bots

"Ring-Wing" Submarine Swarm To Search For Undersea Oil

Engineers plan to deploy a robotic swarm for conducting undersea surveys

A robotic swarm of "ring-wing" submarines could someday scout underwater locations for oil.

Engineers from GO Science, an engineering firm specializing in aerodynamic robots, have struck a $10 million deal with an unnamed oil company. GO's ring-wing foil concept has applications for aerial vehicles as well, but the startup company has currently focused on undersea flyers.

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The Fembot Mystique

Sex-and-tech writer Annalee Newitz explores the pop-culture fascination with female robots

Click here for a photo gallery of our favorite bombshell fembots from television and film.

Fembots were a pop-culture staple long before Austin Powers battled them-witness the popularity of The Bionic Woman, The Stepford Wives and Blade Runner. But what is it about curvaceous cyborgs that stirs the imagination?

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Big Movie Uses Tiny Subs to Probe the Titanic

Bill Paxton and Genya Chernaiev help the Cameron brothers explore the Ghosts of the Abyss using two custom bots.

Apparently James Cameron's Titanic obsession is genetic. His brother Mike's engineering firm, Dark Matter, custom-built two remotely operated vehicles to probe the Titanic's multitude of staterooms, stairwells and cargo spaces. Brother James then used these ROVs to help shoot the 3-D Imax documentary, Ghosts of the Abyss, which opens April 11. We spoke with the brothers about the ROVs, the Titanic and why the Navy is interested in doing business with them.



Popular Science There are plenty of ROVs out there. Why build your own?

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December 2009: Best of What's New

In our December issue, Popular Science names the 100 best innovations of the year: bombproof wallpaper, self-parking cars, the fastest helicopter, and 97 more. Plus inventor profiles and videos.

Check out the best of what's new here.

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