than just an average ball, it is a training device
that connects to smartphones and tablets to give you
tutorials to help you master the pitch. It generates various
data like how hard the ball was struck, impact points, and
even the spin.
FWD Powershot
This is a Bluetooth-connected hockey stick-topping sensor
that can calculate the speed of the stick, its swing angle,
weight transfer and other helpful analytics. It’s Android
and iOS-compatible and it easily slips inside the top of
a stick’s shaft. It’s only 35 grams, so the weight is more
or less negligible. It can remember 5,000 shots so better
get’em.
Game Golf Live
This golf shot-tracking system will surely make your game
of golf more enjoyable. It captures your stats in real-time.
It is Android and iOS compatible. It consists of a waistband
worn tracking device and 18 NFC tags for inserting into the
handle of your club. With this, you can measure fairway
accuracy and shot dispersion, calculate club performance,
and you’ll be able to count putts as well.
Jolt Sensor
This is very useful for sports that could lead to brain
injuries like tackle football. This sensor can be clipped
onto a headband or tucked into a helmet and synced with
Android or iOS apps via Bluetooth to monitor strong hits.
It has a range of up to 200 yards, so worried parents and
coaches can keep track of their player’s health.
Peloton Bike
This is a web-connected stationary bike that you’ll surely
want to use for your cardio sessions. It has a 21.5 inch HD
touchscreen, Wi-Fi, and a neodymium rare earth magnet
resistance system. This can connect you to different live
classes or archived workouts to push you to your limits—
and you won’t have to leave home.
AUGUST 2016
53
Photo by: Bless This Stuff
Photo by: Creativitech
Photo by: Golf Week
Photo by: Hit Consultant
Photo by: Lulu and Lattes

AUGUST 2016
54
Of course we are all re familiar with Powerade,
Gatorade, Monster, and Red Bull as sports drinks
that enhance endurance and strength for physical
activities as they put it on their commercials. While
they all belong to one category as sports drinks,
there are actually three kinds of sports drinks
engineered with different levels of carbohydrates.
Such are hypotonic, isotonic and hypertonic drinks.
Which Type of Sports
Drink Should You Buy?
Hypotonic drinks
This contains less than 4g of sugar (carbohydrates)
per 100 ml, with low osmotic pressure. Hypotonic
drinks are primarily to quench thirst, giving
athletes very little energy. This is ideal for
recreational sports that are not so strenuous.
Isotonic drinks
Isotonic drinks are drinks that generally contain
between 4g and 8g of sugar per 100 ml, and have
about the same osmotic pressure as bodily fluids.
An isotonic drink is taken up by the body about as
quickly as water, and is perfect to quench thirst
and provide energy just as equally. This is the
drink for those who play endurance sports.
Hypertonic drinks
Among the three, hypertonic drinks contain the
most sugar which is more than 8g per 100 ml.
This also has greater osmotic pressure, which
are higher than bodily fluids. The main purpose
of this kind of drink is to supply energy rather
than quench thirst, which only comes secondary.
Hypertonic drinks are ideally taken 30 to 60
before sports/training/exertion and immediately
after such. This will also work for less strenuous
but long duration exertions like studying, driving,
gaming, etc.
Photo by BiotechUSA
Photo by SportSister
Photo by BevIndustry

AUGUST 2016
55
Photoby5-a-side
Hereisagraphicexplanationby5-a-sidetounderstandbetterthethreekindsofsportsdrinks.

AUGUST 2016
56
The Chen brothers were competitive when
it came to ping pong. Playing the game at
a very young age, Alexander and Harrison
were able to master each other’s moves
and eventually became really good at the
game. However, both had to move away
to study in different places and found it
difficult to find someone who had the
same passion that they had for the sport.
So they decided to build a robot that can
turn casual ping pong players to pros!
They first started out with a prototype
made out of a garbage can. Every summer
and winter breaks, they used what they
learned in college to improve the robot
they’re working on. On their 8th and
final prototype, they have seemed for
the Kickstarter community to help them
produce and sell their Trainerbot to the
public.
THESE BROTHERS
BUILT A ROBOT TO
TEACH PEOPLE
HOW TO PLAY PING
PONG
Trainerbot is an app-enabled ping pong
robot and can help anyone boost their
skills in playing ping pong. It’s compatible
with Android or iOS devices so anyone
has access to this device. Players can play
it anywhere - from their own homes to
their offices (during break time of course).
It really wouldn’t be a problem carrying
it around since it is only 1.2kg and has a
travel-size dimensions of 16x32cm. It only
costs $329 - with 1 unit, 30 ping pong balls
and 1 power supply.
The Chen brothers aimed to reach its $80k
goal and plans to produce the first batch
of units by the end of the years. People
seem to love the idea of a robot teaching
them how to play ping pong. Over $218k
was raised! The backers of the project will
be receiving their units in February and
March 2017.
Photos by: Trainerbot Via Kickstarter

AUGUST 2016
57
Photo by Hello Giggles

AUGUST 2016
58
Photo by: Trainerbot Via Kickstarter

AUGUST 2016
59
Baseball game writers may be in
danger of losing their jobs when
computers will do the writing for
big companies. The Associated Press
has recently announced that stories
written about the minor league
games will be written by computers
with the help of natural language
algorithm company, Automated
Insights.
The data these computers will use
will be coming from the information
given by the Major League Baseball
Advanced Media (MLBAM). With
the help of this technology, around
142 uncovered teams will be able
to enjoy a little publicity from this
coverage.
As expected, the stories written will
be very straightforward but it gets
the job done. Unlike humans, these
computer-written stories don’t have
the sarcasm, the wit and the humor
human writers can give to make a
story enjoyable.
As for the other sports, these
computers may have a hard time
writing them since computers rely
completely on the data which isn’t
exactly easy to get from other games.
Baseball is a data-driven game, which
makes it possible for computers to
write the stories.
For the other sports writers out
there, you don’t have to worry about
losing your jobs to machines. These
computers are not as advanced as
we expect them to be. Also, we
believe that people would still prefer
a news article with a little bit of a
commentary on the side.
Photo by qz.com
COMPUTERS
WILL WRITE
MINOR LEAGUE
GAMES NEWS
SOON

AUGUST 2016
60
Technology has played an important role in
shaping our lives and improving every industry
present at the moment. When you look at it,
technology has opened new doors and made way
for new industries to operate in our society. From
business to sports, there’s always something
engineers have contributed that provided us with
the technology to help us live more efficiently.
Now, let’s focus on sports.
How has technology shaped today’s athletes?
From a more detailed assessment on an athlete’s
body to gadgets that allow them to move faster
and play better, technology is important in today’s
sports industry.
These are the ways technology changed the
sports industry.
With the 2016 Olympics in Rio coming up very
soon, more people are excited to watch the
games because of the coverage social media can
offer to us. Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram
can update us on who’s winning and what games
are coming up. Everybody can easily replay the
games and save it for later viewing.
How Has Technology
Changed The Sports
Industry
As for the athletes, they can easily reach out
to their fans and ask for their support. These
athletes can easily connect with their audience,
so big companies can easily hire them to endorse
their brands. That’s the impact social media has
on the sports industry. Everything’s easier to
achieve: connection and coverage.
Another way technology played a huge role in
today’s sports industry is the ticket-buying. In
the past, sports fans have to endure long lines
outside stadiums just to buy tickets for their
favorite games. Now, you can easily buy one
online. With just a few clicks on your desktop or
mobile phones, you are now ready for the best
game you’ll ever see.
Lastly, technology has shaped the way athletes are
being trained now. This involves the consideration
of their safety and welfare. Trainers use the latest
gadgets available to improve any athletes’ skill.
Every now and then, when an athlete gets into an
accident, today’s technology has the right tools to
help them heal from it and maybe even help them
improve their abilities to become the very best in
the game.
Photo by De-Facto

AUGUST 2016
61
Engineering is a body of
knowledge that deals with a
lot of calculations and analysis.
It is a world that mixes words
with numbers and applies math
and physics in solving real-life
problems.
Those already in the field know
this too well having been able
to survive tons of gruelling
exams in college that involve
extensive problem solving. Even
until one takes the professional
or licensure exam, he or she
should be equipped with
problem solving skills. Only
few calculations are done with
engineering work unless you are
in the field of design, research,
and development.
More than the engineering
professionals, engineering
students experience this difficulty
Practice, Practice,
Practice: The Secret to
Efficient Engineering
Problem Solving
in handling problems with
calculations and analysis. So what
is the secret to survive such? It’s
fairly simple: practice, practice,
practice.
The old adage “practice makes
perfect” doesn’t only apply to
sports but to learning engineering
as well. Solving problems over
and over again makes you better
at it. Invest more time on this
rather than merely staring at the
problems (that’s not solving!).
The more problems you solve
as a preparation to a quiz or
an exam, the more proficient
you become in dealing with any
kind of engineering problem.
It becomes a bit easier for you
to decipher future engineering
problems having been exposed
to different kind of problems by
mental exercise.
Photo by thelifematics
Photo by chemistry.about
Photo by markvanderpool.naiwe
When you are already faced with
the exam with utmost practice
up your sleeves, you wouldn’t
have a hard time finishing it, even
getting a high score. Familiarity
of the problems presented is key,
paired with the speed in solving
and the ability to work with a
calculator. And all of that can be
done through practice, practice,
practice.

AUGUST 2016
62
ARE YOU TESLA
THE ENGINEER
OR EDISON THE
BUSINESSMAN?
While stories of the Tesla-
Edison controversy have
been exaggerated over time,
especially when it came to
the Nobel Prize both men
were alleged to have refused
because it had been offered
to the other, there are some
seeds of truth to the rumors.
Tesla and Edison were very
different men, with Tesla being
much more focused on his
inventions and engineering
work, to the detriment of any
financial concerns. Edison, on
the other hand, was highly
focused on selling his designs
and inventions, and focused
on the financial side of any
given situation. The stories
involving both Tesla and
Edison, including the infamous
generator story (briefly: Tesla
came to work for Edison soon
after arriving in America. He
came to Edison with news of a
flaw in the (admittedly faulty)
generator design, and was
told that if he managed to fix
it, Edison would personally
pay him fifty thousand dollars.
Having fixed the problem, Tesla
came to Edison and asked for
his money, only to be informed
that Edison had been joking),
show that while both men
may have shared a similar
skill set and range of interests,
they approached life from
completely different directions.
This is not necessarily a bad
thing – overspecialize and
you breed in weakness, after
all – but the story of the
difficulties Tesla and Edison
had when working together
are a testament to the power
of teamwork. Both men
accomplished so much apart
– what could they have done
together?
Everybody has their own area
of expertise, even (or perhaps
especially) people who are
working in the same field. In
the same vein, some people
may be more focused on the
bigger picture of what they are
doing, while others can only
focus on smaller details. While
Tesla’s ideas around alternating
current allowed him to power
generators and lightbulbs, the
lightbulb as invented by Edison
worked – it was just not a
good fit with the direct current
voltage system that he favored.
Similarly, to go back to the
most well-known difference
between Edison and Tesla,
while Tesla managed to get
lightbulbs to work, it was
Edison who distributed them.
His business acumen, while
it may have been motivated
by personal gain, brought
them into the wider public
consciousness, allowing
lightbulbs to spread, and
lighting systems to gradually
change into the precursors of
the ones we know today.
All this is to say that teamwork
is important, and traits are
not necessarily bad. Without
teamwork, progress becomes
muchharder,becauseeveryone
is working away on things
which, naturally, are geared
towards their own personal
strengths. Teamwork allows us
to pool those strengths, and
working in common means
that tasks become easier.
The combined expertise of
Tesla and Edison gave us
lightbulbs – Edison created the
lightbulb, Tesla discovered that
it worked more efficiently when
supplied with electricity via
alternating current. Tesla was
able to work with alternating
current to the degree that he
did because he was entirely
focused on the invention side
of his work. Edison was on
track to supply America with
his lightbulbs and lighting
methods, because he knew
how to advertise his products
and inventions. If the two had
continued to work together,
the invention of the lightbulb
could have profited them both,
but instead, because they had
already parted company by this
point, Edison was no longer
credited with supplying light to
by Margaret Banford
Photo by: openculture,
hedgehogvsfoxes

AUGUST 2016
63
his country, and Tesla ended up
penniless because of actions
outside his own control.
Teamwork also allows
everybody involved in a project
to be recognized for their
work. Unlike Tesla, who gave
up the money he was rightfully
owed in unpaid royalties when
Westinghouse was caught
up in financial difficulties, a
team which utilizes all aspects
of its members’ skills will be
able to ensure that everyone
is properly appreciated and
credited for the work they
have done, and will continue to
do for the team in the future.
Biographers of Tesla tend to
vilify Edison for his supposed
focus on profit (conveniently
forgetting that he was a
celebrated inventor in his
own right, as seen by the fact
that he created the lightbulb).
What is forgotten is that having
a solid business sense – being
able to sell what you create –
is not necessarily a bad thing.
Tesla’s work arguably only
became as famous and widely-
used as it is today through
his collaboration with other
people who had a head for
business. Teamwork allows
everyone working on a project
to be valued for the work they
do, rather than simply the
people who have the ability
to move the product into the
public consciousness.
About the Author:
Margaret Banford, when not writing, spends her time reading
and playing several musical instruments. She is also a fair baker
and the CEO of C.M. Cornes, Birmingham UK.
Photo by: youtube
Photo by: diffen

AUGUST 2016
64
WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN YOU FAIL
A CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING
SUBJECT
There are many ways students can come to terms
with failing a subject. Here, it’s basically about
what happened after that failure and how I coped
with it.
‘Professor, it was the stress. I was tensed and the
information was all over the place. I was afraid I
wasn’t going to complete the paper.’
‘I understand, but, your answers on the paper is
telling me that you still haven’t learned the basics
of this subject. I don’t think you are ready yet.’
That’s when I knew. That’s when I knew I was going
to have to repeat that damned subject and being
an ass kisser wasn’t going to help. Well, that was
my first time in her office and there wasn’t much
on my paper to argue for. But, I still desperately
tried to convince her to just give me that passing
grade. I tried all sorts of bullcrap to convince her;
it was due to the stress the questions were going
over my head, the concepts were all over my mind,
the time wasn’t enough,etc. However, it looked like
the more I spoke, the more certain she became
about my understanding of the subject and the
more hopeless I became of passing it.
‘Afsana, wake up! She posted the grades online,
wake up’.
I saw the message and rushed to check my grade.
Failure was confirmed for me, since I heard it
directly from the horse’s mouth, but I guess I just
overlooked it. As a student, I was still expecting her to
just let me through to the next phase. I went online,
saw the failing letter and that was it. My confidence
became like that of Humpty-Dumpty’s fate, broken
and couldn’t be put together again. Not passing the
subject was disheartening in itself, but the fact that
it was my very first Chemical Engineering subject,
added more fuel to the fire. That fact alone threw me
into a pool of doubts and I started questioning myself.
Well, before reaching that phase of sanity, I had to
overcome some rough hurdles.
Myself.
I cried like how Luffy cried for his brother Ace when
he died in the anime One Piece. Loud and clear, I
was all over the damn place—the feeling was that
devastating. ‘The first subject of the field and I failed
it?’,’ Should I just quit?’,’ Stupid woman! What would
you lose if you would have given me the passing
grade?’, ‘You had to fail me! Have you ever asked
yourself why students fail your class?’. I drowned in
negativity and sometimes even Googled inspirational
quotes to get me back up. The quotes didn’t help
much really, but, thanks to time, over-eating and
animes, which really helped me in getting out of the
negativity. Eventually, I came to terms with the failure
and tried to move on.
Not so fast! The parents!
My mom was fine, but my dad wasn’t! For them,
failing a subject is like blasphemy! I remember the
expression my dad gave me. It was like he was deeply
By Afsana Alam

AUGUST 2016
65
staring into my soul and was about to rip it apart into
an atom’s size. It was hard for him to accept it, because
according to him, ‘Students no matter how bad he/she
does in a subject, can never fail it. They will somehow
pass it.’
I could see my life as an engineering student coming
to an end, but, my other subjects’ grade held onto my
dad. After he went through my other grades, it finally
enlightened upon him that overall, I wasn’t a bad Chemical
engineering student. He saw that I was doing great in my
other subjects and my license as a Chemical engineering
student was fortunately saved from cancellation. It took
them time, but, they eventually understood.
The next semester began and I found myself crazily
wanting Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak, to avoid people
and to sneakily enter the class of that damned subject. I
entered the class and my friend says to me, ‘Yea, me too.’
At that instant, the feeling of embarrassment was masked
by this overwhelming feeling of happiness. Turned out,
my friends too were on the same boat with me. Honestly,
it’s a great feeling to know that it’s not only you, but, even
your friends are next level geniuses.
But, was it only the subject? The subject does indeed
have a habit to throw the students into a dark abyss.
The concepts were new and different, so it was sort of
difficult for many of us to understand and absorb them.
However, that wasn’t the only reason we had to repeat
the subject. Looking at so many students repeating the
class, disclosed a rather undeniable fact—the Professor
sucked. Unfortunately, she was partially at fault for not
being able to get us geniuses around the concepts clearly.
Am I not smart enough? Will I just be a terrible
Chemical Engineering student if I continue? It was
my first Chemical Engineering subject, so I had to ask
myself, ‘Was it the right major for me?’. I remember my
Professor telling me, ‘Never evaluate yourself based
on 1-2 subjects. Look at your overall performance and
then determine if it’s the right major for you or not.’
Regardless of that, my confidence was still shaken up
and I still questioned as to why I didn’t get it the first
time.
The subject and the Professor were the minor reasons,
but, the major reason for my failure was because I
sucked at it. I remember I used to just brush through
the questions and instead of solving them, I used to
directly jump onto the solutions. I couldn’t grasp the
concepts, because I slacked off. I kept piling everything
up till the end. This was my major mistake. I forgot that I
was doing Engineering, that too, Chemical Engineering.
The revelation came in too late, but, failing a subject
doesn’t determine a student’s success or failure.
Failure is not bad, rather, it’s a displeasing way to
reflect upon ourselves and our methods. Therefore, we
as engineering students, should try to understand that
failure is a temporary phase and that success is just
around the corner. Never let 1-2 subjects determine
whether you are a successful student or a failure. It’s
not the subjects, rather, it’s your motivation, your
perseverance and your attitude that determine your
successes and failures. So, never doubt yourself,
always look ahead and remember, you are a Chemical
Engineering student; you are a survivor.
Photo by: todaysparent

AUGUST 2016
66
When you hear the term
“artificial intelligence”, you
probably think of the 2001
Spielberg film, the agents in
The Matrix, or even time-
traveling robots with Austrian
accents and shotguns. The
concept can be divided into
two very broad meanings.
The first is the blanket
definition applied by those
outside the fields of computer
engineering and robotics,
which includes a machine or
program’s ability to absorb
data, take its meaning, and
adjust its behavior according
to ideal outcomes. The second
definition, the one that really
matters, is more scientific.
“Intelligence” in the term has
much deeper implications
than absorbing information
and changing behaviors. It
contains human concepts like
cognition, reasoning, and self-
awareness. It applies to the
aforementioned science fiction
themeslikemachinesentience,
wherein robots and programs
move beyond their original
By Emmanuel Stalling
programming and learn of
their own volition for their
own reasons. I know, scary.
Below, we’ll discuss the current
climate of A.I. development,
and how far we have to go
before the machines rise up to
eliminate their human creators
from existence.
Challenges of Artificial
Intelligence
These are the main obstacles
in the way of true artificial
intelligence, not just the kind
that stops your computer-
controlled squad mates from
running into walls in Call of
Duty games.
Natural Language Processing
Every time we ask our Android
mobiles or iPhones for
directions and get an answer,
we are seeing fundamental
A.I. at work. This is a large part
of artificial intelligence called
natural language processing
(NLP). When we think of the
robots from movies who
ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE:
SCIENCE
FICTION OR
REALITY?
Photo by: itnews
Photo by: youtube

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