Robots inspired by nature: the "DelFly" bionic robot (photo)

Robots inspired by nature: the "DelFly" bionic robot (photo) Xeni Jardin at 9:06 pm Saturday 9 APR 2011

Engineering school students see the DelFly bionic robot during a demonstration on the international workshop on Bio-inspired robots in Nantes 7 April 2011. Some 200 organic robot technician from 17 countries participate in the three day event, which show inspired in robot latest developments of the animal world. (REUTERS/Stéphane Mahé)

The DelFly micro is only 10 inches from the wing, wing and weighs just a little more than 3 grams. Its developers call it "the smallest flying ornithopter carry a camera in the world." Below, guy more photos of the little in action, including the camera 0.4 grams it is.

(courtesy delfly.nl)

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Vintage NASA mission patches: LIFE Photo Gallery

Vintage NASA mission patches: LIFE photo GalleryXeni Jardin at 1:08 PM Monday, Apr 4, 2011

Space shuttle "endeavour"to its last flight on 29 April make;" with this end of an era in the mind, published LIFE.com a picture gallery, looking back a "small, but key element of NASA missions divided for decades: the patches on astronaut flight suits worn."

Often crew members themselves Floride, designed by; of sleek and futuristic, whimsical, beautiful, and almost homey; occasionally very moving until the patches are used as emblems of each unique NASA adventure-personalized tokens of the human drive to confront and to understand unknown.

View the full gallery here. Life.com of Deputy Editor Ben Cosgrove says, "I admit the little Apple in addition to teacher Christa McAuliffe name on the patch"Challenger"type I have."

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Yemen conflict: do "you hear me now?" "Good!" (Photo)

Yemen conflict: do "you hear me now?" "Good!" (Photo)Xeni Jardin at 7: 45 Monday, Apr 4, 2011

Supporters of Yemen's Saleh President Ali Abdullah on columns during a rally for their support, April 1, 2011 show in Sana'a, Yemen. Embattled Saleh told a huge rally fans on Friday that he everything for his country would sacrifice which suggests that he has no plans yet to resign. (REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah)

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"Mute: the silence of the dogs in cars," a photo series of Martin Usborne

"Mute: the silence of the dogs in cars," a photo series of Martin UsborneXeni Jardin at 11:04 am Friday, Apr 1, 2011

Photographer Martin Usborne has a wonderful project titled mute: the silence of the dogs in cars. Most of the pictures were taken at night. Above, a piece from the series titled "Peggy."

Usborne writes:

I was left in a car at a young age.

I don't know when or where or how long, perhaps at the age of four may outside Tesco, probably for only 15 minutes. The information irrelevant. The point is that I asked me, if anyone back would come. It seems trivial now, but keep in mind a child it is possible to be alone forever.

In the same age, I started a deep affinity with animals – in particular their plight in the hands of people feel. I remember watching TV and see pictures of a dog is plastic bag placed in a and is kicked. What me most appalled was, that the dog could talk not again. The silence frightens me.

Read the rest of its history with more photos here. You can buy prints here. (Thanks to Andrea James!)

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Photo Gallery of life: In praise of the typewriter

Life Photo Gallery: in praise of the TypewriterDavid of Pescovitz at 10:38 pm Friday, Apr 1, 2011

When I type in the ninth grade class took over, I was the fastest in the class by far. ([That is, because I spent almost all my extracurricular time pounding on my Apple])[(e.) I get but still a "D" in the class.] Why? I looked at the key as you type. At one point, the teacher placed a cardboard sign on the key, so that I could not see them. Not good stop. I also remember that the entry had a mixture of old manuals and a few IBM Selectrics, the battleship of the electric typewriters classroom. So we had to change course offers for each class to give a chance with the elegant type ball technology. Experience the click rattling story of life typewriter photo gallery. Above, William S. Burroughs. On the left side, which in the United States invention patented fifth typewriter. "In Praise of typewriter"

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Japan (photo): within an evacuation center in nearby Fukushima

Japan (photo): within an evacuation center in the vicinity of FukushimaXeni Jardin 2: 31 pm Thursday, Mar 31, 2011

A girl from a homeless family keeps their stuffed animals an evacuation center in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, North Japan, 31 March 2011. Located about 70 km (44 miles) from the earthquake and tsunami crippled reactor. (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-hoon)

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