Category: Science & Engineering

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From Popular Science – New Technology, Science News, The Future Now: Video: Adam Savage Show Off His “Rocketeer”-Inspired Rocket Engines

Adam Savage’s Rocketeer Pack Tested.com

Today’s the 21st anniversary of The Rocketeer, and Tested has a treat for fans of the Disney flick (or fans of Mythbusters): Adam Savage displaying the engines of his in-progress Rocketeer jet pack.

The whole pack isn’t up and running, he says in the video, because apparently there’s one guy out there who specializes in crafting parts of Rocketeer jetpacks (recession-proof). But after that: jetpack.

[Tested]

Here’s Adam Savage talking about it. The original trailer’s below if you aren’t familiar or need a refresher.

 

from Popular Science – New Technology, Science News, The Future Now

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From Technology Review RSS Feeds: Statistics Unmask Phony Online Reviews

Computer analysis spots the fingerprints that fraudulent raters leave behind.

Searching for hotels in cities they’ve never visited, people often turn to customer-written reviews on websites such as TripAdvisor. But how do they know those reviews weren’t written by the hotel manager, or by someone paid to post fake opinions online? The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has issued fines when it has uncovered such “opinion spam,” but there’s no easy way to spot it.




from Technology Review RSS Feeds

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From Geeks are Sexy Technology News: How Lasers Work

In the following video, Bill Hammack, the engineer guy, shows how the three key characteristics of laser light – single wavelength, narrow beam, and high intensity – are made. He explains the operation of a ruby laser – the first laser ever made – showing how electronic transitions create stimulated emission to give coherent light, and then how the ends of the ruby cavity create a narrow wavelength highly collimated beam.

[The Engineer Guy]

 

from Geeks are Sexy Technology News

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From Engadget: MIT engineers develop glucose-based fuel cell to be used in neural implants

MIT engineers develop glucose-based fuel cell to be used in neural implants

We’ve seen fuel cells used in a variety of gadgets — from cars to portable chargers — and while medical devices aren’t exactly at the top of the list, they’re yet another application for these mini power sources. MIT engineers are turning to sugar to make fuel cells for powering brain implants. The scientists developed cells that use platinum to strip electrons from glucose molecules found in a patient’s cerebrospinal fluid to create a small electric current. The fuel cells are fabricated on a silicon chip so they can interface with other circuits in a brain implant. The prototype can generate up to hundreds of micro watts, which is enough to power neural implants used to help paralyzed patients move their limbs. Mind you, this technology is years away from making it to market. The next step will be proving that the devices work in animals, which reminds us of one Ricky the rat, who survived a biofuel cell implant back in 2010.

 

from Engadget

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From Droid Life: Sensordrone for Android, a Kickstarter That Actually Looks Worthy of My Money

Click here to view the embedded video.

We recently came across the Sensordrone project on Kickstarter, and frankly, it looks pretty awesome. With the sensor hardware that connects through Bluetooth to your device, checking the carbon monoxide levels in an area, natural/artificial lighting, and even your BAC is made possible. The hardware comes with a ton of various sensors onboard which is what makes some of the following things possible:

Application examples:

  • Air quality
  • Breath alcohol
  • Color matching
  • Non-contact thermometer
  • Weather monitoring
  • Crowd sourced Sensor Data
  • Games (totally new concepts)
  • Flatulence (use gas sensors for both serious and not so serious measurements)
  • Totally new applications/Multi-sensor mayhem!

To receive a beta of the Sensordrone you only have to donate $99, which isn’t too bad. The project has already reached its goal, so this will in fact come to fruition. Does checking your BAC before you drive home from the bar interest you at all?

Via: Kickstarter

Cheers Isaac! <3

from Droid Life

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From Autoblog: Report: Disco ball-inspired side-view mirror eliminates the blind spot

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The view behind a Drexel University professor has never looked better, wider or less distorted than with his all-new rear view mirror that eliminates blind spots.

“Imagine that the mirror’s surface is made of many smaller mirrors turned to different angles, like a disco ball,” said R. Andrew Hicks, a mathematics professor at Drexel, who received a patent on his mirror in May.

Hicks developed an algorithm to control the angle light bounces off the mirror making his curved mirror not act like a curved mirror. The mirror has a field of view of 45 degrees, while most regular rear view mirrors on cars have a field of view between 15 and 17 degrees.

While offering a much wider view, the mirror will not make it onto new U.S. vehicles any time soon. Mirrors on the driver’s side must be completely flat. Ford has one solution for federal regulations with its blind spot mirror, which is regular mirror that includes a convex spotter mirror in the upper left-hand corner.

But judging by photos, Hicks’ mirror offers a much cleaner and less distorted view. It can be sold as an aftermarket accessory, and Hicks has had some interest from manufacturers in producing it.

 

from Autoblog

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From Ars Technica: Using LiDAR, filmmaker discovers “lost city”

Cinematographer Steve Elkins announced last week that by using LiDAR (light detection and ranging), he discovered “what appears to be evidence of archaeological ruins in an area long rumored to contain the legendary lost city of Ciudad Blanca.” The phrasing “lost city” is problematic, however: it’s hard to lose a city when the city itself is a myth.

The mapping project, conducted over 40 hours split between seven flights during April and May, was led by Elkins’ group, UTL Scientific. Participants include the thriller writer Douglas Preston, who is the former editor at the American Museum of Natural History. The project took place in conjunction with the government of Honduras with the help of technicians from the National Science Foundation’s National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping and professors from the University of Houston.

The tech

The LiDAR survey covered the history-rich northeastern Mosquitia region of Honduras. They overflew the area, sending “25 to 50 laser pulses per square meter—a total of more than four billion laser shots” to the ground, according to the University of Houston, and capturing differences in elevation of as little as four inches. This process can look underneath forest canopies, producing a 3D map of areas in hours or days that an overland, machete-hacking expedition might take years to do.

 

from Ars Technica