Robots to slingshots: A year in space, 2013

Robots to slingshots: A year in space, 2013: "This has been a busy year in space, with rovers roving on Mars and the first landing on the Moon in 40 years, the search for life beyond our Earth heating up, and 3D printing moving into orbit. As a Chinese rover explores the lunar surface and astronauts work to repair the International Space Station (ISS), Gizmag looks back on the space highlights of 2013."

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Concept cars that could change transportation as we know it

Concept cars that could change transportation as we know it: "The average concept car experiments with styling, technology and packaging to explore potential new ideas. Some concept cars take it a few steps further, not just rethinking the car but redefining what a car is and exploring ideas that could completely revolutionize the way we get from point A to point B. From vehicles that drive themselves, to cars that fly and fold, some of 2013's most interesting concept cars provided a lens into a very different future."

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2014 Jeep Cherokee gets disconnecting AWD technology

2014 Jeep Cherokee gets disconnecting AWD technology: "Set to debut in the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, the EcoTrac Disconnecting AWD driveline system is designed to improve fuel efficiency by disengaging components from the driveline when not required, so that only power is delivered to the front wheels."

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McLaren's ultrasonic force field to replace windshield wipers

McLaren's ultrasonic force field to replace windshield wipers: "Windshield wipers are life-savers, but can also drive one to distraction with their incessant streaking and chattering. Well, the tyranny of the wipers may soon be over. McLaren Automotive’s chief designer Frank Stephenson has told The Sunday Times that the performance motoring company is investigating the use of "ultrasonic force fields" to replace windshield wipers in automobiles. While Stephenson referred to a military source for McLaren's tech, there appears to be very little public information on how such force fields might clean a windshield during a storm, so I'm taking a look at the patent history to see how this might be accomplished."

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Spike puts laser measurement hardware on the back of a smartphone

Spike puts laser measurement hardware on the back of a smartphone: "Traditionally, the technology that goes into laser hardware for surveying and 3D modeling has been the plaything of architects, surveyors and engineers. But now, with a view to expanding into the consumer market, Virginia-based IkeGPS wants to bring this functionality to the mainstream. And what better way to do it than sticking it on the back of a smartphone?"

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Portable scanner designed to make eye exams quicker and easier

Portable scanner designed to make eye exams quicker and easier: "If you're like a lot of people, you don't make an annual trip to the ophthalmologist to get your eyes checked ... and you really ought to, in order to catch any problems before it's too late. If it were possible to get them checked at a regular doctor's office or clinic, though, perhaps you might do so more often. That's one of the reasons that a team at MIT have designed a new hand-held retinal scanner, that can quickly and easily be used anywhere."

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This Day In History • December 21, 1620: Pilgrims Come Ashore in...

This Day In History • December 21, 1620: Pilgrims Come Ashore in...: "On this day in 1620, the Mayflower Pilgrims’ first landing party came ashore in the unforgiving edge of southeastern Massachusetts in the present-day town of Plymouth."

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NASA recreates Apollo 8 'Earthrise' 45 years after the mission | Mail Online

NASA recreates Apollo 8 'Earthrise' 45 years after the mission | Mail Online: "The Apollo 8 mission took place on December 24, 1968 and was the first time humans left Earth orbit and reached the moon
The three astronauts aboard - Frank Borman, James Lovell and Williams Anders - were responsible for taking 'Earthrise', one of history's most famous photos, capturing the earth rising over the moon
A new video released by NASA Friday recreates the events that allowed the trio to take the photo"

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The train that NEVER stops moving | Mail Online

The train that NEVER stops moving | Mail Online: "The concept was created by Chinese designer Chen Jianjun
Passengers wait for the train inside a pod located on an elevated platform
As the train enters a station, the pod locks onto the roof at the front
Passengers descend into the train and the pod moves to the rear
People wanting to exit the train at the next station then climb into the pod
The pod detaches as it enters this stop, before collecting the next pod"

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Lamborghini announces successor to the Gallardo – the 610 hp AWD Huracán

Lamborghini announces successor to the Gallardo – the 610 hp AWD Huracán: "Beginning next month, Lamborghini’s successor to the outgoing Gallardo will be showcased to the world on a 60 city, 130 event tour. The 610 hp Huracán LP 610-4, which sports all-wheel-drive and a more dynamic chassis, will need to work hard to surpass the Gallardo’s ten year sales record and impress its loyal fan following."

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Hydrophobic Silic shirt repels sweat and stains

Hydrophobic Silic shirt repels sweat and stains: "We're still a long ways away from the self-drying clothing seen in Back to the Future II, but we may have a useful alternative in the form of a piece of clothing that never gets wet to begin with. Young entrepreneur Aamir Patel has developed the Silic shirt, which is made from a hydrophobic fabric that repels liquids away from it like a force field to keep it from getting wet."

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New Audi R18 e-tron quattro racer shoots laser lights

New Audi R18 e-tron quattro racer shoots laser lights: "Audi calls the all-new R18 e-tron quattro LMP1 race car its most complex racer to date. The model has been completely redesigned around the 2014 season's new regulations, and it features more advanced technologies. One of those tech features, which Audi highlighted at the car's world premiere this week, is a set of laser headlights."

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