Startram - maglev train to low earth orbit

Startram - maglev train to low earth orbit: "Getting into space is one of the harder tasks to be taken on by humanity. The present cost of inserting a kilogram (2.2 lb) of cargo by rocket into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is about US$10,000. A manned launch to LEO costs about $100,000 per kilogram of passenger. But who says we have to reach orbit by means of rocket propulsion alone? Instead, imagine sitting back in a comfortable magnetic levitation (maglev) train and taking a train ride into orbit."

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Air Danshin creates airlift system to levitate houses during earthquakes

Air Danshin creates airlift system to levitate houses during earthquakes: "When you live in a country as seismically active as Japan, thinking about earthquakes (and tsumanis) probably occupies a good deal of your time. Inventor Shoichi Sakamoto took it a step further. He decided to do something about it and invented a technology, remarkably simple in concept, to protect homes from the devastating shaking - an airlift system capable of automatically raising and isolating the whole house until the temblor stops."

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Solar energy-harvesting “nanotrees” could produce hydrogen fuel on a mass scale

Solar energy-harvesting “nanotrees” could produce hydrogen fuel on a mass scale: "While hydrogen is considered a "clean" fuel because the only waste product it generates is water, the conventional way to produce it relies on electricity, which is usually produced through the burning of fossil fuels. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), have now developed a "3D branched nanowire array" that they claim could cheaply and cleanly deliver hydrogen fuel on a mass scale."

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Bioengineers develop smart, self-healing hydrogel

Bioengineers develop smart, self-healing hydrogel: "Velcro is pretty handy stuff, but imagine if there was a soft, stretchy material with the same qualities. Well, now there is. Scientists from the University of California, San Diego have created a self-healing hydrogel that binds together in seconds, essentially copying the Velcro process at a molecular level. The new material could potentially find use in medical sutures, targeted drug delivery, industrial sealants and self-healing plastics."

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Lamborghini Aventador J Speedster | CNET TV | Video Product Reviews, CNET Podcasts, Tech Shows, Live CNET Video

Lamborghini Aventador J Speedster | CNET TV | Video Product Reviews, CNET Podcasts, Tech Shows, Live CNET Video:

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Solar panel-equipped ski helmet uses sunlight to power its communications system

Solar panel-equipped ski helmet uses sunlight to power its communications system: "It looks like the skiers' communications systems from Buhel and Recon could soon be in for some solar-powered competition. Working with German tech company TEXSYS and the Technische Universität Berlin, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration have developed a communications module that can be integrated directly into a ski helmet."

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Emotion-detecting digital tutor boosts students' grades

Emotion-detecting digital tutor boosts students' grades: "As proposed by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, "flow" is an ideal psychological state in which we are engaged enough by a task not to find it boring, and yet not so challenged by it that we get discouraged. When learning new subjects, however, students often end up falling at one end or the other of that scale."

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ASV hulls would dramatically improve ship efficiency by riding on a cushion of air

ASV hulls would dramatically improve ship efficiency by riding on a cushion of air: "A European project is developing new Air Support Vessel (ASV) hull designs that allow watercraft to ride on a cushion of air to greatly reduce friction between the hull and the water, resulting in more hull speed for less power than conventional designs."

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Faster SBU V3 Self Balancing Unicycle is ready to roll

Faster SBU V3 Self Balancing Unicycle is ready to roll: "Inner city congestion, rising parking charges, pedestrian-only zones and other measures to persuade folks to leave the car at home can seem a little at odds with the increasing pace of our busy working lives."

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one2TOUCH foldable full-sized NFC keyboards for smartphones and tablets

one2TOUCH foldable full-sized NFC keyboards for smartphones and tablets: "Near-Field Communication (NFC) is generally associated with contactless payment methods such as the mobile wallet. In practice, NFC's uses include connecting a smartphone to a car and other devices. Now Norway-based one2TOUCH is offering silicone keyboards that connect to smartphones and tablets simply by laying the mobile device on top - no pairing required."

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Kinect grocery cart follows shoppers around the store

Kinect grocery cart follows shoppers around the store: "When Chaotic Moon Labs debuted the Kinect-powered Board of Awesomeness - and its mind-reading offspring, the Board of Imagination - that was apparently just a preview of a more practical product the company had in the works. Grocery store chain, Whole Foods, recently gave a demonstration of Chaotic Moon's latest device, which uses the same technology in a self-propelled shopping cart."

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Review: PlayStation Vita

Review: PlayStation Vita: "Whether you consider it progress or a race to the bottom, Apple's iOS platform is gobbling up the gaming market. Nintendo's 3DS was far from perfect (read our review), leaving many looking to the Vita for gaming on the go. But is there a future for dedicated gaming devices? After a week with the Vita, Gizmag's Tim Hanlon hopes so."

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