• Technology

    Army Seeks Helmet-Mounted Radar to Give Every Soldier 360-Degree Awareness

    By Clay Dillow Posted on 10.27.2009 3 Comments

    It's often said that a soldier's greatest weapon is his head; now, the U.S. Army plans to sharpen that weapon, installing radar in troops' combat helmets, upgrading one of the oldest pieces of infantry armor into an effective tactical device. The Helmet Mounted Radar Program aims to provide a near-360-degree field for Moving Target Indicator (MTI) radar sensors that is low-power and can detect a moving threat as far out as 25 meters. The sensor should be integrated into the combat helmet and weigh less than two-and-a-half pounds, with less than a pound mounted on the helmet itself.

    10.28.2009 at 07:32am - Comment by rcc_2000

    My concern is that Radar emits a radiation signature. Could this be used to find soldiers or trigger an IED?

  • Technology

    Plutonium Shortage Threatens Future Deep Space Missions

    By Clay Dillow Posted on 10.6.2009 11 Comments

    Imagine you’re driving across the Mojave Desert, and somewhere in the middle of absolutely nowhere you realize that the next gas station is further away than your car can travel on its current supply of gasoline. What next? That’s the problem NASA mission planners are facing as the agency's supply of plutonium-238, the fuel used to power deep space probes like Cassini and surface scouts like the upcoming Mars Science Laboratory, are dwindling.

    9.30.2009 at 03:36pm - Comment by rcc_2000

    Maybe Iran will produce some we can buy...

  • Science

    PopSci Photo Contest Winner!

    By Posted on 9.2.2008 3 Comments

    Another awesome set of entries to the PopSci photo contest. Thanks to everyone who entered and congrats to this week's winner for the theme "Science Up Close": Freshdopetea (via our Flickr pool). For all of you photogs, another contest is in the works. After the jump, get the low down. And as always, happy shooting!

    9.1.2008 at 08:37am - Comment by rcc_2000

    I would say they are dead ringers for Psilocybe cubensis. Which would make them "magic". Popular Science of the Mind.

  • The Environment

    Solar Freeze

    By Posted on 6.30.2008 9 Comments

    Few would begrudge an environmental impact study in advance of new power plant construction, least of all proponents of alternative energy. But with the Bureau of Land Management's recent decision to put a freeze on any new solar projects on the land it oversees in order to study the potential environmental effects, those same proponents are now looking skeptically at the federal government.

    7.2.2008 at 08:11am - Comment by rcc_2000

    Of course they are putting a halt to this. It certainly does not help the big oil companies (and the Presidents good buddies). They have token investments in solar or any other energy they cannot pump out of the ground. We are headed to an energy crisis of biblical proportions. Remember the 70's energy crisis was man-made/political the one we are headed into is due to actual available supply and the ability to reach it.... Eventually at any cost. Well, this will probably be only temporary. Come 1/20/09 we can expect some more intelligence in the White House (either McCain or Obama are far better than the idiot we have now).

  • The Environment

    10 Audacious Ideas to Save the Planet

    By Posted on 8.1.2008 27 Comments

    Making a dent in the climate crisis is going to take more than solar panels and recycled toilet paper. Scientists are finding ever more creative ways (pig pee! DIY tornadoes! mini nuclear reactors!) to clean up the Earth

    6.29.2008 at 10:50pm - Comment by rcc_2000

    So Japan is building a Gigawatt death beam that can take out villages?

  • The Environment

    The Sun-Powered Sailboat

    By Posted on 6.24.2008 3 Comments

    For most of history, sailboats were by definition pollution-free. Now, however, even purists use outboard motors to get their three-sheeters in and out of the harbor. Including conventional motorized boats, there are more than 10 million hydrocarbon-burning marine engines in the U.S. alone.

    6.23.2008 at 11:29pm - Comment by rcc_2000

    It really looks great... But two 200 HP motors is overkill if one is relying on the solar panels (as shown). I admit I am not an expert in solar panels but I would imagine that two 200HP electric engines would drink up the batteries in no time. They would probably archive greater functionality and greater distances per charge if they scaled the engines down. But great idea... And again I am not nor do I claim any knowledge in these areas except for what seems logical based on the technologies being used



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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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