One truism of nuclear reactors is that you really don't want to be next to one. Unfortunately, reactor cores need to be inspected and maintained, which means teams of workers going inside the containment vessel. It's an operation that's not only hazardous, but expensive and time consuming. In an effort to make such inspections safer, cheaper, and faster, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy has developed the Stinger; a free-swimming, remote-controlled robot that replaces humans for cleaning and inspecting reactor vessels.
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GE atomic swimmer robot keeps tabs on nuclear reactors Section:
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RobotGeneral ElectricHitachiRoboticsNuclearRelated Articles:
Hitachi unveils clean-up robot destined for Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plantLasers point to the future of uranium enrichmentHitachi developing reactor that burns nuclear wasteMitsubishi adapts EV batteries for Super Giraffe robotMitsubishi Heavy Industries reveals nuclear plant inspection robot MHI-MEISTeRToshiba unveils four-legged nuclear plant inspection robot
If there's one area where the 21st century has gone backwards technologically, it's in supersonic passenger flight. With the grounding of the Concorde fleets in 2003, flying faster than the speed of sound reverted to a military monopoly, but that hasn't kept engineers from trying for
a revival. Now Airbus' Marco Prampolini and Yohann Coraboeuf have been granted a US patent for an "ultra-rapid air vehicle" designed to fly at 20 km (12.4 mi) higher than conventional aircraft and over four times the speed of sound – twice the speed of Concorde... Continue Reading
Airbus patents design for Mach 4-plus supersonic jet Section:
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Spike S-512 Supersonic Jet will have screens instead of windowsNASA's "flying saucer" completes second testThird test flight of X-51A hypersonic missile ends in failureIs Russia working on a crazy supersonic cargo plane?Spike S-512 could be the world's first supersonic business jetUltra-efficient 4,000 mph vacuum-tube trains – why aren't they being built?
Recently, NASA has been looking at
CubeSats as a way of carrying out economical deep space missions. One of the first of these may be shoebox-sized satellite called the Lunar IceCube, which is designed to look for water ice and other resources on the Moon. Tentatively aimed to launch on the first
Orion mission scheduled to fly by 2018, it is intended to not only uncover materials for future deep-space missions and lunar colonization, but also as a technology demonstrator for a new class of interplanetary probes... Continue Reading
Diminutive Lunar IceCube satellite to scan Moon for water and other resources Section:
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MoonBusek CompanyCubeSatNASAMorehead State UniversityRelated Articles:
Startup helps you build your very own picosatellite on a budgetNASA plans first interplanetary CubeSatsHow do you put a big antenna on a tiny satellite? Make it inflatableTiny satellites will use Kinect to dock with one anotherNASA's Space Launch System to deploy 11 additional satellites on maiden launchLightSail successfully deploys solar sail
The Curiosity rover has now been on Mars for
three years, and to mark the occasion, NASA has released two new tools designed to both educate the public and help scientists select future landing sites. The tools allow visitors to learn more about Curiosity and its mission and explore the Martian surface by climbing aboard Curiosity for a virtual tour... Continue Reading
NASA marks Curiosity's third anniversary with new interactive online tools Section:
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McLaren celebrates 50th anniversary with limited edition 12CBlue Train Race 75th anniversary modelB&O 80th Anniversary Limited Edition BeoCom 2 cordless telephoneMars Opportunity rover celebrates 11 years on the Red Planet with impressive panoramaCuriosity marks two years on MarsSpectacular Landsat 8 flyover stretches from Sweden to British Columbia
The world's growing population faces a constant string of tradeoffs. On the one hand, we need more rice to feed ourselves. On the other hand, control of greenhouse gases is a major priority and rice growing generates a lot of methane. It seems like a Catch 22, but a team led by the US Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has come up with a genetically engineered strain of rice that not only produces almost no methane, but also more grains... Continue Reading
Addition of a single gene makes rice more environmentally friendly Section:
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Plantui Plantation gives the smart garden room to growEarth's oceans found to be a much greater source of greenhouse gas than previously believedSupermarket with rooftop greenhouse to sell über-local produceRoots Up greenhouse collects mountain dew to water crops in Ethiopian highlandsA warm little bubble for your back gardenNASA takes climate change study to the air
The International Space Station (ISS) was the scene of an historic lunch this week with the crew members of Expedition 44 dining on the first meal harvested in space. The dish, which consisted on leaves of "Outredgeous" red romaine lettuce grown in NASA's "
Veggie" zero-gravity greenhouse, is part of the space agency's effort to find ways to feed tomorrow's deep-space travelers... Continue Reading
Astronauts chow down on space harvest for the first time Section:
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Supermarket with rooftop greenhouse to sell über-local produceThe Green Wheel would grow herbs and veggies, Halo-styleUrban Cultivator automatically grows greens indoorsECO-Cycle kit grows greens and cleans aquarium waterSolving the global food crisis: vertical aeroponic farm grows food out of thin airAgri-Cube grows mass quantities of vegetables in a one-car parking spot
One of the great tragedies of the Second World War has been remembered with Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul G Allen recovering the bell from the British battlecruiser HMS Hood, which was sunk in battle 74 years ago by Hitler’s flagship Bismarck. The brass ship's bell was recovered from a mile and a half (2.4 km) down in the Denmark Straits by a remote operated submersible (ROV) controlled from Allen's private yacht M/Y Octopus... Continue Reading
Paul Allen recovers bell from HMS Hood Section:
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The "entry level"
Rolls Royce Ghost Series II aimed at the younger, entrepreneurial market has been turning some heads lately, but Germany-based car customizer Spofec is trying to turn them a bit farther. The Spofec Black One takes the Ghost and adds bespoke modification packages featuring a matte black motif and improved engine performance kits to create a car that wouldn't look out of place in the Green Hornet's garage... Continue Reading
Spofec Black One adds bling and horses to Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II Section:
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Up close with the extraordinary Rolls-Royce Ghost Series IIRolls-Royce cranks up the volume with music-inspired WraithRolls-Royce helps schoolchildren design a mini e-racerRolls-Royce releases its Suhail Collection to mark "Year of the Bespoke Car"SPOFEC tweaks the Rolls Royce WraithRolls-Royce reprises the Ghost name
In space travel, the first step is always the most expensive, but why blast-off in a rocket if you can catch a ride on a
space elevator? Canadian space firm Thoth Technology has received a US patent for an elevator to take spacecraft and astronauts at least part way into space. If it's ever built, the 20 km (12.4 mi) high Thothx inflatable space tower holds the promise of reducing launch costs by 30 percent in terms of fuel, and may even replace some classes of satellites... Continue Reading
Canadian firm patents inflatable space elevator Section:
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Japanese company plans to have space elevator "up" and running by 2050Building a space elevator starts with a lunar elevator by 2020Space Elevator project seeking public interestElevator: 2010 - a space race for the whole familyLiftPort plans to build space elevator on the Moon by 2020"Going up" at 45 mph: Hitachi to deliver world's fastest elevator
On Thursday at 02:03 GMT, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and the European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta orbiter reached their closest point (known as perihelion) to the Sun, coming within 186 million km (115 million mi) of our parent star. The event was marked by an increase in activity on the comet, which is expected to continue over the next few weeks as it now heads toward the outer Solar System... Continue Reading
Comet 67P and Rosetta make their closest pass of the Sun Section:
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Rosetta reveals comet secretsRosetta mission extended by nine monthsRosetta discovers active sinkholes on 67PESA releases images of Rosetta's comet close encounterHuge release of Rosetta images paints a spooky picture of comet's rugged landscapeComet dust sends Rosetta into safe mode
In today's world, vacuum tubes or radio valves seem as dead as high button shoes and buggy whips, but DARPA sees them as very much the technology of the future. As part of a new program, the agency is looking to develop new tube designs and manufacturing techniques for use in tomorrow's high-powered communications and radar systems... Continue Reading
DARPA sees future in vacuum tubes Section:
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New molecular transistor can control single electronsThe best of CES 2015DARPA circuit smashes electronic speed recordCreating materials to enable "transient electronics" that dissolve on commandThings heat up for self-destructing electronic devicesReview: Cubit programmable "make anything" electronic platform
Fusion power can seem a bit like the last bus at night; it's always coming, but never arrives. MIT is working to change that with a new compact tokamak fusion reactor design based on the latest magnetic superconductor technology. The ARC (affordable, robust, compact) reactor design promises smaller, cheaper reactors that could make fusion power practical within 10 years... Continue Reading
ARC reactor design uses superconducting magnets to draw fusion power closer Section:
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MagneticElectricitysuperconductorPowerNuclearFusionMITRelated Articles:
Researchers discover a universal law of superconductivitySuperconducting coil to slash costs and improve efficiency of direct-drive wind turbinesEADS VoltAir all-electric aircraft concept unveiled in ParisNew record brings superconductors closer to the mainstreamPractical magnetic levitating transmission gear system loses its teethNano-patterned superconducting thin films could lead to new electronic devices
If you offer someone "a penny for their thoughts," how good a deal might you be getting? A study conducted at the University of Leicester has sought to shed some light on the value of our brainpower, finding a single penny to be worth to precisely three hours, seven minutes and 30 seconds worth of thinking... Continue Reading
Putting a price tag on brainpower Section:
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A head trauma can be difficult to diagnose and destroy a life years after the event. Being able to tell immediately if the force someone has suffered is sufficient to result in a traumatic brain injury can make all the difference in limiting the damage. A team from the University of Pennsylvania has developed a material that could one day be incorporated into headgear to instantly gauge the severity of blows and provide a clearly visible indication of injury... Continue Reading
Color-changing polymer to indicate severity of hits to the head Section:
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University of PennsylvaniaTraumaBrainConcussionsHelmetsRelated Articles:
Experimental optical fibers utilize built-in electronics instead of separate chipsRHex robot shows off Parkour movesQuadrotors perform James Bond themeSuper-absorbent polymer may be used on oil spillsClawed micro-drone swoops up prey mid-flight2013 James Dyson Award winners announced
Strawberries may be delicious, but they don't have much of a shelf life. So if you find a great bargain on a flat of them, you can end up throwing half of it away after a few days. In a move that may save many a shortcake, scientists at the University San Nicolás de los Garza in Mexico have developed an edible coating made from pectin that preserves strawberries for longer without affecting their taste... Continue Reading
Edible coating more than doubles strawberry shelf life Section:
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Buying tickets into space has typically been the reserve of governments and billionaires, but if you want to send your name on an interplanetary jaunt NASA might now be able to accommodate you. The space agency is now accepting submissions from members of the public who'd like their names recorded on a silicon microchip and shuttled to the Red Planet onboard the
InSight Mars lander launching next year... Continue Reading
NASA issues boarding call to take your name to Mars Section:
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Construction of InSight Mars lander to beginNASA plans first interplanetary CubeSatsMars orbiter prepares for next year's InSight lander arrivalLockheed Martin begins Insight Mars lander final assemblyNASA reveals instruments selected for Mars 2020 roverNASA tests flying saucer designed to land heavier payloads on Mars
By mimicking naturally-occurring nanostructures found in things like water striders, spiders and lotus leaves, scientists have created hydrophobic surfaces that could prove invaluable for everything from pipes to boats and submarines. Now researchers at Northwestern University have deduced the optimal texture roughness required to achieve this property and keep surfaces dry underwater for months at a time... Continue Reading
Hydrophobic nanostructures stay dry for months underwater Section:
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HydrophobicSurfacesNanostructuresNorthwestern UniversityRelated Articles:
Fractal nanostructures used to build new supermaterialsScientists spin up graphene in a kitchen blenderLarge 3D nanostructures built from Lego-like DNA bricksLiquid and ice "SLIPS" off new ultra smooth surfaceLasers help create water-repelling, light-absorbing, self-cleaning metalsNanoscale lithography breakthrough uses Scotch tape
Researchers at Ohio State University (OSU) have grown a nearly complete human brain equivalent in size and structure to that of a five-week old fetus. Called a "brain organoid," it was bioengineered using adult human skin cells and is the most advanced human brain model yet created in a laboratory... Continue Reading
Brain model with maturity of 5-week-old fetus grown in a lab Section:
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Scientists come a step closer to "regrowing" limbsArtificial human blood substitute could help meet donor blood shortfallResearchers turn gray matter transparent to shed light on the brain’s secretsNew therapy to help addicts put memories of meth use behind themTest tube milk the latest to hit the engineered food sceneThese flowers change color when you feed them beer
Responding to recent rumors that an asteroid will crash near the island of Puerto Rico between September 15 and 28, NASA has issued a statement categorically stating that this will not happen... Continue Reading
NASA debunks asteroid strike rumors Section:
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Once-in-a-generation near miss for Asteroid with its own moonWorld Asteroid Day raises awareness of a deadly menaceNASA outlines Asteroid Redirect MissionDawn probe data indicates ancient flowing water on VestaNASA releases asteroid hunting software to the general publicNASA application grants general public the opportunity to explore the surface of Vesta
What is small enough to fit in an airliner carry-on bin and has the potential to save thousands of lives and millions of dollars worth of property? The answer is the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) – NASA’s next-generation hurricane-observing microsatellites, which are now being assembled at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in San Antonio, Texas... Continue Reading
Construction of next-gen hurricane-hunting satellites begins Section:
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Pyxis system would use GPS signals to gather more accurate weather forecastsSpire plans to use tiny satellites for more accurate weather forecastsNASA's GPM satellite tested and ready to goIonospheric Connection Explorer mission gets green light for developmentNASA's SMAP mission begins science operationsESA's Aeolus mission will be ready to study the Earth's winds by 2016
