The History of Engineering.

While scientists dream, engineers are the ones who convert those dreams into reality. That being said engineers are the backbone to the progress of every civilization, so let's take a look at the history of this amazing field and profession.

Take a nice look around yourself, go through all the things, instruments, gadgets, objects and machines you are surrounded with, most of this things which form an integral part of your everyday life, things without whom you couldn't manage to get through a single day and now consider how many of these things you owe to the great engineering minds of the present and the past generations.

Honestly, we as humans owe a great debt to these engineers who shaped up the modern world we live in. Just imagine how hard your life would have been if not for these brilliant minds who worked tirelessly to create a better world, a world that is more comfortable and adaptable.

Let's consider how our world would have been if not for this engineers,

For starters if not for engineers we would have still been ignorant of the concept of a wheel, so bid goodbye to all the forms of locomotives, bikes, cars, trucks, buses, trains, bicycles, buggies, carts, etc and welcome back the good old horses, camels, and mules.

Similarly, without the engineers, we wouldn't be having any sort of power or electricity concept that steals away all the artificial lighting systems, all the gadgets, and telecommunication forms so we'll be back to relying on those lanterns and candles for artificial light at nights and the cute little messenger pigeons and the really slow mail system for the communication purposes.

Another major impact would have been to the transmission of knowledge and education. Without the engineers there would have been no printing machines and printing presses which have been the backbone to the transmission and spread of knowledge, This would have not only impacted the engineering field but all the streams one could possibly imagine including the medicine, arts, etc hence holding back the success and progress in those fields too.

Likewise, the entertainment industry, the music industry, the gaming industry, the food processing industry, the textiles, and manufacturing industries, and every single thing you can imagine right now on the surface of the earth and beyond it wouldn't have been the same or wouldn't have existed at all.

So, now that we realize that we wouldn't have come this far as a civilization without the field of engineering and the wonderful engineering minds lets get to the real question,

How and when did this whole concept and phenomenon of engineering come into existence?

Contrary to proper belief, the field of engineering is not something that was established just a few centuries ago but instead its existence can be traced back to ancient times, times that we don't even have records of.
That's how old the field of engineering is.

The earliest known examples of engineering works could be the wheel, the lever and pulley systems, the sundial, hourglass, the pyramids, the great wall of china, Cities of the Indus valley, the siege weapons, etc.

The civilizations which were most famous for their engineering works in ancient times were the Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Chinese, Indus valley and the Mecipitopian civilizations.

The Engineering works and technology we witness at the present owe a great deal to the Medieval Times, in particular, The Islamic Golden Age during which leaps and bounds of progress were made and certain basic concepts were developed or say invented upon which most of our present technologies are based on.

Some of those Medieval developments may include the spinning wheel, windmill, wind-powered machines, steam-powered machines, crankshaft, and camshaft mechanisms, internal combustion engines, steam engine and automatic control, hydro-powered astronomical clock, music sequencer, water pumps, the concept of robotics and programmable machines are some of the few out of the hundreds of technologies for which were invented in the Muslim world and we are indebted to them for.

Prior to the industrial revolution, the engineering sector/field was primarily known as the mechanic arts and was mostly used for the purpose of manufacturing, construction, and military utilization but with the advent of mass production that came with the Industrial Revolution, the whole Engineering world was revolutionalized.

The actual Industrial Revolution was triggered with the invention of the very first steam engine and after which the actual term of an engineer as a profession came into existence in the early 18th century and was soon followed by the advent of specializations such as mechanical, civil, etc.

The earliest engineering disciples were that of Civil and Mechanical(which is considered to have originated from Great Britain) and were soon followed by Electrical, chemical, and aeronautics in the 19th centuries and the fields witness success and support from the governments and investors like never before as the countries competed among themselves to possess the most advanced of technologies and the two world wars gave them the further push.

In the 1990s we witnessed the advent of the first search engine giving birth to the Computer sciences engineering from which we eventually got Information technology and the rest is history.

The speed at which progress was made in the Post-Industrial Revolution aka the Modern age was incredibly swift and there are several reasons which can be credited for it.

The most incredible inventions we can credit to this age can be that of the automobile, aeronautics, power sources, the artificial intelligence, the modern computers and entertainment-based devices, communication devices such as the smartphone you use, the camera, the satellites, space programs, etc, for all of which we have none other than the razor-sharp engineer minds to thank for.

But the question we face now is, is this the limit? is this where it all ends, have we reached the peak of engineering development humanly possible?

Honestly, I don't think so. The truth is as we've seen throughout history, human needs are never satisfied and nor does his thirst to create an even more comfortable life.

So what does the future hold for the field of engineering and the engineer themselves?

Well, that's quite easy to answer. In my opinion, the opportunities are endless especially in some specific sectors/disciplines of engineering such as biomedical, robotics, artificial intelligence, etc

Engineers are the only minds who can actually figure out solutions to the modern crisis and problems we face such as global warming, climate change, and the environmental crisis. The engineers are the real superheroes upon whom rests the responsibility of preventing a possible extinction of life. 

Similarly, the advancements made in the biomedical engineering sector have benefitted and changed the lives of millions for better and there is still plenty of possibilities out there to explore in it.

The search for cleaner and more sustainable power sources, less polluting materials, and complete automation of everyday life pieces of equipment are the major things to look forward to.

Considering all this the future of engineering looks brighter than ever and the only question left is, are the present engineers, willing to take up the responsibility, are they ready to do what is needed of them and are they willing to make a change?

At last, I leave you all to ponder upon these questions.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

The Working of an Automobile.

We all love our swanky beasts but ever wondered how these massive machines work?

Here today we try decoding some of the basic principles on which these glorious things work.

We love them and most of us might even consider them to be as dear as their family and lives. We've been fascinated about them since we were kids and were always jealous of that one kid who arrived at school in the swankiest car.

We've witnessed them skid, swirl, fly and even burst into flames or blown into pieces across a dozen movies and our heart ached when we saw all such things happen to our favorite beauty. But despite all this love, how much do we actually know about them or at least how they work? Let's look at some basics.

What exactly an Automobile is?

An automobile is generally a motorized vehicle consisting of four wheels and powered by an internal engine.
Usually, the Automobile is used to transport people and items from one location to another.

How does Automobile work?

Now that we've figured out what an automobile is, let's check out how it does work

Generally speaking, the working of an automobile depends on three basic components.
Those basic components may be considered to be:

1.The Engine.
2.The Frame and Chassis.
3.The Transmission.

Even the most basic automobile needs to have at least these three parts/components in order to be considered as an automobile.

1.The Engine:

The Engine also called The power plant or Heart of an automobile is a machine designed to convert one type of energy into mechanical energy, Thus the engine requires heat to do operations.heat is generated by burning fuel which is used to do work.
Electric motors convert electrical energy into mechanical motion. Pneumatic motors use compressed air and clockwork in wind-up toys uses elastic energy.

The mileage of your vehicle, the power and other such various important aspects of the automobile are mostly dependent on this part/component of the automobile.

How doe the engine work?

The engine partially converts the energy from the combustion to work.
The engines consist of a fixed cylinder and a moving piston. After the piston compresses the fuel-air mixture, the spark ignites it, causing the combustion.

The expansion of the combustion gases pushes the piston during the Powerstroke due to which the power is generated. This is how an engine actually works.

The engine is the component that generates the power which is utilized for the working of a vehicle and is considered to be the most important part and hence called the heart of the vehicle.

2. The Frame and the Chasis.

The Frame and the chassis are also called the skeleton of the automobile.
The Chasis is the load-bearing work of an artificial object which structurally supports the components of the automobile like the engine, the body, transmission, etc.

Most passenger cars have a pressed steel frame. The vehicle chassis formes a skeleton on which the engine, wheels, axle, transmission, steering mechanism, brakes, and suspension are mounted.
The body is flexibly bolted to the chassis during the manufacturing process typically referred to as the body-on-frame construction.

This process is also used for heavy-duty vehicles such as trucks, which benefit from having a strong central frame, subjected to the force involved in such activities as carrying freight, including the absorption of moments of engine and axle that is allowed by the combination of body and frame.

In recent times, in passenger-cars designs, the chassis frame and the body are combined into a single structural element.
This combination of body and chassis frame is known as unit-body design.

The unit-body is reinforced with brakes that make it rigid enough to resist the forces that are applied to it. In some cases, separate frames (or) stub frames have been used to achieve better noise-isolation.
Chassis is the part that absorbs the maximum energy during the impact or accidents.

3. The Transmission.

The third major component of an automobile is the Transmission or the Gear system. The transmission system is also called the veins of an automobile since its main purpose is to transmit the required power from the engine to the wheels.

In other words, it provides a controlled application of power.
The gearbox is usually termed as transmission which uses gear and gear-trains to provide required speed and torque conversions from a rotating power source (engine) to another device of an automobile.

The Transmission comprises of the clutch, the gearbox, prop shaft(for rear-wheel), differential and final drive shafts. The transmission adapts the output of the internal combustion engine to the drive wheels. Such engines need to operate at a relatively high rotational speed which is inappropriate for starting, stopping and slow travel. The transmission reduces the higher engine speed to the wheel speed, increasing the torque in the process.

Transmissions are also used in pedal bicycles, fixed machines and where different rotational speeds and torque are adapted.

The transmissions work on a gear- ratio or simply gear with the ability to switch between them as speed varies. these variations can be controlled manually known as manual transmission or automatically known as automatic transmissions,

In motor vehicles, the transmission generally is connected to the engine crankshaft via a flywheel or a clutch or fluid couplings, partially because internal combustion engines cannot run below a particular speed.

The conventional gear transmission is not the only mechanism for speed adaption. Automatic transmissions use a valve body to shift gears using fluid pressures in response to speed and throttle input.

Conclusion.

Apart from the above-mentioned components or parts there several others too without whom an automobile may be considered to be incomplete or Unusable, such as the suspensions, battery, brakes, radiator, alternator, etc.

But that's for some other day. Right now we've figured out how the most basic automobile works are and how it works. So, we end this by thanking God for Family, Friends and above everything else we thank him for Fast Cars!.

I hope you found this helpful as well as interesting.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

8 Amazing Futuristic Gadgets that will make your life a Hell lot easier..

For all the lazy couch-potatoes, we bring you 8 gadgets that will make your life a hell lot easier in 2020..

Necessity is the mother of inventions. The main purpose of technological advancements is to make the human life a lot easier. Be it the the Wheel which was the setting stone for all the modern modes of transports or the invention of Vaccines which saved millions of lives, there have been several inventions which made the human life a lot easier for better or worse.

So today we look at some upcoming gadgets/devices which might make your life a hell lot easier in 2020. Most of them are completely developed and ready for purchase while some are still under development.

So, without any further adieu lets begin: 

1. Zcan+:

 Tired of those big and bulky scanners? Look no further than Zcan+. It's a relatively new product designed by the Hong Kong based company Design to Innovation(DTOI). Designed as a traditional mouse it does not have a Cord and a is equipped with a miniature scanner which enables the user to scan texts, tables and images. It connects with the system over a wifi and supports windows 7/8/10, Mac OS X 10.9-12, iOS 8-12. This device has revolutionized the market of scanner mouses by integrating the functions of a compute mouse, wireless technology and a digital scanner into small, tiny portable device. It comes really handy if you have to scan a receipt, tax report, drawing, statements, etc. It supports more than 199 OCR Languages and also identifies foreign language and can use google translate to help you out with that.

2. Mint:

Do you ever feel concerned with your oral hygiene but are too lazy to go and consult a doctor? Well we might not be able to replace a doctors role yet, but we may be able to provide you with a gadget that can analyze and track your oral hygiene just by your breath.
Mint is the gadget, equipped with high end sensors that analyze your breath and detect indicators of harmful bacteria in your mouth.
Just like a fitness tracker, it tracks your oral hygiene daily and provides you with reports and progress on your oral journey.
Proper use of this device may help you with detecting, preventing and curing gum diseases, bad breath and any other oral health problems.

3. Chef Jet:

This one is by far my favourite.
No one gets lagged behind in the race of 3D printers especially not our food carvings.
This wonderful device makes beautiful 3D creation nut instead of using PLA filaments it uses sugar and creates some amazing, consumable and utterly delicious creations in a number of flavours such as chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, cherry, watermelon etc.
The perfect gadget to impress anyone or satisfy your own sweet tooth carvings. It also comes in several sizes in order to fit your needs.

4. Solar Powered Socket:

While the world is busy exploring different varieties of solar panels, this tiny solar powered socket gadget has been turning headlines.
As small as regular sized alarm watch or a small soup bowl, this socket can be harnessed into windows and then it can be used as any common socket. It charges itself with the solar power and is extremely portable and comfortable to use. Currently it is still under work and may not be able to provide for a full fledged plug in use but still it can be utilized as a power backup to charge up devices.

5. GeniCan:

Never underestimate the value of a trashcan. Especially a trash as good as this which can save you several trips to the market and also makes sure that you forget ordering your basic necessities when they run out.
GeniCan is a product in making which has an Amazon integrated camera and bar code scanner equipped inside it which scans everything from your milk crates to your pet dogs favourite food and orders theme on Amazon as soon as you throw it into it.
So, say bye bye to those long groceries list, hours of ordering online or trips to the markets.
Seriously, this trashcan is more useful than most people around us(ha ha..).

6. Food Scanner:

This device/gadget is for all those health conscious dudes around. Tire of calculating all the macros and nutrients in your diet? or unsure whether the thing in front of you which smells delicious is really health or not?
Let Food Scanner help you out with this. It is a product developed with the sole purpose of making sure that what you put inside your belly is healthy and nutritious.
It is a device/gadget that scans the food and tells you its whole nutritious value with all the macros and micros. So you all gym buffs, get yourself one of these.

7. MoodoGo Portable diffuser:

 Nothing spoils a persons mood more than a foul or unpleasant odor or smell and nothings more relaxing and better to Cheer up your mood instantly than a refreshing pleasant smell.
Even though the room fresheners are good enough, nothing beats the MoodoGo device in this department. As small as it can fit your pocket, it can be easily connected to any USB port for power in your car, office or home. Once it is powered up then the real magic happens. TheMoodoGo gadget uses advance diffusing technology to automatically burst you with fragrances such as Wood Royale, Sea Breeze, Orange Sunrise and Grandma Vanilla, depending on your mood to refresh you and provide you with a calm and pleasant environment to get your brain cells working.

8. Foldymate:

Another of my favorite and "to buy"gadgets. If you are someone as lazy as me and have clothes lying around all over your place or someone who just hates doing laundries leave alone folding your clothes out, this gadget may be a boon to you.
Foldymate is futuristic gadget that folds your clothes up for you. It also folds the clothes in accordance with your fold preferences and clothe type by using the advanced robotic technology to analyze the clothes and fold them up. This is extremely useful for the individuals who are always on the go and yet have to look presentable and good at all times.

So, those were some of the gadgets we found to be extremely helpful for the everyday life..


What do you think about them? Let us know in he comments below...

Exoskeletons and it's future.

Popular media such as movies and gaming industry have been captivating us with men in flying armours and super soldier for years now, Let's finally take a look at the technology that makes this possible this...

Many of us have actually been exposed to several varieties and types of exoskeleton but might not actually be aware that what we are looking at or  interacting with an exoskeleton.
Exoskeleton have been the core of scifi games and movies for over a century now. Some examples being the ones in Star ship Troopers(1959), Metroid(1986), Aliens(1986), Halo(2001), Avatar(2009) and the one in Call of Duty:Advanced Warfare(2014).

Perhaps the most popular example of an exoskeleton might be the one adorned by Tony Stark aka Iron man in films as well as comics.

What you see in most of them are more advanced forms of exoskeletons than what are presently possible. Nevertheless they are still considered to be exoskeletons.

One more important point to note is that in most of the cases, exoskeletons are portrayed as weapons of mass destruction primarily used for military uses, exoskeletons find several other uses too, some uses more important than the one to cause destruction upon ones nemesis.
But before that let us find what exactly an exoskeleton is.

What exactly is an exoskeleton?

In general an exoskeleton is wearable device that works in coordination with the user unlike an autonomous robot that works instead of of the user/operator.
Exoskeletons are usually referred as robotic suit, powered armor, wearable machine etc.
In simple terms it is a suit that is worn by a user to increase/augment humans natural physical ability.
They can be fully automated or manual can be made of different materials light/heavy, durable/ductile or upper body based/lower body based/Full fledged suit etc, depending on it's application.

What are the Exoskeleton used for?

Exoskeletons are used to amplify, reinforce or restore human performance. They have several uses in:

1. Military sector.
2. Medical sector.
3 Industrial sector.

1. Military Sector:

Since ages the military research teams around the world have been fascinated with creating the perfect soldier or say the "Super Soldier".
Exoskeleton technology is one of the ways in which that could actually be achieved. With around two decades of research some companies have actually been able to design special exoskeleton suits that can be worn by the soldiers which support their strength and endurance as well as protect them from strain injury.
They allow the soldier to lift heavier loads, run faster and longer, jump higher and stay in constrained positions comfortably for significantly long period of time.
In other words it facilitates in making a soldier that is stronger, faster tougher and more deadly.


2. Medical Sector:

Among all sectors, Medical sector has been the one to benefit the most from exoskeletons. An estimated 41% of exoskeleton market has been occupied by health and medical sectors.
Exoskeletons are mostly used in medical sectors to provide physiotherapy and to assist the disabled in their body movements and functions.
Different types of wearable exoskeleton suits are available depending on their need and functions. Soft suits are designed in such a way to replicate the human body's joint movements in areas such as the ankles, hips, knees etc. When worn by the user they facilitate him in performing the respective movements. It can also facilitate a disabled man to walk again. Similarly it can provide physiotherapy and rehabilitation to the injured.
The top most sports faces use exoskeletons to help them out in their recovery and get them in performing shape again.


3. Industrial Sector:

Several wearable Exoskeleton suits are designed which help to lessen worker strain from repetitive tasks that are common in manufacturing and construction.Several automobile giants such as Ford and Hyundai have deployed industrial exoskeletons in it's manufacturing plants.

When worn by the workers they provide lift assistance to hold weights overhead or at particular angles, reducing the overall strain and helping in holding it out and carrying out the operation for longer durations without causing much strain. They are also used to assist worker who have to stay in seated position throughout the day by decreasing the use of waist and lower body muscles by significant amount and reducing fatigue as a result for being in the same position for extended period of time.

Exoskeletons can prevent injuries that are caused by everyday working activities such as lifting and carrying heavy loads.
They are also used to provide safety to the workers who work in potentially dangerous environment.

How do the exoskeletons work/function?

The working of an exoskeleton is actually more complex than any terms that we may use to define it.

A general exoskeleton device contains a frame that goes around the user's body or a part of it. The frame is usually made of hard materials such as metal and sometimes it's made of soft material like some kind of special fabric.Some exoskeletons contain sensors which monitor and respond to user's movements.

Exoskeletons can be powered in many ways and some might not need power at all and function mechanically. Such mechanical exoskeleton utilize a system of pulleys to support the user's body and movements such exoskeletons are called as Passive Exoskeletons.

In other cases the exoskeletons may utilize electricity generally provided through batteries and hydraulics to assist the movements. Such ones are called as Powered Exoskeletons. This are generally more powerful and are the ones we usually see in popular media.

The main concept behind the functioning of exoskeleton is that an exoskeleton either reduces or completely takes off the stress induced upon the user's muscles while performing tasks. It also supports the joints and takes pressure off them an transfer it to the core which significantly reduces the strain and stress. As the user stops the activity and returns to his original state, the exoskeleton releases the support.

Hence it makes the whole operation or activity less tiring by making the whole motions feel much more natural to the users body and therefore making it less tiring.

What can we expect of the exoskeleton in the the near future?

Simply said, exoskeletons are the future of physical labor. They may be used more widely to assist and facilitate in  physical labor in all most all sectors, fields and industry.
The current major drawback to exoskeletons is their price and expense which most of us around cant afford.

But in the near future, they might become more common and could be a useful and enjoyable product at the right price.

They can used in education sector to teach the natural movements required to play a musical instrument such as a piano or guitar.
A more motorized form of it could be used as an alternative to the existing form of public transportation.

Heck, even our dream Iron man suit could be possible and as well as affordable. So, we can actually expect several flying armors around our houses. Now I don't know whether it sounds more exciting or more frightening.

Anyhow the future does looks exciting for the exoskeletons and we can only hope that it turns out the way we want it too...


Let us know your thoughts in the comments below...