SunVolt solar charger claims "outlet-like" charging times

SunVolt solar charger claims "outlet-like" charging times: "SunVolt is a portable solar power station able to harness the Sun's rays in order to charge low-power mobile electronic devices, such as digital cameras, e-book readers, cell-phones and tablets. While you'd be forgiven for feeling underwhelmed on hearing news of yet another solar charger in the works, the crucial difference between SunVolt and existing solar chargers like the Solarmonkey and EnerPlex, is that SunVolt’s creator Don Cayelli claims his product can, on a clear day, charge multiple devices just as quickly as if they were plugged into the wall."

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Neurological discovery could lead to machines that speak for the speechless

Neurological discovery could lead to machines that speak for the speechless: "Recently, scientists unlocked the code used by neurons in the retina for sending visual data to the brain. This allowed them to create a device that restored almost-normal vision to blind mice. Now, another group of scientists has announced that they have determined the brain’s code for pronouncing vowels, and they believe that their discovery could lead to machines that speak for people who are physically unable to do so."

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DARPA releases video of floating tank-like CAAT vehicle

DARPA releases video of floating tank-like CAAT vehicle: "So the year is 2015, and you're in a serious disaster – one that requires the immediate provision of food, water, medical care, and shelter for a hundred thousand people. In other words, not something that a few airlifts will handle. If there is navigable water anywhere nearby, you could be saved by a future version of one of DARPA's new toys: the Captive Air Amphibious Transporter (CAAT)."

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McLaren one-off X1 concept surfaces at Pebble Beach

McLaren one-off X1 concept surfaces at Pebble Beach: "The Pebble Beach Concours at Monterey is used to seeing the weird and wonderful creations of bespoke vehicle design and craftsmanship, but one of the most surprising entrants this year was from the McLaren Special Operations team. The vehicle, known as the X1 Concept, is an extraordinary mixture of McLaren MP12C road car and an entirely new bodyshell crafted in a style that wouldn't look out of place in a 1930s comic book. Before you imagine that McLaren has hit the crazy button, a little explanation is in order."

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Video purports to show successful hover bike test flights

Video purports to show successful hover bike test flights: "Videos released by California-based tech research company Aerofex appear to show successful test flights of a prototype hover bike that gains lift from two large ducted rotors, similar in principle to Chris Malloy's Hoverbike prototype we've previously covered. Aeroflex claims its hover bike allows the pilot intuitive control over pitch, roll and yaw without need of artificial intelligence, flight software or electronics of any kind."

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Royal Navy’s T26 GCS next-gen warship unveiled

Royal Navy’s T26 GCS next-gen warship unveiled: "The U.K.’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) has unveiled its new multi-mission warship - the Type 26 Global Combat Ship (T26 GCS). Due to replace the thirteen Type 23 frigates in Britain’s Royal Navy when it enters service in after 2020, the T26 GCS has been in development by the MOD and BAE Systems since 2010 and is intended for use in combat and counter-piracy operations as well as supporting humanitarian and disaster relief work around the world."

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Slovenia's supercar: The Tushek Renovatio T500

Slovenia's supercar: The Tushek Renovatio T500: "In the future, every nation on the globe may just have its own home-brewed supercar. We're getting closer every year, one country at a time. We've seen a 1,100-hp electric supercar from Croatia. Brazil and Poland have chimed in with their thoughts on supercar design. The Netherlands and Denmark have represented. Now, Slovenia has a little something to say."

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Room-temperature solid state maser may be the laser of tomorrow

Room-temperature solid state maser may be the laser of tomorrow: "Everyone has heard of lasers, but hardly anyone outside of a physics lab or a science fiction novel has heard of a maser. Despite the fact that it was the precursor of the laser, the maser has been something of a technological backwater because masers are difficult to build and expensive to operate. "

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War of the Worlds: Curiosity fires first laser shot on Mars

War of the Worlds: Curiosity fires first laser shot on Mars: "NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has fired its laser for the first time. Its target wasn’t attacking Martians, but a 7 cm (2.75 inch) wide rock called “Coronation” (AKA N165) about 10 feet (3 m) from the rover. Curiosity’s laser fired 30 pulses over a ten-second interval, hitting Coronation with one million watts for five-one billionths of a second."

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Is this the largest rooftop wind installation in the world?

Is this the largest rooftop wind installation in the world?: "A newly opened wind farm on the roof of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation is claimed by turbine suppliers Venger to be the largest building-integrated wind farm in the US. But might it be the largest in the world?"

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NASA's "Mighty Eagle" targets asteroid or Mercury landings

NASA's "Mighty Eagle" targets asteroid or Mercury landings: "The crash of NASA’s Morpheus lander was an unfortunate setback, but like any good space pioneer, the agency has more than one string to its bow - and more than one lander in the hanger."

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5 Things You Didn’t Know About The First Digital Cameras

5 Things You Didn’t Know About The First Digital Cameras: "The digital camera has taken more than 35 years of technological advancement to reach its current stage of development. The journey from original concept to the all-singing devices we have access to today has been long, and still new technologies in photography emerge. I’m already excited about what the next 35 years might bring."

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