World's first 'printed' aircraft is flown

World's first 'printed' aircraft is flown: "One of the biggest selling features for 3D printers is the fact that you can just whip up a design using CAD software on your computer, then create a physical copy of it to try out - no special factory tooling required."

New X-ray camera to shoot 4.5 million frames per second

New X-ray camera to shoot 4.5 million frames per second: "In order to capture slow-motion footage in which a bullet can actually be seen traveling through the air, a camera has to film at a speed somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000 frames per second."

Timesnap puts portable media on a wristwatch

Timesnap puts portable media on a wristwatch: "Despite some initial similarities, this is definitely not another iPod nano strap, such as the TikTok or LunaTik, but Chinavision's new Timesnap MP3/MP4 multimedia player wristwatch. Although not touchscreen-based, it offers a number of features including music, image, text and video file playback, along with an FM radio, at a reasonable price."

I think, therefore I move - 'brain cap' turns thought into motion

I think, therefore I move - 'brain cap' turns thought into motion: "Researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD) continue to advance the development of their 'brain cap' technology that allows users to turn their thoughts into motion."

World's strangest hotel to finally open - maybe

World's strangest hotel to finally open - maybe: "The Ryugyong Hotel in the center of North Korea's capital city Pyongyang, must count as one of the strangest building projects, not to say one of the ugliest, in the world. Construction began in 1987 and continued until it's abandonment in 1993 when the projected cost of required remedial rebuilding was simply too much for the impoverished city and state to bear. Now, twenty-four years after the first concrete block was laid, it's finally finished - kinda."

Eight young inventors give us a 2-minute elevator pitch

Eight young inventors give us a 2-minute elevator pitch: "The James Dyson Awards for young inventors are always a treasure trove of fresh ideas and up-and-coming innovators - so we caught up with 8 of the Australian finalists and got them each to deliver us a 2-minute 'elevator pitch' explaining their designs and the inspiration behind them."

The world's most and least expensive cities plus the most expensive extreme hardship postings

The world's most and least expensive cities plus the most expensive extreme hardship postings: "Luanda in Angola, Libreville in Gabon and N'Djamena in Chad are the most expensive extreme hardship locations in the world and thanks to the marketplace volatility which results from local inflation, political instability, currency fluctuations and natural disasters, Tokyo has consolidated its title as the most expensive city in the world in which to live."

Chinese supermarket trialling WiFi-enabled tablet PC-equipped shopping carts

Chinese supermarket trialling WiFi-enabled tablet PC-equipped shopping carts: "It doesn't have quite the appeal of sending a robot to do your shopping, but this Smart Cart service being trialed by SK Telecom could definitely take some of the hassle out of trolling the supermarket aisles."

Cows check in for meals using electronic ear tags

Cows check in for meals using electronic ear tags: "With diseases such as Foot and Mouth, TB, and of course Mad Cow still presenting a danger to cattle, it's of the utmost importance that farmers monitor the health of their animals, and immediately proceed to isolate any that might be showing symptoms."

Hitting the brakes by reading drivers’ minds

Hitting the brakes by reading drivers’ minds: "With human error the predominant cause of car accidents, automatic braking systems like the Pedestrian Detection system found in the Volvo S60 use cameras and sensors to assist drivers in detecting oncoming hazards and automatically applying the brakes."

Wireless sensor to monitor structural integrity of bridges

Wireless sensor to monitor structural integrity of bridges: "According to a 2009 estimate by the U.S. Society of Civil Engineers, more than one in four U.S. bridges are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. While newer 'smart' bridges have embedded wired networks of sensors to monitor their structural integrity, the high cost of installing such systems on existing bridges is simply unaffordable for strained city, state and federal budgets."

'Roll it' turns compact housing on its head

'Roll it' turns compact housing on its head: "Students from the University of Karlsruhe in Germany have created a flexible housing solution that makes the most of its minimal interior space in a very unusual way. Dubbed 'Roll it', this cylinder-shaped home changes its purpose depending on its orientation - roll the the work space 180 degrees and it becomes a bed, the kitchen becomes a bathroom and you even get some exercise in the mouse wheel-like center section when you decide to 'move house'."