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‘future tech’ Stories

Airborne Laser Test Bed to Try and Shoot Down Ballistic Missile as Soon as Tonight

, Jan 10th 2011 Discuss [1]

It was a year ago that the United States military first attempted, and ultimately succeeded, in shooting down a ballistic missile with a laser. And now it looks like they are ready to test it again, and they could be doing it as soon as tonight, if sources are accurate. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Airborne Laser Test Bed, which is a heavily modified jumbo jet that has a chemical laser equipped to its frame, will take off from the California coast, and try to shoot down the missile. Read The Full Story

Solemates Superyacht Lets Passengers and Crew Control Some Features with iPads

, Dec 28th 2010 Discuss [2]

It's been a few days since a yacht has graced the front page of SlashGear, so let's rectify that. Of course, a yacht isn't a yacht if it doesn't have a bunch of luxury items on it, making it not only look good, but also look expensive. Much like an iPad with an 18K gold Apple logo does. The Solemates Suepryacht certainly does its best to make sure that everyone knows it looks expensive, and if you do manage to step inside it, you'll realize why you'll have to pay a bit extra to spend any time therein. Thanks to Apple's iPad tablet device, crew members and passengers alike will be able to control features of the ship, right from the device. Read The Full Story

Engkey Egg-Shaped Robot Teaches South Korean Students English

, Dec 28th 2010 Discuss [1]

It looks like South Korea's aspirations of having robots in classrooms, teaching their youth, which were aiming for 2012, may be seeing adoption at a quicker rate. But, that's not stopping a school in Daegu, South Korea, from planting a few 3-foot tall robots, oddly shaped like huge eggs, right in front of students, and teaching them English. The students reportedly love the Engkey, though, and that's kept the little bots around. Read The Full Story

Researchers at University of Glasgow Create 1,000-Core Processor

, Dec 28th 2010 Discuss [0]

Lead by researcher Dr. Wim Vanderbauwhede, a team of scientists have used the technology found in Field Programmable Gate Arrays, or FPGAs, to create a 1,000-core processor. At this point, they've effectively created a proof of concept that can perform almost 20 times faster than "modern computers." To add to the possibility of this new processor finding its way to the real world eventually, it seems that Intel has been playing around with the idea, very recently, and believe that a processor of that magnitude is certainly "feasible." Read The Full Story

Auto Stop-Start Technology by Ford Heading to the US in 2012

, Dec 27th 2010 Discuss [3]

Saving money on gas is one thing, but having a car that doesn't go through fuel like its not a precious commodity is also part of the equation. Ford announced today their plans to bring their Auto Stop-Start Technology to the United States in 2012. Also called idle-stop technology, or even microhybrid, it's designed to turn off the engine when the car is not in motion. The electrical system stays on, so you'll still have music and heat, but the engine will be off. As soon as the driver puts their foot back on the gas, the engine fires back up, and they can be on their way. Read The Full Story

Engineering Students Create Cheap Way to Tell When Water is Safe to Drink

, Dec 27th 2010 Discuss [1]

There's one way that will usually make a concept go from a plan to the real deal pretty quickly: make it cheap. While some concept designs may focus on helping the environment, or finding new ways to help humans in certain situations, they may make it too impractical due to costs. But, if you can manage to create something that is practical and costs less than five dollars to make, we're pretty sure that means you've got a winner on your hands. At least, that's what students from the University of Washington are hoping. Read The Full Story

ET3 Tube System Wants to Take You From New York to Beijing in 2 Hours

, Dec 24th 2010 Discuss [10]

If you're claustrophobic, then travelling on any kind of vehicle for transportation is probably pretty rough. Especially an airplane, where you're sitting right next to a lot of people, in a relatively small space (depending on how you fly, of course). So maybe a giant tube system wouldn't be to your liking. But, if you've got to get somewhere, even somewhere around the world, in a hurry, the ET3 system could be just what the world has been waiting for. Read The Full Story

Thin-Film Transistors to Cover Paper Money, Make Counterfeiting Harder

, Dec 24th 2010 Discuss [4]

Counterfeiting is an arm's race to nowhere. An endless struggle, with both sides trying to out-wit the other. While treasuries all around the world try to find new ways to make counterfeiters sweat, and ultimately unable to make fake money, the counterfeiters in the world just need to figure out how those individuals are making new money, and copy it. There have been plenty of options in the past, like watermarks, ink that never dries, holograms, and colors that can't be copied. But, they've all been figured out in one way or another. But now, thanks to thin-film transistors, it may be almost impossible for counterfeiters to get the job done. Read The Full Story

Cyberdyne HAL Exoskeleton to Be Shown Off at CES 2011

, Dec 22nd 2010 Discuss [0]

Way back in 2007, Cyberdyne was showing off their latest version of the Hybrid Assistive Limb exoskeleton, better known as HAL. They were even talking about how in 2008, people would be able to rent the exoskeleton for whatever purpose they needed. While the scientists, researchers, and designers at Cyberdyne originally promoted the exoskeleton for those with disabilities and the elderly, it's looking more and more like HAL is all set to be shown off for everyone. Read The Full Story

Willow Garage Announces Expansion of PR2 Robot Community

, Dec 15th 2010 Discuss [0]

With all of the ridiculously advanced robots out there, it probably won't be the PR2 robots that start, or finish the war between man and machines. Their duties, which border on the strictly mundane, include that of folding laundry. But that doesn't mean even the smallest robots out there shouldn't have plenty of people making them do those mundane things in the best possible way. Willow Garage has announced that the community focused on these small robots has expanded, and now includes 16 leading research laboratories around the world. Read The Full Story

SEGA Toirettsu Brings Video Game to Men’s Urinal [Video]

, Dec 15th 2010 Discuss [0]

Over the years, there's been all sorts of additions to men's urinals to "help" those using it stay in the urinal, and not make a mess of the floor (or themselves). While there are still some urinals out there that feature cute little designs near the bottom, like that of a bee, it seems that Japan is still having some major issues, and now they're doing what they should have done right from the start: made it a game. Read The Full Story

Scientists Using Ultrasonic Waves to Move Small Objects, Sonic Screwdriver Style

, Dec 7th 2010 Discuss [0]

There's no hiding the fact that several ideas that we see every day in the real world, have stemmed from concepts thought up within that of a science fiction-based reality. While time travelling may not be happening right now, scientists are still working hard on the idea, trying to make it real. But, what about something like the sonic screwdriver, which has become a standard utensil used by The Doctor, from Doctor Who? According to a professor from Bristol, UK, it looks like the sonic screwdriver may become a reality sooner than later. Read The Full Story
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