Much like an electrified railroad, the 1.2 mile stretch has a series of wires hanging overhead that a pantograph-equipped truck can connect to. Then, the vehicle can deactivate its fuel-burning engine and coast along on that delicious, dirt-cheap electricity, switching back when the wires stop.

Scania official Claes Erixon has said that the project is “one important milestone on the journey towards fossil-free … Read More → "Sweden debuts the world’s first ‘electric highway’"

Boston Dynamics writes on YouTube that the little guy can last 90 minutes per charge and weighs in at only 55 pounds. To assist with mobility and navigation, it’s equipped with depth cameras and sensors in its limbs. The video above shows the SpotMini’s ability to move around an obstacle-filled space, climb stairs, and prance. And … Read More → "Giraffe-like robot walks, climbs, and loads the dishwasher"

If Neptune seems a bit blemished of late, it’s because NASA has confirmed that a dark spot has shown up in its bluish atmosphere. Observations by the Hubble Space Telescope taken in May show that a dark vortex has appeared in the southern hemisphere. This high-pressure system is accompanied by brighter “companion clouds” and is the first such dark spot to be seen this century.
via < … Read More → "Hubble investigates dark spot on Neptune"

Now, with that in mind, today I received news of the Oticon Opn hearing aid, which its manufacturer Oticon bills as the “world’s first Internet of Things hearing aid.”

The device connects to a user’s smartphone and can be controlled through Oticon’s companion app. Because it’s compatible with IFTTT, the app can push … Read More → "A connected hearing aid is an Internet of Things device I can get behind"

This section of the subaru highway leading up to Mount Fuji have rumble strips in the middle of the road that have been spaced at certain intervals to play a song. It’s very unique and impressive – take a listen. “Miagete goran yoru no hoshi wo” by Kyu Sakamoto is the name of the tune. …There are three stretches of road in japan which do this.
via Read More → "The rumble strips on the road to Mt. Fuji play a song"

Spider silk may be known for being extremely strong, yet it’s also elastic – that’s how it’s able to both hold struggling prey, and alert spiders to that prey by transmitting vibrations caused by those struggles. With these dual qualities in mind, a Design Engineering postgrad from Imperial College London has created a one-of-a-kind violin … using silk spun by an … Read More → "Spider silk violin catches customized sound"

Swiss students have shattered the world record for EV acceleration with an experimental race car, Grimsel, that reached 62MPH in 1.513 seconds — over two tenths of a second sooner than the previous best. For context, the 1,480HP Bugatti Chiron hits that speed somewhere under 2.5 seconds.
via Engadget

Read More → "Electric race car sets an acceleration world record"

A new study in BMC Public Health, spotted by Science of Us, examined wine ordering habits at one English restaurant over the course of four months. Every two weeks, the restaurant changed its wine glasses, serving the same amount of wine (6 ounces) in either a smaller-than-average (8.5 ounces), average (10 ounces), or large glass (12.5 ounces). 

Read More → "How the size of your wine glass may effect how much you order"

People with impaired hearing may use sign language. But so may people who can normally hear, but are in noisy environments, like an industrial workplace.

In a fascinating article at Altas Obscura, Sarah Laskow describes a sign language that developed among the sawmill workers of British Columbia. It was an elaborate language that could, beyond the practicalities of … Read More → "The lost secret sign language of sawmill workers"

Astronomers using NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope and its extended K2 mission, as well as the W. M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, have discovered the youngest fully formed exoplanet ever detected. Exoplanets are planets that orbit stars beyond our sun.

The newfound planet, K2-33b, … Read More → "Astronomers discover youngest fully formed exoplanet ever known"