Tech Universe: Wednesday 12 January

The Marussia Motors B2 carbon fibre car is a luxury sports model that looks right for Batman. Photo / Marussia Motors

BLAT MOBILE: The Marussia Motors B2 carbon fibre car is a luxury sports model that looks right for Batman. It takes 3.8 seconds to reach 100 Kph, with a top speed around 350 Kph. The entertainment system will keep you occupied in traffic jams, even allowing you to make Skype calls. So much speed and power for traffic jams. Details at the BBC and specifications on MarussiaMotors.

UNDERWATER BASS: Sound diffuses underwater. It can also seriously disrupt marine life. Researchers at the Stevens Institute of Technology, USA, are studying how to pick up sounds such as human heart beats from divers up to no good and reflect that sound directly back to them, amplified. Hydrophones detect the sound, transducers amplify it and time-reversal acoustics reflect the sound back at an intolerable 180 decibels, forcing the diver from the water. Sounds like a cartoon villain technique. Details at NewScientist.

SEA SHARP: Sea urchins eat rocks, literally. But their teeth stay razor sharp, and that could help us make tools that never need sharpening. Sea urchin teeth are constantly growing. They're made up of layers of calcite crystal plates and fibres cemented together. Between the layers are weak organic materials. The arrangement of nanocrystals seems to hold the secret. Giant sea urchins: your next sci-fi nightmare. Details at Wisconsin University.

UP UP AND AWAY: The British Hybrid Air Vehicle SkyCat looks like a traditional airship. It's different though because it can stay in the air for up to 3 weeks at a time and then land anywhere, on any surface, even by remote control. It doesn't need runways, roads or ground crew. Filled with helium and including turboshaft gas turbines, the full size craft will be around 330 metres long and carry 900 tonnes. Isn't helium running out? More at the BBC and HybridAirVehicle.

REINVENTING THE WHEEL: It's not easy driving on the Moon, with all those rocks and all. The Canadian Space Agency is testing a new type of wheel for lunar rovers. iRings wheels use chainmail tires filled with granular particulate matter, like in a bean bag. That allows the wheel to conform to a rock surface as it travels over it. Remote control vehicle enthusiasts would love this model. Details at McGill and video.

- Miraz Jordan knowit.co.nz