Txchnologist
Chalk another amazing ability up for the supermaterial graphene. It
seems the atom-thick sheets of linked carbon atoms can virtually
eliminate friction.
The simulation above depicts the
graphene-lubricant discovery–blue graphene sheets roll up to encase gold
nanodiamonds as a surface of black diamond-like carbon slides over.
Once the graphene wraps into so-called nanoscrolls around the
nanodiamonds, the sheets make friction disappear.
30-07-2015
The first machine that can jump on water
Ars Technica
We’ve made machines that can float on water and machines that can walk on water, but until now, robots or automata that can leap suddenly into the air from the surface of a pond have eluded us. But a group of engineers, led by a researcher at the Seoul National University, have just created a machine that can jump on water. Rather impressively so, in fact.
We’ve made machines that can float on water and machines that can walk on water, but until now, robots or automata that can leap suddenly into the air from the surface of a pond have eluded us. But a group of engineers, led by a researcher at the Seoul National University, have just created a machine that can jump on water. Rather impressively so, in fact.
Has the time come for floating cities?
Guardian
Until the late 1980s, nestled behind the Yan Ma Tei breakwater in Hong Kong's Causeway Bay, you could find tens of thousands of boat-dwellers who formed a bustling, floating district. The residents were members of the Tanka community, and their ancestors were fishermen who retreated from warfare on land to live permanently in their vessels. Until the mid-20th century, these traditional outcasts were forbidden even to step ashore.
The typhoon shelter was famous for its restaurants' cuisine – including Under Bridge Spicy Crab – and it was a nightlife hub, alive with mahjong games and hired singers. Shops on sampan (flat boats) catered to the floating district's needs.
Until the late 1980s, nestled behind the Yan Ma Tei breakwater in Hong Kong's Causeway Bay, you could find tens of thousands of boat-dwellers who formed a bustling, floating district. The residents were members of the Tanka community, and their ancestors were fishermen who retreated from warfare on land to live permanently in their vessels. Until the mid-20th century, these traditional outcasts were forbidden even to step ashore.
The typhoon shelter was famous for its restaurants' cuisine – including Under Bridge Spicy Crab – and it was a nightlife hub, alive with mahjong games and hired singers. Shops on sampan (flat boats) catered to the floating district's needs.
New Wind Turbines Are Designed To Look Like Trees
Business Insider
A lot of people moan about how wind turbines make the countryside look bad. Clean, renewable energy often comes at a price. Enter "turbine trees" — one company's way of tackling the issue of aesthetics in sustainability.
Designer NewWind R&D has created a "silent" turbine called the Tree Vent that is supposed to blend into the landscapes which house it. It's a 36ft-tall structure made of steel with 72 artificial leaves.
A lot of people moan about how wind turbines make the countryside look bad. Clean, renewable energy often comes at a price. Enter "turbine trees" — one company's way of tackling the issue of aesthetics in sustainability.
Designer NewWind R&D has created a "silent" turbine called the Tree Vent that is supposed to blend into the landscapes which house it. It's a 36ft-tall structure made of steel with 72 artificial leaves.
29-07-2015
'Impossible' rocket drive works and could get to Moon in four hours
Telegraph
Interplanetary travel could be a step closer after scientists confirmed that an electromagnetic propulsion drive, which is fast enough to get to the Moon in four hours, actually works.
Interplanetary travel could be a step closer after scientists confirmed that an electromagnetic propulsion drive, which is fast enough to get to the Moon in four hours, actually works.
The EM Drive was developed by the British inventor Roger Shawyer nearly
15 years ago but was ridiculed at the time as being scientifically
impossible.
It produces thrust by
using solar power to generate multiple microwaves that move back and
forth in an enclosed chamber. This means that until something fails or
wears down, theoretically the engine could keep running forever without
the need for rocket fuel.
27-07-2015
Planetary Resources takes a giant step toward space mining
interesting engineering
Forty six years ago, Neil Armstrong took that one small step for a man; here in 2015, that journey has taken some epic strides. The New Horizons mission is gathering unprecedented data from Pluto and other Kuiper Belt Objects – And as if that could be topped – Planetary Resources takes a giant step toward space mining.
Forty six years ago, Neil Armstrong took that one small step for a man; here in 2015, that journey has taken some epic strides. The New Horizons mission is gathering unprecedented data from Pluto and other Kuiper Belt Objects – And as if that could be topped – Planetary Resources takes a giant step toward space mining.
This Amazing Tree Grows 40 Different Kinds of Fruit Fruit Tree
This is going to blow your mind.
In a video profiling artist and Syracuse University professor Sam Van Aken, viewers are introduced to his extremely interesting hobby.
The four-minute National Geographic feature shows Aken using his “chip grafting” method, which involves slicing a section of a branch and inserting a bud from a desired fruit tree, taping the wound until it’s able to take on the task of growing separate fruits by itself. After a year-long wait, the tree would offer up 40 varieties of stone fruits
Musk, Hawking, and Chomsky warn of impending robot wars fueled by AI
Leading artificial intelligence researchers have warned that an "AI arms race" could be disastrous for humanity, and are urging the UN to consider a ban on "offensive autonomous weapons." An open letter published by the Future of Life Institute (FLI) and signed by high-profile figures including Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, and Noam Chomsky, warns that weapons that automatically "select and engage targets without human intervention" could become the "Kalashnikovs of tomorrow," fueling war, terrorism, and global instability.
26-07-2015
Cells with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads?!?
Researchers from the University of St. Andrews figure out a way to attach laser lights to cells to make them easier to keep track of. Because they don't make name tags that tiny.
25-07-2015
Underwater Greenhouses Offer Creative Solution To Food Crisis
There actually is an octopus in this garden.
For the past few years, from May-September, a few small transparent enclosures pop up on the seafloor off the coast of Italy.
The structures are underwater greenhouses, anchored 20 feet below the surface of the water, filled with air and small amounts of crops. Unlike land-based gardens, there are no pests—the only animals seen in this garden are some seahorses, crabs, and, yes, octopuses.
24-07-2015
First biometric social network
Neurogadget
As Beta Testing has begun on the worlds first biometric social network, what can be expected from this new platform? Will users someday be able to “send” a feeling to a friend? The answer is: YES.
What we think, how we feel, and our general opinions about what we
are experiencing are registered in our brains, transmitted to our body,
and displayed through our biometrics.
As Beta Testing has begun on the worlds first biometric social network, what can be expected from this new platform? Will users someday be able to “send” a feeling to a friend? The answer is: YES.
21-07-2015
Physicist in Omaha Is Still Working on a Warp Drive in His Garage
When David Pares works in his garage at night, he has to do it by flashlight. That’s because he just doesn’t have the power for lights with what he says he’s building in there: the first-ever working warp motor, the holy grail of sci-fi technology.
US arms maker Raytheon 3D-prints guided missile parts
US arms producer Raytheon says it has manufactured most parts of a guided missile through 3D-printing. The company is working on adding complex electronic circuitry to the list of things that can be fabricated this way.
19-07-2015
Hacking the nervous system
One nerve connects your vital organs, sensing and shaping your health. If we learn to control it, the future of medicine will be electric.
New molecular transistor can control single electrons
Researchers from Germany, Japan and the United States have managed to create a tiny, reliable transistor assembled from a single molecule and a dozen additional atoms. The transistor reportedly operates so precisely that it can control the flow of single electrons, paving the way for the next generation of nanomaterials and miniaturized electronics
18-07-2015
A robot just passed the self-awareness test
Techradar
Roboticists at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York have built a trio of robots that were put through the classic 'wise men puzzle' test of self-awareness - and one of them passed.
In the puzzle, a fictional king is choosing a new advisor and gathers the three wisest people in the land. He promises the contest will be fair, then puts either a blue or white hat on each of their heads and tells them all that the first person to stand up and correctly deduce the colour of their own hat will become his new advisor.
Selmer Bringsjord set up a similar situation for the three robots - two were prevented from talking, then all three were asked which one was still able to speak. All attempt to say "I don't know", but only one succeeds - and when it hears its own voice, it understands that it was not silenced, saying "Sorry, I know now!"
However, as we can assume that all three robots were coded the same, technically, all three have passed this self-awareness test.
Roboticists at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York have built a trio of robots that were put through the classic 'wise men puzzle' test of self-awareness - and one of them passed.
In the puzzle, a fictional king is choosing a new advisor and gathers the three wisest people in the land. He promises the contest will be fair, then puts either a blue or white hat on each of their heads and tells them all that the first person to stand up and correctly deduce the colour of their own hat will become his new advisor.
Selmer Bringsjord set up a similar situation for the three robots - two were prevented from talking, then all three were asked which one was still able to speak. All attempt to say "I don't know", but only one succeeds - and when it hears its own voice, it understands that it was not silenced, saying "Sorry, I know now!"
However, as we can assume that all three robots were coded the same, technically, all three have passed this self-awareness test.
Massless particle with promise for next-generation electronics found
Phys
An international team led by Princeton University scientists has discovered Weyl fermions, an elusive massless particle theorized 85 years ago. The particle could give rise to faster and more efficient electronics because of its unusual ability to behave as matter and antimatter inside a crystal, according to new research.
The researchers report in the journal Science July 16 the first observation of Weyl fermions, which, if applied to next-generation electronics, could allow for a nearly free and efficient flow of electricity in electronics, and thus greater power, especially for computers, the researchers suggest.
An international team led by Princeton University scientists has discovered Weyl fermions, an elusive massless particle theorized 85 years ago. The particle could give rise to faster and more efficient electronics because of its unusual ability to behave as matter and antimatter inside a crystal, according to new research.
The researchers report in the journal Science July 16 the first observation of Weyl fermions, which, if applied to next-generation electronics, could allow for a nearly free and efficient flow of electricity in electronics, and thus greater power, especially for computers, the researchers suggest.
17-07-2015
Sandisk Wireless USB
With sales of PCs declining and users increasingly turning to mobile devices to stay connected, productive and entertained, traditional memory-maker SanDisk has been transforming itself to stay relevant. That transformation began with the SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive, and this year the product got slimmer and lasts longer with the Connect Wireless Stick.
14-07-2015
Large Hadron Collider discovers new pentaquark particle
Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider have announced the discovery of a new particle called the pentaquark.
It was first predicted to exist in the 1960s but, much like the Higgs boson particle before it, the pentaquark eluded science for decades until its detection at the LHC
13-07-2015
Electronics Shot Monitors Brain
This shot could make you into a cyborg.
Researchers are developing flexible electronics that they can load into a syringe and inject into the body. They envision the mesh of electrodes one day being injected into the brain to “mobilize and monitor neural cells” or into other living tissue to stimulate and record cellular functions.
3-D printers poised to have major implications for food manufacturing
The use of 3D printers has the potential to revolutionize the way food is manufactured within the next 10 to 20 years, impacting everything from how military personnel get food on the battlefield to how long it takes to get a meal from the computer to your table, according to a July 12th symposium at IFT15: Where Science Feeds Innovation hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) in Chicago.
12-07-2015
Scientists use Wi-Fi signals to power camera without battery
Indian Express
Scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have used Wi-Fi signals to power a battery-free camera five metres away, an advance that brings the idea of Internet of things closer to reality.
Internet of things is the concept that almost every object could be fitted with a chip that broadcasts data such as its location or whether some other parameter such as temperature or pressure is dangerously high or low. However, for the Internet of things to become a reality engineers have to solve one potential problem: how to power these numerous tiny machines.
Scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have used Wi-Fi signals to power a battery-free camera five metres away, an advance that brings the idea of Internet of things closer to reality.
Internet of things is the concept that almost every object could be fitted with a chip that broadcasts data such as its location or whether some other parameter such as temperature or pressure is dangerously high or low. However, for the Internet of things to become a reality engineers have to solve one potential problem: how to power these numerous tiny machines.
Seasteading Institute aims to build floating city by 2020
Gizmag
An organization in which Paypal founder Peter Thiel is an investor is aiming to build a floating city-state by 2020. The Seasteading Institute says semi-independent floating cities would provide an opportunity to try out new modes of government and could also tackle a number of other problems.The Seasteading Institute says the development of floating cities is the first step in fulfilling what it calls the "8 Great Moral Imperatives," which include feeding the hungry, enriching the poor, curing the sick, cleaning the atmosphere, restoring the oceans, living in balance with nature, powering civilization sustainably and and putting an end to fighting.
An organization in which Paypal founder Peter Thiel is an investor is aiming to build a floating city-state by 2020. The Seasteading Institute says semi-independent floating cities would provide an opportunity to try out new modes of government and could also tackle a number of other problems.The Seasteading Institute says the development of floating cities is the first step in fulfilling what it calls the "8 Great Moral Imperatives," which include feeding the hungry, enriching the poor, curing the sick, cleaning the atmosphere, restoring the oceans, living in balance with nature, powering civilization sustainably and and putting an end to fighting.
Boeing patents laser-powered fusion-fission jet engine for airplanes, spacecraft
Ars Technica
Assume the brace position. Boeing has received a patent for, I kid you not, a laser-powered fusion-fission jet propulsion system. Boeing envisions that this system could replace both rocket and turbofan engines, powering everything from spacecraft to missiles to airplanes.
The patent, US 9,068,562, combines inertial confinement fusion, fission, and a turbine that generates electricity. It sounds completely crazy—and it is completely unrealistic given our current mastery of fusion, or lack thereof—but, in the future perhaps, this could be a rather ingenious solution.
Assume the brace position. Boeing has received a patent for, I kid you not, a laser-powered fusion-fission jet propulsion system. Boeing envisions that this system could replace both rocket and turbofan engines, powering everything from spacecraft to missiles to airplanes.
The patent, US 9,068,562, combines inertial confinement fusion, fission, and a turbine that generates electricity. It sounds completely crazy—and it is completely unrealistic given our current mastery of fusion, or lack thereof—but, in the future perhaps, this could be a rather ingenious solution.
10-07-2015
Airbus' all-electric E-Fan aircraft crosses the English Channel
This adorable little two-seater isn't about to replace Airbus' airliners, but the E-Fan — a light aircraft powered by lithium-ion batteries and two electric motors — just set a notable aviation milestone by crossing the English Channel. The 36-minute event took place earlier today, departing from Lydd, England and arriving in Calais, France.
09-07-2015
IBM has created the most powerful computer chip yet
IBM has created a fully functional version of the most powerful computer chip yet, Ars Technica reports.
The chip has transistor gates that are only 7 nanometers (nm) wide. To give an idea of how small that is, a strand of DNA is about 2.5 nanometers in diameter.
The lowered nanometer count is a big deal as in general a smaller “nm” number, means manufacturers can fit more transistors, which are tiny switches that act as the building blocks of processors, onto the chip thus increasing its power and performance
Centimeter-accurate GPS system could transform virtual reality and mobile devices
Phys
Researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a centimeter-accurate GPS-based positioning system that could revolutionize geolocation on virtual reality headsets, cellphones and other technologies, making global positioning and orientation far more precise than what is currently available on a mobile device.
Researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a centimeter-accurate GPS-based positioning system that could revolutionize geolocation on virtual reality headsets, cellphones and other technologies, making global positioning and orientation far more precise than what is currently available on a mobile device.
Atmospheric Drinking Water Generator
Time
Called the Atmospheric Water Generation Unit, the generator-powered device can produce up to 450 gallons of clean water a day for as little as eight cents a gallon. (It needs about 310 watt-hours of energy to make a liter — just over a quart — of drinking water.) Available in either ground or vehicle configurations, the units are no lightweights, weighing in at about 1100 and 175 pounds, respectively. Prices start at $18,000 for the Gen-40 vehicle model and $30,000 for the larger, Gen-350 ground unit
08-07-2015
Mind-Reading Program Can Now Translate Your Thoughts Into Text
Technology has gotten so advanced that speaking into your phone can allow for text to display on the screen. Technology can alsoreconstruct video based on a person's thoughts and even anticipate your moves while you drive. A new program, a brain-to-text system, can now translate brain activity into written words.
In a recent study, published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, seven patients had electrode sheets placed on their brains that collected neural data while they read passages aloud from the Gettysburg Address, JFK’s inaugural speech, and Humpty Dumpty.
07-07-2015
White Noise Device Helps You Focus
For most people, it is very difficult to get focused at work while there is a lot of background noise going on like their colleagues talking or telephones ringing. In order to solve this, the French designers Nicolas Schmitt and Hélène Casado have created “Joe”, a small gadget that blocks these noises so those around it won’t get distracted
06-07-2015
Gold Nanoparticles Can Remote Control the Brain
Smithsonian
For the Guardian, Mo Costandi describes two proposed treatments that use gold nanoparticles to switch nerve cells on. A group of researchers at the University of Chicago, led by Francisco Benzanilla, created gold nanorods that will attach to specific molecules embedded in nerve cell membranes. A gentle pulse of infrared light warms the nanorods which in turn causes the neurons to fire. They’ve tested the system using dorsal root ganglion [DRG] neurons, which cluster in the spinal cord and are important for relaying information about pain and touch
For the Guardian, Mo Costandi describes two proposed treatments that use gold nanoparticles to switch nerve cells on. A group of researchers at the University of Chicago, led by Francisco Benzanilla, created gold nanorods that will attach to specific molecules embedded in nerve cell membranes. A gentle pulse of infrared light warms the nanorods which in turn causes the neurons to fire. They’ve tested the system using dorsal root ganglion [DRG] neurons, which cluster in the spinal cord and are important for relaying information about pain and touch
These are the projects Elon Musk is funding to prevent killer AI
The Verge
Elon Musk has donated millions to the Future of Life Institute, and now the organization is putting that money to use by funding research into keeping artificial intelligence "robust and beneficial" — i.e. not something that will turn on humanity Skynet style. The institute announced this week that it will be issuing grants to 37 research teams, whittled down from an applicant least of around 300. The teams are taking on the killer AI issue from different angles, including teaching AI to learn what humans want, aligning robots' interests with our own, and keeping AI under human control.
Elon Musk has donated millions to the Future of Life Institute, and now the organization is putting that money to use by funding research into keeping artificial intelligence "robust and beneficial" — i.e. not something that will turn on humanity Skynet style. The institute announced this week that it will be issuing grants to 37 research teams, whittled down from an applicant least of around 300. The teams are taking on the killer AI issue from different angles, including teaching AI to learn what humans want, aligning robots' interests with our own, and keeping AI under human control.
Airbnb Needs to Be Better at Search Than Google ( AI )
Wired
This weekend, tens of millions of Americans are heading off to the beach, the lake, the mountains, or wherever the barbecues and beers await. And for many holiday travelers these days, that means scouring Airbnb to find that perfect oceanfront cottage that sleeps eight, comes with a washer, dryer, Wi-Fi, and free parking on the premises.
But what most people won’t realize when they nestle into their respective crash pads this July 4th is just how complex that search process really is.
This weekend, tens of millions of Americans are heading off to the beach, the lake, the mountains, or wherever the barbecues and beers await. And for many holiday travelers these days, that means scouring Airbnb to find that perfect oceanfront cottage that sleeps eight, comes with a washer, dryer, Wi-Fi, and free parking on the premises.
But what most people won’t realize when they nestle into their respective crash pads this July 4th is just how complex that search process really is.
04-07-2015
Lexus says it's made a hoverboard
The Verge
Stop me if you've heard this one before, but a company has created a working, honest-to-god-it's-real hoverboard. It's called "Slide," and it's made by Lexus.
There's not much information about it aside from a microsite, a promotional video, and a few photos of the thing. The marketing stunt is part of a broader art-meets-technology type of campaign currently being run by the company. The Slide site says the board creates "frictionless movement" using magnetic levitation. Inside the board you'd find magnets, it says, some of which are liquid nitrogen-cooled superconducting.
Stop me if you've heard this one before, but a company has created a working, honest-to-god-it's-real hoverboard. It's called "Slide," and it's made by Lexus.
There's not much information about it aside from a microsite, a promotional video, and a few photos of the thing. The marketing stunt is part of a broader art-meets-technology type of campaign currently being run by the company. The Slide site says the board creates "frictionless movement" using magnetic levitation. Inside the board you'd find magnets, it says, some of which are liquid nitrogen-cooled superconducting.
This 2000-Year-Old Pigment Can Eliminate The Third Dimension
IO9
You'll see Han purple on the famous terracotta warriors surrounding the tomb of the first emperor of China, or on ancient pottery and other works of art. Where you won't see it is on anything made between 220 A.D. and 1992, because after the pigment disappeared it took 1700 years to re-discover it. Elisabeth FitzHugh, a conservator at the Smithsonian, pinned down the chemical composition of the pigment and announced it was a barium copper silicate. (The paper describing the discovery is a fun read. It starts by pointing out the inferiority of other ancient purple pigments, which tended to be closer to red than purple. It also stresses that Tyrian purple, made from sea snails, was a textile dye, not a pigment, and that it could range anywhere from "reddish-blue to purplish-violet." Take that, Phoenicians!)
You'll see Han purple on the famous terracotta warriors surrounding the tomb of the first emperor of China, or on ancient pottery and other works of art. Where you won't see it is on anything made between 220 A.D. and 1992, because after the pigment disappeared it took 1700 years to re-discover it. Elisabeth FitzHugh, a conservator at the Smithsonian, pinned down the chemical composition of the pigment and announced it was a barium copper silicate. (The paper describing the discovery is a fun read. It starts by pointing out the inferiority of other ancient purple pigments, which tended to be closer to red than purple. It also stresses that Tyrian purple, made from sea snails, was a textile dye, not a pigment, and that it could range anywhere from "reddish-blue to purplish-violet." Take that, Phoenicians!)
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