Researchers at Carnegie mellon University’s Robotics Institute are currently developing a magnetic levitation system that they claim provides the most realistic sense of touch yet to be seen on similar devices. Possible applications include microsurgery, computer-augmented design, robot control, and even data visualization. Haptics is the study of touching, and haptic technology refers to that […]
In the following video, investor Steve Jurvetson talks about his awesome hobby — shooting off model rockets. With gorgeous photos, infectious glee and just a whiff of danger. Enjoy!
In the following video, science educator Roy Gould and Microsoft’s Curtis Wong give an astonishing sneak preview of Microsoft’s new WorldWide Telescope — a technology that combines feeds from satellites and telescopes all over the world and the heavens, and weaves them together holistically to build a comprehensive view of our universe.
The Nokia Morph is a flexible, two-piece concept device that can adapt its shape according to the task its user wants it to accomplish. Thanks to nanotechnology, Morph can sense its environment, harvest solar energy, and also clean itself automatically. Featured in The Museum of Modern Art “Design and The Elastic Mind” exhibition, the Morph […]
It’s no secret that boats have been used by man since the dawn of time. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that wind can easily be harnessed for locomotion. It does take a genius, however, to create a vessel powered by waves. In the next few weeks, a well known Japanese adventurer named Kenichi […]
By Mark O’Neill An interesting little article has cropped up on PC World about “five sci-fi scenarios that will eventually become true”. They are : Biometric Security (as seen in Minority Report) Space Tourism (as seen in 2001 : A Space Odyssey) The Holodeck (as seen in Star Trek) Self-Aware Computers (as seen in 2001 […]
If you pump iron regularly, or have been shoveling the damned snow out of your driveway for the past few months, you’ve probably wondered why people sweat in the first place. In the following video, mad scientist Robert Krampf shows us the mechanics behind this natural phenomenon.
Mark your calendars folks! Next Wednesday, starting at around 8:43PM EST, a total lunar eclipse will occur over the Americas. The next one is not due until December 2010, so if the sky is clear, get your derrière up from your computer chair and head outside to observe this rare phenomenon. A lunar eclipse happens […]
Armed with a backhoe and a handful of markers, Deborah Gordon studies ant colonies in the Arizona desert. She asks: How do these chitinous creatures get down to business — and even multitask when they need to — with no language, memory or visible leadership? Her answers could lead to a better understanding of all […]
In the following video, you’ll see a structure composed of two spiral towers sitting in a plate full of ferrofluid, a viscous liquid that is highly saturated with iron particles. As soon as the music starts, a magnetic field is created, which makes the fluid dance up the structure in a bizarre and hypnotic way. […]