You may not have your jetpack yet, but here’s your invisibility shield

If you’ve ever wished that you could turn invisible, here’s your chance. A consumer “invisibility shield” has just hit Kickstarter, and it could be yours for as little as £54 (about US$68).Continue ReadingCategory: Good Thinking, LifestyleTags: Kicksta… Continue reading You may not have your jetpack yet, but here’s your invisibility shield

Glasses with spiral lenses could help you see clearer, farther

Scientists have developed a new type of lens that creates multiple focal points, which could make for glasses or contacts that provide a clearer view over a range of distances. The secret? Making the lens a spiral shape.Continue ReadingCategory: Techno… Continue reading Glasses with spiral lenses could help you see clearer, farther

Hubble and Webb tag-team to image “Christmas Tree” galaxy cluster

The James Webb Space Telescope may have been touted as a successor to Hubble, but the old-timer still has some life left in it yet. These two iconic instruments have now teamed up to take a star-studded deep-field image of the colorful “Christmas Tree … Continue reading Hubble and Webb tag-team to image “Christmas Tree” galaxy cluster

NASA testing two-way, high-speed laser space communication system

NASA will soon demonstrate a laser-based communication system between ground facilities and the International Space Station (ISS). The technology will boost data transmission speeds by 10 to 100 times the current capabilities, potentially paving the wa… Continue reading NASA testing two-way, high-speed laser space communication system

“Pseudogravity” in crystals can bend light like black holes

Scientists in Japan have managed to manipulate light as though it was being influenced by gravity. By carefully distorting a photonic crystal, the team was able to invoke “pseudogravity” to bend a beam of light, which could have useful applications in … Continue reading “Pseudogravity” in crystals can bend light like black holes

GelSight Svelte tech gives robotic fingers a full-length sense of touch

While there are a number of optical systems that provide robotic hands with a sense of touch, most of those systems are flat, so they’re confined to the fingertips. A new MIT system, however, works along the entire length of each finger.Continue Readin… Continue reading GelSight Svelte tech gives robotic fingers a full-length sense of touch

“Invisible grating” bends laser using just air and sound

Guiding lasers where they need to go is a key part of optics systems, and now engineers at DESY have developed a way to bend laser beams without anything touching them. The light is deflected using an invisible grating made of air shaped by acoustics.C… Continue reading “Invisible grating” bends laser using just air and sound

Vibrantly colored film could massively passively cool cars and buildings

It’s common knowledge that lighter colors reflect more light than darker ones, which can limit the practical palette choices for your clothes, car or house in a warming world. Now, scientists have developed a new material, inspired by butterfly wings, … Continue reading Vibrantly colored film could massively passively cool cars and buildings

Review: Presbyond surgery gave my eyes two different focal points

All I wanted to do was get rid of my glasses, but when my local laser eye surgery clinic recommended some odd-sounding advanced Presbyond treatment developed by Zeiss, I said sure, if that’s what the cool kids are getting. Here’s what’s happened.Contin… Continue reading Review: Presbyond surgery gave my eyes two different focal points

“World’s smallest ball game” tosses single atoms between light traps

Scientists in South Korea have created what they call “the world’s smallest ball game,” throwing individual atoms between two optical traps. The research could eventually make for more adaptable and dynamic quantum computers.Continue ReadingCategory: S… Continue reading “World’s smallest ball game” tosses single atoms between light traps