Self-healing electronics may result in less expensive, longer-lasting devices

Self-healing electronics may result in less expensive, longer-lasting devices: "A hard material is impregnated with microcapsules that burst when the material cracks, releasing a stored liquid that hardens on contact with the air, thus repairing the crack ... it's a system that we've recently seen used in a number of applications, including self-healing concrete and polymers."

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Researchers develop cheap and easy to mass-produce "solar-paint"

Researchers develop cheap and easy to mass-produce "solar-paint": "A team of researchers from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana is reporting the creation of a "solar paint" that could mark an important milestone on the road to widespread implementation of renewable energy technology. Although the new material is still a long way off the conversion efficiencies of commercial silicon solar cells, the researchers say it is cheap to make and can be produced in large quantities."

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spnKiX motorized shoes edge closer to production

spnKiX motorized shoes edge closer to production: "Peter Treadway's battery-powered motorized shoes - which we first spied as a concept in mid-2010 - are edging closer to production. Called spnKiX, these electric roller-skates have gone through more than thirty prototypes over a five year period to reach the final design and if all goes to plan they will hit the pavement in March 2012."

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Climate change from CO2 may not be as bad as predicted

Climate change from CO2 may not be as bad as predicted: "According to a recent study funded by the National Science Foundation's Paleoclimate Program, climate change may be far less sensitive to carbon dioxide fluctuations than previously predicted."

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Mercedes to debut E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID and E 400 HYBRID in Detroit

Mercedes to debut E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID and E 400 HYBRID in Detroit: "Mercedes-Benz has announced that two new hybrid models will be making their world premiere at the 2012 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit next month."

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How nuclear icebreakers work - and the reversible ships that will replace them

How nuclear icebreakers work - and the reversible ships that will replace them: "he Arctic North end of Russia is believed to hold as much as a quarter of all the world's oil deposits - an utterly monstrous economic prize, hidden in one of the toughest and least hospitable environments on the planet. Getting to this prize, and then transporting it back to refineries, is a monolithic task that requires one of the most awe-inspiring pieces of machinery man has ever built"

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Vision-based system that imitates insects designed to improve navigation of UAVs

Vision-based system that imitates insects designed to improve navigation of UAVs: "Along with the well known defense applications, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are also used for crop dusting, bushfire and environmental monitoring, and infrastructure inspection."

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Japanese researchers develop six-legged "Asterisk" robot that can pick up objects

Japanese researchers develop six-legged "Asterisk" robot that can pick up objects: "Fans of the sci-fi film Minority Report will no doubt recall the autonomous insect-like searcher robots deployed to find Tom Cruise's character mid-way through the flick. While not as elegant (or sinister) as its film counterparts, the Asterisk robot being developed by the Arai Robotics Lab at Osaka University in Japan does an excellent job of resembling a big, mechanical bug with some interesting skills."

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Undersea neutrino observatory to be second-largest human structure

Undersea neutrino observatory to be second-largest human structure: "An audacious project to construct a vast infrastructure housing a neutrino observatory at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea is being undertaken by a consortium of 40 institutes and universities from ten European countries."

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Scania Active Prediction system alters speed based on topography to save fuel

Scania Active Prediction system alters speed based on topography to save fuel: "Automakers around the world are currently working overtime to make their vehicles more efficient and cleaner through smaller engines, electric systems and lower weights. As this Active Prediction system from Volkswagen subsidiary Scania shows, secondary technological components can also play a role."

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UK police testing laser rifle to blind rioters

UK police testing laser rifle to blind rioters: "After riots this past summer left parts of the UK in shambles, it's no wonder that police in that part of the world are looking for new methods of crowd control. Since the usual methods for subduing rioters were seen as largely ineffective against their sheer numbers at the time,"

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KiteGen looks to get wind-power off the ground

KiteGen looks to get wind-power off the ground: "Wind-power has rapidly evolved over the last decade to become a key part of the alternative energy mix with towering rows of turbines now dotting horizons all over the globe."

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