This past week we discussed carbon, air, and pollution. Jodi, Dario, and I were paired in the carbon group and decided in light of the coronavirus pandemic that we wanted to focus on creating a filter that was accessible and useful to the public. The end goal behind this mask would be to filter out processed carbon that is capable of carrying virus particulates that infect the population. A diagram of our proposal can be shown below:

As Coronavirus 19 becomes severe, a whole world is under a state of emergency. About one million eight hundred thousand cases of Coronavirus are shown and one hundred thousand deaths are reported. W.H.O declares COVID-19 as the pandemic and warns people for their safety. Due to this circumstance, most schools are remotely instructed as well as restaurants and other public services are closed. “Social distancing” is emphasized by the government.

Recently a student in Harvard School of Public Heath has did a research on how the air pollution can affect the death rates for covid19 patients.

As many of you may know, ventilators are in high demand in most parts of the world. There are both issues with the number of ventilators available to health care providers, but also with the number of ventilators that are operational. Severe cases of COVID 19 are almost requiring patients to use ventilators which could be problematic if we do not have the proper supplies.

(I never thought I would write these 3 things combined in a blogpost headline)

I’m thinking a lot about memory right now. In connection to this I found a study that shows correlation of salt excess and memory loss. Apparently too much salt has a negative effect on holding memories.

As more cities undergo lockdown, and people actively take part in social distancing measures, many countries and its cities have reported a significant decrease in pollution. Of course, this all sounds good on the surface, especially since air pollution is linked to higher COVID-19 death rates. However, I couldn't help but think that the effects might be temporary. After things start to slowly come back to normal, would the pollution come back as well? 

A pencil is a common tool that people use to write and draw. Since people have been using pencils for a long time, I do not think of specifically about what elements contain in the pencils and how they are made. During the lecture, I want to know about where graphite, a major component of the pencils, comes from. Through the research, I am able to found where and how the graphite is extracted.

     After our introduction in class, followed by further sifting of the literature, carbon nanostructures have taken on an air of infinite potential in regards to the fields of electrical engineering, inorganic|O-Chem, pharmacology, bio|nano chemistry|biology – the list continues. The result is a group of compounds which subvert totalizing examination, carrying on as a fittingly architectural base for [design] speculation.

COVID 19 resources

One interesting project I found while researching pencils as a tool for generating art is a project lead by art impresario and gallerist Aidan Meller. Meller created a humanoid artificially intelligent robot named Ai-Da and “is claimed to be the first robot capable of drawing people from life using her eye, and a pencil in her bionic hand.” Ai-Da has a “RoboThespian” featuring an extremely impressive range of motion and movement.

As the economy progresses, it also brings a lot of burdens to the environment, such as car exhaust pollution. The researchers have to wonder about how people can reuse pollution. The "AIR-INK" is designed by "Graviky Labs." 

"AIR-INK is the first grade of materials made entirely out of carbon emissions. After capturing carbon-rich emissions through pilot trials of KAALINK™ and several other pollution sources, the researchers re-purpose carbon-rich pollutants into tools for art. 

I find it incredibly fascinating about not only how pencils themselves can be used as art, but also the pencil shavings as shown in the picture above. 

Reference

Pencil and Technology

POSTED LATE SINCE I JOINED THIS CLASS IN WEEK 2