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Latest by Rick Stella

defense department may outfit drones with anti ballistic missile lasers yalone1

The Pentagon looks to laser-equipped UAVs to resurrect its anti-ballistic missile program

After suspending a chemical laser anti-ballistic missile program in 2012, the Pentagon now wants to put electric lasers on UAVs to down ballistic missiles.
scientists think hidden ninth planet exists in solar system newplanet1

Astronomers have found compelling evidence of an unseen 9th planet in our solar system

In a recent report, astronomer Mike Brown says he's found signs of a planet ten times the mass of Earth located roughly 19 billion miles past Pluto.
second tallest skyscraper in the world completed shanghaitower1

China’s recently-completed Shanghai Tower is now the second tallest building in the world

Trailing only Dubai's Burj Khalifa in terms of height, construction on the Taiwanese skyscraper known as Shanghai Tower recently completed.
urban aeronautics tests its airmule drone airmule1

Say hello to the AirMule, an unmanned aircraft that can carry a half-ton payload

Designed and manufactured by the Israel-based Urban Aeronautics, the AirMule drone is an autonomous UAV that can carry up to 1,100 pounds of equipment.
researchers at uw develop laser which refrigerates liquids uwfreezeray2

Researchers at the University of Washington just developed a real-life ‘freeze ray’

A team of engineers at the University of Washington just successfully created the world's first laser capable of cooling liquids instead of heating them.
philae found after seven months philaelander2

As Philae drifts further from the Sun, scientists fear the lander is asleep for good

After losing contact last July, scientists employed a last ditch effort to awaken the Philae lander this weekend, though it's assumed it's asleep for good.
dji releases new drones before ces djiphanton34k1

DJI expands its 4K offering with the new Phantom 3 4K and Inspire 1 Pro

Drone manufacturer DJI just upped the quadcopter ante by unveiling upgrades to its Phantom 3 and Inspire 1 line of drones. Both are available now.
The FITGuard

The FITGuard mouthpiece alerts coaches when a player might have a concussion

Force Impact Technologies' revolutionary FITGuard mouthpiece helps athletes avoid head injuries by alerting them when the force of an impact is too high.
d vine connected sommelier ces 2016 img 1803

Straight out of France, the D-Vine connected sommelier is like a Keurig for wine

From French startup 10-Vins, the D-Vine smart wine machine knows exactly the right temperatures and aeration to let anyone pour the perfect glass of wine.
cerevo unveils first connected 3d printed bike orbitrec ride 1

This 3D-printed smart bike texts your friends in the event of a crash

Unveiled at CES, Cerevo's ORBITREC 3D-printed bike and RIDE-1 clip-on sensor module offer bicyclists advanced visualization data to improve their riding.
ultimaker unveils two new 3d printers at ces 2016 ultimaker2plus

Ultimaker’s next generation of 3D printers increase reliability and grant better control

During CES 2016, 3D printing manufacturer Ultimaker pulled back the veil on two new 3D printers; the upgraded Ultimaker 2+ and Ultimaker 2 Extended+.
the one smart piano 2 smartpiano1

One Music Group’s smart piano lights the way to virtuosity

To help reduce the bore factor of learning the piano, One Music Group unveiled its smart piano at CES 2016 which makes playing music feel like a video game.
introducing the axis vidius drone axis3

Say hello to VIDIUS, the world’s smallest first-person-view camera drone

After unveiling the world's smallest quadcopter last April, UAV company Axis is back with the world's smallest first-person-view drone called the VIDIUS.
darpa developing drones capable of landing on small ships tern1

DARPA’s new drone will be able to take off and land on small Navy ships autonomously

A new unmanned aerial system program developed by DARPA and the U.S. Navy aims to launch and land on small Navy ships completely autonomously.
sonar gloves let wearers feel out of reach objects under water sonarglove3

These crazy sonar gloves let the wearer feel distant objects, even in murky water

Two Ph.D. candidates at Japan's Tsukuba University have successfully developed functional sonar gloves capable of detecting out-of-reach objects underwater.
google wind energy part mvd mvd6726308 1 0

The country of Costa Rica ran on 99 percent renewable energy in 2015

To help the ongoing fight against global warming, the country of Costa Rica announced it achieved 99 percent renewable energy during all of 2015.
same sex couples may have ability to be biological parents their kids 42708608 l

Scientific breakthrough may allow same-sex couples to be biological parents to their kids

According to a recent article, in vitro gametogenesis progress shows same-sex couples may one day have the ability to be biological parents to their kids.
seabed mining robots to mine for gold in hydrothermal vents transporter bridge teesside

These monstrous deep sea mining robots were built to search for gold on the ocean floor

Assuming the ocean floor to be a potential gold mine, the Toronto-based Nautilus Materials just built a fleet of seabed-mining robots to scour it for gold.
air force to allow enlisted pilots fly gobal hawk drones 140524 f xd880 018

The US Air Force now allows any enlisted person to pilot a surveillance drone — not just officers

The United States Air Force announced this week it would begin allowing all enlisted servicemen the chance to pilot unmanned Global Hawk drone missions.
spacex to attempt land based rocket landing this month crs6 launch 39a

UPDATE: after a successful test fire, SpaceX aims to launch its new Falcon 9 this Sunday

According to a NASA representative, SpaceX will soon attempt to land one of its Falcon 9 rockets on a landing pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
elon musk and others donate 1 billion to ai research

Elon Musk and other tech titans just donated $1B for artificial intelligence research

To help foster beneficial artificial intelligence research, Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and others pledged $1 billion to the AI research company, OpenAI.
faa reports 300k drone registrations dronefaa1

By FAA decree, all current drone owners must register with the government before February 19

The Federal Aviation Administration just announced any owner of a small drone weighing more than 0.55 lbs must register the aircraft starting December 21.

This innovative fingerprint scanner can discern fake fingerprints from real ones

An innovative new fingerprint scanner developed by the machine vision technology company BitFlow can reportedly discern fake fingerprints from genuine ones.
us navy 700 million mine detecting ship fails tests rms2

The U.S. Navy's $700 million mine-detecting technology fails at its only job

Despite investing roughly $700 million into research and development, the U.S. Navy's innovative mine-hunting technology continues to fail at its only job.
ucla and uc davis create augmented reality sandbox echo ar 2

Chop down mountains with the edge of your hand in this augmented-reality sandbox

Researchers from UC Davis and UCLA just unveiled an augmented reality sandbox that lets people modify and alter a topographical map with only their hands.
innovative underwater hotel to open in next few years underwaterhotel1

This crazy underwater hotel is slated to be built off the coast of Florida in 2016

Planet Ocean Underwater Hotel announced it's moving on to a testing phase of its revolutionary underwater hotel, yet no operating date is yet known.
hyperloop to begin testing in nevada 2016 hyperloopphoto1

Short-track testing of Elon Musk’s futuristic Hyperloop is slated to begin in 2016

After securing a 50-acre land deal in North Las Vegas, Nevada, Hyperloop Technologies says it plans on testing the Hyperloop early next year.
iss astronauts to test microsofts hololens isscrew1

Microsoft is sending its HoloLens to the ISS so astronauts can use augmented reality

Later this week, NASA plans to send Microsoft's HoloLens technology to the International Space Station to help astronauts work efficiently.
china to build worlds largest animal cloning factory cloned cows

China is building a controversial animal cloning facility to satisfy rising meat demands

Sometime in 2016, the world's largest animal cloning facility will open in China and intends to provide roughly 5 percent of the meat eaten in the country.
syntouch develops prosthetic fingers with a sense of touch biotac1

This robotic prosthetic hand knows exactly how hard to grab an egg without crushing it

SynTouch, a tactile sensing company, just unveiled its recent breakthrough in prosthetics, showing off its BioTac fingers which can accurately sense touch.
nasa to launch twin sounding rockets through the aurora borealis this winter aurorborealis1

NASA is going to launch two rockets into the Northern Lights this weekend, for science

NASA just announced it intends to launch two sounding rockets through the Northern Lights in Norway to study the cusp aurora phenomenon's magnetic fields.
tallest building in the world to be built iraq thebride2

Iraq is planning a solar powered skyscraper that’s 1,000 feet taller than the Burj Khalifa

The Iraq-based architecture firm AMBS just announced plans on building a 3,780-foot tall skyscraper in Iraq that will operate entirely on solar energy.
false experiences planted in human brains brainimagedarpa1

DARPA’s latest project? A brain implant capable of restoring lost memories

Backed by President Obama and developed by DARPA, the Restoring Active Memory program hopes to allow those suffering brain injuries to make memories again.
flexjet orders 20 aerion as2 supersonic private jets in flight mountains hr

The world’s first supersonic private jet will be ready to hit the skies in 2023

Flexjet, a private luxury jet company, just announced it plans on buying 20 AS2 supersonic jets from the Texas-based airplane manufacturer, Aerion.
researchers develop bio ink advancing 3d printing of living tissue bioprintingphoto2

Russian scientists have figured out how to 3D print working thyroid glands for mice

The Russian-based 3D Bioprinting Solutions announced successful testing of a 3D-printed mice thyroid at this year's Biofabrication 2015 conference.
the first 3d printed supercar is faster than a ferrari bladesupercar2

Amazingly, this 3D-printed supercar can go from 0 to 60 faster than a Ferrari

Faster and lighter than a Ferrari, the world's first 3D-printed supercar is a product of brilliant innovation and a desire to preserve the environment.
dubai civil defence to outfit firefighters with jetpacks dubaijetpack2

As lavish as ever, Dubai’s Fire Service might soon use jetpacks to fight fires

At the Dubai Air Show this week, Martin Aircraft and the Dubai Civil Defence recently announced a partnership which would outfit firefighters with jetpacks.
darpa to test submarine hunting ocean drones actucv2

Construction is nearly complete on DARPA’s crazy submarine-hunting drone

Defense agency DARPA is nearing completion of an anti-submarine autonomous drone that has the ability to track and trail even the quietest submarines.