Problem: London (CNN) -- What do artificial whiskers and coffee-filled balloons have in common?

The answer is that they are both tools on experimental robots -- but they are also being put forward as possible ideas to help future planetary explorations.

"Shrewbot" is the latest in a line of robots developed by teams at the UK's Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) that aims to test whether artificial whiskers could help a robot find its way around.

Inspired by the Etruscan shrew -- one of the world's tiniest mammals -- scientists wanted to find out if a robot could explore its environment using touch instead of vision, just as rats, mice and shrews find food in the dark.

Team leader Martin Pearson, who works at the Biotact project, said the research was primarily to assist biologists in their understanding of how an animal's touch sensing works.

But he added: "Future robotic applications for this kind of sensing could be in search-and-rescue robots operating in smoke filled buildings or for sub-sea pipeline inspection robots in the murky depths of the sea."

The idea has also been suggested as a way to explore planetary surfaces where there is limited vision. Speaking at a space conference at the UK's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, robotics expert and co-founder of the BRL, Alan Winfield, identified it as one of a number of advancements that might be useful to space scientists planning future missions.

"I was speculating that whiskers could provide a planetary rover with the ability to feel its way around," he told CNN.
1. Which is a newer robot type?
2. Developed by?
3. A.k.a.?
4. Name one tool of trial bots?
5. Name another..
6. What else may they some day do?
7. Yes and what about in our galaxy?
8. Why fake facial hair?
9. What was the inspiration for BRL's bot?
10. What's that?
11. Who lead the research?
12. Where does he work?
Answer: 1. Shrewbot
2. UK's Bristol Robotics Laboratory
3. BRL
4. artificial whiskers
5. coffee-filled balloons
6. search and rescue
7. Planetary rover
8. Gives it the ability to feel around
9. the Etruscan shrew
10. one of the tiniest mammals
11. Martin Pearson
12. the Biotact project

Problem: The corridor windows at the Hangzhou Entel Foreign Language School look a bit different from other schools. They are all decorated with beautiful paper cutting art. But they are not just for decoration. They are also to stop birds from flying into windows. Chen Zitong, 14, a Junior 3 student at the school came up with the idea. In early January, she wrote a letter to the headmaster and suggested this. She often saw birds fly into the clean windows and get hurt. After some online research, she found this solution. "Some people decorated windows with stickers or posters. Then I thought of replacing them with our traditional paper cutting art," Chen said. To Chen's surprise, the headmaster took her advice. The school organized a paper cutting art competition. Students' works that got awards were pasted on the corridor windows. In fact, there have been paper cutting art classes since 2011. "We have classes once a week for a month to teach paper cutting," said Fan Ming, an art teacher. The teaching building even has a display wall to show students' works. Through the class, Shi Jiawei, 14, fell in love with the art of paper cutting. "It's very fun. I can design my own patterns and present interesting things through it," she said. She created many works like bears and magpies . Paper cutting also helps students become more patient. Wang Yiyou, 12, was once an active boy. But now, he can carefully design a delicate paper cutting work with scissors and gravers . "I am so proud that I can make it look perfect," he said. (By Wu Qian, 21st Century Teens Staff)
1. Who came up with the idea for unique windows?
2. How old is she?
3. Who did she send her suggestion to?
4. When?
5. What problem was she trying to solve?
6. Which school uses her method?
Answer: 1. Chen Zitong
2. 14
3. the headmaster
4. January
5. birds from flying into windows
6. Hangzhou Entel Foreign Language School

Problem: If you and your friends wish to share a secret, you can write it in code, and no one else will be able to read it. Codes are one way of writing in secret. Ciphers are another. In a code each word is written as a secret code word or a code number. In a cipher each letter is changed.

Codes and ciphers have played an important role in the history of the world. Julius Caesar, the Roman ruler who defeated almost all the countries in Europe about 2,000 years ago, used a cipher when he sent secret messages to his troops. During the American Revolution, George Washington's spies used a kind of code to send his information about the enemy before his military action. In World War II, the Americans"broke"or figured out Japan's most important navy codes and got enough information to destroy a powerful Japanese fleet.

Storekeepers use codes to mark their goods. The codes show how much is paid for the goods or when they are added to the stock. Businessmen use codes to hide plans from their business enemies. Sometimes personal letters or diaries are written in code. Many people enjoy figuring out codes and ciphers simply as a hobby.

In the 16th century, codes and ciphers were very popular among scientists. They wrote messages to each other in code so that no one else would learn their secrets. Geronimo Gardano, an Italian astrologer , mathematician, and doctor, invented the trellis cipher. He took two sheets of paper and cut exactly the same holes in each one. Then he sent one sheet, which he called a trellis, to a friend and kept the other for himself. Whenever he wanted to write a message, he put his trellis over a clean sheet of paper and wrote the secret message through the holes. There he removed the trellis and filled the rest of the paper with words that would make sense. When his friend received it, he put his trellis over the writing and read the secret message.
1. How can you and your friends share a secret?
2. In a code how is each word written?
3. What is done in a cipher?
4. Have codes and ciphers been important in history?
5. What Roman used a cipher to send messages to his troops?
6. Whose spies used code during the American Revolution?
7. What did the Americans do to Japan's code in Word War II?
8. After breaking the code what were they able to do?
9. What do storekeepers use codes for?
10. What do those codes show about payment?
11. What do they display about inventory?
12. Who uses this method to conceal things from their rivals?
Answer:
1. in a code or a cipher
2. as a secret code word
3. In a cipher each letter is changed.
4. yes
5. Julius Caesa
6. George Washington's
7. they broke them
8. they got enough information to destroy a powerful Japanese fleet.
9. to mark their goods
10. how much is paid for the goods
11. when they are added
12. Businessmen