U of M News Wire
May 8, 2008
Iron Man takes physics for a ride
By Jim Kakalios
U of M News Wire
As a comic book fan and physics professor, I have been looking forward to the big screen debut of Iron Man. This is due, in part, to the fact that instead of getting belted with gamma rays or being born a demon from hell, industrialist and scientist Tony Stark got his super powers by means of his engineering genius.
But just how realistic is Stark's amazing suit?
Sadly, nearly all of the features of the Iron Man suit, with one important exception, are not likely to be realized anytime soon. Let's look at each of the suit's major elements in turn.
Jet boots
The reason that we don't fly to work using boot-mounted jets as Iron Man does has nothing to do with technology and everything to do with energy. We know how to achieve thrust and propulsion using personal jet packs, and a person can indeed fly from home to their place of employment like Buck Rogers or Adam Strange--provided they live 30 seconds from work. Lifting a full-grown person 100 feet into the air considerably increases their potential energy, and that gain in energy must come from the stored chemical energy in the jet pack.
Ditto for the energy that’s required to zip around once airborne. Jet boots don't make Iron Man an escapist fantasy, but the idea that Stark could store enough energy in his suit to fly for more than half a minute does.
Repulsor rays
Similarly, the directed energy weapons Iron Man uses, such as the "repulsor rays" built into the palms of his gloves, should require that Stark drag along a large power generator whenever he faces off against the Mandarin or Titanium Man. I'm not exactly sure what a "repulsor ray" is, but if it's anything like a high-power laser, then the energy demands are considerable.
Even assuming that Iron Man can convert any stored energy in his suit into laser light with 100 percent efficiency, generating a beam powerful enough to melt a fist-sized hole through a half-inch-thick steel plate (which any comic book fan can tell you is well within Shellhead's capabilities) would require an energy pulse of over two gigawatts of power, greater than the output of a nuclear power plant.
Cybernetic helmet.
There is one aspect of Iron Man's armor that not only is scientifically sound, but may be available for our use someday soon: the "cybernetic helmet" Tony Stark uses to control the devices within his armor. When Iron Man wants to discharge his palm-mounted repulsor rays, he does not have to manually release a safety switch, enter a firing sequence code or even pull a trigger – he just tells the super villain to "talk to the hand" and fires.
In fact, Bin He of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minnesota already has created a helmet much like Iron Man's. It works on the principle that neurons' electrical currents create electric and magnetic fields, which can be detected with devices such as the electroencephalograph (EEG). While the EEG has been around since the 1920's, recent advances in signal processing have enabled scientists to isolate and identify the firing signatures of neurons associated with particular motor imagery tasks.
He identified the specific firing pattern that arises when a person, watching images on a computer monitor, tries to mentally move a cursor to the left or right. These detected frequencies can then be amplified and, when suitably modified, can instruct the computer to move the cursor in the same direction.
Of course, he is not interested in developing control helmets for crime-fighting superheroes, but hopes to develop devices that will enable people with paralyzing injuries to communicate more easily, or eventually to activate artificial limbs and prosthetic devices. To those trapped within unresponsive bodies, the development of a device that could "read their thoughts" would trump the wildest adventures in any superhero story.
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Make eating more appealing
By Kelly Kunkel
U of M News Wire
When it comes to a healthy diet, sticking to a plan can be difficult for many reasons. Maybe you are not sure what to eat, you lack the time or energy, or you think healthy foods taste bad. Often the image of healthy food is dull and the eating experience a chore.
One of the most important things you can do to stick to your commitment to a healthy diet plan is to make healthy eating more appealing. Here are some ways to help make that happen:
Enjoy your foods
Sit down when you eat and eat with family and friends. Food tastes better with company and conversation. If you live alone, invite a friend over for dinner, when you can have a potluck meal or a tasting party. Try out new recipes and invite someone over to try them out.
Eat with your eyes
Not literally, of course, but if the food doesn't look good, if it's not attractive, we probably won't give it a chance. Choose different foods from the color palette, different shapes and different textures.
Dress up your table
Break out the good china, use the tablecloth or placemats you've been storing for years, and try candles or flowers as a centerpiece. The change can go a long way toward improving your eating experience.
Experiment with herbs and spices to increase flavor without calories and fat. Add fresh or dried dill, basil or oregano to steamed vegetables, or cinnamon to fruit dips. Try herb vinegar dressing on your salad or herbs on your baked potato.
Experiment with fruits and vegetables you haven't tried before.
Try mango, jicama, Chinese cabbage or turnip greens. Prepackaged mixed salad greens or frozen stir-fry vegetables can be a time saver and can also help to increase your vegetable intake.
Try different ethnic cuisines such as Chinese, Mexican, Greek or Indian.
Select from the low-fat, high-fiber choices and enjoy.
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Growing Concerns
A parenting question-and-answer column with Dr. Martha Erickson of the University of Minnesota
Question: My mom visits us every few weeks and loves to spend time with our young children. However, lately she’s been undermining our efforts to discipline our 4-year-old and I’m not sure how to handle it. Our son has a volatile temper and my husband and I are trying to be very consistent in setting limits on his aggressive outbursts and putting him in time out. But my mom intervenes, picks him up, and says, “Oh, that’s OK honey.” How can I get her to stop?
Answer: This is a tough situation to handle gracefully. Grandparents – especially those who only visit occasionally – often shy away from playing a disciplinary role. They want to keep their relationship with their grandchildren positive, loving and fun. And their instincts often tell them (rightly so) that it is difficult for a young child to accept discipline from someone they don’t see regularly and frequently. However, that is not an excuse for a grandparent to undermine a parent’s efforts to discipline.
It sounds like it’s time for a heart-to-heart talk with your mom about how you can work together to provide the love and limits that will help your child learn to regulate his emotions and grow up strong and secure. Here’s what I suggest:
• Choose a time when you can talk with your mom privately, when you’re not angry or agitated.
• Begin by acknowledging your mom’s love, concern and her desire to maintain a positive relationship with her grandson. Let her know how much you appreciate her love and support for both you and your children.
• Explain the pattern of behavior that you’ve been seeing in your son (the recurring temper outbursts and aggressive behavior). Keep in mind that your mom isn’t there to see how often this behavior occurs, so she may not understand how important it is for you to deal with it consistently.
• Clarify the approach you and your husband are using to deal with your son’s behavior. Explain your goals and your strategy and how it’s been working so far.
• Ask your mom to work with you to figure out a plan for how she should respond when your son has an outburst. For example, she might just quietly slip out of the room and leave you to handle his behavior. Then, when your son has his behavior under control, you and your mom could both read him a story or play with him and let him know how much you like to be with him when he’s calm.
• Draw on your mom’s experience and wisdom to help you figure out ways to anticipate and prevent your son’s outbursts. Encourage your mom to help you discover early signs that your son is getting tired or frustrated or to help identify the situations that seem to set off his temper. Ask your mom to join you in “catching your son being good,” recognizing his positive behavior with a smile and hug. And ask her what she found to be effective in raising such a successful daughter!
Want to hear more parenting advice?
Dr. Erickson and her daughter can be heard every Sunday, from 2 - 4 pm, on “Good Enough Moms,” on FM107.1 radio in the Twin Cities or via Webcast at www.FM1071.com
