A new augmented reality system could help astronauts take care of each other.
Astronauts will face all kinds of medical problems when traveling to Mars or other distant destinations , but rocket science isn’t surgery. And vice versa. A new augmented reality system could help astronauts take care of each other, overlaying computer graphics over a real patient to guide diagnoses or even surgery. It could even improve telemedicine in developing countries or remote spots.
Do you have trouble remembering your password? Perhaps you need to use your heart instead of your head. An encryption system that uses the unique pattern of your heartbeat as a secret key could potentially be used to make a hard drive that will only decrypt in response to your touch.
Continue reading… “Your heartbeat could replace your computer passwords”
Photo of me demonstrating an unuual thermoelectric generator
with NY Times Correspondent Matthew Wald
Futurist Thomas Frey: On Wednesday I was invited to speak on a panel at the 2012 National Electricity Forum, an event sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, in Washington DC.
Continue reading… “Dismantling of our Power Industry Infrastructure”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwFnnQ8pfy4[/youtube]
Canadian inventor Rejean Neron’s Safety Sphere concept has to be the most, well, all-encompassing airbag for motorcyclists. Described as an “inflatable crash garment for non-enclosed vehicle riders”, Safety Sphere isn’t so much built into the rider’s suit as it is the rider’s suit. In the event of an accident, the intended results are nothing if not dramatic, as the CG video promo ably illustrates. (Pics)
Continue reading… “Safety Sphere – inflatable crash suit for motorcyclists”
The demand for applications has created 466,000 jobs in the U.S. since 2007.
If you are looking for a promising career in a lousy economy then you are apt to find it in apps — the services and tools built to run on smartphones, computer tablets and Facebook’s online social network, according to a new study.
Continue reading… “‘App economy’ is a big U.S. job creator: study”
Unmanned drones controlled by remote operators on the ground will fly in the same airspace as airliners, cargo planes, business jets and private aircraft.
A final congressional bill was approved Monday to speed the nation’s switch from radar to an air traffic control system based on GPS technology, and to open U.S. skies to unmanned drone flights within four years.
Continue reading… “Congress ok’s bill that opens skies in U.S. to unmanned drones”
Dr Mohamed Saafi and David McGahon have developed a smart paint that can detect microscopic faults in large structures.
Researchers have developed a ‘smart paint’ able to detect tiny faults before damage can occur, and at a fraction of the cost of current methods.
Continue reading… “Researchers develop ‘smart paint’ that monitors structural damage”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQIMGV5vtd4&hd=1[/youtube]
Researchers at GRASP Lab at the University of Pennsylvania have been working with nano quadrotors since at least 2010, managing to get them to fly aggressively, build a tower structure and now — fly in perfect formation.
Continue reading… “Swarm of nano quadrotors fly in formation: Video”
Seattle tops the list of top techiest cities in the U.S.
As part of the annual America’s Favorite Cities survey, Trave l + Leisure readers ranked 35 major cities on qualities such as microbrews, live music and street food. Readers also judged how tech-savvy the locals seem, and the reliability of wireless coverage; we combined the two sets of results to come up with our list of the techiest cities.
The elevator at the AquaDom in Berlin travels up the middle of the 82-foot tall aquarium.
To ride an elevator it usually just involves pushing a button and zoning out until the ding for your floor. Pay attention on these elevators or risk missing out on one of the most thrilling rides of your life (even if it only lasts 30 seconds). From climbing to a scenic overlook in rural China to an ascent up an American icon, these vertical feats of engineering are about way more than getting from point A to point B. (Pics)
Continue reading… “8 amazing elevator rides you need to see to believe”
The lenses sit directly on the eyeball, and have been engineered using nanoscale techniques to work as a focusing device that pairs with a pair of hi-tech glasses.
Innovega, a company in the U.S. says, contact lenses which focus 3D screens directly into people’s eyeballs could be on sale as early as 2014. The tiny ‘screens’ sit directly on users’ eyeballs and work with a pair of lightweight glasses with a built-in translucent screen.
Continue reading… “Virtual reality contact lenses could be here by 2014”
A new bullet from Sandia Labs is self-guided — and it can hit targets more than a mile away, the inventors say.
If you are a fan of science fiction movies of the 80s you might remember “Runaway,” in which Gene Simmons plays an evil scientist who invents “smart” bullets that seek out specific human targets. (video)
Continue reading… “Self-guided bullet can hit targets more than a mile away”