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If there are any children reading this, there's really only one thing we want to tell you about adulthood: If you make one tiny mistake, people will die.
By AFP | AFP – Fri, Jan 27, 2012 1:59 PM EST Click image for more photosA tiny revolutionary fold-up car designed in Spain's Basque country as the answer to urban stress and pollution was unveiled Tuesday before hitting European cities in 2013.The "Hiriko," the Basque word for "urban," is an electric two-seater with no doors whose motor is located in the wheels and which folds up like a child's collapsible buggy, or stroller, for easy parking.Dreamt up by Boston's MIT-Media lab, the concept was developed by a consortium of seven small Basque firms under the name Hiriko Driving Mobility, with a prototype unveiled by European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso.Demonstrating for journalists, Barroso clambered in through the fold-up front windscreen of the 1.5-metre-long car."European ideas usually are developed in the United States. This time an American idea is being made in Europe," consortium spokesman Gorka Espiau told AFP.Its makers are in talks with a number of European cities to assemble the tiny cars that can run 120 kilometers (75 miles) without a recharge and whose speed is electronically set to respect city limits.They envision it as a city-owned vehicle, up for hire like the fleets of bicycles available in many European cities, or put up for sale privately at around 12,500 euros.Several cities have shows interest, including Berlin, Barcelona, San Francisco and Hong Kong. Talks are under way with Paris, London, Boston, Dubai and Brussels.The vehicle's four wheels turn at right angles to facilitate sideways parking in tight spaces.The backers describe the "Hiriko" project as a "European social innovation initiative offering a systematic solution to major societal challenges: urban transportation, pollution and job creation."
whose speed is electronically set to respect city limits.
smitty777 writes "According to the Pentagon, the 30,000-pound, precision-guided Massive Ordnance Penetrator GBU-57 bomb is just too small. Concerns around Iran's fortification of their nuclear program facilities has the DoD seeking from Congress something not quite as subdued as the GBU-57, the largest non-nuke bomb operated by the USAF. This 'smaller' bomb just recently won a prize for its ability to cut through 60 feet of concrete. The upgrades will cost $82 million on top of the $330 million spent so far to develop the system. There is some interesting high speed camera footage of the GBU-57 in the video below."
Self-guided bullet could hit laser-marked targets from a mile away A group of researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have built a prototype of a small-caliber bullet capable of steering itself towards a laser-marked target located approximately 2,000 meters (1.2 miles) away. The dart-like design has passed the initial testing stage, which included computer simulations as well as field-testing prototypes built from commercially available parts. The four-inch (10 cm) long projectile is to be used with smoothbore arms, meaning ones with non-rifled barrels. Rifling involves cutting helical grooves in the barrel to give the bullet a spin that, thanks to the gyroscopic effect, improves its aerodynamic stability and accuracy. In a self-guided projectile, however, such spinning movement would prevent the bullet from reliably turning towards the target when in flight. For this reason, the group of researchers lead by Red Jones and Brian Kast decided to use a dart-like design that includes tiny fins to allow the projectile to fly straight, without a spin.While positioning the center of gravity towards the front of the projectile aids the stability, the task of directing the bullet to its target is handled mainly by the little fins. The on-board guidance and control electronics use the information passed on by an optical sensor located in the nose to calculate the flight path. An algorithm in an eight-bit central processing unit is used to control electromagnetic actuators which, in turn, move the fins.Larger guided projectiles, such as missiles, rely on a device called an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that uses a set of accelerometers and gyroscopes to gather information on velocity, spatial orientation and gravitational forces. Fitting a small-caliber bullet with an IMU would make it extremely expensive. That, however, turned out not to be necessary, as the bullet's size appears to act to its advantage, when compared with larger projectiles. Any projectile's flight dynamics depends on its mass and size. Both these factors influence the rate at which the projectile pitches and yaws. The rate is slower in larger projectiles, and since fewer path corrections can be done in flight, they need to be very precise. With the smaller projectiles yawing and pitching at a faster rate, as many as 30 corrections per second can be made, and less precision is allowed.Computer simulation results suggest that, under real world conditions, a traditional bullet is likely to miss a target located 1,000 meters (0.62 miles) away by as much as 9 meters (9.8 yards), while a self-guided bullet would get within 20 cm (8 in) of that target. Oddly enough, the accuracy improves the further away the target is. "Because the bullet's motions settle the longer it is in flight, accuracy improves at longer ranges," Red Jones explains. Of course professional snipers can handle such distances pretty well even now, but the bullet could make their jobs much easier.Field tests showed that electromagnetic actuation allows the projectile to reach the speed of 2,400 feet per second (730 meters per second) using off-the-shelf gun powder. This falls short of military standards, but the research team is confident that customized gunpowder is all that is needed to give the bullet that extra kick.The researchers needed to devise a way of checking whether the on-board battery and the electronic components can actually survive the flight, and what they came up with is quite ingenious. They attached a tiny light-emitting diode to the bullet and shot it (took pictures of it, that is) in flight during a night field test. The main image at the top of the page illustrates that the components are robust enough to make it.Although so far the test results are promising, there are still some engineering issues left to tackle. Sandia is now on the lookout for a private corporate partner that would help make their guided bullet available to the military, law enforcement agencies and some hardcore recreational shooters.The video below shows the bullet in flight.
[Credit: Clamcase]This year’s latest generation of smartphones will be equipped with new, more powerful mobile processors that rival the power of most laptops. So it almost seems fitting that Clamcase, the company that makes iPad keyboard docks, is making the laptop-like peripheral that’s completely powered by a smartphone.The Clambook is essentially a Macbook Air styled thin-as-hell laptop--minus all the guts. It’s equipped with a 16:9 display, 3D Cinema Sound system, track pad, and a full keyboard with Android specific keys.The device won’t actually do anything until you’ve connected it to your phone through a MHL cable that carries video, audio, and power. Once you’ve got your phone plugged in, you’ll be able to use it as a mobile workstation or media hub for all your movies, apps, and games.[Credit: Clamcase]The idea of using a smartphone to power a portable laptop is hardly new--just ask the Motorola Atrix 2 and its Lapdock partner. The difference is that Clambook promises to work with a multitude of Android devices and iPhones.Ice Cream Sandwich stuffed Android phones in particular will get a extra few extra multi-touch track pad controls, including scrolling, pinching, zooming, and swiping with two fingers. The Clambook is also compatible with Motorola’s Webtop software, so you’ll be able to take advantage of that full-featured Firefox browser and productivity suite.While everything might sound great, the Clambook currently only exists as a handful of images attached to a spec sheet. It will be interesting to see if the actual device works as seamlessly as it promises to, especially when it comes to handling iOS devices.Clamcase says that the Clambook will be coming this holiday season, but has yet to announce a price for the device.Will there be a day when the desktop computer becomes a peripheral? Leave a Comment below with your thoughts.[Clambook via Cult of Android and The Verge]
It's like Alien meets Bride of Frankenstein, mixed with Night of the Living Dead: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) wants to harvest components from dead, non-working "zombie" satellites to build new ones in space, all done remotely via a grasping, mechanical arm.
Dizajner Dominic Vilcox, stvorio je potpuno funkcionalni prototip, par cipela koje će vas odvesti kući, bez obzira na to gde se nalazite u svetu...Inspiraciju je našao u bajci "Čarobnjak iz Oza". Crvene magične cipele male Dorothy inspirisale su ga za ovaj budući svetski hit.Crvenim svetlom počinje vaš put dok se zeleno pali kada stignete na određenu destinaciju. Da idete pravim putem pokazuju Led diode u krugu.Mali softver stvoren je da planirate željenu destinaciju na mapi. GPS pokreću baterije slične baterijama u mobilnom telefonu. Leva cipela pomoću magneta komunicira sa desnom. Uz ovakav par cipela, čija je unutrašnjost napravljena od crvene teleće kože, uvek ćete znati pravi put do vaše željene destinacije.
On Friday, a group known as the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, formerly known as Friends of Science East, purchased 16 acres on eastern Long Island to create a Tesla museum and science center. Matt Inman, creator of the Web cartoon The Oatmeal, encouraged his readers to contribute to the non-profit’s purchase, calling its goal "a simple feat… only expensive." Inman set out to raise $850,000, but ended up raising close to $1.4 million for the establishment of what will be America’s first museum dedicated to scientist Nikola Tesla.The New York Times reports that Inman’s fundraiser saw donations from residents of over 100 different countries. Inman donated the proceeds of the fundraiser to the nonprofit, which purchased the Long Island property from the Agfa Corporation. The corporation used the land from 1969 to 1992, but decided to put it up for sale in 2009.Ars noted at the beginning of Inman’s fundraiser in August that Wardenclyffe, as Tesla called his estate, was originally intended to be “a vector for trans-Atlantic wireless communications, broadcasting, and wireless power. The site consisted of an (incomplete) 18-story-high transmission tower that topped off a laboratory surrounded by 16 acres of land in Shoreham, Long Island in 1903. By 1917, Tesla had sold the site for $20,000 to pay bills at the Waldorf. That same year, the transmission tower was blown up by the buyers and sold for scrap.”Now that papers have been signed for the purchase of Wardenclyffe, the ruins of Tesla’s brilliant scientific career will be dusted off and presented to people who have admired the scientist’s work for decades.
Cutting-edge research around the world will soon launch a new era in human procreation – a world in which embryos can be ‘brought to term’ in artificial wombs, replacing traditional pregnancies.In "Like a Virgin: How Science is Redefining the Rules of Sex," author and genetic scientists, Aarathi Prasad writes, "This might be the biological and social equalizer, a truly new way of thinking about sex."Cornell University's Dr. Hung-Ching Liu has engineered endometrial tissues by prompting cells to grow in an artificial uterus. When Liu introduced a mouse embryo into the lab-created uterine lining, "It successfully implanted and grew healthy," she said in this New Atlantis Magazine article. Scientists predict the research could produce an animal womb by 2020, and a human model by early 2030s.In Japan, Juntendo University researcher Yosinori Kuwabara and his team kept goat fetuses growing for ten days. While this womb was only a prototype, Kuwabara predicts that a fully functioning artificial womb capable of gestating a human fetus will evolve in the near future.However, ethicists voice concerns that this technology could endanger the very meaning of life. Mother-child relationships, the nature of female bodies, and being 'born', not 'made' all play a role in defining how most people around the world view this magical state of existence called life. Artificial wombs will enable both men and women to reproduce entirely alone, removing intercourse from the reproductive equation.But proponents believe people will reason, "Why risk gestating the baby in a biological womb, when this new science can produce a child with our exact genetic makeup, perfect personality, and zero flaws.""The womb is a dark and dangerous place, a hazardous environment," says University of Virginia Professor Joseph Fletcher. Fetuses are 100% dependent on their mom's health and sensible judgment. If the mother falls prey to accidents, disease, or inadequate nutrition, the embryo can become traumatized.Although naysayers believe that this bold science makes us less human, most experts predict that artificial wombs will one day be accepted by mainstream society as more people recognize its many benefits. Babies would no longer be exposed to alcohol or illegal drugs by careless mothers, and the correct body temperature would always be maintained, with 100% of necessary nutrients provided.Concerns over losing emotional bond between mother and newborn are unwarranted, say scientists. Artificial intelligence advances expected over the next two decades will enable doctors to reproduce exact parent emotions and personalities via vocal recordings, movement, and other sensations. The developing infant would be maintained in a safe secure environment, connected electronically to the mother 24/7.In the near term though, experts predict most women will probably gestate their children the old-fashioned way; but career-minded females might welcome a concept that allows them to bear children and raise a family without becoming pregnant, a physical condition that often weakens their job status.Ultimately, this technology would enable anyone – single, married, male, female, young, old, heterosexual or gay – to combine DNA from his or her own body with another person; and the gene pool marches on; a clean birth without pain or morning sickness.As this science matures, people could freeze eggs and sperm in their teen years when they are most physically fit; then create children later when ready for a family. Artificial wombs may sound radical, but people already donate eggs and sperm to create life in a lab and bring it to term in a surrogate mother.In an unusual twist, this technology offers justification to pro-lifers in the abortion debates. Choosing an abortion to protect a mother's health would not be necessary, as artificial wombs could bring all aborted embryos to term. Unwanted pregnancies would no longer mean a death sentence for the unborn.As we move into the future, this procedure could become the preferred method of birthing; but today, many disagree. Some see artificial wombs as a triumph of modern science; others believe it's the ultimate folly. We ask again; is a sexless reproduction society in our future? Time will tell. Comments welcome.Referenceshttp://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-06/shark-factoryhttp://www.gazetamm.info/category/uncategorized/http://behealthy.baystatebanner.com/issues/2009/0806/stories/closerlook080609005.html
SALT LAKE CITY — Mounted on the side of a pair of sunglasses is what Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank says is the future of police work. The body cameras work like dash cameras already in police cars — they they'll provide an eye-level view of an officers one on one interaction with the public. Burbank says the body cameras are the "wave of the future" when it comes to police work and transparency. "What better way to document the entire event then an officer wear a camera that sees what the officer sees?" Burbank said. If Chief Burbank gets his way, these tiny, weightless cameras will soon be on every police officer in the state. "If Salt Lake City goes this direction, if any agency goes this direction, the expectation is going to be in my mind, that everyone move in this direction," Burbank said. Burbank says body cameras will document officers' actions as they perform patrols, investigate crime scenes and serve search warrants. With the camera mounted at eye level, the recording will provide an accurate real-time record of what happened. He says not every officer likes the idea, but these days officers are already being recorded by cell phones and laptops, and it's better to have their own proof of what happens on the street. "This is going to demonstrate the things we're doing good," Burbank said. "Sometimes it's going to catch us doing things improperly, but for the most part it is going to show we do an outstanding job." The cameras run about $1,000 each, plus the cost of storing the footage, so it's going to take time to get them to all officers. Some motorcycle officers with the department are already wearing them.
Dennis Siegel, a student at the University of the Arts in Bremen, Germany has built what he calls an electromagnetic harvester—it converts electromagnetic fields in the immediate environment into electricity to recharge a common AA battery. He's won a 2nd place award in the HfK Bremen Hochschulpreis 2013 competition for Digitale Medien, for his efforts.
