Smart Dust

"In the 1990s, a researcher named Kris Pister dreamed up a wild future in which people would sprinkle the Earth with countless tiny sensors, no larger than grains of rice.

These "smart dust" particles, as he called them, would monitor everything, acting like electronic nerve endings for the planet. Fitted with computing power, sensing equipment, wireless radios and long battery life, the smart dust would make observations and relay mountains of real-time data about people, cities and the natural environment.

Now, a version of Pister's smart dust fantasy is starting to become reality...

The latest news comes from the computer and printing company Hewlett-Packard, which recently announced it's working on a project it calls the "Central Nervous System for the Earth." In coming years, the company plans to deploy a trillion sensors all over the planet. " - CNN Tech

Yea, that is what we need, right? Tiny sensors we can't see monitoring everything around us including us. Cataloging all matter movement on the planet. Sounds like TOTAL surveillance to me. Cool Tech. WAY too much power and temptation to use for ill. What do you think? Please comment.

Superheavy element 117 discovered!!!

Scientists at the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions at the Joint Institute of Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia announced internally that they had succeeded in detecting the decay of a new element in January 2010, and the results have now been published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

The two-year experimental campaign began at the High Flux Isotope Reactor in Oak Ridge with a 250-day irradiation to produce 22 mg of berkelium. This was followed by 90 days of processing at Oak Ridge to separate and purify the berkelium, target preparation at the Research Institute for Advanced Reactors in Dimitrovgrad, 150 days of bombardment at one of the world’s most powerful heavy ion accelerators at Dubna, data analysis at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Dubna, and assessment and review of the results by the team. The entire process was driven by the 320-day half-life of the berkelium target material.

The experiment produced six atoms of element 117. For each atom, the team observed the alpha decay from element 117 to 115 to 113 and so on until the nucleus fissioned, splitting into two lighter elements. In total, 11 new “neutron-rich” isotopes were produced, bringing researchers closer to the presumed “island of stability” of superheavy elements.

More of this article is available at www.gizmag.com

Richard Branson's New Underwater Plane

$663,000 prototype submersible is called the Necker Nymph and can dive to depths of up to 130ft.
Do I see Virgin Oceanic on the horizon?

BMW augmented repair!!

BMW is in the midst of developing an Augmented Reality maintenance system for its mechanics. You can see how this can increase efficiency, virtually eliminate errors and reduce training even for extremely complex maintenance.

Although, I believe this is a concept video rather than an actual video of the system in action, you can see some of the key goals. A wireless lightweight headset, voice recognition, animated visual augmentation as well as verbal guidance.



via - http://www.immersivetech.org/

E.Coli Cleans up Nuclear Waste

"E. Coli does more than just make people sick — it can also be used to clean up nuclear waste, according to researchers at Birmingham University. The research team found that E. Coli bacteria effectively breaks down phytic acid (a phosphate storage material found in seeds) and releases the phosphate molecules, which bind to uranium to create a uranium phosphate precipitate. The precipitate can be harvested to recover uranium, and voila – no more nuclear waste.
The uranium recovery process isn’t new. It was discovered in 1995, but scientists used an additive that was more expensive and less efficient than phytic acid. And since the price of uranium was low at the time, scientists saw no need to look into commercializing the process. But with an uptick in the price of uranium and the discovery of phytic acid’s effectiveness, the process has become economically viable.
In addition to cleaning up nuclear waste sites, uranium recovered with the phytic acid process can be reused for nuclear energy. And for countries like the UK that lack natural uranium reserves, E. Coli could be one of the keys to a low-carbon future." -inhabitat.com

Wi-Fi signals used to see through walls

"Researchers from the University of Utah have found a way of harnessing Wi-Fi signals to see through walls.
The researchers say that the variation of radio signals in a wireless network can reveal the movements of people behind closed doors or even a wall.

Joey Wilson and Neal Patwari, from the University of Utah, have used the principle of variance-based radio tomographic imaging. The system works by measuring interference between the nodes of wireless devices. If someone passes through that field, the device registers a change in the levels of resistance, and feeds that information back to a computer."

-Telegrah.co.uk

-arXiv.org

Human sperm created from stem cells!

Haynes has Apollo.

"NASA Apollo 11 Manual
An insight into the hardware from the first manned mission to land on the moon
By: Christopher Riley & Philip Dolling

On 20 July 1969, US astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. This is the story of the Apollo 11 mission and the 'space hardware' that made it all possible. This manual looks at the evolution and design of the mighty Saturn V rocket, the Command and Service Modules, and the Lunar Module. It describes the space suits worn by the crew and their special life support and communications systems. We learn about how the Apollo 11 mission was flown - from launch procedures to 'flying' the Saturn V and the 'LEM', and from moon walking to the earth re-entry procedure.
Hardback, 270 x 210mm, 176 pages, 220 colour & 125 b&w illustrations"



HAYNES APOLLO MANUAL HERE

LikeAFish extracts air from water!

"Like-A-Fish Technologies revolutionizes diving technology and marks a breakthrough in the history of diving. The company introduces for the first time in history scuba equipment that extracts air from water."
- LikeAFish Tech

“Peugeot Capsule”

Designer Alp Germaner creates The “Peugeot Capsule;” a one person, off-road, electric vehicle inspired by the KLR 650 motorcycle. Complete with integrated GPS, LCD screens that double as rear-view mirrors & full time internet connectivity.
-yankodesign

NuVinci Continuously Variable Transmission

Very facinating transmission hub design. Very fluid movement. I really want to try one of these!

SEGWAY + GM = PUMA

P.U.M.A. (Personal Urban Mobility & Accessibility)

WiiSpray virtual graffitti,

WiiSpray Teaser from Martin Lihs on Vimeo.

Next Gen Carbon Nanotube Muscles

"Baughman and his colleagues have produced a formulation that's stronger than steel, as light as air and more flexible than rubber — a truly 21st century muscle. It could be used to make artificial limbs, "smart" skins, shape-changing structures, ultra-strong robots and — in the immediate future — highly-efficient solar cells."
Source - wired.com

Homemade Robots

Check this out!

3-D Scanner / Printer Combo

Featured at Jay's Garage

Latest Spray-on Solar panels

"Researchers in Australia have started a three-year project to develop a spray-on coating for solar panels and more efficient cells that are less costly than today's PV. Australian National University (ANU) is working with new Australian solar company Spark Solar and Finnish materials company Braggone Oy on the method, which could be commercially available by 2011." - gizmag.com

MIT's energy-harvesting shock absorbers

A team of MIT undergraduate students has invented a shock absorber that harnesses energy from small bumps in the road, generating electricity while it smoothes the ride more effectively than conventional shocks. - MIT news

WHE - Waste Heat Engine

"Cyclone’s Waste Heat Engine (WHE, pronounced “we”) is a low temperature, low pressure, self-starting model of the Cyclone Engine.

Because the WHE runs on heat as low as 225 degrees, it can pull its power from many different sources of “wasted” heat or renewable fuels..." - www.cyclonepower.com

I have been saying for many years now this type of technology should be standard in kitchen ovens.

Ford's Transit EV will be available in U.S. Ford dealerships in 2010.