US$145,000 Elektra One and SunAirport hangar take recreational flying off-the-grid

US$145,000 Elektra One and SunAirport hangar take recreational flying off-the-grid: "PC-Aero's single-seat Elektra One electric Ultralight is one of the most efficient transportation devices ever conceived. It's lightweight composite construction and highly efficient aerodynamics enable it to be powered by a modest 13.5 kW electric engine. The whisper-quiet Elektra One can fly for three hours, cruise at 160 km/h and has a range of 500 kilometers."

Software nudges frozen computers out of infinite loops

Software nudges frozen computers out of infinite loops: "There are few things as maddening as being in the middle of a task on a computer, and having the software freeze up on you. This can be particularly enraging if you haven't backed up your work recently, and you know that the only way of 'thawing out' the program will be to execute a force quit - your work will be lost, all because the (insert word of your choice here) computer didn't know what to do next."

New facial recognition software designed for study of wild apes

New facial recognition software designed for study of wild apes: "When studying wild animals such as gorillas and chimpanzees, it's not uncommon to use photo or video traps - unmanned cameras that are triggered to capture images when creatures pass in front of them. Scientists can then retrieve the cameras and review the footage, to get an estimate of the numbers of a certain species within a given area, and to see what those animals have been up to"

Bio-synthetic material could replace soft tissue

Bio-synthetic material could replace soft tissue: "Soldiers whose faces have been marred by explosions could be among the recipients of a new biomedical material designed to permanently replace soft tissue. Developed at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, PEG-HA is a composite consisting of synthetic and biological materials. Lab tests have indicated that it doesn't break down like pure biologicals, or get rejected like some synthetics."

Long Distance Tele-Operation system for remote control of unmanned ground vehicles

Long Distance Tele-Operation system for remote control of unmanned ground vehicles: "The U.S. military is currently able to operate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in far away countries from the U.S., while ground robotic systems such as the TALON can be remotely operated at distances of up to 1,000 m (3,280 ft). Now U.S. Army engineers have provided unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) with the long distance tele-operation capabilities of a UAS to allow them to be controlled from anywhere in the world and keep soldiers even further out of harm's way."

New computer technologies shown to expose personal information

New computer technologies shown to expose personal information: "Facial recognition software, social networking and cloud computing ... they're all technological advances that alone have thrown up questions regarding privacy. According to a recent Carnegie Mellon University study, however, the three technologies can be combined to learn peoples' identities and other personal information about them, starting with just a photograph of their face."

Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Tower to claim world’s tallest building title

Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Tower to claim world’s tallest building title: "Chicago-based firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill (AS+GG) has officially been announced as the design architects for the Kingdom Tower that is to be built in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Initially planned to stand one mile (1.6 km) high and be called the Mile-High Tower, the building was scaled down after soil testing in the area in 2008 cast doubt over whether the location could support a building of that height. Now the building will stand over 0.62 miles (one kilometer) tall, which will still allow it to overshadow the 2,717 ft. (828 m) Burj Khalifa to claim the title of the world's tallest building."