Clay Dillow

Britain Is Testing An Amphibious House That Rises Along WIth Floodwaters

Britain's Environmental Agency is taking a keen interest in housing technology that embraces flooding rather than fights it.

By Clay Dillow Posted 11.28.2012 at 1:58 pm 13 Comments

[ Read Full Story ]

Science

Students Learn Better With Star Trek-Style Touchscreen Desks

A new three-year study shows students learn mathematics faster and more effectively when their real desktops are more like multi-user virtual desktops.

By Clay Dillow Posted 11.27.2012 at 1:09 pm 6 Comments

[ Read Full Story ]

Cars

The Highway Patrol Cop Of The Future Is A Robotic Unicycle

Or maybe an aerial drone. The LA Auto Show's annual Design Challenge suggests the patrol car of the future is optionally manned, self-driving, and armed with autonomous robots.

By Clay Dillow Posted 11.26.2012 at 3:30 pm 17 Comments

[ Read Full Story ]

Technology

BigPic: Sun Gone Wild

How do we know the sun is moving into the most active part of its 11-year cycle? For starters, we can plainly see it.

By Clay Dillow Posted 11.26.2012 at 3:00 pm 11 Comments

[ Read Full Story ]

Science

To Make Steam Without Boiling Water, Just Add Sunlight And Nanoparticles

A mixture of plain water, nanoparticles, and sunlight can convert water into steam without ever even bringing it to a boil

By Clay Dillow Posted 11.21.2012 at 12:00 pm 28 Comments

[ Read Full Story ]

Technology

Scientists Discover An Exoplanet So Massive They're Not Even Sure It's A Planet

Kappa And b could be a super-Jupiter, or it could be a brown dwarf--the exoplanet orbiting a nearby star is so big scientists aren't quite sure what to call it.

By Clay Dillow Posted 11.20.2012 at 6:00 pm 11 Comments

[ Read Full Story ]

Cars

Optical Camouflage Renders The Backseat Of A Car Transparent

The problem with the backseat--really with the whole rear of the car--is that it’s in your way when you’re trying to reverse. So researchers at Keio University in Japan have applied optical camouflage technology to automobiles, making the back seat appear transparent so the driver can see straight through it when backing up.

[ Read Full Story ]

By Clay Dillow Posted 11.20.2012 at 3:00 pm 7 Comments

Technology

DHS Is Experimenting With A Huge Inflatable Plug To Stop Future Flooding Of Transit Tunnels

When Hurricane Sandy struck New York City a few weeks ago, seven of the 14 under-river subway tunnels flooded as a result of the storm surge, halting operation of some subway lines for more than a week. One possible future safeguard for this kind of disaster: huge, inflatable tunnel plugs.

[ Read Full Story ]

By Clay Dillow Posted 11.20.2012 at 1:30 pm 9 Comments

Technology

Human Rights Watch Wants An International Ban On Autonomous Killer Robots

The threat of autonomous killer robots is very real and we have to stop them before it's too late. Such is the theme of many a sci-fi film, but it’s now also the official position of Human Rights Watch, which today published a 50-page report titled “Losing Humanity” that calls for an international treaty banning fully autonomous weapons technology from the battlefield. That makes perfect sense, though HRW is taking a rather straightforward stance toward technology and terminology that is anything but.

[ Read Full Story ]

By Clay Dillow Posted 11.19.2012 at 6:30 pm 16 Comments

Technology

How Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ Knocks Almost Every Incoming Missile Out Of The Sky

It’s tough to hit a moving rocket with a moving rocket. Here’s how Israel’s new domestic missile defense system is doing it with unprecedented accuracy.

By Clay Dillow Posted 11.19.2012 at 3:01 pm 52 Comments

[ Read Full Story ]

Science

BigPic: From Above, These Saharan Mountains Look Like Abstract Art

Envisat captures a beautiful palette (and not much else) in North Africa's 'Mountains of Hunger.'

By Clay Dillow Posted 11.19.2012 at 12:00 pm 1 Comment

[ Read Full Story ]

Science

Researchers Achieve Quantum Teleportation Between Two Macroscopic Objects For The First Time

The quantum internet is coming, and this is how we're going to get there.

By Clay Dillow Posted 11.19.2012 at 10:00 am 12 Comments

[ Read Full Story ]

Technology

Video: The Latest From iRobot's Research Lab

Soft robotic fingers, robots that can open doors, and a robotic sea turtle--iRobot's R&D guys stopped by to show us their latest projects yesterday, and we're passing the awesomeness on to you.

By Clay Dillow Posted 11.16.2012 at 4:58 pm 4 Comments

[ Read Full Story ]

Technology

How 3-D Printing Will Turn Homes Into Mini Factories

Consumer-grade multi-material printers could hit the market in the next decade. Here's why that matters.

By Clay Dillow Posted 11.16.2012 at 12:00 pm 1 Comment

[ Read Full Story ]

Technology

Utah Cops May Be Required To Wear Camera Glasses

When every police-citizen interaction is recorded, maybe we'll be nicer to each other.

By Clay Dillow Posted 11.15.2012 at 6:00 pm 12 Comments

[ Read Full Story ]

Clay Dillow

+ More Photo Galleries

June 2013: American Energy Independence

Five amazing, clean technologies that will set us free, in this month's energy-focused issue. Also: how to build a better bomb detector, the robotic toys that are raising your children, a human catapult, the world's smallest arcade, and much more.