Video

iPhone Touchscreen Interface Puts Robot Control At Your Fingertips


Adding a new wrinkle to the 'droid versus iPhone debate, a project at Keio University in Tokyo have created iPhone software specifically designed to control androids. More specifically, they've created an interface that puts control of a humanoid robot right at your fingertips.

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Video: The View From the Highest Man-Made Point on Earth

Video from the tip of the Burj Dubai's spire will test even the most latent acrophobia

There aren't too many YouTube videos capable of inducing measurable feelings of vertigo while you watch comfortable at your desk, but this is one of them. It was filmed by a brave, brave Scotsman standing on top of the world.

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Ford Introduces Seatbelt/Air Bag Hybrid To Save Little Johnny And Grampa


Airbags have become a crucial part of the safety features in any modern car. Unfortunately, they only protect people in the front seats. To solve this problem, Ford has created a combination seat belt/airbag for passengers in the back of the vehicle.

The inflatable seat belts blow up upon impact of a certain force, quickly expanding and providing added restraint and protection for people riding in the back seat of cars. And since the passenger in the back seat is more likely to be a child or elderly person, that extra protection really goes a long way.

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LaserMotive is First Ever Prize Winner in Space Elevator Games

The team's robot stands to win $900,000 from NASA for climbing a ribbon nearly a kilometer long

Meet Your 2009 Space Elevator Challenge Champions : David Bashford of LaserMotive prepares the climber for their award-winning run.  courtesy of NASA
First proposed in 1895, and popularized by the Arthur C. Clarke book The Fountains of Paradise, space elevators have a rich history in the culture of space travel. Unfortunately, the history of their engineering success is far less impressive. But if the results from this week's Space Elevator Games are any indication, that might be about to change.

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Gray Matter

Gray Matter: The Hidden Uses of Everyday Explosives

When you stop and look, you may be surprised to find yourself surrounded by all kinds of explosives--some that detonate easier than dynamite

The explosive C4, a favorite for everything from demolition to terrorism to action movies, is in fact one of the safest explosives. How can an explosive be safe? If it’s hard to set off by accident. C4 is so stable that you can light it with a match (it burns but does not explode) or shoot it (it splatters but does not explode). To go bang, it requires a detonator that produces both heat and shock.

At the other end of the spectrum are mixtures that ignite simply from being scratched or knocked. There are obvious challenges in mixing, storing, and handling these substances so that they explode only when intended, yet they’re surprisingly common.

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Liquavista's E-Paper Plays Full-Color Movies

Electrowetting digital paper combines high contrast with a multi-touch screen

E-readers such as Amazon's Kindle DX, Sony's Daily Edition, and Barnes & Noble's multi-touch hybrid might want to start trembling. A new e-paper from Liquivista promises to allow video-playing and digital note-taking on a multi-touch, color screen.

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Mesmerizing Tube Bender Looks Like It's Pooping Steel

Nissin Precision's automated tubing bender is like an articulated pasta maker ... for steel.

Bent tubing is key. Roll cages need it. Tube frame chassis need it. Even the storage arrangement for my welding clamps needed it. There are a number of ways to go about bending tubing. Rotary draw benders like the Hossfeld Universal bender make a tight bend at one point. Three-roll benders create more gradual curves. But none of them compare to this automated CNC tube bender that just spits out steel in any shape you want. I could watch it all day.

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University of Maryland's $500 Maple-Seed UAV Takes To the Skies


Last year, after untold millions of dollars, DARPA failed to renew a Lockheed program to design a UAV based on a maple tree seed. While that program, backed by tons of cash and one of the world's largest aerospace companies, amounted to bupkis, a University of Maryland project to create a maple seed UAV has finally accomplished what DARPA and Lockheed couldn't.

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Video: Sony's Prototype 360-Degree Display Shows Off 3-D Image


While the first 3-D television sets may start shipping as early as next year, they don't represent true three dimensional images. The televisions require 3-D glasses to work, and only present an image when viewed head on.

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Robot of the Week

Robot Skier Kills the Bunny Hills, Not Ready For Black Diamond


While it lacks the subtle charm of Alberto Tomba, this robot is just as much at ease flying down a slalom course. Designed by Bojan Nemec of the the Jozef Stefan Institute in Slovenia, the robot utilizes two computers to stay upright and pointed downhill.

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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.

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