Scientists recently invented microscopic robots with four legs that move when stimulated by a laser. This could be injected into the body through hypodermic needles, and can have a lot of use in the field of medicine.

One of the main challenges in the development of these microrobots has been combining control circuitry and moving parts.

The microrobots are said to be less than 0.1 millimetre wide, just as thick as a human hair, and have four moving legs that are controlled by circuitry, and powered by the attached solar cells.

By shooting laser light into these solar cells, the legs were able to move, causing the robot to walk. According to Marc Miskin of the University of Pennsylvania, the key innovation of the research was that the actuators on its legs could be controlled using silicon electronics.

A while ago, researchers in Korea have developed a swimming microrobot that delivers stemcells to the cartilage. These microrobots act as delivery modules and are guided by magnetic field.

But the researchers of the four-legged microrobots acknowledged that their creations are slower, and not easy to control, than other microrobots that swim.

But these robots are prototypes that shows the possibility of integrating electronics with actuators to move around. The next step is to build sophisticated circuitry, and possibly create a much smarter microrobot that actually moves by its own legs.

The researchers envisions biomedical uses for the robots such as repairing materials at the microscale. But the possibilities are endless.

These microrobots can survive highly acidic environments and temperatures of more than 200 degrees Kelvin. They said the new study provides a clear vision for solving the challenge of creating a tiny robot that can be programmable, and autonomous.

As the Covid-19 pandemic had disrupted the educational system in the Philippines, and the government declared that there would be no face-to-face classes for this year, teachers have to start finding solutions to reach their students, hand out assignments, manage their classroom, communicate with students, and so on.

For face-to-face interaction, there's Zoom, or Skype. But what about lessons, and class management? Luckily, there's a free application from Google, called Google Classroom.

Google Classroom helps both  teachers and students to communicate, and can be used to organize and manage assignments, for collaboration between students and between teachers, and for distance learning.

Here's what teachers can do with Google classroom:

1) Teacher's can add announcements and lesson materials.

2) Add and schedule assignments.

3) Grade submitted assignments.

4) Manage students and their progression.

Setting up Google Classroom is very easy.

1) Teachers can sign-up and log-in using your Google account and add students one-by-one.

2) Teachers can create their first class

by clicking "plus" button in the right upper corner. 

3) Once Teachers have created their class, they can invite students. Teacher's can also let students go to classroom.google.com and click "join class".

Now your online class is ready! There also several applications that you can integrate with Google Classroom to make online learning fun and convenient. For face to face interaction, your class can use Google Meet, a video conferencing too. You can also take quizzes or watch educational videos with appropriate applications. The possibilities are endless!

So, let's make most out of home schooling until the Covid-19 vaccine is discovered and the pandemic blows over. Soon, you'll be able to go back to classes like you used to and you'll appreciate how learning is more fun with social interaction.

The Covid-19 pandemic has made the lives of students in the Philippines, miserable. The government has banned face-to-face learning until a vaccine for the virus is found.

So, the Department of Education has come up with a plan to start the school year without face-to-face learning. For schools and universities, online learning via a teleconferencing app is the way to go. And Zoom is the recommended app to use in order for teachers and students to interact with each other, at the comfort of their own home.

​​​​Zoom is a video-conferencing application that allows people to have face to face meetings with many people online. By using your computer, or your mobile phone, you'll be able to connect to your teachers and your classmates, and attend classes.

So, how do you join Zoom If you are using a mobile device? Search for Zoom in the Apple App Store if you are using an iPhone, or Google Play Store, if you are using an Android phone. Install and download the Zoom App. 

If you are using a computer, you can access Zoom using a browser. You can also download the Zoom program and install it to your computer.

If you have your meeting ID and password given by the meeting host, click 'Join Meeting'. 

Allow Zoom to access your phone's camera and audio. Then click 'Join with Video'. If you are shy or taking a class in your pajamas, click 'Join without Video'. You can customize your profile to show your best photo.

Here's a tip so that you wouldn't be late for your Zoom class. Click the Zoom meeting link minutes before your class schedule. Follow the instructions to join computer audio and mute your microphone. Only Unmute when you are required to talk. Most of the time, your instructor should be recording the session so you and your classmates can watch it later.

This year may be a challenging time for both students and teachers. But learning must continue, and people are discovering new tools to interact and to share every day.

We have a product available containing a combination of VITAMIN C and ZINC that is proven to be more effective than Vitamin C alone in raising our body's natural defenses and help boost our immune function. The anti-oxidant effect of VITAMIN C plus the immune-boosting properties of ZINC is an ideal health supplement, especially during our country's health crisis.

If interested, please visit Westfield Pharma/GoldLife distribution hub here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4AEFSwEooE5MB9KMA

Dont forget to mention that you were referred by The Filipino Medrep page to get a special re-seller rate, or call 0289306976.

This is Lexi Mendiola. Social Media personality and model, who is known for posting a variety of commercial modeling work and creating original content for different companies.

She catapulted to social media fame when she posted a photo of herself in one-piece swimsuit without photoshop editing, showing her stretch marks and all, a feature of her body which she felt more insecure.

But netizens were inspired by Lexi's positive post and filled her with encouraging comments. She was even featured in Yahoo! Beauty, People, and other online magazines.

In an interview, she said, "It was at that moment when I caught myself throwing out maybe one of my best photos, only because of lines on my skin. I was about to throw it away, but then I saw the bigger picture (literally!) and realized how crazy it is to let stretch marks dictate what I do, or post, or rethink what I ‘need’ to wear. It was ridiculous, and I just didn’t want to allow something that made me feel embarrassed tell me what to do!”

2020 will surely be a banner year for Lexi Mendiola. As a marketing graduate from De Lasalle University, she sure knows how to market her brand. She's active in most social media platforms, specifically Instagram and YouTube. And her followers are growing each day.

Do you love drawing and coloring? Have you dreamed of becoming a Manga or Webtoon artist? You can buy cheap tools in Shopee or Lazada and start flexing those fingers.

Today, we are going to review one of the cheapest brands of writing tablets out there. the Veikk A640. I got mine for 1,200 pesos plus shipping from Shopee.

Veikk is one of many Chinese brands that makes tablets so there is little information available in the internet. Veikk has a line of products which includes S640 and A30 graphics tablets, and a VK1560 pen display.

The S640 is small compared to those used by professionals. At 6 by 4 inches, this is an ideal size for beginners or hobbyists like me.

The included items in the box besides the tablet are replacement nibs, nib remover, the pen, and pen holder.

The pen is very lightweight yet sturdy. There are two side buttons that you can configure on your computer. All you need is to install the driver, which you can download online.

Unfortunately, No driver disc is included. Installation is pretty straightforward.

I'm using free software called Medibang. It is used generally for making Manga and webcomic. All the tools that you will need for creating your first Manga or Web Comic are all there.

This tablet is highly recommended for beginners and hobbyists. It's cheap, easy to set up, and you can use it right away.

Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso on August 20,2019, ordered the closure of several Chinese-owned establishments in Binondo, selling beauty and health products with a label that claimed that it was from Manila, a Province of China, yet was actually manufactured in Mainland China.

This was due to a lot of complaints recieved by the Manila City Bureau of Permits and Licensing Office regarding that particular labeling. The businesses that sells these products were traced in Sto. Cristo in Binondo, known as Manila’s Chinatown.

Upon closed inspection, aside from the claim that it is from "Manila, province of China", the products were  lacking crucial product registrations. The confiscated products will be sent to the Philippine Food and Drug Administration for further analysis and verification.

This is not the first time that our city or our country was tagged as  “a province of China.” Netizens have discovered a geotag in several social media posts. Also, during the time Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte softens his stance on China, tarpaulins were found hanging on several overpasses in Manila bearing the prints “Welcome to the Philippines, Province of China”.

Is this some sort of a "psy-war" or "testing" public sentiments toward Beijing? The Philippine still have a territorial dispute over the West Philippine Sea, even after we won the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016.

Or it is done by Chinese businessmen and their Filipino partners to profit from the Philippine government's more friendly relationship towards Beijing. 

In my opinion, More and more Mainland Chinese businessmen become embolden with the friendly state of relation between the two countries yet they see the Philippines and its citizens as inferior.  But what do you think? Share your thoughts at the comment section below.

Resigned anti-fraud officer Thorrsson Montes Keith has named Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque as the "godfather" of the alleged mafia in PhilHealth.

According to Keiths allegation, Duque has direct influence and oversight being the chairman the Interim Reimbursement Mechanism. He also claimed that that it was also Duque who approved all the appointments of "almost all of the members of the mafia."

On August 4, the former anti-fraud officer of the PhilHealth, Thorrsson Montes Keith, told senators that executives of the embattled agency may have pocketed around P15 billion through fraudulent schemes., which was denied by the officers, including the embattled Duque.

Duque is also in the middle of criticism because of the government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Latest data from the Health Department showed that COVID-19 infections in the Philippines have spiked to nearly 170,000, the highest  in the Southeast Asia region.

The daily record high infections and continuous spike, as well as the protests from healthcare professionals prompted the President Duterte to impose a stricter quarantine policy for two weeks.

But who really is Francisco Duque?

Duque was born on February 13, 1957. He is a Filipino physician, and government official serving as Secretary of Health since 2017 in the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte, a position he had previously held from 2005 to 2010 under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. 

In June 2001, President Arroyo appointed Duque as President & CEO of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. As President of PhilHealth, he initiated PhilHealth's Plan 500 which fast tracked the enrollment of 500,000 urban poor beneficiaries into the National Health Insurance Plan in one year. It ballooned 8 million beneficiaries by the end of his term and it has become one of President Arroyo's most hyped achievements.

His connections to the so called "Philhealth Mafia" and the healthcare situation in the country has increased the calls for his resignation, not just from ordinary citizens, but also from healthcare professionals, Congressmen and Senators as well. 

Amid mounting backlash, Duque said he takes “full responsibility” for his actions and decisions with regards to the country's COVID-19 response, but he denied having any involvement in the Philhealth 15 billion pesos scam.