Charge density, optical properties of multicomponent crystals

 

APIs in the design of multi-component functional solids are shown. Credit: Marlena Gryl Optical materials serve a major role in modern sciences and technology. Many of the devices we use feature technology resulting from material discoveries in this fast moving area of research. Nowadays, the need for more efficient devices and minimisation in optoelectronics requires a novel approach towards crystal engineering of functional solids. A solution can be multicomponent materials built from either organic or mixed organic and inorganic components selected in a specific way, to combine molecular and structural properties to form a 3D architecture. Optical properties of a crystal strongly depend on two factors, i.e. the spatial distribution of molecules in the crystal structure and the electronic properties of molecular building blocks. The latter are easy to predict whereas the former are not. Crystal symmetry is often a key to obtaining a desired property. Noncentrosymmetric crystal structure (chiral/polar) is a necessary (limiting) condition for such properties as nonlinear properties of even order and linear properties like optical activity, piezoelectricity, pyroelectricity and ferroelectricity. However, fulfilling symmetry rules does not guarantee the existence of a physical effect. The choice of building blocks is crucial; in ideal cases, push-pull molecules should be linked with constituents enabling synthon formation flexibility. Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), through their favourable donor/acceptor spatial distribution and synthon formation flexibility, are attractive building blocks in modern materials crystallography. An API is a substance or a mixture of substances used in the manufacture of a drug product and which becomes an active ingredient in the drug product itself. Here, a Polish scientist (working in Professor Katarzyna Stadnicka's group at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków) presents design strategies for optical materials based on selected pharmaceutical molecules. Gryl successfully presents the factors that contribute to molecular recognition in the four selected polar/chiral crystal phases. Theoretically predicted optical properties of the molecular/ionic building blocks as well as bulk effects were all confirmed experimentally. This work shows that quantitative crystal engineering techniques combining structural analysis, charge density studies, prediction of properties and their measurements enable the full analysis of the obtained functional materials in terms of their usefulness in practical applications. The study is just a first step in the design of novel optical materials based on push-pull molecules and APIs. This work presents an alternative application for pharmaceutical solids that are of major interest in the pharmaceutical industry. Dr Gryl's journey with optical materials based on API started with three polymorphs of urea and barbituric acid adduct [Gryl, Krawczuk & Stadnicka (2008). Acta Cryst. B64, 623-632; doi:10.1107/S0108768108026645]. The co-crystals display synthon polymorphism (a possibility to use the same donor and acceptor sites in many ways) and hence enable the manipulation of the outcome of the engineering process. Why not use the same "flexible" molecules and incorporate them in a lattice containing components with high molecular (hyper)polarizability? This is a next step in Dr Gryl's research. First, of course, as much as possible needs to be known about the selected building blocks and there is no better way than to study crystal structures containing those building blocks. Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by International Union of Crystallography. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Marlena Gryl, Anna Krawczuk, Katarzyna Stadnicka. Polymorphism of urea–barbituric acid co-crystals. Acta Crystallographica Section B Structural Science, 2008; 64 (5): 623 DOI: 10.1107/S0108768108026645

Large-area integration of quantum dots, photonic crystals produce brighter and more efficient light

 

To demonstrate their new technology, researchers fabricated a novel 1mm device (aka Robot Man) made of yellow photonic-crystal-enhanced QDs. Every region of the device has thousands of quantum dots, each measuring about six nanometers. Credit: Gloria See, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Recently, quantum dots (QDs)--nano-sized semiconductor particles that produce bright, sharp, color light--have moved from the research lab into commercial products like high-end TVs, e-readers, laptops, and even some LED lighting. However, QDs are expensive to make so there's a push to improve their performance and efficiency, while lowering their fabrication costs. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have produced some promising results toward that goal, developing a new method to extract more efficient and polarized light from quantum dots (QDs) over a large-scale area. Their method, which combines QD and photonic crystal technology, could lead to brighter and more efficient mobile phone, tablet, and computer displays, as well as enhanced LED lighting. With funding from the Dow Chemical Company, the research team, led by Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) Professor Brian Cunningham, Chemistry Professor Ralph Nuzzo, and Mechanical Science & Engineering Professor Andrew Alleyne, embedded QDs in novel polymer materials that retain strong quantum efficiency. They then used electrohydrodynamic jet (e-jet) printing technology to precisely print the QD-embedded polymers onto photonic crystal structures. This precision eliminates wasted QDs, which are expensive to make. These photonic crystals limit the direction that the QD-generated light is emitted, meaning they produce polarized light, which is more intense than normal QD light output. According to Gloria See, an ECE graduate student and lead author of the research reported in Applied Physics Letters, their replica molded photonic crystals could someday lead to brighter, less expensive, and more efficient displays. "Since screens consume large amounts of energy in devices like laptops, phones, and tablets, our approach could have a huge impact on energy consumption and battery life," she noted. "If you start with polarized light, then you double your optical efficiency," See explained. "If you put the photonic-crystal-enhanced quantum dot into a device like a phone or computer, then the battery will last much longer because the display would only draw half as much power as conventional displays." To demonstrate the technology, See fabricated a novel 1mm device (aka Robot Man) made of yellow photonic-crystal-enhanced QDs. The device is made of thousands of quantum dots, each measuring about six nanometers. "We made a tiny device, but the process can easily be scaled up to large flexible plastic sheets," See said. "We make one expensive 'master' molding template that must be designed very precisely, but we can use the template to produce thousands of replicas very quickly and cheaply." Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of Illinois College of Engineering. The original item was written by Laura Schmitt. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Gloria G. See, Lu Xu, Erick Sutanto, Andrew G. Alleyne, Ralph G. Nuzzo, Brian T. Cunningham. Polarized quantum dot emission in electrohydrodynamic jet printed photonic crystals. Applied Physics Letters, 2015; 107 (5): 051101 DOI: 10.1063/1.4927648

New video camera released featuring ultra-high-speed CMOS image sensor

 

HyperVision HPV-X2. Credit: Tohoku University An ultra-high-speed CMOS image sensor that offers 10 million frames per second with ISO16,000 photosensitivity has been developed at Tohoku University by a research group led by Prof. Shigetoshi Sugawa at the Graduate School of Engineering's Department of Management Science and Technology. Shimadzu Corporation, which has been working in cooperation with the university, has now released a new video camera incorporating the ultra-fast CMOS image sensor. Called the Hyper Vision HPV-X2, the new camera offers a significantly higher photosensitivity than the previous model released in September 2012, while maintaining the recording speed of 10 million frames per second. It is the world's fastest in its class. The higher photosensitivity means that more vivid images can now be captured even under low light conditions, such as under a microscope. The improvement in the camera is made possible by the new ultra-high-speed CMOS image sensor, FTCMOS2, which Prof. Sugawa's research group developed by reinvestigating the performance bottleneck and revising the pixel structure and circuit design of previous models. The higher sensitivity of the ultra-high-speed video camera is expected to be widely used for advanced scientific research. Developments in life-sciences and engineering will benefit, as the new camera will enable the observation of ultra-high-speed phenomena that could not previously be clearly captured. Examples include the interactions between cancer cells and drug-filled microcapsules, the fuel injection process of automotive fuel injectors, and the ink ejection process of inkjet printers. Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Tohoku University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Researchers collaborate in development of brain-friendly interfaces

 

Recent research published in the journal Microsystems & Nanoengineering could eventually change the way people living with prosthetics and spinal cord injury lead their lives. Instead of using neural prosthetic devices--which suffer from immune-system rejection and are believed to fail due to a material and mechanical mismatch--a multi-institutional team, including Lohitash Karumbaiah of the University of Georgia's Regenerative Bioscience Center, has developed a brain-friendly extracellular matrix environment of neuronal cells that contain very little foreign material. These by-design electrodes are shielded by a covering that the brain recognizes as part of its own composition. Although once believed to be devoid of immune cells and therefore of immune responses, the brain is now recognized to have its own immune system that protects it against foreign invaders. "This is not by any means the device that you're going to implant into a patient," said Karumbaiah, an assistant professor of animal and dairy science in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. "This is proof of concept that extracellular matrix can be used to ensheathe a functioning electrode without the use of any other foreign or synthetic materials." Implantable neural prosthetic devices in the brain have been around for almost two decades, helping people living with limb loss and spinal cord injury become more independent. However, not only do neural prosthetic devices suffer from immune-system rejection, but most are believed to eventually fail because of a mismatch between the soft brain tissue and the rigid devices. The collaboration, led by Wen Shen and Mark Allen of the University of Pennsylvania, found that the extracellular matrix derived electrodes adapted to the mechanical properties of brain tissue and were capable of acquiring neural recordings from the brain cortex. "Neural interface technology is literally mind boggling, considering that one might someday control a prosthetic limb with one's own thoughts," Karumbaiah said. The study's joint collaborators were Ravi Bellamkonda, who conceived the new approach and is chair of the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, as well as Allen, who at the time was director of the Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology. "Hopefully, once we converge upon the nanofabrication techniques that would enable these to be clinically translational, this same methodology could then be applied in getting these extracellular matrix derived electrodes to be the next wave of brain implants," Karumbaiah said. Currently, one out of every 190 Americans is living with limb loss, according to the National Institutes of Health. There is a significant burden in cost of care and quality of life for people suffering from this disability. The research team is one part of many in the prosthesis industry, which includes those who design the robotics for the artificial limbs, others who make the neural prosthetic devices and developers who design the software that decodes the neural signal. "What neural prosthetic devices do is communicate seamlessly to an external prosthesis," Karumbaiah said, "providing independence of function without having to have a person or a facility dedicated to their care." Karumbaiah hopes further collaboration will allow them to make positive changes in the industry, saying that, "it's the researcher-to-industry kind of conversation that now needs to take place, where companies need to come in and ask: 'What have you learned? How are the devices deficient, and how can we make them better?'"   http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150807220747.htm

15 Things Insanely-Productive People Do Differently

 

Productivity by Benjamin Hardy Productivity is not doing lots of stuff fast. You can do lots of stuff and get nowhere closer to your ideal. Most people are living their lives this way. They are burning themselves out running in a million different directions. Our society has become obsessed with constant doing. There’s little time left for being and living. Productivity is purposefully and consistently moving in a desired direction. Insanely productive people have learned the two most important things every person needs to know in this life: Who they are What their purpose (path) in life is And that’s where we begin:   1. They Know Who They Are And Who They Want To Be Productivity is a sexy topic lately because most people are radically confused about who they are. As a result, they want a quick scheme to the world’s definition of success. They’ve yet to define success for themselves. They want it all laid out for them. They want a to-do list. They believe that doing lots of stuff will get them what they want. Maybe it will impress other people? Maybe it will get them ahead of the competition? But who really is the competition? That’s the problem. Most people are still competing with other people. They are trying to fit in. They’re trying to be perceived as awesome. In truth, they’re profoundly insecure. They’re caught in an endless identity crisis – going from one thing to the next. Whatever is popular at the time – the illusive quest for acceptance—the lack of depth and commitment. And that’s the difference. Non-productive people seek security externally. They seek security in a paycheck, or in friends, or in perceived success. Rather than experiencing security, in reality, they are the slaves to these things. They will do anything to have these things. They are not free. However, insanely productive people know that security can only really be experienced internally. They know who they are. So they don’t worry about all these traps that sabotage and slow the masses. They fully accept and understand themselves – and that’s good enough for them. No external standard of success will ever compare to their own self-awareness and acceptance. Beyond knowing who they are, they know who they are going to become. They’re not going to be tossed off course by the next big thing. Until you know who are you, you will never be insanely productive. It doesn’t matter how much you “accomplish” in your life if it’s not the life you really wanted to live – the life you were meant to live. Insanely productive people have moved well beyond that. Their evolution has opened within them the space to do what only they can do. Every person on this planet is a unique individual with a unique opportunity to serve and give in their own personal way. You can’t do that work until you know who you are.   2. They Know Where They Want To Go “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” “I don’t much care where –” “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.” – Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland Like point one, most people want to be told where to go. They want to be told who to be. They don’t really care where it is – so long as it seems awesome to everyone else. This sidetracks people all the time. Rather than doing what they genuinely love, they take the job that offers the most money, prestige, or accolades. They spend decades of their lives on the wrong path. At some point or another, they have their identity crisis and realize they have no idea what they really want in life. They have no idea where they are going. However, insanely productive people are purposeful about where they intend to end up. Every day of their lives is spent building toward their highest ideal. The things on their to-do lists actually make cohesive sense. The truth is, insanely productive people aren’t moving any faster than the rest. More often, they are moving slower. The difference is, unlike the norm, insanely productive people are moving in one direction. Five steps in one directions seems like a lot to the person who has moved one step in five directions.   3. They Let Go Of The Need For A Specific Result Jeremy Piven, the famous actor, was recently interviewed by Success Magazine. During the interview, he mentioned that, as an actor, the only way to work is to go out and audition for specific roles. The challenge most actors/actresses face is that they get in their own way. It doesn’t matter how much homework they’ve done. If they’re too tied to a specific result, they can’t be present in the moment. They can’t truly perform their art. They come off as desperate. They get in their own way. Their performance isn’t what it could have been. Jeremy said that when he quit worrying about a specific result, he was able to be present during his auditions. He was able to be completely who he wanted to be. He wasn’t trying to be what he thought others wanted him to be. He performed his art. If he didn’t get the gig, either they didn’t get it or it just wasn’t the right fit. So he moves on to the next. In this way, he’s able to get the jobs he’s supposed to have. He’s not just trying to get anything he can get. Insanely productive people are the same way. They are raw and real. They are present and perform on their highest level because they aren’t dependent on a particular outcome. They have an innate trust that everything will work out for them if they’re authentic. They trust in the universe – their higher power – to take them where they need to go.   4. They Don’t Care What Other People Are Doing Most people spend the majority of their time watching and observing other people. The goal is to emulate and copy, or to compare and compete. This highlights an utter lack of achieved identity – an emotional and spiritual immaturity. On the other hand, insanely productive people spend very little if any of their time worrying about what other people, “their competition,” are doing. They see this as a distraction from their work. They put their heads down and execute. Gary Vaynerchuck, perhaps one of the most productive people on earth, says he doesn’t have time to read other people’s stuff. He’s too busy creating his own content.   5. They Don’t Care What Other People Think “What people think of you is none of your business.” – Amy Hatvany The majority of the population lives in absolute fear about what other people think of them. They try to be perfect. They try to be liked. They are unwilling to be vulnerable. To be real and truthful. Insanely productive people put themselves completely out there. They are doing their work for themselves and for the people it was intended for. Anyone outside their target audience doesn’t exist to them. Haters and critics are flowers, not darts.   6. But They Care Intensely About Those They Serve Despite caring very little about what other people think, insanely productive people care fiercely about other people. They have a love for humanity that is nothing short of divine. Every person has infinite potential in their worldview. When they look at another person, they see a person – not an object. They feel. Like really feel. It’s not a staged act. Insanely productive people are incredibly empathetic. They relate with people on their level. They’re relevant and connect. They influence with their love. Those they serve can feel it and they’re changed.   7. Their Work Is Their Art – It’s Highly Personal Insanely productive people don’t have jobs. They are artists – even if accountants, bankers, or lawyers. The work they do is everything they are. They give completely to their work. It’s emotional labor. When they finish, there’s nothing left. If it isn’t meaningful, they don’t do it. To do so doesn’t make sense to them. If they can’t feel it deep when they are working, they are not working. They’re not living. They’re not in the zone. And they seek that zone. That’s when art and magic happens. Everything in their life is set up to create that space. This is why they were born.   8. They Don’t Need Permission Most people wait. They believe they can start after they have enough time, money, connections, and credentials. They wait until they feel “secure.” Not insanely productive people. Insanely productive people started last year. They started five years ago before they even knew what they were doing. They started before they had any money. They started before they had all the answers. They started when no one else believed in them. The only permission they needed was the voice inside them prompting them to move forward. And they moved.   9. They Learn Through Doing Theory can only take a person so far. Putting yourself out there and falling flat on your face, over, and over, and over is how insanely productive people learn. Rather than having meetings and discussions, they go out and practice. While most people are reading, thinking, and dreaming, insanely productive people are out doing. The goal is to learn while creating output. Non-productive people on the other hand have a lopsided ratio of input and output – with very little of the latter.   10. They Don’t Take Themselves Too Seriously Insanely productive people have an ease about life. Everything is going to be okay. They allow themselves to laugh and to feel and to love. They don’t overthink themselves. They don’t define themselves by their achievements. They laugh at themselves when they make blunders. They’re okay with the fact that they’re not perfect. They embrace their humanity. They genuinely like themselves as a human being. They don’t crucify themselves at every mistake. They give themselves the benefit of the doubt.   11. They Can Enjoy Where They Presently Are On The Path “When someone says: “So what’s next?” As in, “how are you going to top that?” You don’t have to have an answer. The answer can be: “This.” Your life doesn’t have to be about impressing other people or a successive series of achievements.”- Ryan Holiday Insanely productive people find joy in the journey. They aren’t always waiting for that next chapter in life. They are happy with where they are. They are alive. Non-productive people wait for contentment until after they graduate from college, or get that promotion, or retire. All the while, their life passed them by and they never really experienced the moment.   12. They Ask For Help “Rainmakers generate revenue by making asks. They ask for donations. They ask for contracts. They ask for deals. They ask for opportunities. They ask to meet with leaders or speak to them over the phone. They ask for publicity. They come up with ideas and ask for a few minutes of your time to pitch it. They ask for help. Don’t let rainmaking deter you from your dream. It’s one of the barriers to entry, and you can overcome it. Once you taste the sweet victory of a positive response, you’ll not only become comfortable with it, you might even enjoy it. But making asks is the only way to bring your dream to life.” – Ben Arment Insanely productive people know they don’t have all the answers. They aren’t afraid to ask for directions when lost. They aren’t too proud to say when they’re having a hard time. Amanda Palmer is a famous musician. Her career is based on making asks. She left her record label so she could give her music away for free. She had enough trust in her fans and followers to ask them for help in exchange for the value she provided them. She launched a Kickstarter and made well over a million dollars. She couchsurfs all over the world. Her fans bring her food. All she does is ask. She asks because she has courage. She asks because she has trust. She asks because she wants to be vulnerable with her tribe. They give generously because they have been the generous recipients of her gifts.   13. They Drop What’s Not Working “Extraordinary benefits also accrue to the tiny majority with the guts to quit early and refocus their efforts on something new.” – Seth Godin Insanely productive people understand the concept of sunk cost. When something isn’t working, they drop it and move on. They don’t continue putting resources into a burning ship.   14. They Think Laterally Rather Than Vertically “Lateral thinking doesn’t replace hard work; it eliminates unnecessary cycles.” – Shane Snow Most of the United States Presidents spent less time in politics than the average congressman. Moreover, the best, and most popular Presidents, generally spent the least amount of time in politics. Rather than spending decades climbing the tedious ladder with glass ceilings, they simply jumped laterally from a different, non-political ladder. Ronald Reagan was an actor. Dwight Eisenhower laterally shifted from the military. Woodrow Wilson bounced over from academia. These men spent considerably little time in politics and became fabulous Presidents. They reached the top by skipping the unnecessary “dues-paying” steps. Insanely productive people think the same way. Rather than climbing up ladders the traditional ways, they think of alternative routes. They skip unnecessary steps by pivoting and shifting   15. They Constantly Prune Their Lives “You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.” – Greg McKeown Last but certainly not least—insanely productive people continuously “clean their closet.” They live minimally. When life starts getting too busy, they step back and remove what is unneeded. Rather than adding more to their life, they say, “no” to almost everything. If they’ve made non-essential commitments in their future, they cancel those superfluous appointments. Their lives are simple and to the point.   http://www.lifehack.org/287129/15-things-insanely-productive-people-differently?mid=20150807&ref=mail&uid=580391&feq=daily

Make your Kid's Lunch Healthy

 

Just as your family is settling into summer mode, for many, August also marks back-to-school time. That means back to packing school lunches. Between teacher "meet and greets," school supply shopping, and getting back on a routine sleep schedule, lunchbox packing tends to be last on the list. But, what your child eats for lunch matters more than you might realize. Don't Pack the Salt A recent CDC Vital Signs report found that about 90 percent of U.S. school-aged children consume too much sodium each day. To put that into perspective, if there are 20 kids in your child's class, 18 of them will be eating too much sodium each day. Which group does your child fall into? The report also found that one in nine children ages 8-17 has a blood pressure that measures too high, putting them at risk for heart disease. A healthy, low sodium diet can have an important effect on a child's blood pressure and heart health now and later in life. One way to reduce the amount of sodium in your child's lunchbox is to stick to lower-sodium options, such as cold cuts (marked low sodium), dinner leftovers such as grilled chicken or lean meat, and fresh fruits and vegetables as snacks. Identify the top sources of sodium in your child's lunchbox. How to Beat the Surprising Sodium Sources You may be surprised to find out what the top sources of sodium are in children's diets (see sidebar). If you can't eliminate these items from your child's school lunches, at least try to choose lower sodium options. Here are some tips to help tackle high sodium in your child's lunchbox: Identify the foods contributing the most sodium to your child's lunchbox and find lower sodium options. Just like the lower-sodium cold cuts that are now offered at most delis, many snacks and prepared soups are also cutting the sodium. To find lower sodium packaged food options, read the nutrition labels and compare the sodium amount in similar products, then choose the option with the lowest amount of sodium. For example, some varieties of bread can vary from 80 to 230 mg of sodium per slice. That can make a big difference in lunch-time sandwiches. Your kids may not even realize the difference! Check out the graphic[181 KB], which shows how much sodium can vary within food categories. For a healthy snack, pack fresh fruits and vegetables with lunch every day, like a small bag of baby carrots, snow peas, or grape tomatoes. Encourage your child to get involved. Let them help pack their lunch, and talk about ways to make their favorite items healthy or lower sodium. Let them put their snack packs together or pick what they want for lunch the next day based on what healthy, low-sodium leftovers you have in the fridge. Take these tips beyond your child's school lunchboxes and apply to planning and preparing food for other school activities, such as parties, sporting events, and extracurricular activities. Pack-and-Go Snack and Lunch Recipes Need inspiration for easy pack-and-go snack and lunch recipes that are lower in sodium? Check out these recipes and more in the Million Hearts® Healthy Eating & Lifestyle Resource Center: By packing a lower sodium school lunch for your children and creating an environment with lower sodium food options at home, your children can develop healthy, low sodium eating habits that will last throughout their lives and help improve their heart health. For additional information about children and sodium and more tips for parents to help lower their family's sodium intake, visit the CDC Salt website. Back-to-School List Get involved in these "extracurricular activities" for your family to have a healthy school year. Join the conversation! Log into Twitter on August 18th at 1 pm to chat with Million Hearts® (@MillionHeartsUS), EveryDay Health (@EveryDayHealth), and family nutrition experts about packing healthy, lower-sodium back-to-school lunches. Use #HealthTalk in your tweets to participate and retweet your favorites! Ever wonder what your child eats when they purchase lunch at school? Visit your children's school and have lunch with them this National Take Your Parents to School Lunch Day. Learn more here. http://www.cdc.gov/features/childrens-diet-sodium//

Learning fearlessly

 

Science teacher Marni Landry encourages students in understanding that failure is often part of the process, particularly in emerging fields like biotechnology. Landry is a recipient of the 2013 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching Credit: NSF

Making math relevant

 

Math teacher Shelby Aaberg encourages members of the community to send in problems for his students to work on using mathematics. Aaberg is a recipient of the 2013 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Credit: NSF

Studying geometry in a pool hall

 

Math teacher Valerie Camille Jones gets students out of the classroom to see the real-world context of mathematics. Jones is a recipient of the 2013 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Credit: NSF

Caron Bicycle can be pedaled six ways

 

One of the Caron's pedaling modes, in which both feet go in full revolutions, side-by-side (Credit: Caron Bicycle) Riding a bike is definitely a good source of exercise, although it does tend to work out the same muscles in the same fashion, over and over. In an effort to remedy that, the Caron Bicycle was created. It can be pedaled in six different ways, all of which still move the thing forward. The Caron is mostly a pretty normal bike, with the big difference lying in its crankset/bottom bracket. In fact, if you've got the right type of bottom bracket shell, you can just buy that bit by itself and install it on your own bike. Along with the regular pedaling motion that we're all used to, the Caron can also be pedaled with one foot (left or right) moving up and down at the front; one foot moving in full revolutions while the other sits at the bottom; both feet moving up and down; both feet moving in full revolutions, side-by-side; and left then right feet alternately moving up and down. A bar-mounted thumb switch is used to select between the different pedaling modes, all of which are demonstrated in the video at the bottom of the page. The designers of the Caron Bicycle are currently raising production funds, on Indiegogo. A pledge of US$245 will get you the add-on kit, while $570 is required for a kid's bike and $795 is needed for an adult model ... assuming all goes according to plans. Should you be looking for a system that lets you move forward by pedaling backwards – or forwards – check out biXe Gear. Source: Indiegogo