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Monday 3 August 2015

TASTY TECH EYE CANDY OF THE WEEK LVII


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Tasty Tech Eye Candy Of The Week (Aug 2)
By Tracy Staedter,
Discovery News, 2 August 2015.

We have some crazy cool tech this week coming at you in sleek style.

1. Blended Wing Aircraft

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Take the blended wing aircraft (above) from KLM and Delft University of Technology. The concept airplane, called AHEAD, which stands for Advanced Hybrid Engine Aircraft Development, has two sets of wings. A small pair by the nose and a large set at the rear. Both blend into the body of the plane to reduce drag and improve aerodynamic flight.

2. Ozo Virtual Reality Camera

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At a media event this week, Nokia unveiled Ozo, a spherical camera designed to capture audio and video in 360 degrees. Meant for filmmakers in the movie, media, and advertising industry, the camera will sell in the mid-five-figure range.

3. Nanotube Fibre

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A new kind of fibre made from carbon nanotubes wrapped around rubber is super strong and super stretchy. The fibre, developed by researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas, could be used for a range of technologies, including artificial muscles, conductive wires, ultra-stretchy cables that extend up to 31 times their initial length and robotic appendages that work like Stretch Armstrong to reach far beyond to grasp objects. [Video]

4. Salt Light

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The islands of the Philippines are surrounded by seawater. Soon, many of the people living off the grid there will be able to trade in their candles for a lamp that runs on salt water. It comes from the Sustainable Alternative Lighting project, headed up by Lipa Aisa Mijena of the De La Salle University. Each lamp provides 8 hours of light and is capable of charging smartphones.

5. Water Strider Robot

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A robot that mimics a water strider insect was announced this week by researchers at Seoul National University. The lightweight robot floats on the water's surface tension and is able to jump by pushing down on the water without breaking the surface.

6. Proposed Air Space

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At this year's Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management Convention, Gur Kimchi, who heads up Amazon Prime Air, made the case for air space dedicated to drone delivery. The idea is to designate a low-altitude section of sky and split it into to "droneways," one for high-speed fliers and the other for low-speed ones.

7. Monitor Charges Phone

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On Monday, Samsung unveiled its SE370 monitor, which is able to charge the company's Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge as well as many of Microsoft's Lumia phones and certain phones made by LG, Motorola and Sony, using the Qi wireless charging standard. One less wire to trip over.

8. World's Longest Tunnel Slide

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Who doesn't love a slide? In London, a record-breaking slide is going up in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The world’s longest and tallest tunnel slide - being designed by Bblur Architecture - will wrap around Anish Kapoor’s ArcelorMittal Orbit Tower and offer thrill-seekers a 40-second ride from top to bottom. Wheeeeee!

9. Blood Delivery Drone

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The concept for this delivery drone could save lives. Pathologist Timothy Amukele (left), of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, showed that blood samples for routine tests could be transported from rural communities in impoverished regions to medical labs, speeding up diagnostics and improving the health of people living in remote areas.

10. Fuel Cell Bus

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The same hydrogen fuel cell that power Toyota's Mirai car is now being tested in a bus. The car company along with Hino Motors are testing the vehicle - the Toyota Fuel Cell System-equipped bus - on public roads in the centre and waterfront areas of Tokyo and could eventually help to reduce air pollution in the populated metropolis.

Top image: The AHEAD concept airplane. Credit: KLM Blog / Delft University of Technology.

[Source: Discovery News. Edited. Some links added.]

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