Engineers in San Diego are working on smart clothes to cool and heat the human body using
fabric that expands or shrinks in reaction to temperature.
And 100 million dollars have just been allocated to use radio telescopes to search for aliens.
Researchers at Duke University connected the brains of four rats to create a brainet.
After networking the four brains via electrodes the rats were given tasks in memory storage
and retrieval and the brainet performed better than individual rats did.
This technology could revolutionize computing, as well as provide new mental and physical
therapies for stroke victims or people in comas.
Oregon State University researchers have patented bacon seaweed.
Created from a strain of red marine algae this new superfood is packed with minerals
and proteins and has twice the nutritional value of Kale.
But most importantly when it's fried it tastes like bacon.
A construction company VolkerWessels hopes to start building roads out of plastic.
Their proposed idea would be to collect plastic floating in the ocean and then process it
into sections of road that could be installed onsite like tiles.
In theory, these roads would be more durable, environmentally friendly, and easier to install
than asphalt, however concerns over their safety when in contact with rain or extreme
heat must be addressed before the project can move forward.
Not to mention the actual cost of collecting plastics from the ocean.
The Hankook iflex is an airless tire.
Comprised of three solid sections the iflex promises a smoother ride, more fuel efficient
driving, and it's not only made out of recycled materials it can itself be recycled.
The tire has actually been in development for several years but recent advances in the
manufacturing process means they can start moving past prototyping stages and into performance
and durability testing.
The In-situ Fabricator is a robot that can lay bricks for construction sites.
Unique in that it is autonomous, the fabricator can build a 3D map of a construction site
and upload it, which also means that the robot can navigate the area on its own.
It’s not yet ready for commercialization though as it needs a human to feed it bricks.
Images of celebrities were used in mind game experiments to discover how memories are formed.
The researchers would show a subject a photo of someone like Jennifer Aniston next to the
Eiffel Tower and then monitor which neurons fired within the brain.
They found that if then just shown an image of Jennifer Aniston the subject’s neurons
related to the Eiffel Tower would also fire up, illustrating that neurons change their
firing properties at the exact moment that a memory is formed.
Basically, they observed learning.
The Stella Lux is a family-oriented solar car that generates more energy than it uses.
Built to accommodate four people and reach a speed of 77 MPH (125 KM) the Stella Lux
is able to take its surplus energy each day and return it to the grid.
In October, it will be competing in the Bridgestone world solar challenge, and if you pledge of
10,000 euros to the team they’ll fly you to Australia to take a ride in the car.
A new species of Raptor was discovered in China and it has feathered wings.
The raptor probably couldn’t fly, so possible explanations for the wings include for use
in mating displays, protecting eggs, or regulating body temperature.
The discovery raises questions about the evolution of wings, and how they may have initially
evolved for purposes other than flying.
Raytheon has created a see-through aluminum ceramic that is bullet proof.
The substance is half as heavy as traditional bullet proof glass and is twice as effective
at stopping bullets, and it remains transparent even after being shot.
So far the armor is only used for battlefield lenses, or windows over missile sensors, but
could someday allow for even safer windshields.
Buddy is a new companion robot for your home.
He autonomously patrols the house reminding you of important events, acting as your alarm
clock, turning off your lights when you’re not around, and alerting you of suspicious
activity.
You can take control of buddy remotely in order to check on your home, and he can act
as a party photographer, or tutor for your child.
And he's being built to be a robotic modular platform that a community could program for
and improve.
Finally mcity, is a city built specifically for autonomous vehicles.
The types of technologies that'll be tested out here are both connected so vehicles communicating
with other vehicles even around blind corners as well as to the infrastructure.
And then various levels of automation all the way up to fully autonomous.
Will the automated vehicle detect the pedestrian in the crosswalk and stop?
I’m going to leave you with tangible holograms, and as always, thanks
for watching.