Fresh Bytes – Page 2

Bi-fuel hybrid camper van drives 1,000 miles and camps on pure battery power

February 23, 2019

A safety cone-orange Mitsubishi 4×4 camper van would typically be showstopper enough for any motorhome expo booth, but Campers Scotland came out blazing from both hands at this month’s Scottish Caravan, Motorhome & Holiday Home Show, where it also debuted the Eco Explorer. Less rugged but still a 4×4, the hybrid Eco Explorer offers low fuel consumption and a self-charging battery system to keep the lights on and cooktop firing. An LPG option gives it three drive-power sources and up to 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of range per fill-up, while a deconstructed kitchen and sliding rear bench make it a capable everyday … Read More → "Bi-fuel hybrid camper van drives 1,000 miles and camps on pure battery power"

Emoji are showing up in court cases exponentially, and courts aren’t prepared

by Larra Morris

February 18, 2019

Emoji are showing up as evidence in court more frequently with each … Read More → "Emoji are showing up in court cases exponentially, and courts aren’t prepared"

IKEA’s super-sized bath toys collect trash on the water

by Larra Morris

February 18, 2019

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A programmable 8-bit computer created using traditional embroidery techniques and materials

by Laura Domela

February 14, 2019

The Embroidered Computer by Irene Posch and Ebru Kurbak doesn’t look like what you might expect when you think of a computer. Instead, the work looks like an elegantly embroidered textile, complete with glass and magnetic beads and a meandering pattern of copper wire. The materials have conductive properties which are arranged in specific patterns to create electronic functions. Gold pieces on top of the magnetic beads flip depending on the program, switching sides as different signals are channeled through the embroidered work.

“Traditionally purely … Read More → "A programmable 8-bit computer created using traditional embroidery techniques and materials"

Candy Heart messages written by a neural network

by Larra Morris

February 12, 2019

Around Valentine’s Day in the US and UK, these things called candy hearts (or conversation hearts or sweethearts) appear: small and sugary, bearing a simple, short Valentine’s message. There … Read More → "Candy Heart messages written by a neural network"

Watch a low flyover of Jupiter’s moon Europa

by Larra Morris

February 11, 2019

FAA proposes refined drone regulations

by Larra Morris

February 4, 2019

Under the current FAA rules, flying a UAS or drone over people or at night is prohibited unless you apply for a special Part 107 waiver. To the credit of the FAA, … Read More → "FAA proposes refined drone regulations"

SpaceX test fires the massive new engine for its next big rocket

by Larra Morris

February 4, 2019

SpaceX … Read More → "SpaceX test fires the massive new engine for its next big rocket"

Light based 3D printer shapes custom objects from liquid resin

by Laura Domela

February 2, 2019

Hayden Taylor, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and senior author of a paper on the technology explained that the printer relies on a viscous liquid that reacts to form a solid when exposed to a certain threshold of light. Projecting carefully crafted patterns of light – essentially “movies” – onto a rotating cylinder of liquid solidifies the desired shape “all at once.” [Source]

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Engineers build robot arm with rudimentary self-awareness

by Laura Domela

February 1, 2019

As clever as robots are getting, one of the key things that separates them from humans is self-awareness. Debate rages over what exactly it means for something to be self-aware, whether robots could ever achieve it, and the ethical implications that it might dredge up. Now, researchers from Columbia Engineering have gone and done it, giving a robot arm some form of self-awareness, – at least in a rudimentary sense – which allows it to better adapt to changing conditions. [Source]

… Read More →