WINGING THE DEEP: Richard Branson's company Virgin took to the air and space. Now the deep deep seas are their goal, with Virgin Oceanic. They've created a submarine that can withstand pressures of over 1,000 atmospheres and the extreme cold that feature at depths of up to around 9Km. They'll survey the deepest trenches in each of the five oceans. The one-person carbon fibre sub uses a winged design, can operate for 24hrs unaided and can cruise at a max of 3 knots. Spectacular. More at VirginOceanic and video on YouTube.
BLINK TO CLICK: The PCEye is a stand-alone eye control device for Windows PCs from Swedish firm Tobii. The device attaches to the monitor and can be calibrated for multiple users. A camera tracks eye movement then algorithms in the built-in processor translate that to control onscreen actions such as moving a cursor. Every advance like this is a good one. More at Tobii.
NOT QUITE A CUP OF TEA: Researchers at the UK's University of Southampton are trying to help people rehabilitate after a stroke. They've developed 3 tactile devices that generate a realistic sense of touch and sensation. A vibration device gave a good sense of touch, a motor-driven squeezer device made people feel like they were holding something, and a shape memory alloy device with thermal properties made people feel like they were holding a cup of tea. They aim to use these to help people move beyond simple repetitive arm and hand exercises. That beats spilling hot tea all over yourself. More at Soton.
STEALTH DRONE FIGHTER: The latest robot to join the US Marine Corps is the X-47B - a cross between a drone and a stealth fighter. It takes off and lands by itself, even on the moving deck of an aircraft carrier. It can also find targets by itself, but fortunately requires an OK from a human before destroying a target. Or so they say. More at GlobalPublicSquare.
EFFICIENCY WAVE: Michigan State University have created a prototype of a new gasoline engine - the Wave Disk Generator. It doesn't need a transmission, crankshaft, pistons, valves, fuel compression, cooling systems or fluids. Instead a rotor with wave-like channels traps and mixes oxygen and fuel. As the rotor spins pressure builds creating a shock wave that ignites the fuel. 60% of the fuel contributes to propulsion - that's 3 or 4 times as much as a standard car engine. I'd be happy to go 3 times as far on a tank of petrol. More at DiscoveryNews and video on YouTube.
- Miraz Jordan knowit.co.nz
Tech Universe: Monday 11 April
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