#human speed detection project using pic

[attorneyandlawyer]

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A HUMAN DETECTION ROBOT

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A HUMAN DETECTION ROBOT

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A HUMAN DETECTION ROBOT

ABSTRACT

The circuit breaker is an absolutely essential device in the modern world, and one of the most important safety mechanisms in your home. Whenever electrical wiring in a building has too much current flowing through it, these simple machines cut the power until somebody can fix the problem. Without circuit breakers (or the alternative,…

[freenewstoday]

New Post has been published on https://freenews.today/2021/01/04/mars-perseverance-tracker-when-is-mars-rovers-landing-date-track-live-watch/

Mars Perseverance tracker: When is Mars Rover’s landing date? Track live - watch

Launched in July last year, NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover is now only weeks away from completing the crucial first step of its mission – landing on the planet’s desolate rusty-red surface. The project is one of the space agency’s most ambitious yet, as it is expected to help pave the way for future human expeditions to Mars.

The numbers involved in the NASA mission almost defy comprehension – the spacecraft carrying the rover has already travelled 80.03 million miles (128 million km).

This has involved the spaceship’s precious cargo travelling through space at average speeds (relative to the Sun) of 51,739mph (83,265kmh).

But the probe’s journey is fast approaching its destination, with a ‘mere’ 6.32 million miles (10.17 million km) remaining, as of Sunday, January 3.

In order to prepare the public for this historic moment in space exploration, NASA has created an interactive site where you can track Perseverance’s progress in real-time.

READ MORE: NASA news: Hubble captures ‘unprecedented fading’ of Stingray Nebula

How will the Perseverance rover land on Mars?

The Perseverance rover mission will use the latest technology in order to maximise its chances of successfully descending and landing in the Jezero crater.

As with Perseverance’s precursor, the Curiosity rover, this latest probe will use a guided entry, descent, and landing system.

This will make use of a parachute, descent vehicle, and an approach called a ‘skycrane manoeuvre’ for lowering the rover on a tether to the surface during the final seconds before landing.

NASA said: “This type of landing system provides the ability to land a very large, heavy rover on the surface of Mars in a more precise landing area than was possible before Curiosity’s landing.

DON’T MISS Valorant 1.06: Patch notes confirmed following Nebula skins leak Hubble snaps a breathtaking pic of the Red Rectangle Woke agency to axe ‘harmful’ cosmic nicknames

“Mars 2020 takes things one step further. It adds new entry, descent, and landing technologies, such as Terrain-Relative Navigation.

“This sophisticated navigation system allows the rover to detect and avoid hazardous terrain by diverting around it during its descent through the Martian atmosphere.

“A microphone allows engineers to analyse entry, descent, and landing.

“It might also capture sounds of the rover at work, which would provide engineers with clues about the rover’s health and operations, and would be a treat to hear.”

What is the NASA Perseverance rover’s mission?

The Perseverance rover has four science objectives that support the Mars Exploration Program’s science goals.

These include looking for habitability, seeking biosignatures, caching samples and preparing for humans.

A key function of Perseverance Rover is to search for signs of ancient alien microbial life.

The rover has been equipped with a drill for collecting core samples of Martian rock and soil.

These will then be sealed in tubes awaiting collection by a future mission, which will then return them to Earth for detailed analysis.

NASA said in a statement: “Perseverance will also test technologies to help pave the way for future human exploration of Mars.

“Strapped to the rover’s belly for the journey to Mars is a technology demonstration — the Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, may achieve a ‘Wright Brothers moment’ by testing the first powered flight on the Red Planet.

“There are several ways that the mission helps pave the way for future human expeditions to Mars and demonstrates technologies that may be used in those endeavours.

“These include testing a method for producing oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, identifying other resources (such as subsurface water), improving landing techniques, and characterising weather, dust, and other potential environmental conditions that could affect future astronauts living and working on Mars.”

if(typeof utag_data.ads.fb_pixel!=="undefined"&&utag_data.ads.fb_pixel==!0)!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod?n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments);if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window,document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');fbq('init','568781449942811');fbq('track','PageView') Source

[biomedgrid]

Biomed Grid| A Guide to Select Sensors for Biomedical Propose

Abstract

After Implementing an external device in a patient, it is crucial to monitor it. The challenge of being inside the patient and the need to perform the chirurgical operation to observe the evolution and state is a major step to do. Also, the communication process is not easy. On the top, the rejection avoidance of a strange body and the critical environment presents an additional motivation. The present paper presents a detailed study sensor for a wide range of biomedical proposes and applications. It aims to explain and synthetize complex technical knowledge in a simple and comprehensible language.

Keywords: Sensor, Monitoring, Nanotechnology, Biomaterials, Implants, Data acquisition, Medical

Introduction

In basic terms, the sensor is a device that makes the detection and responds with an input from the physical environment. But what could be these inputs? The light, heat, motion, moisture, pressure, or any detectable in an environment variable entry are examples. Thus, when a specific sensor receives input from the environment, it sends an output, generally a signal which is capable of being converted to be read by the processor or transmitted electronically through a data network. Sensors are associated with transducers, assembling measurements, supervising and control devices. They are used together. Sensor means a device que detects a change in the physical environment and transforms it into a signal que can be measured and recorded while the term transducer is defined as a device que transfers energy from one system to another, which may be the same as or converted form (other than the original). The sensor is applied to detect itself while the transducer is applied to the sensing element associated with any circuit. Figure 1 shows the cascade chain of the sensoring process[1].

Figure 1: Mitral Veg.

The sensors are used in a variety of applications in industries, services and even for households. Basically, the sensor is a device that has the function to detect and respond to any stimulus efficiency. Various types of sensors respond to different stimulus, such as: heat, pressure, movement, light and others. After the sensor receives the stimulus, its function is to send a signal that can be converted and interpreted by other devices. The choice of sensor depends solely on the purpose of its installation. So, one needs to assess environmental conditions and choose the most appropriate sensor for that activity.

Types of Sensors

       Acoustic Sensor        

This type of sensor uses the echo return That spreads the speed of sound, one of the sensor types used to capture distances. The acoustic sensor was used in Polaroid camera and is used in many studies That Work with sonar system. Another use of the acoustic sensor is in the parking system of the most modern cars  (Table 1).

Table 1: Acoustic Sensor.

     Electric Sensor  

Table 2: Electric Sensor.

Electric sensors detect variations in electrical parameters such as an Increase in electric correte or even varying the voltage. These changes cause some sort of signal to change the status of a specific circuit, the relay switch. Use of this type of sensor is very common in voltage detection circuit, overcurrent or overvoltage protection relays  (Table 2).

Magnetic Sensor

Sensors of this type are widely used to detect the opening of doors or windows. The magnetic sensor Consists of a small plastic box That has in its inside two metal blades fractionally spaced. The action of the magnetic field is precisely When They These blades close, allow current flow. This magnetic field is Obtained by a magnet! (Table 3).

Table 3: Magnetic Sensor

    Inductive sensor

Are Also magnetic sensors sensors Inductive, These sensors create a small magnetic field at its tip and When the metal goes next to it disturbing the magnetic field, the cam sensor to capture this disturbance and sends a signal que can be interpreted by a circuit connected to the sensor (Table 4).

Table 4: Inductive sensor

    Mechanic Sensor

These sensors are the ones who have the ability to detect the positions, movements or presence through mechanical means. Among the main applications, we can mention the presence of objects in a Certain place, the detection locks or door openings, and the limit switch sensor is one of the best known. The AIMS limit to Prevent sensing an engine to keep running even after the moving part reach the peak (Table 5).

Table 5: Mechanic Sensor

    Optic Sensor

These sensors are also known as photovoltaic and use the propagation of light for its operation. The optical sensor is used to index objects and can also be used to measure the distance at which the object is in relation to the sensor. This type of sensor is used on elevator doors in computer mouse, bar code reader, in more modern vehicle reversing systems and many others (Table 6).

Table 6: Optic Sensor

    Thermal sensor

This sensor gives a certain response when subjected to a temperature change. There are various types of thermal sensors and are several applications. The best-known thermal sensor is the thermometer that almost everyone has at home. It is used to measure body temperature. This type of temperature sensor is often used in environments where it is necessary to maintain a certain temperature, such as cold chambers. In this case, the sensor sends a response when it perceives that the temperature is outside of the ideal, and in accordance with this response refrigeration is switched off or activated(Table 7).

Table 7: Thermal sensor

It is important to know that there are specific sensors that fit within these mentioned groups which are the most common. There is a wide range of sensors for the most diverse applications. Following are some examples that may be used in devices embedded in the human body are presented. Indicative prices to be able to have an order of magnitude and make appropriate comparisons are presented  [2,3]. The prices presented are based on historic benchmarking and experience of the author.

Proximity and Motion

 The Distance ultrasonic sensor is capable of measuring distances of 2cm to 4m with great precision and low price. This module has a ready coupled to a receiver for measurement.

The reflection optical Reflective Phototransistor sensor is coupled in the same device has an infrared sensor (LED) and a phototransistor (receiver). It is specially designed to block light of other bands than the emitter itself, preventing ambient lighting interferences.

The Proximity Sensor Infrared is a photoelectric reflection module which includes an InfraRed (IR) transmitter and an IR receiver. This sensor has a longer range than traditional ones, ranging from 3 to 80 cm with the adjusting screw at the rear of the sensor.

The Absolute Orientation Sensor provides the possible to obtain the absolute position in three axes, useful to set up a project involving virtual reality [4-6].

The PIR Motion Presence Sensor can detect the movement of objects that are in an area up to 7 meters. If something is moving around in this area the alarm pin is activated.

The combined motion sensor on a single chip contains an accelerometer and a gyroscope MEMS type. They have 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope, providing 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF).

The obstacle IR sensor is a circuit composed by a transmitter, an IR receiver, and an IC comparator, which facilitates its connection with Arduino, PIC or Raspberry Pi, since its voltage is 3, 3-5V.

The Reed Magnetic sensor is a switch that works by magnetic field, closing the internal contacts when approaching. When taking the magnet, the contacts open again.

The Encoder speed sensor is used to perform engine speed measurements, pulse count and positioning controller. It can be used with many more drivers and boards such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi and PIC.

The Vibration sensor is designed to detect vibrations. Its applications are numerous but are mainly divided in a useful signal to process and a noise signal to remove. When the intensity is below the preset value (i.e., the value set at the potentiometer), the output is in a high state, otherwise the output is in the low state.

This Hall sensor has high sensitivity based on the Hall effect to measure magnetic fields around them. The magnetic signal is then converted into an electrical signal with high reliability and sensitivity and can be used in a very practical way with an Arduino. Alarms can be used in projects, accountants and other electronic circuits. The Grove magnetic sensor contains a reed switch on the board and can be used to set up alarm systems and proximity sensors based on magnetic fields.

The Vibration sensor Tilt Grove is used to detect movements and make the sign reading in a microcontroller as Arduino, Raspberry or Beaglebone plates and other applications in electronics design. The sensor can be used in monitoring systems and alarms systems, for example.

The gestures and RGB sensor are a plate with a sensor that provides ambient light measurement approach and signals. With Gesture Sensor and RGB it is possible to control a project, a computer design or a robot using only the movement of the hands.

The Distance Laser sensor is different from all the others: it uses a thin and invisible laser light source, and a circuit for detecting how long the light took to reach an object and return to the sensor. It can measure distances of between 30 and 1000mm with high degree of accuracy, has I2C and accepts power from 3 to 5V.

The analog line IR sensor varies the output value according to the amount of infrared light reflected to the sensor. When more light is detected by the IR receiver, the lower the voltage at the analog output.

The accelerometer module is a 12-bit resolution device with low power consumption, perfect for a virtual reality design using microcontrollers.

The Inductive Proximity Sensor is an NPN sensor capable of detecting metal objects up to 4mm away and generate a signal in the sensor output, which can be read by a microcontroller like Arduino.

The IR digital line sensor triggers the digital output according to IR light (infrared) received by the sensor. It is ideal for systems with only I / O available digital pin.

The 3-axis accelerometer has a new version provided now with a built-3.3V voltage regulator.

A Photo Interrupter Breakout Board was developed for easy connection to the component’s microcontroller. For complex projects involving accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer it is used an Absolute Orientation Sensor 9-DoF. It can be challenging to extract the necessary data of these sensors and convert them to a 3D world, requiring consolidating the data from these sensors, send them to I2C interface and saving work assemble complex algorithms or perform fine adjustments to extract the data needed.

For even more complex projects a 10DoF Sensor with Barometer, accelerometer, magnetometer and gyroscope is used. This is a powerful sensor IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) that reaches 10 DOF, with 3-axis gyroscope, 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis magnetometer and the pressure sensor and temperature.

Expected Price in March 2019 from €1.90 to €267.90

Temperature

The waterproof temperature sensor will allow you to take measurements in wet environments and wet with only one interface of one wire.

The regular temperature and humidity sensor allow temperature readings from 0 to 50° C and humidity 20 to 90%, widely used for projects with Arduino. The wider range temperature and humidity sensor allows temperature readings from -40 to +80° C and humidity from 0 to 100%, and very easy to use Arduino, Raspberry and other microcontrollers because it has only one output digital pin.

The temperature sensor with I2C communication is an accurate sensor, with typical accuracy of ± 0.25 ° C from -40° C to + 125° C + and resolution of 0.0625° C. The Temperature sensor is a sensor easy to use, communicating with the microcontroller via the I2C interface and sending temperature information in digital form, unlike traditional analog sensors. The Sensor Type K thermocouple with measuring range of -50 to 400° C is for use in multimeters and measurement equipment.

The temperature sensor can be a great option when looking for precision, and has easy communication with microcontrollers such as Arduino, PIC, ARM and Raspberry Pi. Widely used for home automation projects or even industrial.

The thermistor is a temperature sensor projects with widely used in microcontrollers, performing measurements in the range of -40 to 125° C based on a 10K Ohm NTC thermistor.

The temperature sensor Grove using a NTC thermistor for measuring the ambient temperature, generating an output voltage which is sent to the microcontroller.

The IR temperature sensor is a high-precision component that detects body temperature or objects by infrared without direct contact with the sensor is needed. It has already been calibrated at the factory and detects temperatures between -40 and 125° C with a precision of 0.5° C, still having multiple configurable user calibration methods.

The temperature and humidity sensor, for Sonoff is capable of measuring temperature and humidity providing data through its digital output. With its plug 4-pole, the sensor is perfectly compatible. The temperature and humidity sensor Son off have a resistive sensor capable of measuring temperature and a capacitive humidity sensor. Data is provided through its digital output. With its plug, the sensor is compatible with Sonoff TH10 / TH16. Sonoff is an affordable WiFi smart switch that provides users with smart home control.

The temperature sensor Waterproof Sonoff allows the functions similar to a thermostat, which can control any equipment according to the temperature.

The Digital Temperature Sensor performs temperature measurements accurately using only one pin of the controller.

The temperature and humidity sensor Grove is a module that contains a sensor on plate being connected to the microcontroller through a standard 4-pin cable Grove. This sensor comes pre-calibrated and is characterized by low power consumption and ease of use.

Expected Price in March 2019 from €2.40 to €80.90

Luminosity

The Brightness 5mm LDR (Light Dependent Resistor) sensor is a component whose resistance varies with the intensity of light. The lighter falls on the component, the lower the resistance. The light sensor can be used in projects with Arduino and other microcontrollers for alarms, home automation, motion, etc.

The Infrared (IR) receiver is useful in electronic projects such as motor control, lighting, alarms and circuits in general. It is user friendly with microcontroller circuit using Arduino, PIC or Raspberry Pi.

The IR Receiver Module is used in electronics design, remote control systems and alarms, for example.

The ambient light sensor module is a simple module to use but very powerful, as it has greater precision than standard modules using LDR (light dependent resistors). The sensor used is NPN phototransistor and the module has an analog output signal that can be read for example by a plate as Arduino. The higher the incidence of light, the higher the value in the output.

The photo Switch is an optical switch that operates with infrared, and on one side have an LED IR emitter establishing a light beam which is detected by the IR receiver on the opposite side. The distance between the transmitter and the receiver is 10mm.

The LDR Light Sensor (Light Dependent Resistor) is designed to detect light and has a digital and analog output that can be connected directly to a microcontroller as the Arduino.

The Infrared Phototransistor LED 5mm receiver is sensitive to infrared light and acts as a receiver of this type of light for use in electronics design as motor control, lighting, alarms and circuits in general. It is easy use with microcontroller circuit using Arduino, PIC or Raspberry Pi.

The UV Sensor is capable of detecting UV solar radiation using a simple chip. It can be easily configured for projects with Arduino to monitor UV Index, analyze UV-A lamps or DIY projects as plant growth analysis.

The Lux Light sensor can determine the amount of light (measured in lux), which is focusing on the sensor, and show that result in a display or trigger microcontroller ports in certain situations to light. Expected Price in March 2019 from €0.90 to €85.90.

Moisture

The humidity sensor Grove is composed of a rod and sends information to the microcontroller according to the humidity level detected by the sensor.

The Hygrometer Humidity Sensor is designed to detect the humidity changes, and when it is dry the sensor output is in the high state and low state when in wet.

The Rain Sensor is used to monitor a variety of weather conditions, but it can be used in liquid drops. When the surface is dry the sensor output is in a high state and when there is a liquid drop the sensor, output is in down state. Expected Price in March 2019 from €9.90 to €13.90.

Temperature and Moisture

The Temperature and Humidity High Precision Sensor and I2C communication with the microcontroller for use in electronics design, weather stations, room temperature control and medical equipment, among others. The sensor has 14-bit resolution and accuracy of 2% humidity and temperature of 0.2° C, providing accurate and reliable information as well as an extremely low power consumption in sleep mode. Expected Price in March 2019 around €65.00.

Chain

The Current Sensor Non-Invasive is an optimal device to measure AC current and is not invasive. It is widely used in projects with home automation Arduino like electrical current meters, protection of AC motors, lighting and others, but the non-invasive propriety is a boost to medical application.

The Current sensor performs current measurements accurately since it uses the Hall effect to detect the magnetic field generated by a current generating at the module output (OUT pin), a proportional voltage 66mV / A.

The DC Current Sensor provides measurements in circuits with DC voltage between 0 and 26V with DC current sensor, a I2C communication module and easy integration with devices such as Arduino, and other I2C interface. Expected Price in March 2019 from €26.90 to €58.90.

Touch

The Touch Sensor Capacitive is a component capable of detecting touches. Its operation is very simple: by touching the indicated region, the output of the sensor is activated. Without touching the sensor, there is no activity on output. It can be used as replacement of a push button.

The flexible sensor is a sensor of Sparkfun whose resistance varies as the sensor is bent. The greater the force applied, the greater the resistance in the sensor output.

The Force Sensor Resistive can make measurements between 100 g and 10 kg, depending on the force applied in the detection area (approximately a 15mm circle). Expected Price in March 2019 from €8.90 to €74.90.

Biometric

The Heart Rate Sensor allows to obtain data very useful when riding an exercise routine, studying daily physical activity or even for teaching purposes. The heart monitor pulse sensor performs reading of the heartbeat using an optical sensor amplified and sends this data to the microcontroller as the Arduino via a single signal pin.

The MyoWare Power Shield is a card designed for use with the Muscular Sensor MyoWare and uses two batteries. The Fingerprint Sensor can be used in projects with high complexity existing in this process.

The Muscular Expander Electrodes MyoWare Sensor allows you to place up to two electrodes directly on the board, being an interesting option for wearable designs (wearables). However, you often need a larger number of electrodes, or more distance between the electrodes and the sensor, and that’s where the Expander MyoWare electrodes. With Expander Electrodes Myoware, you can connectup to three electrodes using the cable MyoWare sensors (not included) connected to the expander through a P2 plug.

The Biomedical Electrode is the component responsible for forwarding to the sensor the electric signal captured during the movement of muscles. It can be connected directly to the Muscular Sensor or cable sensors.

The Sensor Muscular Myoware is a control device with the strength of your muscles. This is a plate designed for use with Arduino and using a sensor electromyography (EMG), which measures the electrical activity of a muscle. Muscular Myoware sensor generates at the output a voltage between 0 volts, and Vs, where Vs is the sensor voltage. The greater muscle activity, the higher the voltage at the output.

The cable Sensor is an accessory to be used in conjunction with the Expander electrodes and allows you to connect up to 3 electrodes in muscle sensor.

The strike sensor and Heartbeat Oximeter is a module consisting of two LEDs and a photodetector circuits that detect heart beats and indirectly measure the amount of oxygen in the blood. The sensor is suitable for projects in the medical field, fitness and wearables, among others. Expected Price in March 2019 from €12.90 to €374.90.

Barometric

The Pressure and temperature sensor have gains in terms of accuracy and power consumption beyond the size 63% smaller, making common their use in mobile and portable devices.

The Pressure and temperature sensor are fully compliant in terms of firmware and interface, including using the same Arduino library. It is a compact sensor with low power consumption (about 0.5μA), being a good choice for projects powered by batteries.

The Air Pressure Sensor measuring range of 0 to 40kPa and using MEMS technology miniaturization of components in a package DIP (dual in-line package). Expected Price in March 2019 around €20.00.

Others

TThe Water Flow Sensor measure water flow for your electronic projects is now no longer a problem with this Water Flow Sensor. It is installed in line with the pipe to measure the amount of water flowing through it, sending PWM pulses to your Arduino and Raspberry Pi for example. Expected Price in March 2019 around €35.00.

The Load Cell Weight Sensor uses the weight sensor load cell together with the module and build its own scale based on Arduino, Raspberry, or other PIC microcontroller. Expected Price in March 2019 around €20.00.

The Water Level Sensor is a liquid level sensor for use in water tanks, reservoirs, tanks and other containers. The level sensor functions as a power switch that can trigger switches, pumps, lamps or send a signal to the microcontroller as the Arduino, Raspberry Pi or Pic. Expected Price in March 2019 around €15.00.

The Color sensor detects the color of objects quickly and accurately with the color recognition sensor. The sensor recognizes light levels RGB (Red, Green and Blue, or red, green and blue) and sends this data to a microcontroller as Arduino, Raspberry, PIC and other models, allowing you to create efficient color detection systems. The Color RGB sensor with IR filter can recognize colors quickly and effectively. Based on chip, this sensor has RGB light sensors which together with the IR filter minimizes the influence of the IR spectrum, such as lights, leaving a much more accurate measurement. Expected Price in March 2019 around €65.00.

The sound sensor Grove is a plate with a microphone that detects the sound system and generates a variable signal at the output according to the intensity of the captured sound. Expected Price in March 2019 around €40.00.

Conclusions

There is a wide range of diferente sensors with diferente applications, advantages and strenghts. Knowing what best suits a real situation is crucial to extend life long. Also, it is important to understand how the sensor communicates the acquired data in order to find the appropriate acquisition and processing signal board.

Read More About this Article: https://biomedgrid.com/fulltext/volume2/a-guide-to-select-sensors-for-biomedical-propose.000583.php

For more about: Journals on Biomedical Science :Biomed Grid

[latveriansnailmail]

OC meme answers

Filling out the previous post.

1. Your first OC ever? The earliest character I remember making was an armored flamethrowing bad guy named Cinder. I made him to be an antagonist for my brother's OC. Cinder is an industrial saboteur in his current incarnation. 2. Do you have a personal favourite among your OCs? I am probably most fond of Nick Chapel, Psychic Detective. 3. Have you ever adopted a character or gotten a character from someone else? Several. A good handful of my characters were PCs in tabletop games I ran. 4. A character you rarely talk about? The less developed they are, the less I talk about them. 5. If you could make only one of your OCs popular/known, who would it be? I have several favorites but I think the world would get the most milage out of Man Man. He always manages to be in the wrong despite his best intentions. 6. Two OCs of yours that look alike despite not being related? There are trends. Open shirts. Facial hair. Tattoos. Sunglasses. No capes. 7. Are your OCs part of any story or stories? I'm building fuel for several stand alone books set in a common universe. 8. Do you RP as any of your OCs? If you do, introduce one of your RP OCs here! Nick Chapel and Swingin' Johnny Go both began as Old World of Darkness characters. Nick was my Gangrel and Johnny was an Ecstatic mage. 9. Would you ever be willing to give any of your OCs to someone else? I would give back what I have borrowed. I might lend an OC if said OC was already well established and characterized. 10. Introduce an OC with a complicated design? What, visually? Probably Upside Downe is the most complicated because he's more of a celebrity (of the modern fashion) than a superhero. As such his look varies from day to day but is always flamboyant. In his early conception I took some inspiration from Dennis Rodman. Nowadays he's closer to Red Foo. 11. Is there any OC of yours you could describe as a “sunshine”? Maybe el Constrictador. 12. Name an OC that isn’t yours but who you like a lot I tend to be drawn to any character who is a fanatic or a literal angel, preferably both at the same time. 13. Do you have any troublemaker OCs? Lady Angst is true to her name. 14. Introduce an OC with a tragic backstory I try to stay away from that trope since it's done into the ground in the superhero genre (see women in refrigerators.) That said, I suppose Maxine Force has seen some tragedy of late; her husband died suddenly and painfully, Maxine tried to transfer his consciousness into an AI, and then said AI was overwritten and appropriated by enemy agents, resulting in a twisted android mockery of a good man. 15. Do you like to talk about your OCs with other people? AD INFINITUM 16. Which one of your OCs would be the best at biology (school subject)? Definitely Professor Pinnacle though Man Man is a close second. 17. Any OC OTPs? Lady Angst/Swingin' Johny Go, as well as Zapatta the Mystic/Maid Malice 18. Any OC crackships? Idano, I guess Nick and Melanie Plutarch. That's going nowhere. 19. Introduce an OC that means a lot to you (and explain why) I'm still working on this character but Quanta is based on a teacher I respect. 20. Do any of your OCs sing? If they sing, care to share more details (headcanon voice, what kind of songs they like etc)? The Fat Lady is a coloratura and an amazing improvisational singer, though she tends to shatter all glass in the vicinity. Johnny is the front man of a swing band and can also use his sonic powers to manifest music but he says it's just not the same as a live performance. 21. Your most artistic OC Again, Johnny. In addition to singing and playing, he crafts string instruments semi-professionally. 22. Is there any OC of yours people tend to mischaracterize? If yes, how? I have to be very deliberate in my depiction of Solomon King. He's a guy wearing a flag so I have to be clear with his characterization and his ideals, or else people would just project their personal politics on him. 23. Introduce OC that has changed from your first idea concerning what the character would be like? Thorn was originally just some generic beefy white dude in his 20s with plant powers. The current Doctor Thorn is 50 or older, a genius botonist, black, an amputee, and very cynical owing to the public's past reception of his race. Hell, public's not crazy about him right now. 24. If you could meet one OC of yours, who would it be and why? I would meet the Stregga Sisters so I could ask what their deal is. I need to develop them. 25. The OC that resembles you the most (same hobby, height, shared like/dislike for something etc?) As a younger man, that would most closely be Johnny but now I'm turning 39 and I identify more with Nick. We both prefer classic movies. 26. Have you ever had to change your OC’s design or something else about them against your will? I was confronted with how 7 out of 7 of my most significant American figures were all male so I gender-swapped Maxwell Force into Maxine. S/he's more interesting now. I have plenty of female characters (close to half) and a loooot of female second bananas but the lack of female leadership is still something I'm struggling with. 27. Any OCs that were inspired by a certain song? Actually, the first plot scenario and its main perpetrators came to me in a dream, complete with a rap song. So in particular Edifice Wrex is the rapper of my dreams. 28. Your most dangerous OC? DEFINITELY the Chokester. Imagine the Joker crossed with Venom and classically trained in traditional European buffoonery. 29. Which one of your OCs would go investigate an abandoned house at night without telling anyone they’re going? Several, really. Nick, Zapatta... Lady Angst would live cast it. 30. Which one of your OCs would most likely have a secret stuffed animal collection? La Nina maybe. Of course life on the road would mean nowhere to keep it... 31. Pick one OC of yours and explain what their tumblr blog would be like (what they reblog, layout, anything really) Let me point out that I myself have been involved with goth culture since about 1995. That said, Lady Angst is heavily involved with social media and reblogs all the most ridiculously stereotypical goth stuff with plenty of vaguebooking thrown in as she bemoans her personal situation and throws shade at people in the community. She has the worst kept secret identity in the whole long underwear game. 32. Which one of your OCs would be the most suitable horror game protagonist and why? Spiderbite Emma is a pragmatic survivor. Plus she can turn people into wolves so she's got that going for her. 33. Your shyest OC? I've gathered many brazen personalities, them being superheroes and all. That said, probably Catfight. Her anthro-feline body is a constant target for unwanted attention. 34. Do you have any twin characters? Not at this time. 35. Any sibling characters? Reveal: Angst and Emma are sisters! Don't tell no one. Be cool. I'm still cooking the Force family but there's the young adult Gail Force and the tween Maxwell (found a new use for that name.) 36. Do you have OC pairs where the other part belongs to someone else (siblings, lovers, friends etc)? Nope. 37. Introduce an OC who is not quite human Like all of them. I just got finished fleshing out a OC who's a sasquatch, Professor "Squatcho" Henderson. 38. Which one of your OCs would be the best dancer? For all her flaws, sucking at dancing is not among Lady Angst's failings. Zapatta is two thousand years old and lascivious so he can probably cut a rug. For that matter and for similar reasons Santacles would know every winter folk dance there is. 39. Introduce any character you want I have a fondness for the Keeper, a combo speedster/tank. She’s Britain’s most popular hero, goalkeeper themed, and seven and a half feet tall. She was born out of some RPG build experiments, the idea being that her low end cosmic awareness tells her what’s happening, her speed helps her intervene, and then her thick skin absorbs the hit. 40. Any fond memories linked to your characters? Feel free to share In my early 20s I used to hang out at night with friends of mine in the local all night diner, drinking unlimited coffee, playing games, eating the breakfast buffet, etc. We were all either just out of college or just out of high school and we were all commiserating our bleak futures. I would sketch and color a character pic every night. Most of those characters are scrapped now but a few (like Sonofagun) have made the cut. The pictures got moldy in storage, sad to say. 41. Has anyone drawn fanart of your OCs? If yes, maybe show a picture or two here (remember sources & permissions!) See above. 42. Which one of your OCs would be the most interested in Greek gods? Many of them ARE Greek gods. My Mary Sue, Mail-man would be most genuinely interested. 43. Do you have any certain type when you create your OCs? Do you tend to favour some certain traits or looks? It’s time to confess See above, #6. 44. Something you like about your OCs in general They are diverse and few have anything stereotypical about them. They are all their own people. 45. A character you no longer use? NEVER ASK ME ABOUT STEVE 46. Has anyone ever told you that you treat your OCs badly? Nah. I'm so wary of fridging characters that I don't heap much abuse on them. Plus, there's a revolving door on death. 47. Has anyone ever (friendly) claimed any of your OCs as their child? As I've said, some are on permanent loan from their player parents. 48. OC who is a perfect cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure Nah. Maybe Catfight. She's trying to get into Man Man's crew and it's going to be disastrous. 49. Which one of your OCs would most likely enjoy memes Probably Magnum Opus. 50. Give me the good ol’ OC talk here. Talk about anything you want Top Rocker of Earth has a passing similarity to Lobo in that both are cosmic bikers and general nasty asskickers but in truth Top draws most from Terrax the Tamer. If you want, you can tag your ask answers with #yetanotherOCmeme so I can check them out too `v´9

[asfeedin]

Amazing Images: The Best Science Photos of the Week

Each week at Live Science we find the most interesting and informative articles we can. Along the way, we uncover some amazing and cool images. Here you’ll discover the most incredible photos we found this week, and the remarkable stories behind them.

The Giant Crystal of Naica

(Image credit: Javier Trueba)

In honor of Earth Day (April 23) Live Science asked researchers around the world their favorite fact about our planet. Professor Juan Manuel García-Ruiz, a geologist at the Spanish National Research Council who has spent a good portion of his career crawling into underground vaults of pure crystal, said his was the existence of the Giant Crystal of Naica, buried about 1,000 feet (300 meters) below the town of Naica, Mexico.

“This is the Sistine Chapel of crystals,” García-Ruiz told Live Science. Giant gypsum pillars, most of which are as large and thick as telephone poles, slash through the basketball-court-sized cavern in a brilliant display of Earth’s slow-motion alchemy. The crystals are hundreds of thousands of years old, and still actively growing in the hot, humid cave. For now, the largest one measures 39 feet (12 m) in length, 13 feet (4 m) in diameter, and weighs 55 tons.

[Read more: Why celebrate Earth day? Here are 12 reasons]

Earth’s mysterious synergy

(Image credit: Ed Garnero/ASU)

Ed Garnero, a professor at Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration, had another answer for Live Science: “My favorite fact about Earth is that all parts of it, from the center to the atmosphere, appear to be dynamically and chemically interactive, over a wide range of time scales and spatial scales,” Garnero said.

As an example of this planet-wide synchronicity, Garnero sent an image (which he made) depicting the mysterious underground structures that some researchers have labeled “the blobs.” These lopsided, continent-sized mountains sit inside Earth’s mantle about halfway between your feet and the center of the planet. While scientists know from seismic imaging that these blobs exist, nobody is exactly sure what they are or what they’re for.

One intriguing feature of the structures, Garnero said, is that plumes of exceptionally hot rock (depicted here in yellow) appear to rise off of the blobs and feed certain volcanoes on the surface — essentially creating a chemical pipeline that connects the deep Earth to the high atmosphere.

[Read more: Why celebrate Earth day? Here are 12 reasons]

Leatherback bounce-back

(Image credit: VW Pics via Getty Images)

Baby leatherback sea turtles are doing better than they have in years, now that many humans are opting (or being ordered) to stay off beaches due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On one beach in Thailand, for instance, environmentalists have found 11 leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) nests since November, the largest number of nests found there in the past two decades, according to The Guardian. Likewise, on Florida’s 9.5-mile-long (15 kilometers) Juno Beach, marine life researchers found 76 leatherback sea turtle nests, a significant increase compared with the number of nests at this time last year, The Guardian reported.

“This is a very good sign for us because many areas for spawning have been destroyed by humans,” Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong, the director of the Phuket Marine Biological Centre in Thailand, told The Guardian.

[Read more: Baby leatherback sea turtles thriving due to COVID-19 beach restrictions]

Dancing with the star

(Image credit: ESO/L. Calçada)

Einstein’s theory of general relativity was proven right (again!) last week, thanks to the wobbly dance of a high-speed star swirling around the monster black hole at the center of our galaxy.

Astronomers with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have been watching that star — named S2 — orbit our local supermassive black hole for 27 years, taking precise measurements of the star’s position and velocity as it swoops around the galactic center, roughly 26,000 light-years from Earth. After watching the star complete nearly two full orbits (each complete orbit takes about 16 years), the researchers concluded that the star does not have a fixed elliptical orbit as predicted by Isaac Newton’s theory of gravity, but rather “dances” around the black hole in a pattern that resembles a rosette drawn using a spirograph. 

This sort of orbit, where the star’s point of closest approach moves subtly around the black hole with each orbit, is known as Schwarzschild precession. This wonky sort of precession (or forward movement) was predicted by Einstein more than 100 years ago to describe the effects of an infinitesimally small object orbiting an extraordinarily massive one, the researchers wrote in their new study, published April 16 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

[Read more: ‘Dancing’ star’s weird, spirograph orbit proves Einstein right (again)]

The mystery of the old stone balls

(Image credit: Photos by Isabella Caricola; Assaf E. et al. PLOS One (2020); (CC BY 4.0))

For nearly 2 million years, ancient humans crafted stones into hand-size balls, but archaeologists were unsure why. Now they know: Ancient people used them as tools to get at the tasty marrow within animal bones, a new study finds. In other words, if a bone were a can of soup, these ancient stone balls were like ancient can openers.

To solve the mystery of the stone balls, researchers examined the stone balls microscopically. They discovered wear marks and organic residues indicating that the stones “were used by the cave inhabitants to break animal bones and extract the nutritional marrow,” study lead researcher Ella Assaf, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near East Cultures at Tel Aviv University in Israel, told Live Science in an email. 

“Our study provided evidence, for the first time, regarding the function of these enigmatic-shaped stone balls that were produced by humans for almost 2 million years,” Assaf added.

[Read more: Mystery of 2 million-year-old stone balls solved]

Slithering in to Slytherin

(Image credit: Aamod Zambre and Chintan Seth, Eaglenest Biodiversity Project)

Researchers discovered a new species of viper in India, then promptly named it after a Harry Potter character, as any good nerd would.

The new species, named Trimeresurus Salazar or “Salazar’s pit viper,” is a vivid green serpent with an orange stripe running along its head and body, and was named after the snake-loving co-founder of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Salazar Slytherin. As the researchers note in their study describing the snake, Salazar Slytherin “was a Parselmouth” — meaning he could communicate with serpents.

T. Salazar, if you’re reading this, we wish you a fond Sssss-sssssss…

[Read the full news release on Eurekalert.org.]

The case of the disappearing exoplanet

(Image credit: ESA/NASA, M. Kornmesser)

In 2014, a planet disappeared from the night sky. The distant world — known as Fomalhaut b and located a neighborly 25 light-years from Earth — was infamous for being one of the first exoplanets ever discovered in visible light by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope; when astronomers first caught sight of it in 2004 and 2006, the planet appeared as a bright, cool dot moving briskly across the sky. Ten years later, that dot had vanished.

A new study published today (April 20) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) proposes a solution to the “Mystery of the Disappearing Exoplanet” — and, befitting of any good detective story, there’s a twist ending. Perhaps Fomalhaut b disappeared before the Hubble’s eyes, the study authors wrote, because Fomalhaut b was never a planet in the first place; perhaps the object astronomers saw in 2004 and 2006 was actually a colossal cloud of icy debris created by a recent, violent collision between two planetary fragments.

For the new study, astronomers reviewed nearly two decades of archival Hubble observations, which revealed Fomalhaut b slowly growing dimmer and dimmer before completely vanishing in 2014. Using computer models, the researchers calculated that a collision between two icy bodies roughly 125 miles (200 kilometers) in diameter could have created a dust cloud that perfectly matched the Hubble observations.

[Read more: Mysterious ‘disappearing’ exoplanet was just a big cloud of asteroid trash, study suggests]

The black marble

(Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Román, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center)

A streak of light slithers across the face of the Blue Marble in this stunning satellite image of the Earth’s night-side. The photo was taken in 2017 by the NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite, a project that has been observing Earth at night since 2011 with the aim of making night-lights data clearer and easier to read.

“The NASA group has examined the different ways that light is radiated, scattered and reflected by land, atmospheric and ocean surfaces,” NASA scientists wrote of the image. “The principal challenge in nighttime satellite imaging is accounting for the phases of the moon, which constantly varies the amount of light shining on Earth, though in predictable ways. Likewise, seasonal vegetation, clouds, aerosols, snow and ice cover, and even faint atmospheric emissions (such as airglow and auroras) change the way light is observed in different parts of the world.”

NASA shared this image as part of its celebration of Earth Day (April 22) 2020.

[Read the full news release on NASA.gov]

Yellowstone rising (and falling)

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

A swath of Yellowstone National Park larger than Chicago has been rising and falling in erratic jitters over the past 20 years, and it’s all because of some wayward magma, a new study finds.

This magma has been so active, it’s responsible for lifting up the area around Norris Geyser Basin at Yellowstone a total of 5 inches (almost 13 centimeters) since 2000. The finding sheds light on the enigmatic magmatic system that lies beneath Yellowstone. Researchers first discovered Yellowstone’s magma system about 40 years ago in a pivotal study published in 1979 in the journal Science study; in the years since, scientists have learned that Yellowstone’s magma system causes the ground to not only rise but also fall.

In the new study, researchers used GPS and satellite data to track how much the ground elevation has changed since 1996. The team found several separate incidents when fluids bubbled out of the magma deep underground, changing the pressure below the park and causing the ground to rise and fall like a slow-motion jack-in-the-box, the study authors wrote. This fluid movement may have also led to increased activity at nearby geysers, such as Steamboat Geyser, which erupted a record 48 times in 2019.

[Read more: Yellowstone landmark’s weird movement finally explained]

Humpback whales nursing

(Image credit: UH Mānoa Marine Mammal Research Program)

Cameras attached to the backs of baby humpback whales have captured a rare glimpse of moms nursing their calves — and you can watch the incredible footage right here.

About 100,000 humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) visit the crystal clear waters off the coast of Maui, Hawaii, between January and March each year. The whales spend this time exclusively breeding, and they rely solely on energy stored from their previous summer feeding season in Alaska. Researchers hope to use footage like this to learn how often and for how long the calves nurse, which could reveal more information about their nutritional needs.

“We can actually see what these animals are seeing and encountering and experiencing themselves,” Lars Bejder, the director of the Marine Mammal Research Program, said in a statement. “It’s quite unique and rare footage that we’re obtaining, which is allowing us to quantify these nursing and suckling bouts that are so important.”

[Read more: Amazing new video shows baby humpback whales nursing from their moms]

Originally published on Live Science.

Want more science? Get a subscription of our sister publication “How It Works” magazine, for the latest amazing science news.  (Image credit: Future plc)

Source link

Tags: Amazing, Images, Photos, Science, week

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2W9riY3 via IFTTT