Brian Dodson

Spanish engineering company Applus+ Idiada has officially unveiled its Volar-e supercar prototype at the Circuit de Catalunya during the F1 Test Days in Barcelona. Developed for the European Commission and apparently based on the Rimac Concept One, the all-electric Volar-e boasts 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration of 3.4 seconds, does the standing quarter-mile in 10.3 seconds, and reaches its top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) in only 12.1 sec.  Read More

The first comet discovered this year, Comet C/2013 A1, is currently projected to pass within about 23,000 miles (37,000 km) of the surface of Mars late in 2014. While this event in itself promises spectacular views for astronomers, the uncertainty of the comet's orbit includes a significant chance of an impact on Mars. If this happens, the impact would be hundreds of times more powerful than the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs on Earth.  Read More

Telepathy has long been a subject of controversy in physical and psychological circles, offering the potential for removing the material and sensory walls between individuals, and allowing the direct transmission of information without using any of our known sensory channels or physical interactions. Although true telepathy still appears to be pseudoscience, futurists have long predicted that some form of technologically-based telepathy would eventually emerge ... and, it would appear, it has.  Read More

At the recent Chicago Automate 2013 show of automation and robotics, Yaskawa Motoman drew huge crowds to watch its SDA10F double-armed robot deal blackjack for three players. The two-armed bandit not only deals cards, but can read the cards dealt, and play according to the rules of blackjack. The level of dexterity, along with the robot's vision recognition camera and software, wowed the throngs attending the show.  Read More

Mercedes-AMG and Cigarette Racing have launched their latest collaboration at the Miami International Boat Show. The 38-foot Top Gun Cigarette Racing hull is powered by an AMG electric drive pumping out 2,220 horsepower (1,656 kW) and 2,210 ft-lb (3,000 Nm) of torque for a top speed in excess of 100 mph (160 km/h or over 86 knots). The electrics are taken nearly whole from the SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive – the world's fastest and most powerful production electric car.  Read More

Honda has introduced the first two motorcycles of its new CTX (Comfort, Technology and eXperience) series. The 2014 CTX700 and its siblings (CTX700N, CTX700D, and CTX700ND) are variations of the company's 2012 NC700 model which was designed mainly as reliable, inexpensive bikes for new riders.  Read More

IBM's Watson supercomputer has long held out the promise of being a partner in our endeavors rather than simply being a better search engine. Now an improved version of Watson has joined the oncology staff at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.  Read More

Cigarette Racing and AMG have collaborated on the newest version of the Huntress performance boat, which was officially unveiled this week at the Miami International Boat Show. A little more roomy than classic go-fast boats, the 42-foot Huntress is ten feet high, has an 11-foot, 9-inch beam and a cabin below decks providing luxury accommodation for two. Oh, yes – it also comes with a 500 gallon fuel tank and five Mercury Racing outboards that can push it up to 78 mph (125 km/h or 68 knots).  Read More

Have you ever felt that one computer game is more "addictive" than another? Leaving definitions aside for the moment, it's fair to say that an addictive computer game is likely to be a more successful product than a game that is merely fun to play. Gaming developers apply numerous techniques and tests in an attempt to evaluate which games will hit the right buttons. Now researchers at Academia Sinica and the National Taiwan University (ASNTU) have developed a direct test for the addictiveness of a computer game based on physiological responses of a group of new players.  Read More