"Doped bikes" that use hidden motors to give riders a boost have long been suspected but never seen. However, officials accused 19-year-old Belgian star Femke Van den Driesshe (above) of "technological fraud" at the cyclocross World Championships on...
Remember that kid that solved a Rubik’s Cube in 5.25-seconds? He’s a sloth compared to the robot that Jay Flatland and his pal Paul Rose created. The motorized ‘bot has a 3D-printed frame, and is controlled by an Arduino and custom software running on a Linux PC.
A quartet of webcams lets the software on the computer to see what state the cube is in. Then, fast-moving stepper motors whirl the cube around. The result is a robot that can solve a randomly mixed up cube in as little as 1.047 seconds.
Technically, I’ve never “officially” solved a Rubik’s Cube. I always resorted to pulling off the stickers so I didn’t feel quite so dumb.
[via The Awesomer]
CEO departures normally come in one of two forms -- a dignified slope to the exit, or an explosive, controversial parting of ways. Departing Scarlet Motors CEO Julien Fourgeaud has taken a different approach with a stream-of-consciousness blog post, describing the company's origins and cryptically hinting at divisions within the EV maker. Naming no names, the former Rovio executive mentions that he wishes people "kept their commitments, their word" and were "working together towards building an amazing product." But despite the dissatisfaction, Fourgeaud says that he'll continue to support the business as a shareholder -- in between making sure his LinkedIn profile is up to date.
Filed under: Transportation
Source: Julien Fourgeaud
Sitting apart from the abundance of health-tracking apps and gadgets on display here at the CES 2013 Bluetooth SIG event is a toy made for the creative-minded geek: Atoms. Fueled by a successful kickstarter campaign, these intelligent building blocks veer away from the intimidating halo surrounding other DIY entries like Raspberry Pi which require a certain level of programming proficiency, allowing any user to pick up a kit, then plug and play. Color-coded according to their usage -- blue for sensors, green for action and red for connectors -- the modules offer users an 'unlimited' number of applications (think: weaving these into clothing).
But not everyone's going to be brimming with ideas and to that end the company's created four separate packages that'll begin shipping in June. On the low-end, there's a $29 prankster kit, which incorporates an exploding block, a $49 monster set that includes eight different modules, including one for voice recording and playback, a $59 magic wand set and, finally, on the high-end, a $79 iOS tank set. Compared to the number of pieces allocated to the cheaper sets, the two motors included in this latter iOS option may not seem like much, but it does also come bundled with a Bluetooth 4.0 brick and companion app for literal remote control. If you're looking to dig deeper into the Atoms experience, you'll be able to purchase each individual module à la carte. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until this summer to get your own hands-on with Atoms, but in the meanwhile, check out our gallery below and be sure to check back for a brief video demo.
Filed under: Misc
Bus-sized satellites require massive engines for even the slightest movements, but as far smaller structures become a possibility, a tiny driving mechanism can offer usable thrust. To serve this next-gen tech, MIT saw a need to develop "microthrusters," which are each the size of a penny and can be mounted to tiny cubed satellites. With thruster components measuring a few microns each, the magnetic levitation system is able to accommodate 500 microscopic tips that emit ion beams in a very small package, serving to push two-pound structures through space. The tiny devices have not made their way into orbit yet, but they have been tested in a vacuum chamber. Because of their size, it's possible to add several to each satellite, then enabling sophisticated movements for more precise turns.
There are currently two dozen "CubeSats" in orbit, each measuring only slightly larger than a Rubik's cube, but without any thrusters to power them, positioning can't be adjusted once they're released. Because of their current location, CubeSats eventually burn up in the atmosphere, but once they're released farther from Earth, they won't be able to enter the atmosphere on their own, remaining in orbit as "space junk" even after completing their missions -- micro thrusters could also serve to move these satellites closer to the planet so they can burn up during re-entry. There's no word on when, or even if, MIT's invention will make its way to the launchpad, but you can take a closer look in the demo video after the break.
Continue reading MIT 'microthrusters' are the size of a penny, could reposition tiny satellites
Filed under: Science
MIT 'microthrusters' are the size of a penny, could reposition tiny satellites originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Aug 2012 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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