Tag Archives: Cornell University

If Tata Nano Came To The U.S., It Would Cost Over $7,000

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Amit Chowdhry


In 2008 Tata Motors announced that they would sell a car called the Nano with a retail price of 100,000-rupees ($2,172). If Tata succeeds in being able to get this car to sell in the U.S., it would most likely cost $7,000-$8,000 according to Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata. Mr. Tata mentioned this price point at a symposium at Cornell University, where he attended school. “It won’t be a $2,000 car; it will be a $7,000 or $8,000 car,” said Tata at the event. “But it will still be, in comparative terms, a car that the U.S. would accept.” [New York Times]

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Cornell Students Build Machine That Determines How Bad A Fart Smells

Posted on September 6, 2009 by Amit Chowdhry

fart-detector
Two students at Cornell University built a machine that determines how bad a fart smells.  The two students Robert Clain and Miguel Salas assembled the fart detector after learning how breathalyzers work.  The fart detector was built using a hydrogen sulfide monitor, a thermometer, and a microphone.

If the machine noticed a slight perturbance in the air, the detector would rate how bad the fart is based on the temperature, sound, and stench.  Temperature is one of the main factors as the hotter a fart is, the faster it spreads.  Based on the score a fart has, a voice will rate the fart on a scale of zero to nine.  If the fart machine ranks a nine, then a fan on the machine turns on.  The machine also records the fart for later playback.  This would be useful for the iFart and Pull My Finger iPhone applications.

The two engineering students also pointed out that the machine can be used in hospitals to determine how much oral malodor is floating around.  And those that have farms can determine how health livestock are by their fart quality.

To test the device, the two students made raspberry sounds and breathed on the machine.  “It’s hard to fart something really smelly on command,” stated Clain. “Besides, it provided a nicer atmosphere for those around us.”  The two students received an A on their project.

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