Category: Other Tech

There have been some amazing breakthroughs that enable humans to control a single machine with their thoughts. The next step is figuring out how to operate an entire fleet of robots with mind control. A team of researchers at Arizona State University’s (ASU) Human-Oriented Robotics and Control Lab have developed a system for managing swarms of robots with brain power. ASU’s new system can be used to direct a group of small, inexpensive robots to complete a task. If one robot breaks down, it’s not a big loss, and the rest can…

When you hear the name “Boeing,” chances are you think of aircraft. The fact is, however, the company has also been developing underwater vehicles since the 1960s. Its latest such creation, the Echo Voyager, is designed to operate autonomously for months at a time. The 51-foot (15.5-m)-long Voyager joins two other Boeing unmanned undersea vehicles, or UUVs: the 32-ft (9.8-m) Echo Seeker and the 18-ft (5.5-m) Echo Ranger. Like them, it’s designed to autonomously gather data underwater for scientific, military or other purposes. Unlike them, though, it’s not limited to missions lasting no…

3D cinema might bring dinosaur jaws right up to your nose, but it’s a wonder the great beasts don’t just laugh when they see the oddball glasses on your head that makes the effect possible. A new advancement from MIT takes a well-known trick known as the parallax barrier and leverages it in a way particular to how we move our heads in movie theaters. A small prototype using 50 mirrors and lenses has been developed and, if researchers can advance upon the idea, glassless 3D viewing might just become…

To our graduate student readers: As if constant emails from your boss weren’t enough,  soon you’ll have no excuse to avoid the “got any data?” question—even when you’re out in the field. A new mobile app now lets researchers collect and analyze data from anywhere in the world, using their cell phones. It’s not all bad: The software could help you unload some of your work by allowing citizen scientists to snap pictures from their own backyards, and contribute them to research projects. The software, called EpiCollect, is especially useful for…

With the aid of one of the strongest materials on Earth, a researcher at Australia’s Swinburne University has created a battery that charges up super fast and can be used over and over and over again, without losing efficiency. Researcher Han Lin developed the battery using a form of carbon called graphene, which is commonly heralded as one of the strongest materials on the planet. The new supercapacitor addresses many of the shortcomings of traditional lithium ion batteries, beating them in charging time, lifespan, and also environmental impact. Researchers around the globe have…

GKN Automotive has entered its eTwinster technology into the real world, as automakers test the torque vectoring electric drive system. The plug-in hybrid module is being showcased at the company’s Wintertest proving ground in Sweden as an all-wheel drive driveline option. The eTwinster is meant to offer automakers a combined solution for hybrid and plug-in all-wheel drive platforms. It’s a combination of the eAxle technologies GKN provides for companies like Volvo, Porsche and BMW, and the twin-clutch torque vectoring features the company created for vehicles from Ford and Range Rover.…

Which part of earth haven’t we explored yet? One hint: It’s by far one of the biggest places on the planet. It is, of course, the earth’s mantle, sitting just beneath a relatively thin crust of rocks. To develop a vehicle capable of clawing into the heart of our planet, start by designing and testing such a vehicle in lakes of lava near volcanoes. That’s what the Vulcan concept is about. Lava can range in temperature from 1,500 to 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit, so the Vulcan would need an outer shell…