100 Amazing Inventions
36. What is an IP address?
IP ADDRESS:
Internet Protocol or IP is a set of rules governing the format of data sent over the internet or other network. If you want to communicate through the Internet, you need an IP address. An IP address is a fascinating product of modern computer technology. It is designed to allow one computer - or any other digital device to communicate with another, via the Internet.
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| IP Addresses Range |
IP addresses pinpoint the location of literally billions of digital devices that are connected to the Internet. A remote computer needs your IP address to communicate with your computer, just as someone needs your mailing address to send you a letter.
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| IP Addresses |
An IP address consists of four numbers, each of which contains one to three digits, with a single dot separating each number or set of digits. This group of four numbers is the key that helps us to send and retrieve data over our Internet connections.
37. Why is stealth technology a military breakthrough?
STEALTH TECHNOLOGY:
We know that radar is used to determine the location of an object, including aircraft.
The operating principle of radar is based on the fact that radio signals reflect off metal surfaces, such as the body of an aircraft.
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| Stealth Aircraft |
During wartime, this makes it very difficult for an airplane to fly over enemy territory without being detected. Stealth technology is a technology which makes an airplane invisible to radar.
Most conventional aircraft have a rounded shape which creates a very efficient radar reflector. A Stealth aircraft, on the other hand is made up of completely flat surfaces and very sharp edges. When a radar signal hits a stealth plane, the signal reflects away at an angle.
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| Stealth Bomber |
In addition, surfaces on a stealth aircraft can be treated so they absorb radar energy as well. As a result, a stealth aircraft looks like a small bird on a radar screen.
Therefore, stealth technology has been of immense value to the military, ever since the first stealth fighter aircraft came into operation in 1983.
38. What is a Manned Maneuvering Unit or MMU?
MMU:
A Manned Maneuvering Unit or MMU is a jet powered backpack for astronauts. It is designed to work alongside the life support systems already in a plane on a space suit.
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| Astronauts Repairing spacecraft in space |
It enables astronauts to venture untethered outside an orbiting spacecraft, in order to carry out different activities in space, such as satellite retrieval, science investigators and observations, in-space construction and rescue operations.
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| Astronaut walking in space |
Lockheed Martin designed, built and tested the Manned Maneuvering Unit at its Space Centre near Denver, and at NASA's Johnson Space Centre in Houston, US. The MMU represents the culmination of more than a decade of research and development.
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| Astronaut walking on Moon with MMU |
In 1984, Astronauts Bruce McCandless and Robert Stewart became tiny, free flying satellites, 482 Kilometers from the space shuttle Challenger, on the first test flight of the Manned Maneuvering Unit. The MMU has been flown during three space missions.
39. What is the significance of Apple Macintosh?
APPLE MACINTOSH:
More than thirty years ago, Steve Jobs presented the new Macintosh personal computer to a room of Apple investors. Though it was met with excited applause from Apple's shareholders, the new Macintosh in 1984, nearly flopped.
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| Apple Macintosh Laptop |
After a slow start, Apple's Macintosh fortunes began to turn around for users discovered valuable, unique applications of the new machine. Soon, it was recognized that the Apple Macintosh had revolutionized the entire computer industry.
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| Apple Computer, Laptop, Tablet |
Steve Jobs had truly launched a 'people's computer', one that could be easily used by the normal person in the street - and not only by experts.
40. How has robotic surgery changed the way operations are performed?
ROBOTIC SURGERY:
Robotic surgery, or robot assisted surgery, allows doctors to perform many types of complex procedures with more precision, flexibility and control that is possible with conventional techniques.
The most widely used clinical robotic surgery system includes a camera arm and mechanical arms with surgical instruments attached to them. The surgeon controls the arms while seated at a computer console.
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| Robots Used in Surgeries |
Surgical robots were introduced in 1987, and the first surgery performed was a laparoscopic surgery.
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| Robotic Surgery |
Since then, numerous procedures have been performed laparoscopically as technology and the skills of the surgeons have developed. The greatest advantage of robotic surgery is that there are fewer complications, less pain and quicker recovery and small scars.