The Volocopter is somewhat of a cross between a quadcopter drone and a helicopter. It is a novel mode of transportation built by the German company e-Volo.
Continue reading… “The Volocopter is a personal helicopter that could replace your car”
Japan’s giant floating solar power stations
Japan got serious about investing in renewable energy after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster by becoming one of the world leaders in solar power. But the nation faced a problem in its solar efforts: a lack of suitable land.
Continue reading… “Japan’s giant floating solar power stations”
Dutch designer plans to 3-D print a steel bridge in mid-air
Dutch designer Joris Laarman will build a bridge in 2017 by wheeling a robot to the brink of a canal in Amsterdam. He will push an “on” button and then walk away. When he returns in two months, the Netherlands will have a new, one-of-a-kind bridge, 3-D printed in a steel arc over the waters. This isn’t some proof-of-concept, either: when it’s done, it will be as strong and as any other bridge. People will be able to walk back and forth over it for decades.
Continue reading… “Dutch designer plans to 3-D print a steel bridge in mid-air”
Machine generated TED-Talks: TED RNN
By samim23: Recently, I experimented with Recurrent Neural Networks as applied to political speech writing. The result, Obama-RNN generated a fair amount of buzz and fuelled a productive debate, including speculation that Sara Palin is a bot. For the next experiment I decided to apply the system to TED.
Continue reading… “Machine generated TED-Talks: TED RNN”
Self-steering bullet proves it can hit moving targets: DARPA
EXACTO self-steering bullet.
The Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) is a self-steering bullet program announced by DARPA that passed a developmental milestone this past February. According to DARPA, and the video below, experienced and novice shooters alike were able to strike moving targets. And, in the case of expert shooters, able to hit actively evading targets as well.
Continue reading… “Self-steering bullet proves it can hit moving targets: DARPA”
MIT researchers reveal an interface that allows us to plug our brain into a computer
MIT senior, Christina Tringides, holds a sample of the multifunction fiber.
MIT researchers reveal an interface that could make plugging our brain into a computer a reality. Their system uses new fibers less than a width of a hair that could deliver optical signals and drugs directly into the brain, along with electrical readouts to continuously monitor the effects of the various inputs.
Michelin announces it will mass-produce the Tweel airless tire
Tweel airless tire
Michelin is the first company that will start mass-producing an airless radial tire, known as the Tweel. The Tweel can never go flat and never be punctured, and after talking about it for a decade Michelin is finally going to start making it in quantities. (Video)
Continue reading… “Michelin announces it will mass-produce the Tweel airless tire”
ComfortWay – Smart iPhone case that offers all-day data roaming for just $2
ComfortWay
If you travel a lot internationally you more than likely have been stung by roaming Internet charges at some point or another. It’s possible to buy or rent a local SIM card when you’re abroad but this requires that your iPhone be either unlocked or jailbroken — and also limits users to just one mobile carrier in each country. (Video)
Continue reading… “ComfortWay – Smart iPhone case that offers all-day data roaming for just $2”
Growing Bolder TV interview with Thomas Frey, one of the world’s top futurists
Futurist Thomas Frey
If there’s one thing we all wonder about, it’s the future. Being able to predict the future would come in handy when it comes to running your business and your life. Did you know you could turn to a futurist for answers? (Video)
Continue reading… “Growing Bolder TV interview with Thomas Frey, one of the world’s top futurists”
rHEALTH diagnoses hundreds of diseases using a single drop of blood
rHealth Device
This month, the XPRIZE Foundation announced the winner of the Nokia Sensing XCHALLENGE. The global competition was aimed at accelerating the availability of hardware sensors and software sensing technology as a means to smarter digital health solutions. The winning device is called the Reusable Handheld Electrolyte and Lab Technology for Humans (rHEALTH) system. It can potentially run hundreds or even thousands of lab tests using a single drop of blood, and those tests, in turn, can be used to diagnose a range of diseases. (Video)
Continue reading… “rHEALTH diagnoses hundreds of diseases using a single drop of blood”
Micro-scallop robots can swim through your blood, eyeballs
A micro-scallop robot is only a fraction of a millimeter in size.
Simplicity is important when designing robots on the micro or nano scale (like, small enough to fit inside your body). There just isn’t room for complex motors or actuation systems. There’s barely room for any electronics whatsoever, not to mention batteries, which is why robots that can swim inside your bloodstream or zip around your eyeballs are often driven by magnetic fields.(Video)
Continue reading… “Micro-scallop robots can swim through your blood, eyeballs”
Here’s how time travel may actually be possible
For centuries, time travel’s been one of man’s wildest fantasies. It has been a popular trend in movies and fiction for a long time, inspiring everything from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine to the Charlton Heston shrine that is The Planet of the Apes. And with the opening of the movie Interstellar—n0t to spoil anything—we’re about to fantasize about it even more. (Video)
Continue reading… “Here’s how time travel may actually be possible”
