e-volo personal helicopter

By Amir Iliaifar November 2, 2011

The e-volo prototype is a personal multicopter outfitted with sixteen propellers that allow the pilot of this odd-looking air-craft to hover above ground. The on-board navigation system is almost entirely automatic with various things like balance and altitude managed by the on-board computer system. Control of the e-volo is managed by using a joystick, so while the e-volo may look confusing to navigate, it is in fact easier than you would imagine.

The e-volo’s sixteen motors are powered by off-the-shelf batteries and overall the personal copter is surprisingly energy-efficient. Currently flight time is restricted to roughly 20-30 minutes depending on how portly you may be, but the design team has indicated that the overall flight time could be expanded upon by integrating a hybrid gas system, or by increasing the battery capacity on the rotors.

But what if something goes wrong, you ask? The team has stated that the craft can be outfitted with a safety parachute and will even operate safely if four of its motors fail.

Check out the video below for a look at the e-volo in action.

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Fulton demonstrates eCoupled wireless power at CES 2012

Fulton demonstrates eCoupled wireless power at CES 2012

If you were excited to hear about some truly futuristic and innovative technology this year from CES, then Fulton Innovation, the creator of eCoupled, is exactly what you have been waiting for. While we've had a chance to see Fulton's products before, the company was also on hand at CES 2012 to demonstrate its wide range of wireless charging technology, and it’s obvious the folks over at Fulton hate wires as much as we do. Its research and breakthroughs in wireless technology is nothing short of amazing.
But what exactly is eCoupled? Well, the simple explanation is that eCoupled is a technology that will allow users to use a wide array of devices and power them wirelessly. Sure, there are power mats that will charge your phones and tablets already, but not like this. A device doesn’t have to be fixed to a pad, but rather within a given area. For instance, Fulton demoed a cell phone being charged wirelessly while inside a handbag.

It doesn’t stop there, though. Part of what makes eCoupled such an amazing and useful new technology is the fact that Fulton has also developed an advanced wireless power solution that can be built into almost any surface, including magazines, consumer packaging, and more. We happened to see a recent copy of Entertainment Weekly with Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame – his eyes were lighting up intermittently, and needless to say it was pretty cool. When we inspected further by turning the page to see what kind of techno wizardry was behind this, we saw nothing but the next page. Of course there is an explanation: The magazine is powered by eCoupled intelligent wireless power technology, which allows it to light up while on the shelf using wirelessly powered printed electronics. According to Fulton, these printed parts will be both low-cost and low-power. Think of all the new and creative ways manufacturers, publishers, and advertisers could use this technology.
Of course there is a direct benefit to everyday consumers as well. Fulton showed off its wireless blender, and a Tesla electric car that has its interior surfaces enabled for wireless power, allowing you to power your smartphone virtually anywhere in the car – even the car itself had the ability to be charged wirelessly.
So just remember: While Samsung is showing off its gorgeous OLED TV’s, eCoupled was off in the corner pushing true innovation of another kind and bringing us another step closer to getting rid of all our pesky cables and wires.

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Sphero robo-ball: the smart ball you control with your smartphone

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Not since sixteenth century Mexico and the invention of the brilliant, yet simple, ball in a cup has the traditional ball gone through such an evolution. However, it looks like the modern day ball is aiming to take that leap in technology even further thanks to Orbotix and its versatile Sphero robotic ball.
Part ball, part robot, Sphero is a translucent white ball that you control with your smartphone via Bluetooth. But don’t let the simple ball shape fool you, it’s so much more. Once connected to your smarphone (either Android or iOS) you can download and install apps that allow you to really interact with Sphero in many different ways: from a drawing app that has the ball following a line you sketch onscreen, to a golfing app that utilizes your phone like a virtual putting wedge, but don’t worry about water hazards because Sphero is also waterproof, so taking the fun to a pool or the beach is a snap.
Want your Sphero to stand out from the sea of others, or maybe you just want to play with the cool color changing app? Well, you can because Spero even light up thanks to an internal LED, which is perfect for some glowing nighttime fun. Plus, Orbotix is aiming to let third-party developers develop new apps for its API, which will hopefully keep the ball (and fun) rolling.
For a quick video of the Sphero in action, click here.

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Naval USA-UFO remote drone test flight a success

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The U.S. Navy achieved a new landmark in advanced aviation today with the successful testing of its X-47B unmanned aircraft. Developed by Northrop Grumman, the X-47B was commissioned to take-off and land onto moving aircraft carriers while out at sea.
The design of the unmanned aircraft has a very futuristic feel to it, reminiscent of a UFO -- which among many things should help account for an increase in alleged UFO sightings.
Northrop Grumman stated that the test flight conducted today at Edwards Air Force based helped validate hardware and software that would aid the X-47B in landing with precision on a moving aircraft carrier.
"Last week's flight gave us out first clean look at the aerodynamic cruise performance of the X-47B air system ... and it's proving out all of our predictions, " Jani Pamiljans, vice president and Navy UCAS (Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier) program manager for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems division said to Fox News.
"Reaching this critical test point demonstrates the growing maturity of the air system, and it's readiness to move to the next phase of flight testing."
As the U.S Navy seeks to the maneuver away from manned aircraft to unmanned drones, expect to see more and more military tech like this on the horizon.