New small fission reactor for deep-space missions demonstrated

New small fission reactor for deep-space missions demonstrated: "Exploring the regions of deep space beyond Mars means sending probes where solar power isn’t practical. Since the 1960s, NASA has equipped its Apollo missions and unmanned explorers with Radioisotope Thermal Generators (RTGs). These have worked very well, but they run on plutonium 238, which is currently in short supply."

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Satechi dongle turns iOS devices into universal remote controls

Satechi dongle turns iOS devices into universal remote controls: "Having already provided a remote for the control of iOS devices with its BT Media Remote, Satechi has reversed things by releasing a dongle that turns an iOS device into a universal remote control. In combination with a free app, the Universal Remote dongle enables control of devices around the home that use infrared remote controllers"

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New hypercars - 1500 hp Hennessy Venom GT2 and 1400 hp Koenigsegg One:1

New hypercars - 1500 hp Hennessy Venom GT2 and 1400 hp Koenigsegg One:1: "The horsepower proliferation war between the world's hypercar elite looks set to explode again in the next 12 months when both Koenigsegg and Hennessy will debut new versions of their Agera R and Venom GT respectively, both with significantly enhanced performance."

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10 great Google tools you need in your business workflow | PCWorld

10 great Google tools you need in your business workflow | PCWorld: "Google is so ubiquitous in our everyday digital lives that it's easy to overlook the many tools it offers that have a business slant. But there are lots of them, and I'm not just talking about Microsoft Office equivalents such as Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, or Google Analytics"

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US Special Forces seeking subsonic ammunition for covert missions

US Special Forces seeking subsonic ammunition for covert missions: "Most people have experienced the sonic boom of a skillfully wielded whip, or the closely related crack of a nearby bolt of lightning. Such sounds have a character that attracts a good deal of attention, which is why the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is trying to silence them. The crack of a rifle shot is the sonic boom of a supersonic bullet, making stealthy ground missions difficult to accomplish. To address this need, SOCOM has issued a Small Business Innovation Research request for proposal for a feasibility study of suitable subsonic rounds."

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Spark smartens up any standard light socket

Spark smartens up any standard light socket: "The common thing amongst the various smart light bulbs we’ve seen recently, such as the Lumen, Philips hue, LIFX and INSTEON, is that all the enabling wireless technology is built into the bulbs themselves. This means that when the bulb inevitably fails, you’re faced with replacing the whole expensive kit and caboodle. Spark overcomes this problem by separating the expensive wireless components from the bulb, thereby allowing a standard bulb to be connected to the internet."

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Tiny NanoQ quadrocopter could serve as an inexpensive research platform – or a fun toy

Tiny NanoQ quadrocopter could serve as an inexpensive research platform – or a fun toy: "QFO Labs, a Minneapolis-based start-up, is attempting to launch a mini quadcopter toy called the NanoQ. It uses inexpensive 3-axis gyros and accelerometers to remain stable mid-flight, and comes with a one-handed remote that integrates tilt sensors for smooth and natural control – and unlike most quadrotors, the NanoQ's propellers are inverted which prevents them from colliding with ceilings."

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The Gadget Hound locates the items you always lose

The Gadget Hound locates the items you always lose: "There's nothing more frustrating than losing a pair of keys when you're on the way out the door ... except maybe losing your cell phone in that same scenario. Or your wallet. Or sunglasses. Fact is, there are a lot of small, easy-to-lose items that are essential for daily living. So why not keep track of them with an electronic bloodhound, that stays on the scent 24/7? That's the idea behind the Gadget Hound."

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World’s first 100 percent biofuel-powered flight of civil aircraft

World’s first 100 percent biofuel-powered flight of civil aircraft: "Earlier this year, Air Canada joined a growing number of airlines conducting flights using biofuels. Like similar flights by Boeing and Lufthansa, the aircraft was powered by a mix of petroleum and biofuel. Now the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) has removed the fossil fuel component completely with the first flight of a civil jet powered by 100 percent unblended biofuel."

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How to boost lithium battery performance – just add crushed silicon

How to boost lithium battery performance – just add crushed silicon: "Researchers at Rice University and Lockheed Martin may have developed a low-cost method of creating longer-lasting, high-capacity lithium-ion batteries. Currently graphite is used as the anode in commercial li-ion products, despite the fact that a silicon anode could potentially store ten times more lithium ions. The team says it has solved one of the problems associated with silicon, which nearly triples the energy density of current li-ion designs."

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TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect: "Given their impressive flight capabilities, it’s not surprising to see researchers turning to the world of flying insects for inspiration when developing new kinds of micro UAVs. With their ability to both fly at high speeds and hover, the dragonfly would seem an obvious candidate for biomimicry."

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Cloaking technology could protect offshore rigs from destructive waves

Cloaking technology could protect offshore rigs from destructive waves: "Recent years have seen much progress in the development of invisibility cloaks which bend light around an object so it can't be seen, but can the same principles be applied to ocean waves that are strong enough to smash steel and concrete? That's the aim of Reza Alam's underwater “invisibility cloak.” The assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, recently outlined how to use variations of density in ocean water to cloak floating objects from dangerous surface waves."

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