… Read More → "This board game playing robot puts a freaky face on a computer opponent"

UFactory is a startup in Shenzhen, and this impressive little guy is a way of showing their skills applied to the classic inverted pendulum. At nearly 18 inches tall and weighing just over six pounds, the robot boasts a number of features beyond an accelerometer and gyroscope: it has both a WiFi module and a camera, and can be controlled via a homemade remote control or a Kinect.
via Read More → "Building a ball-balancing robot"

We’ve probably all seen those vibrating devices that can turn flat surfaces like tables or windows into speakers. Well, Stefanich takes that idea one step further with the Sono. Noise cancelling headphones feature tiny microphones that can pick up and cancel out ambient sounds, and that’s exactly what the Sono would do. Except that it would counter-vibrate the window it was stuck to, turning it into a giant noise-cancelling speaker that silences … Read More → "A stick-on speaker that uses your windows to silence noises outside"

Even before it received type certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in September 2012, the Gulfstream G650 was racking up the records, thanks in large part to its Mach 0.925 top speed. The latest record it has claimed is for the fastest westbound, around-the-world flight for a non-supersonic aircraft, which the G650 completed in 41 hours and seven minutes.
via … Read More → "World’s fastest certified civilian jet sets new around-the-world speed record"

Ontario-based artist Dorota Pankowska has created “Pro Bono Promo,” a street art collection of logos made out of the products they represent. For example, the Cheez Whiz logo was actually created using the bright orange processed cheese, the Maxwell House logo is made of coffee grinds, and the Colgate logo was painted with toothpaste.
via Laughing Squid</ … Read More → "Pro bono promo, logos recreated with the products they represent"

In the go-go 1920s, everything was looking up. People imagined that the skies of the future would soon be dotted with airships and flying cars. And one promising “sport of the future” to come out of this era looks pretty damn fun: balloon jumping.

The idea was to find a balloon that was … Read More → "Balloon jumping: Yesterday’s fun (and dangerous) sport of the future"

Every parent’s favorite line about how money doesn’t grow on trees just became a little more irrelevant, thanks to a fascinating find down under. Researchers in Australia recently found gold—yes, real gold—in eucalyptus trees growing in the outback.

A team of unlikely prospectors recently ventured into … Read More → "Scientists discover gold literally growing on trees in the outback"

A new 3D-printed robot called Poppy is helping a team of French researchers study bipedal walking and human-robot interaction. They were able to design, fabricate, and assemble a relatively large robot for around €8,000 (US$11,000) including servo motors and electronics. That’s about a third the cost of commercial robots in the same size category like the RQ-TITAN, and is still cheaper than smaller humanoids like the Aldebaran Robotics NAO. And best of … Read More → "Poppy, a 3D-printed humanoid robot that defies conventions"

If a 6-month-old can distinguish between 20 dots and 10 dots, she’s more likely to be a good at math in preschool. That’s the conclusion of a new study, which finds that part of our proficiency at addition and subtraction may simply be something we’re born with.
via Wired

Read More → "Babies’ intuition for numbers predicts later skill at math"

You may soon have a less expensive way to get into space. A new space tourism venture plans to bring visitors 30km (about 100,000 feet) into the stratosphere in what is essentially a space-ready air balloon for $75,000. That’s not high enough for the sensation of “weightlessness,” but there should be a wonderful view of the curvature of the Earth, the blue atmosphere around it, and the dark void beyond. Those joining … Read More → "Latest space tourism trip uses balloon to take passengers 100,000 feet up"