The totally solar powered Solar Impulse aircraft made its maiden international flight, piloted by Andre Borschberg, across Europe on Friday
The Aero Train is a free-flying, robotic train-plain that levitates on a cushion of air.
(PhysOrg.com) -- Like atomic-level bricklayers, researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy
(PhysOrg.com) -- Electrical engineers at the University of Michigan have built a device that can harness energy from vibrations and convert it to electricity with five to ten times greater efficiency and power than other devices in its class. And it
Researchers have redesigned the concept of a microscope, by removing the lens, to create a system small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, but powerful enough to create 3-D tomographic, or sectional, images of miniscule samples. The advance represents the first demonstration of lens-free optical tomographic imaging on a chip, a technique capable of producing high resolution 3-D images of large volumes of microscopic objects.
Researchers have leveraged the latest browser technology to create GigaPan Time Machine, a system that enables viewers to explore gigapixel-scale, high-resolution videos and image sequences by panning or zooming in and out of the images while simultaneously moving back and forth through time.
Conventional silicon-based rigid solar cells generally found on the market are not suitable for manufacturing moldable thin-film solar cells, in which a transparent, flexible and electrically conductive electrode collects the light and carries away the current. A new woven polymer electrode has now produced first results which are very promising, indicating that the new material may be a substitute for indium tin oxide coatings.
Researchers have introduced the first intubation robot operated by remote control. The robotic system may facilitate the intubation procedure and reduce some complications associated with airway management.
A University of Pittsburgh-led team has created a single-electron transistor that provides a building block for new, more powerful computer memories, advanced electronic materials, and the basic components of quantum computers.
(PhysOrg.com) -- Aki Suokas, a Finnish aeronautical engineer, has just finished creating a unique single-seat aircraft this week. The project was completed at Aero Friedrichshafen, and it has been dubbed the FlyNano.
(PhysOrg.com) -- A small robotic surveyor arrives to explore a near-Earth asteroid. Another robotic spacecraft is returning to Earth with a pristine comet surface sample. Meanwhile, a robotic explorer is approaching Uranus, carrying scientific instruments that will allow us to learn more about our solar system. What do all these mission concepts have in common?
(PhysOrg.com) -- SIM-Drive Corporation, a Japanese consortium based in Kawasaki-shi and comprised of 34 companies and municipalities, has announced that it has developed a functioning electric car based on in-wheel electric motor technology.
(PhysOrg.com) -- The great thing about robots is that they come in all shapes and sizes. Of course, that is also one of the creepiest things about robots too. You never know what is going to be a robot these days. There are people shaped robots, there are robots that are designed to explore the depths of space. That bird that you see on the building. It could be a robot too.
After six years of intensive effort, scientists are reporting development of the first commercially viable nanogenerator, a flexible chip that can use body movements — a finger pinch now en route to a pulse beat in the future — to generate electricity. Speaking here today at the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, they described boosting the device
Battery powered plane gets a test flight, Elektra One. A pilot tests out a prototype battery-powered plane. "Today we have news of an all-electric airplane the Elektra One. The Elektra One is a single seater aircraft that weighs just 440lbs and relies entirely on a series of batteries for its power. The news comes from an article at Wired that reports of the plane's recent test flights in Augsburg, Germany. The airplane is designed to be energy efficient and quiet. Its propeller spins at 1,400 RPM which reduces the noise of the aircraft. PC-Aero say they are aiming to get at least 3 hours flight out of the design which translate to more than 250 miles range. When purchasing the Elektra One it will include a charging system and hangar for the €100,000 asking price. The company responsible for the aircraft also plan on making solar charging hangars available capable of providing 300 hours of flight time using renewable energy." Specifications - number of seats: 1 - maximum weight: 300 kg - wingspan: 8,6 m - wing surface : 6,4 m2 - maximum engine power: 16 KW - empty weight (without batteries): 100 kg - max. batteries: 100 kg - payload: 100 kg - max. range: over 400 km - max. endurance: over 3 hours - modern composite glass-/carbon-structure - advanced aerodynamic design - best propeller efficiency (90%) - light batteries - highly efficient electric drive - integration of new certification procedures Quieter, Greener Flight: The Elektra One plane by PC-Aero is competing to win NASA's CAFE Green Flight Challenge (there's a 1.6 million dollars prize). The goal is to create an aircraft that can "fly 200 miles in less than two hours using the energy equivalent of less than 1 gallon of gasoline per occupant. Team aircraft include those propelled by gasoline, bio-diesel, hydrogen, and electricity." The Elektra One is 100% powered by electricity, and it recently had a successful maiden flight in Germany. See also: http://cafefoundation.org/v2/gfc_main.php http://cafefoundation.org/v2/gfc_2011_teams.php
