German tech may bring automatic landings to small airports

Big commercial aircraft are already routinely guided in for automatic landings at large airports, as their autopilot follows radio signals transmitted by ground-based antennas. Such auto-landings currently aren’t possible at most small airpor… Continue reading German tech may bring automatic landings to small airports

Trollaby lets sleeping travellers lie – on the airport floor

If you’re much of a world traveller, then you’ve probably experienced it – a several-hour airport layover during which you’d like to get some sleep, but without going off to a hotel. That’s where the Trollaby is intended to come in, as it ser… Continue reading Trollaby lets sleeping travellers lie – on the airport floor

For reduced period pain, treadmill use may do the trick

When women are experiencing primary dysmenorrhea (better known as period pain), usually the last thing that they feel like doing is getting up and exercising. According to a new first-of-its-kind study, however, doing so may be exactly what’s… Continue reading For reduced period pain, treadmill use may do the trick

Open-water swimming safety device snugs to the back when not needed

When you see hardcore lake or ocean swimmers who are far from shore, you’ve gotta wonder – what happens if they get tired, or get a cramp? Well, there are flotation devices that they can use, although some of them are cumbersome. The Tekrapod… Continue reading Open-water swimming safety device snugs to the back when not needed

Portable device performs retinal scans – on a budget

There are already a number of inexpensive new devices that allow doctors in developing nations to image patients’ retinas. In order to get a better look at what’s going on, though, an optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanner is required – a… Continue reading Portable device performs retinal scans – on a budget

Ultra-clear aerogel designed for better, less costly solar collectors

We may hear a lot about photovoltaic panels, but solar collectors are also quite useful – the devices collect heat from sunlight, which is used in applications such as the heating of homes. Now, MIT has announced the development of a new mate… Continue reading Ultra-clear aerogel designed for better, less costly solar collectors

Polymer rebar may find use in much more durable concrete structures

While many of us might think that concrete structures such as bridges simply stand unaided for decades at a time, the fact is that they require maintenance as often as once every five years. An experimental new type of rebar, however, could d… Continue reading Polymer rebar may find use in much more durable concrete structures

EzLarm forces you out of bed using an app and a tag

Most of us are guilty of repeatedly hitting the snooze bar on our alarm clocks and going back to sleep, which is why we’ve seen devices that won’t stop ringing (or even electrocuting) until they’re taken to a remotely-located docking station…. Continue reading EzLarm forces you out of bed using an app and a tag