Technology
Animals, Good Ideas, Technology
Kangaroo-Avoidance Technology
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Only a matter of time — Stateside, as large mammals go, deer are probably the single biggest threat to cars traveling the highways. Now, imagine a smaller, “very unpredictable” deer that hops on two legs: that’s the hell of driving in Australia, where some 20,000 kangaroo collisions are said to happen annually…. There’s no word…
Science/Nature, Technology
The RoboBee
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
For decades researchers have been trying to create this incredible vehicle, but with little success, Harvard University reported. The largest challenge has been a serious conflict in design requirements: aerial vehicles require large airfoils such as wings or a sail, while underwater vehicles need to minimize their surface area to reduce drag. To solve this problem,…
Health, Music, Technology
The Cyborg Drummer
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
In 2012, the drummer Jason Barnes was cleaning an exhaust duct when he was electrocuted by 22,000 volts of electricity. He lost his right hand and believed his days as a musician were done. That’s when Gil Weinberg, professor of musical technology at Georgia Tech, stepped in with a robotic hand that gave Barnes his…
Business, Restaurant, Technology
Are Automats Restaurants?
by JOHN ADAMS • • 1 Comment
There’s a story over at the New York Times about a new business in San Francisco, Eatsa, that’s like an old-fashioned automat: “[a]t this restaurant, customers order, pay and receive their food and never interact with a person.” See, Restaurant of the Future? Service With an Impersonal Touch @ NYT. (The story’s somewhat puzzling because reporter Claire…
Accidents, Birds, Technology
Eagle Attacks Drone
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
The drone pilot, from Australia, comments on the encounter: **Eagle was fine – she was massive, and used talon’s to ‘punch’ the drone out of the sky. Hung around overhead so I got a really good look. Eagle’s health was my main concern also** This is the last thing a small bird sees when a Wedge-Tailed…
Technology
Engineering a Bionic Hand
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Sports, Technology
Pitstops
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Space, Technology
Next Month: Pluto
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Space, Technology
What It’s Like to Sleep on a Space Station
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Technology
Miniature Origami Robot Self-folds, Walks, Swims, Etc.
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
At ICRA 2015 in Seattle yesterday [that is, 5.27.15], researchers from MIT demonstrated an untethered miniature origami robot that self-folds, walks, swims, and degrades. That’s the title of their paper, in fact, and they delivered on all of those promises: from a flat sheet with a magnet on it, their robot folds itself up in just a…
Technology
The Solo Drone from 3D Robotics
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Technology
Car v. Drone
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Business, Science/Nature, Technology
Test Flight of Blue Origin Spaceship
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Blue Origin, a private spaceflight company, tested its New Shepard spaceship yesterday. The capsule tested properly, but the engineers were unable to recover the rocket booster (as they had hoped they would be able to do). Still, the launch alone demonstrates progress, and certainly impresses. See, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin Launches Private Spaceship Test Flight…