Japanese researchers have developed computerized chopsticks that improve salty tastes, potentially helping those who need to reduce sodium (钠) in their diets.

Co-developed by Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita and drink maker Kirin Holdings Co., the chopsticks enhance tastes 【小题1】 (use) electrical stimulation and a mini-computer worn on a wristband.

The device uses a weak electrical current to send sodium ions(离子) from food, through the chopsticks, 【小题2】 the mouth where they create a sense of saltiness, said Miyashita.

Miyashita and his lab have explored various 【小题3】 (way) that technology can interact with and stimulate human sensory experiences.

The taste-enhancing chopsticks may have particular significance in Japan, 【小题4】 the traditional diet favours salty tastes. The average Japanese adult 【小题5】 (consume) about 10 grams of salt per day, double the amount 【小题6】 (recommend) by the World Health Organization.

Excess sodium intake is related to increased incidence of high blood 【小题7】 (press) and other illness.

“【小题8】 (prevent) these diseases, we need to reduce the amount of salt we take,” said Kirin researcher Ai Sato. “If we try taking 【小题9】 (little) salt in an ordinary way, we would need to experience 【小题10】 pain of cutting our favourite food from our diet.”

Miyashita and Kirin hope to commercialize the chopsticks as early as next year.

The abacus(算盘) was a great invention in ancient China. It 【小题1】 (invent) on the basis of small rods (棒). Later, 【小题2】 the development of productivity, a【小题3】(big)amount of calculation was in need. And calculation with counting rods limited the calculation. Thus, people invented a more 【小题4】 (advance) counter — the abacus.

With the application of the abacus, people concluded several abacus rules, making a higher calculating【小题5】(accurate). By the time of the Ming Dynasty, people could use the abacus on a regular basis, 【小题6】 improved the calculating efficiency significantly.

It was easy to obtain 【小题7】 abacus. And it was also easy to remember abacus rules. The abacus was widely used in ancient China. Later, the abacus was 【小题8】 (wide) used in Japan, Korea and some countries and regions in Southeast Asia.

People find that using abacuses can improve thinking and practical abilities in addition to 【小题9】(provide) convenient calculation. Since it 【小题10】 (need) cooperation of mind, eye and hand, it is a good way to improve the comprehensive reaction ability.

Aeronautics (航空学) specialists from the University of South Australia spent months studying the dragonfly’s flight, creating 3D models from digital images, to build a winged drone (无人机). Study leader Javaan Chahl believes that winged drones【小题1】(base) on the dragonfly’s shape and movement will simply be【小题2】(flexible) and energy efficient, compared to the previous ones.

Chahl’s team used【小题3】special photography technique to classify the wing shapes of 75 different dragonfly species from museum collections. Their wings are long, light and hard. Plus, their long bodies give them excellent stability and balance,【小题4】(make) it possible for winged drones to deliver awkward loads【小题5】undertake long observation missions.

Investigating the way that dragonflies remain stable during flight actually【小题6】(reveal) the techniques they use to get themselves out of tricky situations. Dragonflies are found to be able to perform upside-down backflips to regain balance and normal flight, when they find themselves upside down mid-air. This special skill can even【小题7】(perform) while dragonflies are unconscious, meaning it is a passive stability mechanism similar in concept【小题8】planes that are designed to glide to【小题9】(safe) with their engines turned off. Engineers are looking to copy dragonfly wings to create safer ones【小题10】can right themselves.