Applications of Technology- The Exosuit

By Nick Etienne

Carrying 100 pounds of stuff on your back is hard for a human, but for a robot? Not so much. Bearing this in mind, researchers at Harvard University are developing a robotic suit that makes carrying heavy loads easier for soldiers, who sometimes have to lug around more than 100 pounds of gear and equipment when on patrol. The robotic exosuit could also be modified to assist people with physical disabilities. The programmable suit acts in parallel with the body's muscles and tendons, mimicking the way these body parts move, according to Conor Walsh, an assistant professor at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. By mimicking muscle movements, the robotic suit serves to make the walking process even more efficient. Made from smart textile materials and sensors, the suit gives the wearer the extra support needed to carry heavy loads for extended periods of time.

          "While the idea of a wearable robot is not new, our design approach certainly is," Walsh said in a statement. Traditional exoskeleton systems are plagued by problems, such as power-hungry battery packs and rigid parts that interfered with natural joint movement, he added. In contrast, the Soft Exosuit is simply worn like a regular pair of pants under a soldier's uniform and gear. The current prototype of the suit is a web of straps that are positioned around the wearer's lower body. The straps feature a network of sensors that serve as the exosuit's "brain" or "nervous system," and are controlled by a low-power microprocessor. The suit's sensors continuously monitor the wearer's movements, communicating information about the amount of tension on certain parts of the leg and what position the wearer is. These details dictate how much force is needed in a particular joint area, as well as when exactly that force is most needed.

 Walsh and his colleagues are developing the exosuit for the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, or DARPA, which hopes to adapt the technology for its Warrior Web program. The goal of Warrior Web is to create technologies that will prevent and reduce musculoskeletal injuries in solders. The increased weight a soldier must bear when lugging around heavy equipment makes their joint areas, such as the ankles and knees, more susceptible to injury. In addition to its work with DARPA, the Harvard team is also working with partners in the medical industry to develop a version of the exosuit that could one day be used to help civilians. In particular, the researchers said the exosuit could help stroke patients regain the ability to walk.

Google Drive

By Lain Knieriem

Google Drive is a revolutionary document creator and database that will change your way of thinking about the classroom. Most compare it to its competitor, Microsoft Office, because both programs look and respond the same way, though Google docs has a lot more features.  Google Drive can seem confusing, but if you know how to use Microsoft Office, then you already know how to use Google Drive too!

Here at Perry Central, all of our students have a Google email, which is already linked to their personal Google Drive. The email and drive correspond to each other; one couldn’t work without the other. All of your saving, creating, and sharing is all internet based, and easy to do.

The five default apps that Google Drive has to offer are Documents, Presentation, Spreadsheet, Forms, and Drawing (You can get many more apps for free). The word document, presentation, and spreadsheet are just like Microsoft Office’s versions known as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Docs are more modern and easier to use. The Form is for making tests, or surveys, and the drawing is a design creator, that allows you to create sketches.

On Google docs you can share your work. This is not just emailing a copy to a friend, via google email, students or teachers can work on a document at the same time on their own computer. This can be very helpful and collaborative for group work in classes or meetings. All that you have to do is just use the share tab in Google Drive, type in the friend's email address, and you’re on your way. Along with making and sharing the documents, you have to save your work in Microsoft Office, but in Google Docs, it saves every word that you type to your drive, so when you are finished, just close the window. 

Another part of Google that is sometimes forgotten by the world is Google Calendar. This calendar by Google can make the experience in and out of the classroom at Perry central so much easier, more organized, and more fun. The calendar would make it to where the corporation could create a schedule of the sports games to which people can subscribe, and be alerted to when there is a basketball, or football game. Also teachers can subscribe to a created calendar, which would indicate who has parking lot duty or lunch and recess duty, and so on. Students could subscribe to the teacher's class calendar to see assignments and due dates.

          So with Google Drive already being used in the High School by some and by few in the elementary, we need to put the program back on the map. Also if you would need any help with this just email me at knierieml@pccommodores.org, and watch this video that explains the basics of drive. 

Introduction to Google Drive- 6 minutes long

More in-depth information about Drive- 17 minutes long

Windows 7 vs Windows XP: Say Goodbye to Windows XP

By Chris Bybee

            From the 4 weeks that I have been in the Tech Support class, I have been making runs around the school to pick up old windows XP machines. I would like to talk about the advantages of the windows 7 operating system in our school computers!

            Teachers have really had a problem with the windows XP operating systems because they are so outdated that they cannot ever keep up with the programs the teachers are using! The windows 7 operating systems is what the school should be using because of how easy the interface is and how up to date it really is! Windows 7 or windows 8 will easily be able to keep up and run at a fast pace with what the teachers need to do for everyday life in their classroom to teach their kids!

            To primary grade teachers, a windows 7 or 8 based operating system will help them because the windows XP operating system restricts you from using the latest version of Internet Explorer, Firefox or Google Chrome. Windows XP will not allow some of the features on websites that lower grade teachers require to run effectively in their classroom! Some of these features are needed by younger kids because the interactives and animations help them learn concepts on these websites. Using windows 7 or 8 has tons of advantages over windows XP because it is just up to date and it can keep up with all the new programs and technologies that we are bringing into the school to help the learning experiences of all ages of students. Last April, Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP and releasing updates for it.

Screenshots are also a part of windows 7 or 8 and if teachers or students need website that has some questions for homework and they don’t have wifi at home than they can simply pull up the screenshot and have all of the problems that they need to get their work done!

Anatomy of a computer!

By Bryce Ory 

     A computer is a revolutionary and incredible machine that is working its way into every corner of the world and it’s not going to stop now. As people have always said, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Well, that’s not even close to a true statement and it won’t ever change in the minds of some, but older and newer generations are both being integrated into the new technology.

     For most schools and businesses, computers and electronics are almost essential and are needed to make both of them run at top efficiency, but in order for someone to use a machine they must first understand it and try to understand that it is near perfect but is affected by human input and can be broken and harmed from its original state as it is worked on, programs are installed, and the software ages.

     The fact of the matter is, most people  do not really realize what makes a computer tick, nor do they care. That’s a pro and con because that is causing opportunity for the computer repair and maintenance industry but it also effects the efficiency of a business that might just rely on computers.

     There are many different sources that you can use to try and understand your computer. In these links, people spend time to try and teach how to take care of your computers and make people understand how to perform maintenance.

Some links are supplied below to further your understanding with the anatomy of a computer:

Computer Technician- http://www.mbcurl.me/QV23

The Simplest Computer Tutorial, How Computers Work- http://www.mbcurl.me/QV25