Apple has filed a patent for ''a wearable electronic ring'' that could let you control your other devices (设备) without touching them. The file includes drawings of the potential design and lists intend functions like a rechargeable power source (电源). The ring is designed to be worn on one finger and doesn't appear to be a stand-alone product. Instead, it aims to improve the user experience of bigger devices like iPhone and iPad. Apple also throws attention onto the potential safety functions of the ring by stating that the light given off by some touchscreen devices could be ''inappropriate in certain social environments or even dangerous if it gives away the position of a user who is in danger''.

The tech giant (巨头) explains in the patent that touchscreen devices we are using now can be seen as ''burdensome, inconvenient, or useless for certain tasks and applications''. It suggests that holding an iPhone or iPad for too long could tire some users and obviously, Apple can’t ignore such situations! It says the Apple Ring could be a more effective way to control those devices from a distance.

Apple isn't alone with this ''smart ring'' idea.

Amazon recently put the Echo Loop on the market, a smart ring that uses Alexa. The device is similar to the smart speaker but is worn on your finger instead. It’s currently only available in the US and has an introductory price of $129. 99 (￡100). Google recently presented its Pixel 4 smartphone and one of the top new functions is called Project Soli, which provides a '' Motion Sense'' effect. It lets you control the Pixel 4 without actually touching it. You can wave your hands in the air to pause or skip songs, alarms and phone calls, and more.

As with all patents, we can’t know for sure if Apple is going to bring out a smart ring device until official word is given.

Young children often “read” picture books. They’re attracted by the colorful scenery and the realistic characters that contribute to fascinating plots.

Unfortunately, some children can’t use these resources, even if they do know how to read. Take three-year-old Elodie Bateson for example. Elodie was born with under-developed eyes and has retinal detachments (视网膜脱落), making her visually impaired.

It is because of people like Elodie that Tom Yeh, head of the Tactile Picture Books Project, has started printing 3D books, so they can feel the illustrations in picture books.

The first book Tom Yeh printed was Goodnight Moon, a popular children’s book about a rabbit going to sleep and wishing good night to his surroundings. In the 3D version of this book, children can feel each thing that the rabbit says good night to, whether it is a cow jumping over the moon, a balloon, or a dollhouse.

Generally, when children grow older, they read by using Braille, a language that was invented by Louis Braille in 1824. It uses different patterns of raised dots representing different letters. Readers can then feel the dots and mentally translate the patterns they feel into words. The only problem is that many blind children do not start learning Braille until they are about six years old.

Another reason why 3D printed books are such a valuable resource is that children don’t have to know how to read to understand them. However, without these, visually impaired kids are losing six developmental years vital to their growth since they can’t take advantage of picture books.

When 3D picture books are printed, plastic is layered (分层放置) repeatedly over a single shape: the shape of the illustration. These raised pictures created through layered plastic serve as substitutes (替代品) for the Braille letters that little children have no knowledge of.

There have been many great inventions that changed the way we live. The first great invention was one that is still very important today-the wheel. This made it easier to carry heavy things.

Then in the early 1800s the world started to change. There was little unknown land left in the world. People didn’t have to explore much anymore. They began to work to make life better.

In the second half of the 19th century, many great inventions were made. Among them were the camera, the light and the radio. These all became a big part of our life today.

The first part of the 20th century saw more great inventions; the helicopter in 1907, movies with sound in 1923, the computer in 1927, and jet planes in 1930. This was also a time when a new material was first made. Nylon (尼龙) came in 1937. It changed the kind of clothes people wear.

By this time most people had a very good life, and man has an aspiration to explore again. The world was known to man but the stars were not. Man began looking for ways to go into space. Russia made the first step. Then the United States took a step. Since then other countries, including China and Japan, have made their steps into space.

New inventions will someday allow us to do things we have never yet dreamed of.