Latest HondaJet test aircraft lifts-off

Latest HondaJet test aircraft lifts-off: "Honda's first ever commercial aircraft, appropriately named the HondaJet, follows in the footsteps of the company's ground-breaking CB750 motorcycle and S600 sports car by aiming to provide superior performance and value - this time in the light business jet market. "

'via Blog this'

O1M One Moment natural, biodegradable shoes are like condoms for your feet

O1M One Moment natural, biodegradable shoes are like condoms for your feet: "The concept for these bright plastic shoes comes from native Amazonians, that did essentially graft soles to their feet. As explained by the manufacturer, the indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest painted their soles with latex derived from Hevea trees"

'via Blog this'

New diode promises to uncork optical computing bottleneck

New diode promises to uncork optical computing bottleneck: "When it comes to speed, photons leave electrons for dead, which means optical computers will be much faster than their current electron-based cousins. While diodes for use in optical information processing systems already exist, these require external assistance to transmit signals so cannot be readily integrated into computer chips."

'via Blog this'

Researchers create invisibility cloak for sound

Researchers create invisibility cloak for sound: "Many of the current experimental "invisibility cloaks" are based around the same idea - light coming from behind an object is curved around it and then continues on forward to a viewer. That person is in turn only able to see what's behind the object, and not the object itself. Scientists from Germany's Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have applied that same principle to sound waves, and created what could perhaps be described as a "silence cloak.""

'via Blog this'

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."

'via Blog this'

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."

'via Blog this'

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."

'via Blog this'

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."

'via Blog this'

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."

'via Blog this'

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"

'via Blog this'

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."

'via Blog this'

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."

'via Blog this'