Our friend Alan Kay is fond of saying “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” No where is this more true than the CES show, held each January in Las Vegas. Here are five cool inventions we spotted that help us better understand what lies ahead.

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1. A flying electric school bus. Well sort of. Thanks to advances in drone-like multi-rotor technologies, not to mention stronger batteries and GPS navigation, we’re only a few years away from flying shuttles that can take off and land in a driveway or parking lot. Learn more about the Bell Nexis, at http://www.bellflight.com/company/innovation/nexus

2. Airbag for riding your bike. Everyone knows — it’s no fun to fall off a bike. What there were a special jacket with sensors that could tell if you were falling, and fill up with air right before impact? Learn more about this technology, at http://bitly.com/2DbOECP.

3. Language translator earpiece Waverly Labs displayed an earpiece for pilots that allows them to understand an interpret up to 15 languages in real time — using speech recognition. The cool thing is that we spotted several models. Soon we’ll all be able to afford them. Learn more at http://bitly.com/2DfcCwG

4. A bluetooth solar beehive. The CoCoon behife https://www.beelife.fr uses solar power and heat or cool a beehive as sensors monitor the conditions inside. You can get an alert on your phone if something is needed. Sweet!

5. Wave-powered Emergency Signal Device. Developed by Hanyang University, this floating signal device produces it’s own electricity using the movement of the waves, so that it’s LED light will never go out. Learn more about the Korean inventor, at http://bitly.com/2DeGHwE

APPLICATION: Design your own Tesla

Few cars have more futuristic than the all-electric, mostly self driving Tesla. Visit http://bitly.com/2SxQmIa where you can design your car using a series of options that include engine power, color, wheels and electronics. As you select each option, the price changes automatically, and you can see how much your monthly payments would be. Just don’t click “buy.”  Your parents might get mad.

Welcome to the Future on YouTube Want more?

Here’s a video playlist that https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcBVHzUUEKwmBohkXsv2beElPjl0s-V5F

It can keep a car on the road, read a bar code, prevent blindness and entertain your cat. That is it? The laser.  How is laser light different than regular light? Who invented lasers? How does a laser work? Here are some answers:

1. Who invented the laser, and when?  According to http://www.laserinventor.com/bio.html, Theodore Maiman was the first person to demonstrate a working laser while working at the Hughes Research Laboratory in California.

2. Many people don’t know that the word “Laser” is an acronym. What does it stand for?  At http://bitly.com/2GcWIav you learn that LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

3. Why does a cat chase a laser? At Petful http://bitly.com/2GizQ5B you learn that cats chase lasers because they think the little red dot is prey. And they can get frustrated because they never get the “catch.” The solution? Offer a lot of other types of toys for your cat. PS. It works with dogs and fathers, too.

4. How do Lasers work?  At http://bitly.com/2pZ9kXV you learn that light is made up of photons, but laser light is special, because all the photons line up on the same wavelength; in sync. So the beam is concentrated. Most lasers use tiny red ruby crystals, which is the most laser beams are red

5. Where is the world’s strongest laser?  Meet “Bivoj”– a 20 ton laser in the Czech Republic. It’s powerful beam is helping medical research and is being used to treat metals. Two other huge lasers are in Austin, Texas (one petawatt) and Osaka, Japan (two petawatt). Learn more at http://bitly.com/2pWuRRa

6. Is there such a thing as a laser light show artist? Absolutely. There’s an entire group of programmers and artists who make their living designing laser shows. Learn more at http://www.ilda.com, where you can also learn that the lasers in light shows and laser pointers can’t damage your eyes.

APPLICATION

Make a sound visualizer. Here’s an experiment you can do that shows you how to turn a small speaker and a laser pointer into a sound visualization system. Have a look at https://youtu.be/eA2CaK9TNBM

VIDEOS

Want more? Here’s a YouTube  video playlist that go along with this column.

———————————————————————————————————————————————— LittleClickers.com (this page and the associated web site) is sponsored by Computer Explorers. Neither Children’s Technology Review (publisher of LittleClickers) or Computer Explorers has any vested interest in any of the sites listed on this page. Librarians and teachers are permitted to copy this page for non-profit use. To report a bad link, use this form, or contact us. Copyright 2018, Children's Technology Review.

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Computer scientist Alan Kay once said the best way to predict the future is to invent it. If this is true, what are inventors currently working on? Fasten your seat belts, because we’ve found some amazing examples, like flying cars and electric jets — powered by solar roads. There’s even a group working on a Mars colony. Here are some sites and videos worth exploring.

1. We’ll live on another planet. Mars makes three things hard — breathing, eating and not freezing. Engineers at Mars One have a solution. Visit http://www.mars-one.com to see what it might look like to live on Mars someday.

2. We’ll “fly” a car. This New York Times article http://nyti.ms/2p48kQR describes a company that has created flying car/boat vehicle, and the people who are investing in the idea. Currently they can only fly over water, but soon you might take one to school.

3. We’ll ride in an electric powered airplane. Electric cars are an old idea. But airplanes? Learn about the E-Fan from Airbus at bitly.com/2prxMlU that has already been able to fly across the English channel.

4. We’ll swallow a robot. We found a pill-sized robot that you swallow. It then unfolds inside your stomach and fixes things. After it finishes, it simply dissolves. Learn more at bitly.com/2p1Mzjv

5. We’ll see the beauty of math. Computers are helping mathematical artists like John Edmark create hypnotic patterns using geometry and something called the “golden angle.” See some examples, at bitly.com/2prUrhO

APPLICATION: DESIGN YOUR OWN TESLA

How far can you drive an electric car before the battery dies? How long does it take to charge? The answers depend on many things, like if you are using the air conditioner or if you are going up hills. Visit Tesla’s site where you can design a car and or try out different simulators. In case you were wondering, most Teslas can go 265 miles on an overnight charge, and it costs about $10 to “fill up the tank.” That’s about 4 cents per mile. Learn more at https://www.tesla.com/models

Try this month’s YouTube playlist! You’ll find a set of hand-picked videos that show these ideas in action. Here’s the link.

———————————————————————————————————————————————— LittleClickers.com (this page and the associated web site) is sponsored by Computer Explorers. Neither Children’s Technology Review (publisher of LittleClickers) or Computer Explorers has any vested interest in any of the sites listed on this page. Librarians and teachers are permitted to copy this page for non-profit use. To report a bad link, use this form, or contact us. Copyright 2018, Children's Technology Review.

Like magic, solar panels can convert light into electricity. They can save you money, and our environment. When combined with computer-controlled motors and wind sensors, they can turn toward the sun, or hide from the wind. But how do they work?  What’s their lifespan? How much do they cost? Read on to learn all about Solar Panels.

1. How does a solar panel work?  At Highlights for Children http://bit.ly/1d3s535 you can learn that solar panels use silicon crystals to create a photo-chemical reaction. It’s a special type of black, slippery glass that makes electrons move, creating electrical energy. Wikipedia http://bitly.com/1eZE1Bz gives more information on the underlying science of a solar panel.

2. Can a solar panel power a traffic light? Yes. At http://bit.ly/OAjV7s you learn that solar energy can also heat water for swimming pools, power garden lights and run the international space station.

3. How long do solar panels last? At http://bit.ly/1phYEKM you learn that a solar panel can last 30 to 40 years, or more.

4. How long have people been using solar energy? According to http://bit.ly/PTq6o5, glass was used in 7 B.C. to concentrate the rays of the sun to start fires. At Who Invented, http://bitly.com/1rKluPo we learn that solar panel research started in the 1800’s by French physicist Antoine Cesar Becquerel. Russell Ohl was the first to create a silicon solar cell in 1941.

5. Do solar panels work better on hot days than cold days? At http://bit.ly/1ij6eE1 you can learn that solar panels care about just one thing: light, not temperature. They even work from the light of the moon. But not when covered by snow.

6. What state is the best for solar panels?  At http://bit.ly/1j7i4Vl, not only does sunlight matter, but government incentives matter too. Click here to see how your state rates http://1.usa.gov/1lSAlDc. At http://exm.nr/1qZgHJf you can find out if your solar panels can make enough money to pay for themselves.

Applications

1. Got an old pizza box?  Turn it into a solar oven at http://bit.ly/1ij6wus

2. Stuck on a desert island? Make your own water purifier using solar energy http://bit.ly/1ij6z9K.

3. Hungry? Let’s cook some hotdogs! You’ll learn about geometry (parabola) and cooking at the same time. We found some excellent instructions at sci-toys.com. http://bitly.com/QqpNRP

———————————————————————————————————————————————— LittleClickers.com (this page and the associated web site) is sponsored by Computer Explorers. Neither Children’s Technology Review (publisher of LittleClickers) or Computer Explorers has any vested interest in any of the sites listed on this page. Librarians and teachers are permitted to copy this page for non-profit use. To report a bad link, use this form, or contact us. Copyright 2018, Children's Technology Review.

Cyberchase Tangrams

At the PBS Kids Cyberchase site, Tangrams is our favorite game. By moving shape tiles around you can copy designs and make buildings and creatures. All it takes is a keen eye and steady hand. http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/math-games/

Crossword Puzzle Maker

At this handy site, you can quickly and easily make your own crossword puzzles to print out. Just enter your words and clues and the site makes the blank crossword and even an answer sheet, too. You can make puzzles to study with, or just for fun; see if you can stump your mom or dad! http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/CrissCrossSetupForm.asp

Wind energy is getting a lot more attention lately. In fact, some people hope that wind turbines will someday be able to generate enough electricity to power homes. Here are some facts we discovered on the Internet about these amazing inventions.

What country had the first windmills?
a) USA
b) China
c) Iran
d) Holland

At http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/wind.html, you learn that the earliest known windmills were in Persia, which today is called Iran (c). These early windmills looked like large paddle wheels. Centuries later, the people of Holland improved the basic design of the windmill. They gave it propeller-type blades to pump water or to ‘mill’ (grind) grain to make flour.

True or False: Do the giant blades of a turbine kill birds?

At http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/18167/?a=f you learn that yes, birds can fly into the blades and die. But mostly, researchers have discovered that birds tend to stay far away from the large turbines. At http://www.currykerlinger.com/birds.htm you learn that many more birds are killed from glass windows and house cats.

How many homes can the largest wind generator in the world provide power for?
a) 10
b) 500
c) 5,000
d) 500,000

At http://www.metaefficient.com/news/new-record-worlds-largest-wind-turbine-7-megawatts.html you learn about the giant Enercon E-126 (pictured to the left). Located in Germany, it has been called the largest wind turnine in the world, with the ability to produce enough electricity for a town with 5, 000 houses — each with four people.

What country leads the world in wind power?
a) USA
b) China
c) Germany
d) Australia

According to http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4944046.stm, Europe has much greater public acceptance of the concept of wind energy, and a lot of breezy days. Currenty, Germany leads the world in wind power generation, with the biggest wind turbine and the largest number of wind farms. The USA is in second place but that gap is narrowing. One thing for sure, with the rising cost of energy, we’ll probably be seeing more giant wind turbines on top of hillsides — perhaps in your own home town!

Resources for teachers:

Kidwind (www.kidwind.org) is an online catalog of wind power kits that was created by a 6th grade teacher named Michael Arquin, and it has turned into a thriving business. For about $90, you get a kit called the ALTurbine that includes different blades, small generators that can charge batteries or power LEDs, gears, a small pump and power capacitors. The site includes lesson plans.

Want to see a wind turbine explode? Of course you do. Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nSB1SdVHqQ.

What happens to your used can, bottle or AA battery? What should you do with your old cell phone or computer? These Internet sites have the answers!

1. True or False: A landfill is the same as a dump.

At http://science.howstuffworks.com/landfill6.htm, you learn that a ‘dump’ is a huge open hole in the ground where people throw away just about anything. most are now illegal. A ‘landfill’ is a structure built into or on top of the ground that isolates the waste from the surrounding environment (groundwater, air, rain). The gases released from the landfill might be captured and used for energy. You can see examples of both at http://www.metrokc.gov/dnr/kidsweb/landfill.htm and http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/saving/recycling/solidwaste/landfiller.html.

2. How much trash does New York City make each day? Where does it go?

At http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/recycling/recycle_whathappens.shtml, you learn that New York City’s 2,230 garbage trucks collect 50 million pounds of stuff each day from homes and businesses. That includes 2,500 tons of old Christmas trees that are ground up and used for mulch.

3. True or False: You can recycle your old cell phone.

True. Visit http://earth911.com/, where you’ll find a specialized search engine. Enter what you have to recycle and your zip code. You’ll get a map of any location in your area that will take your worn out/tired out stuff. At http://www.ecycle-it.com/ewaste.htm, you learn that ewaste is the fastest growing source of waste in the world today. This includes old compter monitors, computers, televisions, cell phones, DVDs, VCRs, audio equipment, and video games.

4. True or False: My old computer is full of gold.

It turns out, a typical computer has a lot of gold in it. At http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/ecycling/index.htm, you learn about the various ways to recycle and/or donate your old computer. Many of the materials from electronics can be receycled or refurbished.

5. True or False: Enough energy is saved by recycling just one soda pop can to run your TV for 3 hours.

True. Did you also know that Americans threw away 38 BILLION plastic water bottles in 2006? See http://www.resourcefulschools.org/facts.html for a whole host of other facts on waste in America that will make your head spin, as well as some useful links to help reduce your carbon footprint.

6. How does a recycling facility work?

See http://www.kid-at-art.com/htdoc/educate.html and watch the YouTube video (at right) to learn how a can is recycled and where trash goes once it is collected by the trucks.

1. Quick! How many electric vehicles can you name? There’s the Nisson Leaf and the Chevy Volt. But did you know about the Fiat 500 Elettra or the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive . At National Geographic http://bit.ly/Qvoy09 you can see 11 types of EVs coming by next year. While you’re there, take the test http://on.natgeo.com/Jmtssg to see how much know about electric cars and fuel.

2. Can race cars be electric?  What about school buses? Yes in both cases. Visit http://bit.ly/PSg2GW to learn about The Nemesis electric car, a modified Lotus Exige which hit a top speed of 148.7 mph with batteries charged by wind turbines. At http://www.afdc.energy.gov/case/625 you can learn how a school district in Michigan uses an electric bus. Learn more at  http://www.michigancleancities.org.

3. How many miles can an electric car go on a single charge? According to Green Car Reports http://hgm.me/UgJOaN most common electric cars, like the Chevy Volt, can go for about 40 miles on a single charge. A very light electric car in Germany, called “Boozer” went over 1000 miles, but it took over 36 hours and a special track. See http://phys.org/news/2011-08-boozer-ev-miles-plus.html

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4. Q. What weighs more: a Sumo wrestler or the battery in a Chevy Volt? A. They’re about the same: 400 lbs, according to http://bit.ly/jDSNAU. The batteries are made by LG, a Korean company who runs a battery factory in Holland, Michigan. Visit the plant and see the batteries, at http://bit.ly/hlZgk9.

 APPLICATION: Talk your parents into switching to an EV.

STEP 1: Find a charging station by entering your zip code at http://www.afdc.energy.gov/locator/stations.

STEP 2: Tell them how to charge a car. Nissan Leaf takes about 10 hours to charge using a standard wall outlet, or two hours with a charging station

you install in your garage. If electricity were gas, this would equal about $.80 cents per gallon using current costs. STEP 3: Look at some new cars online. You can get a tax credit that brings the price to about $29,000.

Here are links to popular models.

• Chevy Volt http://bit.ly/NMze4x
• Ford C-Max  http://myfrd.co/SzX1qy
• Nisson Leaf http://bit.ly/bJtY9S

 LittleClickers YouTube Playlist: Electric Cars

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcBVHzUUEKwnPiE3UF3wB6GSTp0ooH1xW

1. How many barrels of lighting oil could you squeeze out of a whale?

At the Petroleum History Institute site, you learn that one dead adult sperm whale could about 30 barrels of oil. You can bet the whales liked Edison’s electronic invention!

2. How many materials did Thomas Edison test for his filament?

The answer is 1600, according to Smithsonian Institute’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. These included coconut fiber, fishing line and beard hair. You can also view Edison’s orignal light bulb patent at http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc_large_image.php?doc=46.

3. What is a CFL Bulb, and what does CFL stand for?

At the Energy Star site, you learn that the Compact Florescent Light (the curlicue) uses 75% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and lasts up to 10 times longer.

4. What is an LED Bulb, and what does LED stand for?

At Earth Easy, you learn that an Light Emitting Diode bulb lasts 12,083 days, compared to 50 days for an incandescent bulb. Even though it costs much more, you still save money using an LED bulb.

5. Make your own lightbulb!

At Edison Invents! (The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation),http://bit.ly/jsolOV you learn how to turn a jar into a light bulb. Next, you can learn how to make your own LED with this YouTube video (below):

6. Want more?

Visit Children’s Technology Review’s playlist (below), to view select YouTube videos based on topics in this month’s column.

If somebody gave you a lemon, could you make a battery? Do you know which batteries don’t need to be recycled — and which do? Should you store unused batteries in the freezer?  Let’s learn more about the often overlooked workhorse of all gadgets: the battery.

1. Who invented the battery? In what year?
a) 1748, Benjamin Franklin.
b) 1800, Alessandro Volta
c) 1902, Thomas Edison

While Edison and Franklin were very interested in storing electricity — Franklin even coined the word “battery” — according to the Energizer learning center http://bit.ly/nznne1 it was Italian Alessandro Volta who made the first “modern” battery by layering plates of silver and zinc in salt water. That’s why electricity is measure in Volts.

2. Should you store your batteries in the freezer?

No way! It won’t make them last any longer, at least according to Green Batteries http://bit.ly/tQBSm. You should also avoid cutting into a battery, because it probably contains acid.

3. My Wii remotes use a lot of AA batteries. Is it OK to throw them in the regular trash, or should they be recycled?

Throw ‘em in the trash. According to Duracell, used Alkyline batteries are safe for landfills and contain little metal that can be recycled. Rechargeable and button cell batteries are another story. Stores that cell them are required to take them back. To see a list of recyling facilities near you, visit http://www.call2recycle.org/ and enter your zip code.

4. Danger danger! What shouldn’t you do with batteries?
a) Put them in a camfire
b) Cut them open
c) Swallow them
d) All of the above

The answer is d) All of the above. Many batteries contain chemicals that could explode or burn you. Button cell batteries can be a great danger to babies and toddlers, who tend to put small things in their mouths. According to Consumer Reports, these types of batteries are in musical greeting cards or toys like the Hexbugs, and must be used carefully around little kids.

5. How many charging cycles can a typical laptop battery handle?

If you said between 300 to 500 times, you’d be right. Learn more by aking this battery quiz, http://bit.ly/qDFMB3.

6. Make your own battery and/or motor!

APPLICATION 1: Here’s how you can make your own battery out of a penny, nail, wire and lemon http://bit.ly/bLdDZw.

APPLICATION 2: In this application, you learn to make a tiny motor out of a battery, screw, wire and magnet at  http://bit.ly/pzsC7.

7. What are lithium ion battery cells?

They provide power to things like digital cameras, cell phones, laptops and cars. They can be recharged about 300 times. For example, a laptop contains about six of these cells.

At http://www.teslamotors.com, you can learn about the Tesla sports car, which carries about 600 of these cells. After an overnight charge, you would drive about 300 miles.  To follow the news about electric cars, visit
http://nyti.ms/pMGydd.

Visit our YouTube channel (see #8 below) to learn where lithium comes from, and how it is turned into a thin sheet and coiled up in order in order to be made into a battery.

8. Want more?

Visit Children’s Technology Review’s playlist (below), to view select YouTube videos based on topics in this month’s column.