Collaborate Disseminate
The West Japan Rail Company has released video of its new humanoid heavy equipment robot. Mounted on the end of a crane, this gundam-style robot torso mimics the arm and head motions of a human pilot, who sees through the robot’s eyes via VR goggles.Co… Continue reading Japanese rail company rolls out VR-piloted Gundam robot worker
Orlando startup JetX is planning a configurable eVTOL “flying car” chassis, and testing a quiet, modular propulsion system that vectors thrust from bladed or bladeless fans without tilting them, opening up some interesting design possibilities.Continue… Continue reading JetX tests non-tilting vectored thrust modules for eVTOL aircraft
As humanity fights to keep its only planet from becoming inhospitable, most of the focus will rightly be on decarbonizing everything we practically can. But it won’t be enough. Direct air capture will need to be part of the equation, and it’ll need to … Continue reading Brilliant Planet plans cheap, gigaton-scale carbon capture using algae
The US Department of Defense has announced that its Strategic Capabilities Office will go ahead with its plan to build and demonstrate a small nuclear reactor capable of being moved, and delivering between 1-5 megawatts of power for a minimum of three … Continue reading US DoD greenlights mobile nuclear microreactor pilot in Idaho
A team of Dutch scientists has taken on the grueling task of designing the perfect piece of chocolate, using novel 3D printing techniques to create designs that shatter in the most pleasurable way when bitten. Clearly, extensive testing is required.Con… Continue reading Physicists deploy 3D printing in pursuit of world’s crackliest chocolate
A revolutionary cryogenic tank design promises to radically boost the range of hydrogen-powered aircraft – to the point where clean, fuel-cell airliners could fly up to four times farther than comparable planes running on today’s dirty jet fuel.Continu… Continue reading Ultra-light liquid hydrogen tanks promise to make jet fuel obsolete
Now that we know this exists, we can’t believe it’s not a feature on all camera batteries. Chinese company Nitecore is selling replacement batteries for late-model Sony Alpha cameras with USB-C charging built in, so no external charger is required.Cont… Continue reading Nifty aftermarket camera battery boasts its own built-in USB-C charger
The majority of humanity’s electricity comes from heat – burning coal or natural gas, nuclear fission, concentrating solar – that’s used to boil water and spin steam turbines. This method of power generation has been around since Charles Parsons first … Continue reading Breakthrough TPV cell makes more power from heat than a steam turbine
Low-salt food without a flavor penalty could soon be on the menu. Japanese food and beverage giant Kirin has partnered with Meiji University researchers to demonstrate a set of electric chopsticks that can boost people’s perception of saltiness.Continu… Continue reading Flavor-adjusting electric chopsticks make low-salt food taste salty
Rockets are expensive, complex, bad for the environment and prone to occasionally exploding – so alternative launch technologies are popping up to reduce their use. We wrote about SpinLaunch’s remarkable kinetic launch system earlier this week, which s… Continue reading Hypersonic space cannon promises 10 minutes from ground to orbit