Vest-wearing giant rats could be smugglers’ worst nightmare

Most of us are familiar with the vest-clad beagle that hunts for illegal fruits and plants in the travelers’ luggage at airports. Now, a species of giant pouched rat has been trained to fulfill a similar role in finding illegal wildlife products.Contin… Continue reading Vest-wearing giant rats could be smugglers’ worst nightmare

Watch: USAF’s Quicksink weapon tears a ship in half in seconds

The US Air Force has released video of a ship being ripped in half to demonstrate its new Quicksink weapon, which turns an inexpensive dumb bomb into a precision anti-ship missile – and which lives up to its name in spectacular fashion.Continue Reading… Continue reading Watch: USAF’s Quicksink weapon tears a ship in half in seconds

Cylinder sails promise up to 90% fuel consumption cut for cargo ships

Looking like a set of bridge supports that were accidentally installed on a cargo ship, a new wind-driven system by startup CoFlow Jet promises to reduce ship fuel costs by up to 90% using stationary cylinders with no moving parts.Continue ReadingCateg… Continue reading Cylinder sails promise up to 90% fuel consumption cut for cargo ships

World-first wind turbine tech puts an 8-megawatt charger on an oil rig

In the Belgian North Sea, maintenance vessels are now able to tether to an automatic cable at a wind farm to get their batteries topped up. The innovative system is the first of its kind and a major step in keeping electric vessels as green as possible… Continue reading World-first wind turbine tech puts an 8-megawatt charger on an oil rig

Supercon 2023: [Pierce Nichols] is Teaching Robots To Sail

An image of a man in glasses in a circle placed on a black background. The title "Pierce Nichols: Teaching Robots to Sail" is on white lettering in the bottom left corner.

Sailing the high seas with the wind conjures a romantic notion of grizzled sailors fending off pirates and sea monsters, but until the 1920s, wind-powered vessels were the primary way …read more Continue reading Supercon 2023: [Pierce Nichols] is Teaching Robots To Sail

Rogue wave prediction system gives ships a five-minute warning

Unpredictable monster waves at sea can severely damage ships and offshore platforms, putting the lives of those who work on them at risk. A new system out of the University of Maryland uses a neural network to provide valuable early-warning alerts.Cont… Continue reading Rogue wave prediction system gives ships a five-minute warning