2:00 am, Mar. 21–We made it here to our testing location in Southern California about an hour ago. So far we’ve spent the most time with the Nissan Versa, a roomy four-door hatchback. Having never been in the car before tonight, it was confidence-inspiring pulling out of LA in a rainstorm on the freeway. Most of the controls came easy to hand and we were keeping up with 80-mph traffic in no time....
People watch a television news screen showing pictures of U.S. President Donald Trump (C) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (R) at a railway station in Seoul on November 29, 2017. North Korea test-fired what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile on November 29 in a major challenge to U.S. President Donald Trump after he slapped fresh sanctions on Pyongyang and declared it a state sponsor of terrorism.JUNG YEON-JE//Getty ImagesAt the Pentagon today, President Trump presided over the release of his administration’s long-awaited Missile Defense Review, the road map for defending the United States, its overseas bases, and regional allies from long-range missiles launched by “rogue states....
Media Platforms Design TeamThat vibration you’ve managed to ignore for weeks has finally gotten to the point at which it’s hard to keep from spilling your morning coffee on your pant leg. You resolve to make two stops on the way home from work this afternoon–one at the dry cleaners to pick up clean pants, and a second at the mechanic’s to investigate the vibration. As you accelerate away from the dry cleaners, there’s a big change in the vibration....
A few months ago, a small meteorite entered the atmosphere and plunged into the Pacific Ocean about 16 miles off the coast of Washington. The meteorite broke apart and now sits in pieces at the bottom of the ocean, Now, one group is working to find those pieces and bring them back to the surface.Finding meteor fragments scattered on the seafloor might seem like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but the scientists participating in this hunt have a few advantages....
The self-driving car is coming—that much is certain. But the future isn’t as clear-cut as “your next car will drive itself.” We wade into the messy issues, including how this all works, how good robot drivers really are, and whether we humans will even be allowed to drive in the automated automotive future.1. When can I let go of the wheel?As soon as I hit the small black lane-centering button, I can feel the wheel stiffen in my hands....
Media Platforms Design TeamThey may look like Barbie’s kidneys, but these chunks of custom molded, medical grade silicone are the best $75 I’ve ever spent on motorcycle gear.I got mine in the marketplace area of last year’s Red Bull MotoGP races at Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway, and the fitting process involved certified audiologist Marilyn Navia (who also sells them on PlugUp.com) injecting warm goo into my ear canals, forming a mold from the crevices inside....
Watson is coming to the International Space Station. The artificial intelligence out of IBM has found a partner in the European Airbus to create an AI meant specifically for living on the ISS. It’s called the Crew Interactive Mobile Companion, or CIMON.“In short, CIMON will be the first AI-based mission and flight assistance system,” says Manfred Jaumann, Head of Microgravity Payloads from Airbus in a press statement. “We are the first company in Europe to carry a free flyer, a kind of flying brain, to the ISS and to develop artificial intelligence for the crew on board the space station....
Media Platforms Design TeamASTEROID MINING INFRASTRUCTURE1. Orbital Transportation HubA larger, manned space station is an ideal place to coordinate flights of cargo, mining gear, and explorers.2. Space Fuel DepotSpacefarers will need places to restock water and hydrogen for fuel (think space gas stations). Scientists today are working on ways to transfer fluids in zero-g.3. Deep-Space Communication RelayOptical laser communications systems transmit as much data as radios and can use half the power....
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is scaling back a controversial program that surveilled everyday people in deep, deep detail. The Quiet Skies program saw armed air marshals following passengers around airports and onto commercial flights, recording their behaviors in the process. Following outcry from public officials and a series of reports published by the Boston Globe detailing the program, the TSA announced on Monday that it would be curbing the scope....
If you’ve yet to hop on the e-bike bandwagon, it’s likely that price and specs have had a lot to do with it. As the e-bike industry has grown over the last decade, it’s had to overcome the fact that, well, it costs a lot in terms of both weight and money to slap a big battery onto a bike frame. That was true two years ago when we wondered when e-bikes would really break through....
Virtual reality headsets might finally be coming out, but that doesn’t mean that the entire future of gaming is futuristic sci-fi fare. Take, for instance, the game “Hello Operator” which is built off of authentic 1920 switchboard equipment. Designed by Mike Lazer-Walker who works with MIT Media Lab’s Playful Systems Group, the game uses an authentic Western Electric 551A telephone switchboard from 1927 as its controller. The process of upgrading the switches through nearly a century’s worth of technical advancement required a little bit of reverse engineering and a lot of careful soldering, though the software side was actually pretty simple, according to Lazer-Walker....
The kit was developed to help special forces determine the physiological state of locals, including whether or not they find certain questions uncomfortable.The kit actually uses a variety of sensors to track the subject’s physiological state, including heart rate.Other tools invented for operators include a glove that manipulates 3D maps and a shirt that can tell medics if you’ve been shot.United States Special Operations Command recently showed off a series of innovations designed to help SEALs, Green Berets, and other special operations forces determine if they’re being understood by locals—and if the questions they’re asking are making the subject uncomfortable....
Media Platforms Design TeamNail Dominance Framing hammers might be the brawny cousins of claw hammers, but the Stewart Hammer ($35) has an added dose of brains. The front-mounted claw is no gimmick–it boosts leverage for extracting nails. And the revolutionary 28-ounce head (24-, 22-, 20- and 16-ounce versions are also available) has the weight and balance required to drive long nails with a couple of blows. This is also one of the most durable hammers we’ve seen–a single piece of forged steel, with PVC covering the grip....
At École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, researchers have created an inexpensive system that can predict when lightning will strike to the nearest 10 to 30 minutes. Now, the team wants to use their new tool in the European Laser Lightning Rod project, a bid to create safety from lightning strikes.The research was published earlier this month in the journal Climate and Atmospheric Science.Despite that old saying, lightning can—and often does—strike the same area twice....
Virgin Galactic today conducted the first powered flight of its new SpaceShipTwo spaceplane, the VSS Unity. The craft made seven previous glide tests, dropped from above 40,000 feet by the mothership WhiteKnightTwo, over the course of more than a year of testing leading up to this morning’s rocket-powered flight test. Unity also broke the sound barrier for the first time, hitting a top speed of Mach 1.87 during the powered flight....
The commander of the U.S. Air Force’s F-35 Demo Team, Andy “Dojo” Olson, has posted a new version of a cockpit video first made available in May. The new video features Dojo providing a running commentary as he flew over Miami Beach at the 2019 Hyundai Air & Sea Show. Olson explains each maneuver in detail, explaining what the jet is doing as his hands fly over the jet’s control systems....
German company Volocopter has unveiled the VoloCity, an electrical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) that could be the first flying taxi.Volocopter has been working on its eVTOLs since 2011. Two years ago in 2017, the company signed a contract with the government of Dubai to initiate tests of its VoloCity, where it performed public tests.But even with a working VoloCity, there’s still the infrastructure of flying taxis to build out.The race toward flying taxis continues, with German company Volocopter unveiling its latest iteration, dubbed the VoloCity....
Media Platforms Design TeamNail PopsDrywall is often fastened to wall studs and ceiling joists with drywall nails, which have long, thin shanks and large, round heads. Occasionally those nails will lose their grip and pop through the surface. There are many reasons why nails pop, but it usually happens when the wood framing shrinks, the house settles, or the nails aren’t driven solidly into the center of the stud or joist....
North Korea released a number of images of Kim Jong-un inspecting a new submarine. The images show the North Korean leader touring what appears to be a submarine in drydock, under construction. Experts believe the new sub will carry nuclear-tipped missiles that could be used to threaten U.S. military bases in Japan and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The photos, released via the state-run KCNA news agency, show Kim and an entourage touring a submarine inside a massive construction building....
Media Platforms Design TeamWhen President Barack Obama finally details (and defends) his plan for the future of manned spaceflight in Florida this Thursday, he will face opposition from a slew of Apollo-era astronauts who are disappointed that the budget cuts near-term plans for a moonshot. But one lunar-walking astronaut will be in the president’s corner—Buzz Aldrin. Aldrin, an Apollo 11 veteran and the second man to walk on the moon, is hitching a ride on Air Force One tomorrow morning as Obama heads to Kennedy Space Center to unveil the administration’s plan....
