3D printers may not be as easy to use as they seem. Photo credit: FredKahl/Flickr
3D printing stands to completely transform the way we make, replace, and transport products and will disrupt nearly every major industry. However, the technology is still geared toward passionate, motivated makers and hobbyists—not the average citizen.
Continue reading… “Top 10 reasons 3D printing hasn’t caught on yet”
The UK is currently far ahead of countries like the US and China.
The UK doesn’t get enough credit for its pioneering work in offshore wind power. They have helped push forward the industry and everybody else will benefit from these advances, in the same way that Germany helped turbocharge the solar industry over the past decade and now everybody benefits from cheaper solar power.
A switch in the brain sends us off to sleep.
In a study in fruit flies, researchers at Oxford University’s Centre for Neural Circuits and Behavior have identified a switch in the brain that sends us off to sleep.
Continue reading… “Scientists discover a switch in the brain that makes us sleep”
Yan Qu and Clement Cid spend a lot more time thinking about poop than your average academics. The pair, both at Caltech, are part of a team working on what could be the future of bathrooms: a self-cleaning, solar-powered toilet that turns human waste into hydrogen and fertilizer.
Continue reading… “This Gates-funded toilet will change how we think about poop”
Laser Weapon System
The U.S. Navy will turn fiction into reality when it deploys its first laser weapon aboard one of its ships this summer. The solid-state Laser Weapons System promises to be able to incinerate aerial drones and speedboats quickly and less expensive that today’s weapons, which typically relies on a finite supply of interceptor missiles that cost roughly $1.4 million a shot. The laser, on the other hand, can be fired continuously and costs just a few bucks per shot. A prototype will be deployed this summer on board the USS Ponce in the Persian Gulf.
Continue reading… “U.S. Navy to add futuristic laser weapon to its arsenal this summer”
Lifestyle, fitness and medical are the most popular market areas targeted.
Wearable tech research and consulting firm Vandrico has put together this an overview of the wearable landscape — tracking the number of devices in existence; areas of market focus; and even which parts of the body are being targeted most.
Continue reading… “There are 118 wearable devices on the market and counting”
Drones allow the filmmaker to get much closer to his subject.
At the Winter Olympics in Sochi, drones were used to film ski and snowboarding events. But the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for sports photography is far from a passing gimmick. In fact, you should expect more and more athletic events to be filmed by drone. (Videos)
Continue reading… “Drones are the future of sports photography”
What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?
Quote of the Day: “Golf is more fun than walking naked in a strange place, but not by much.” – Buddy Hackett
Philips has announced that it is piloting a system in which LED store lamps track shoppers. Shoppers would first have to download the store’s app. Once they do, every lamp in the store is able to communicate with the shoppers’ phones using pulses of light the human eye can’t detect. The lamps know whether someone is in the produce section or the peanut butter aisle… and in response, the app can call up killer deals on bananas or jelly, depending.
Continue reading… “Philips intelligent store lighting can track shoppers”
According to a new study, Twitter’s data-gathering ways can be used to predict big. potentially world-shaking events. Nathan Kallus, a PhD student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, analyzed thousands of tweets associated with the 2013 coup in Egypt, and claims that the social unrest associated with it was, in fact, predictable ahead of time.
Smart plug
Smart plugs may be the trojan horse that will bring the internet of things and the smart home to mainstream consumers. But is there enough value in connecting a lamp or a coffee maker to make smart outlets an entry point to the internet of things for mainstream consumers?
Continue reading… “Are smart plugs the gateway to the Internet of Things?”
Hangar One
What would you do with a 350,000-square-foot hangar built to house helium airships for the U.S. Navy if you were Google, Inc.? Would you use the cavernous interior for building and testing new robots, planetary rovers and other space or aviation technology?
Continue reading… “Google planning aerospace, robotic projects for Hangar One”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.