Coming soon: an underwater tennis
court, a flying bicycle, mood shoes and robotic cockroaches. Oh, what the future
has in store.
1. Underwater Tennis
Court
Polish architect Krzysztof Kotala,
owner of 8 + 8 Concept Studio in
Warsaw, wants to build a tennis court off the coast of Dubai, a proving ground for audacious feats of engineering. The
dome-shaped structure would accommodate seven courts as well as a rooftop coral
reef to attract sea life.
Critics say there are too many
technical challenges to overcome, such as manufacturing much larger sheets of
glass than exist today in order to reduce the number of joints. But come on,
it's Dubai, home to the tallest building in the world, artificial islands, and
an indoor ski resort. There, nothing's impossible.
2. Robotic
Arm
Engineers at the Johns Hopkins
University in Baltimore, Maryland have developed a thought-controlled robotic
arm that can be surgically attached to the patient's remaining nerve endings.
The limb has 26 joints and can lift up to 45 pounds. With a little practice, the
patient can move the Modular Prosthetic Limbs, or
M.P.L, gently and smoothly.
3. Flike
The Flike is a flying bike designed by Bay Zoltan Nonprofit Ltd., a
Hungarian applied research institute. Recently, the prototype tricopter got its
first manned test flight, proving that it can hover and manoeuvre, while
compensating for wind. The next model to be built will come closer to a
commercial version.
4. Biodegradable Computer
Chip
Conventional computer chips are made
from petroleum-based polymers, which are not non-biodegradable and use toxic
compounds. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, have taken a
first step toward changing that by creating a material made from wood that would
serve as the substrate for a semiconductor chip. The biodegradable
material, cellulose nanofibril, is also
flexible, making it attractive to new kinds of computer development.
5. Cheetah
Robot
Engineers from MIT continue to make
progress on their DARPA-funded Cheetah robot, which is already five years in
development. The latest technical hurdle they've cleared is, well, a hurdle.
This week, the 70-pound Cheetah proved it can run, jump and clear obstacles up to 18 inches tall, all while maintaining an average speed of 5
mph. See a video here.
6. Solar
Impulse
Today, the Swiss solar-powered plane
Solar Impulse 2, began its six-day flight over the Pacific Ocean. It left China on the seventh leg of its
round-the-world journey and is expected to land in Hawaii on Saturday.
7. Mood Shoes
At Lenovo Tech World in Beijing, the
Chinese company showed off their latest collection of Internet-connected
devices. Among them were the Smart Shoes, which have a
simple display on the side that indicates the wearer's mood. The shoes can also
provide directions and maps as well as track fitness data such as miles walked
and calories burned. [Video]
8. Light
Grips
A new Kickstarter project improves
safety for bicyclists. The durable, water-resistant and rechargeable HueRay grips emit
bright, lateral light, which increases visibility. Lots of colours to chose from
and not batteries required.
9. Robo-Roach Launches
Robo-Bird
Researchers at UC Berkeley designed a
scrambling robotic cockroach, called the VelociRoACH that can
launch a micro aerial vehicle from its back. The launch is needed because the
H2Bird air vehicle weighs about 13 grams and doesn’t have the equipment to take
off at the necessary speed and angle.
10. Ironman
Phone
To promote its new Galaxy S6 Edge,
Samsung released its Iron Man, which ties into Marvel’s new movie, "Avengers: Age of Ultron."
The phone comes in a special edition Avengers box and has a case in Iron Man red
and gold. It goes on sale in South Korea this week and in other “select
markets.”
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