We need planes and cars that are lighter so they burn less fuel, stronger so we’re safer aboard them, and less pollutive to produce. The University of Technology Sydney claims to have an answer in a recent breakthrough in graphene nanotech. The synthesized graphene paper (GP) samples produced at UTS are composite materials made from […]
In another crossover between the physical and virtual worlds, it will soon be possible for American owners to “borrow” Kindle books from their local library. The service has been made possible through an agreement between Amazon and Overdrive, an existing service for such e-book borrowing. The service already has apps for devices such as the […]
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have recently developed a polymer-based material that can heal itself when placed under ultraviolet light for less than a minute. Check it out: [Via]
Check out General Atomics’ new railgun as it fires a projectile, which incidentally looks almost exactly like a Hugo Award, through a steel plate and then 7km further. [Via BoingBoing]
The European Union is considering rules in response allegations that ISPs are deliberately blocking certain services. But any action will effectively be net-neutrality lite: officials say they won’t block discrimination based on speed. According to the EU, the strictest definition of net neutrality — that all legal traffic is treated equally — isn’t suitable for practical […]
Thanks to the ReWalk mobility solution, people with severe walking impairments can now walk, sit down, and even ascend/descent stairs again. These robotic legs have an autonomy of 8 hours and are currently priced at $150,000. They may be extremely pricey for now, but as with all new technologies, I’m sure their price will go […]
Kohler is not playing around. Toilets are serious business, and golden throne jokes aside, the company’s new Numi model–a high-tech bidet–was designed for royalty. Equipped with heated seat and foot warmer, a sound system and various water temperature and spray pattern controls, there aren’t really many things the Numi bidet can’t do. If it’s self-cleaning, […]
In yet another thought-controlled technology breakthrough, researchers from the University of California in San Diego have developed a Bluetooth device that allows the wearer to dial a phone by concentrating on the numbers they would normally just input manually. The days of the old-fashioned “actually touch the phone” method of dialing are not gone, however. It’s […]
For the second year running, Sweden and Singapore have been ranked as doing the best job of using technology to boost their economies. The list is dominated by Nordic countries: Sweden ranked highest, with Finland (third), Denmark (seventh) and Norway (ninth) who also ranked highly. The rest of the top ten includes Asian nations Singapore, […]
Dear Richard Branson: choose me. The day has finally come for a select few of us to realize our lifelong dream of being an astronaut. More specifically, the dream of being a Pilot-Astronaut for Virgin Galactic’s commercial spaceflight program. The company has posted the listing for “Pilot-Astronauts” on their careers page, which makes it a […]