Ben Coxworth
Mapping environmental threats in GPS-inaccessible locations – such as underground installations, or the passageways of ships – can certainly pose some challenges. While there are robotic systems that can do the job, robots aren’t necessarily the best choice for cramped quarters or uneven terrain. That’s why a team of scientists at Johns Hopkins University have developed the backpack-mounted Enhanced Mapping and Positioning System ... or EMAPS. Read More
Things might be getting a little more difficult for the James Bonds and Jason Bournes of the world. A new system developed by Prof. Uwe Hartmann at Germany’s Saarland University utilizes the Earth’s magnetic fields to instantly determine when and where a security fence has been breached. Read More
Whether you call it a quadcopter, quadrocopter, quadrotor, UAV or (gasp) a drone, DJI’s new GPS-equipped Phantom is certainly a nifty little radio-controlled aircraft. We first heard about the Phantom when it was officially launched this January and since then I've had a chance to try out the, uh – let’s call it a quadcopter – for myself. Here’s a quick look at my experiences with it, and I'll say this right now: the thing was more fun than a barrel full of flying monkeys. Read More
Rich folks ... they have their immaculately-appointed yachts and classic wooden motor launches, but they pretty much have to use the same sit-on-top kayaks as the rest of us, right? Not if the Kayak 1 has anything to say about it. Read More
Given that scientists are already looking to sea sponges as an inspiration for body armor, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that foam is also being considered ... not just any foam, though. Unlike regular foam, specially-designed nanofoams could someday not only be used in body armor, but also to protect buildings from explosions. Read More
If you create high-end carbon fiber bicycle frames and wheels for a living, what do you do when you’re looking for a fixed-gear commuter bike? Well, you don’t just get a Huffy. In the case of Indrek Narusk, designer with Estonia’s Velonia Bicycles, you create a stainless steel-tubed piece of art known as the Viks ... and then you start making them for other people, with an eye towards commercial production. Read More
Red Rocket Travel Slider is for film-makers on the go
Although not everyone may remember it, there was a time when if you wanted to make a professional-looking film, you needed either a 16mm movie camera or something along the lines of a BetaCam. Compact professional video cameras and video-capable DSLRs have changed that, although slick-looking videos still require more than just a good camera – it helps if you have a way of performing nice camera movements, too. The Red Rocket Slider is designed to get you some of those moves, without requiring a big gear truck or a big budget. Read More
Ah, the whiteboard. It’s a regular fixture of classrooms, boardrooms, laboratories and Big Bang Theory sets everywhere. Sometimes, however, the confines of that board may not be sufficient for all the ideas, equations, or random doodlings that need to go onto it. That’s why IdeaPaint was invented. Read More
If you want to teach children about hydrogen power, you can always buy them a fuel cell-powered toy car like the H-ROVER. Should you wish to show them the merits of solar power, there are also quite a number of solar panel-equipped cars from which to choose. ToyLabs’ new Volta Racer, however, is reportedly the first toy car to feature a flexible polycrystalline silicon solar panel. Read More
MojoFloCam has a funny name and a smooth purpose
The skyrocketing popularity of smartphones and compact video cameras over the past several years has resulted in a certain class of products starting to show up a lot on Kickstarter – rigs for stabilizing video shot with the devices. We’ve recently covered models such as the Circle Thing, the Stabil-i Case, and the SteadeeGo. One of the latest such products, Steadibitz’ amazingly-named MojoFloCam, looks like it does a pretty good job at smoothing out the shakes. Read More
