MEDOLOGY

• 30 Cool Tools for Every Engineer's Desk or Office Space
• Mind Over Matter: Robotic Arm can be Controlled with Mind Power
• What Would Happen if the Ocean Took an Asteroid Impact

30 Cool Tools for Every Engineer's Desk or Office Space A well-supplied desk is essential in the modern world. This mantra doesn't have to just apply to the mundane essential stationery. Here's our selected list of 30 great desk and office decorations. [Image Source: Pixabay] 1. Hot Cookie USB Cup Warmer We've all been there, a quick call to a client or minor adjustment to project that suddenly takes 2 hours. Simply plug this little gadget into your USB port, pop your cup on the hot plate and it'll extend your drinking time by up to 30 minutes. 2. Light Up Waterproof Bendi Keyboard Flexible and practically indestructible this keyboard is a must for anyone who tends to spill drinks or crumbs all over their desks.

Mind Over Matter: Robotic Arm can be Controlled with Mind Power With this new invention, the mind truly masters the body. A team with the University of Minnesota created a robotic arm that users control with their minds alone. This research could help millions paralyzed or suffering neurodegenerative diseases regain a sense of autonomy. [Image Source: University of Minnesota] The system uses a non-invasive technique called electroencephalography (EEG) based brain-computer interface. Effectively, it takes weak electrical activity and turns those pulses into action. An EEG cap containing 64 electrodes converts those electrical impulses and thoughts into action. "This is the first time in the world that people can operate a robotic arm to reach and grasp objects in a complex 3D environment using only their thoughts without a brain implant," said Bin He, a biomedical engineering professor and lead researcher on the study.

What Would Happen if the Ocean Took an Asteroid Impact Impending asteroid impact sounds like a scenario in a new J.J. Abrams film. However, NASA consistently tracks bodies close to earth as Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). They currently have 17 on their list, and nearly all of them are asteroids. [Image Source: Los Alamos National Laboratory] With 70 percent of Earth's surface covered in water, there's a high possibility that the asteroid would hit the ocean before hitting land. A team with Los Alamos National Laboratory recently developed a model of what that impact would look like. Don't worry; it looks nothing like Deep Impact.