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…
Technology
Accidents, Birds, Technology
Eagle Attacks Drone
by JOHN ADAMS •
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 •
Sports, Technology
Pitstops
by JOHN ADAMS •
Space, Technology
Next Month: Pluto
by JOHN ADAMS •
Space, Technology
What It’s Like to Sleep on a Space Station
by JOHN ADAMS •
Technology
Miniature Origami Robot Self-folds, Walks, Swims, Etc.
by JOHN ADAMS •
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 •
Technology
Car v. Drone
by JOHN ADAMS •
Business, Science/Nature, Technology
Test Flight of Blue Origin Spaceship
by JOHN ADAMS •
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…
Technology
Fixed! (I Think…)
by JOHN ADAMS •
Thanks very much to those who wrote me about a problem with this site displaying on some browsers. Your messages have been very much appreciated. I think we’re back in business now, after disabling a pesky plugin that was doing the opposite of what it was supposed to do. One encounters glitches now and again,…