“Graphene, that microscopic chicken wire made of carbon atoms, has a great many theoretical uses. Among these is to improve Lithium-ion battery technologies, and the big brains at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have created a graphene and tin composite material for use in battery electrodes.” via Engadget
Scientists have developed a “Selective Magnetic and Repellent-Treated” fish hook. It’s coated with a metal that produces an electrical current when placed in seawater. The hook’s magnetic features interfere with the highly sensitive electrical senses in a shark’s nose, causing them to stay away while other species of fish still take the bait on the hook’s end. via gizmodo
… Read More → "Electromagnetic fish hook reduces accidentally catching sharks"The Shadowhawk is 7 feet long and weighs 49 pounds. It can travel at speeds of up to 70mph. It can serve as a drone. It has laser pointers, range finders, and can fire stun batons, shotgun shells and grenades. via technabob and mikeshouts
… Read More → "The most fearsome radio-controlled helicopter"
“IEEE has just announced a new Wireless standard 802.22 that can cover up to 12,000 square miles. The standard is actually for Wireless Regional Area Networks or WRAN which uses the white spaces left in the TV frequency spectrum.
This new wireless standard is expected to bring internet connectivity to large areas which are less densely populated that did not have coverage previously. The WRAN will be able to deliver up to 22 Mbps without interfering with existing TV broadcast stations.” via TekGoblin
“From the Elektra One electric airplane to Siemens’ plug-in hybrid aircraft, we’ve been seeing a lot of eco-friendly airplanes lately. While we love any airplane that doesn’t spew massive amounts of carbon emissions, the fact is that most planes are still gas-guzzling beasts, which is why search giant Google has teamed up with NASA to sponsor the NASA Centennial Challenge competition (a.k.a. the Green Flight Challenge). Google is working with aircraft technology research group CAFE Foundation to find a winning design that shows emission-free flights … Read More → "Google & NASA partner to host Green Flight Challenge with $1.65 million prize"
A new photovoltaic energy-conversion system developed at MIT can be powered solely by heat, generating electricity with no sunlight at all.
Photo: Justin Knight
… Read More → "MIT creates sun-free photovoltaic power"“Lockheed rolled out its next generation HALE-D or High Altitude Long Endurance-Demonstrator yesterday for its first flight. The idea is that the HALE-D will ascend to an altitude of about 12 miles above the earth and float there in a geostationary position where it can monitor a huge patch of land and airspace. The idea is that the airship can have capabilities similar to those of satellites at much less cost.” via SlashGear
< … Read More → "Lockheed Martin HALE-D airship flies for first time"Tiny robots helping other tiny robots. So cute!
… Read More → "Tiny swarm robots build a mobile landing platform for their quadrocopter buddy"
“The Innovation Corps program — which starts in September at Stanford University –will give $50,000 to 100 different teams (3 or more people per team) every year to go through an intensive entrepreneurial education class. The I-Corps class will be modeled on a Stanford engineering class called Lean LaunchPad that was taught earlier this year by serial entrepreneur Steve Blank and a coterie of entrepreneurial thought leaders, technologists and venture capitalists. The grant, which runs to $10 million, covers five years of operations of the program, which will be taught quarterly to 25 teams at a time.” via Read More → "Feds giving engineers and scientists $50K to learn to start companies"
