Monday, August 8, 2011

Superlight folding canoe fits in a backpack

Superlight folding canoe fits in a backpack: "First of all ... yes, you're right, there are already folding canoes. Those boats don't necessarily pack up all that small, though, and typically weigh in the neighborhood of at least 18 kilograms (40 lbs). They're portable, but you'd certainly notice that you were carrying one. Israeli designer Ori Levin, however, has created a one-of-a-kind folding canoe called the Adhoc, that tips (no pun intended) the scales at just 4.1 kilograms, or 9 pounds."

Juno sets off on 1,740 million mile journey to unlock Jupiter’s secrets

Juno sets off on 1,740 million mile journey to unlock Jupiter’s secrets: "Last Friday, NASA's Juno spacecraft launched aboard an Atlas V-551 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida beginning its five-year, 1,740 million mile (2,800 million km) journey to our solar system's largest planet, Jupiter."

Quadshot RC aircraft combines quadricopter hovering with airplane flight

Quadshot RC aircraft combines quadricopter hovering with airplane flight: "Eurocopter's X3 hybrid helicopter demonstrator combined the full hover flight capabilities of a helicopter with the fast cruise speeds of a turboprop-powered aircraft by basically installing two propellers on short-span fixed wings to supplement the helicopter's five-blade main rotor system."

Lockheed Martin’s SMSS autonomous vehicle headed for Afghanistan

Lockheed Martin’s SMSS autonomous vehicle headed for Afghanistan: "As a result of winning the Project Workhorse Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) competition sponsored by the U.S. Army, four Lockheed Martin Squad Mission Support System (SMSS) vehicles will be sent to Afghanistan as part of a three-month Military Utility Assessment (MUA)."

Manipulating light at will - Duke metamaterials strike again

Manipulating light at will - Duke metamaterials strike again: "Duke University is on a roll, showing off yet another potentially game-changing property of the exotic man-made substances known as metamaterials. This time the property could have deep consequences for the transmission of information via light. Maybe the most important potential use of all."