drag2share: ENDLESS ELECTRICITY: They Figured Out A Way Of Turning America's Roads Into Gigantic Solar Panels

source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/viljur6c6U4/solar-roadways-profile-2014-5

There are approximately 31,251 square miles of roads, parking lots, driveways, playgrounds, bike paths, and sidewalks in the lower 48 states. 

If Julie and Scott Brusaw have their way, they will all someday be replaced with solar panels.

For the better part of a decade, the Idaho couple have been working on prototyping an industrial-strength panel that could withstand the weight of even the largest trucks.

They now appear to have cracked the formula, developing a specially textured glass coating for the panels that can not only bear tremendous loads but can support standard tire traction. 

By their reckoning, at peak installation, their panel-ized roads could produce more than 3x the electricity currently consumed in the U.S.

The material could also be able to power electric vehicles, through a a "receiver" plate mounted beneath the EV and a "transmitter" plate is installed in the road.

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Article: Flying drone can '3D print' with foam, help carry away hazardous objects

Flying drones with 3D printers attached to their body: it was only a matter of time until the two technologies met. Such a thing now exists, although we're not quite sure it's earned its printing qualification yet. Developed by a team at the Imperial College London, the "3D printing Micro Aerial ...

http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/13/flying-3d-printer-mav/?ncid=rss_truncated

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drag2share: What you need to know about smart guns

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/12/smart-gun-explainer/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

It's increasingly difficult to have a rational discussion about gun violence. Thankfully for us, we're not here to do that. We're here to explain what the concept of a smart gun is, beyond what you've seen in hit Sylvester Stallone film Judge Dredd. Lost amid the shouting and hand-wringing of American politics are a bevy of technologies that aim to skip the argument, instead aiming to decrease gun violence through advanced technology. Barring a dramatic shift in American culture or politics, however, it seems the smart gun concept may wither and die. So, what are smart guns?

WHAT IS IT?

The term "smart gun" is trademarked by the company Mossberg, though it's generally understood to refer to any firearm that is designed to allow only the owner to pull the trigger. How exactly a weapon accomplishes that doesn't matter, so long as some form of authentication is required.

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drag2share: Self-healing plastic bleeds when cut, and that's a good thing

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/11/self-healing-plastics/

Wouldn't it be great if everything was as good at healing itself as our own skin? That's the concept behind a new self-healing plastic that's been developed over at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Unlike ordinary plastics, this one contains a thin network of tubes, aping the human vascular system, containing two separate gels that react when they come into contact with each other. When the surface of the plastic is punctured, for instance if shot by a bullet, the two gels pour out, mixing to form a surface roughly 60 percent as strong as the original -- just like a blood clot would on our bodies.

Unfortunately for now, the system only works with holes smaller than eight millimeters, and since it took around three hours to harden, it can't yet be used to save a punctured aircraft while in flight. That said, the team is already working to improve matters, and plans to swap out the gels in favor of foams, which may cover larger areas and harden a lot faster. The Air Force, which funded the research, is hoping that we may eventually see self-healing spacecraft and other heavy equipment where it'd be too dangerous or difficult to send an engineer, like deep-sea drilling. The only downside is that the more vascularized the systems become, the weaker they get overall -- but then that's hardly been a big problem for our bones.

[Image credit: Nathan Bajandas]

Filed under: Science

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Via: New Scientist, Gizmodo Australia

Source: Science, University of Illinois

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drag2share: This remote-controlled robot can run faster than you (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/11/outrunner-kickstarter-rc-robot/

RC cars and helicopters are cool and all, but if you want a combo breaker in your collection, here's something different: a multi-legged robot that runs. At the moment, you can only get this remote-controlled sprinter called the OutRunner through Kickstarter, where its creators are trying to raise $150,000 to fund its production. It's available in two different versions that can run on various terrains, including grass, asphalt and dirt. The basic model called the OutRunner Core is a 1.5-foot tall, 3-pound machine that ships with six legs and can move up to 10mph with a battery that lasts up to an hour. Too slow? Well, there's also the OutRunner Performance, a slightly larger version (2-feet tall and 5 pounds) that ships with 12 legs, an HD camera, and can run up to 20mph for up to two hours. Also, the OutRunner Performance can be controlled with an app as well as with its remote control, and can live stream video and sensor data to a smartphone. Unfortunately for those whose expensive toy funds have run dry, neither of these come cheap -- you'd have to pledge at least $249 to get a DIY kit of the basic model.

Filed under: Misc

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Via: Gizmag

Source: Kickstarter

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