Aluminium - Enriching A Billion Lives

Audi's latest project is to build a moon rover good enough to win the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition. Thanks to a sophisticated additive manufacturing process, they're well on their way. The wheels of the lightweight rover is made entirely of Aluminium alloy powder to cut down the weight and also help in navigating the harsh moon terrain. It has been calculated that a kilogram of payload to moon will cost 800,000 euros, and by using Aluminium, the rover’s weight can be reduced by 1.6 kgs which will allow additional 1.28 million euros worth of scientific equipment on board. The rules for the rover are straightforward but challenging. The rover has to successfully complete the 384,000-kilometer journey and land safely on the moon. Once there, the unit needs to complete at least a 500-meter drive on the surface, and send HD images back to earth that delivers new, never-seen views. They also have to launch before the end of 2017. That means the clock is ticking...

Selfie – a word which found its way into the dictionary in 2013 was first coined in Australia. In fact, in November 2013, the word "selfie" was announced as being the "word of the year" by the Oxford English Dictionary! It is a personal thing meant for the world to see. Selfie culture has taken over the contemporary world where it is meant to be seen as a form of self-expression. Even our Prime Minister had advocated ‘Selfie with daughter’ in 2015 which saw massive participation from the world over!   But have you ever heard of an aluminium made ‘Selfie Wall’ which lets you click stunning pictures of yourselves and your friends? AGENCY Architecture, based out of Texas, has created a ‘Selfie Wall’ right on the border between the US and Mexico. It is located in the region of El Paso / Ciudad Juárez, a border community. The Aluminum Selfie Wall has been installed in a public park which draws a large crowd for them to take selfies and post on social media – al...

Hold. Swirl. Smell. Sip. Wine has a profound presence in almost all cultures across the world. Traditionally, wine bottles have been sealed with cork since the 17th century. However, a little bit of aluminium has found its way in preserving your favorite bottle of wine by becoming an alternative method of closure.  As the beverage traveled far beyond its birthplace, the wine community grew too. From wine tasting sessions to exhibitions, everyplace that one could go, one would hear a debate brewing – ‘Whether traditional corks or screw caps produce a better bottle of wine’ - a controversial one that has divided the wine community. Some people feel that the age-old method of using cork is the genuine way to increase the character of the beverage while others are of the opinion that screw caps, majorly made out of aluminium, are the best way of preservation. Screw caps have been around since the late 1950’s but they were originally intended for use with economy (cheap) w...