Can it

Ever wish you could reseal a can of soda when you couldn't finish it? Well it seems that your dream may become a reality soon.

Beverage Daily reported a German start-up called can2close has won a business award for its earth-shattering product, C2.

According to Beverage Daily, the company's co-founders claim that the C2 can replace the tab can opening so the it can be sealed over and over.

The company also claims that C2 "keeps drinks fresher, keeps out contaminants (wasps, cigarettes, etc.) and reduces the spilling risk."

Sounds like a dream right?

You should be seeing it in stores in the near future. "We're in the process of readying the closure for industrial production. We're in the testing process, and we aren't light years away, we're getting close to market readiness," said PR manager for can2close, Gabriel Gruenthaler.

To read more, visit Beverage Daily. To learn even more about can2close, visit the site.

iRobot

FANUC Robotics America introduced its new intelligent R-1000iA/80F Learning “Gakushu” robot, which is designed for high-speed palletizing during Pack Expo Las Vegas.

The company says the robot’s software allows it to “record the path characteristics with an accelerometer” which is run multiple times, letting the robot optimize path data therefore “reducing the vibration while improving cycle time,” said Virgil Wilson, product manager, FANUC Robotics America.

The robot boasts a slim design, which helps consumers reduce the size of their automation system by allowing for more robots in a work cell, or putting a single robot in one smaller work cell.

Reducing work cell sizes will require less equipment, which FANUC says will mean an energy advantage for smaller automation systems.

“This equates to a greener facility using less energy for costly utilities such as lighting, heating and cooling,” Wilson added.

http://fanucrobotics.com/

Forget 3D...

Just when we thought 3D printing was new and exciting... introducing 4D printing!

BBC has reported that there is a handful of geniuses at MIT who are working on incorporating time -- yes time -- to printing.

How you might ask?

Mr. Tibbits from MIT's self-assembly lab explained how his team was working on how they would incorporate the fourth dimension. "We're proposing that the fourth dimension is time and that over timee static objects will transform and adapt," he said.

He continued to explain that the process included using 3D printers which create multi-layered materials combined with a plastic that BBC described as a "smart material" that can absorb water.

Hold the phone... Aren't there toys which come in capsule form that grow "x" times when put in water? (See photo above.)

But that's neither here nor there.

Mr. Tibbits went on to say that water is not the only source they can use. "We could also have heat, vibration and sound," he said.

If this is the case, the future of printing is looking promising!

To read more about the story, click here.