SHOAL’s robotic fish can also help with underwater security, diver monitoring, and search and rescue efforts. Each of the fish is about 5 feet long and has a fin on the back that moves back and forth to propel it just as a natural fish would move. Each of the robot fish costs $31,600(USD) and packs in numerous sensors to pick up common pollutants.

The fish are able to swim without any input and send data back to the shore station up to half a mile away. The fish use artificial intelligence software to avoid obstacles, map their location, and return to base when the battery packs run low. The battery packs are good for about eight hours per charge. The reason the robot is designed to look like a fish is so it will blend into the environment, and can also maintain a small turning radius.

[via MSNBC]

That second stage contained a canister with cremated ashes from about 308 different people. Among the people’s remains aboard the second stage of the rocket was James Doohan, better known as Scotty from the original Star Trek series. Former Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper also had his remains aboard the rocket.

People paid as about $3,000(USD) to put their loved one’s remains on the rocket and send them into orbit. The company that arranged for the unusual burial is called Celestis. This was the second attempt by SpaceX and Celestis to put the remains in orbit since 2008 when the original launch failed. Luckily, Celestis saved some of the remains just in case. The second stage of the Falcon 9 will orbit for about a year before it plunges back into the atmosphere.

[via ABC News]

The Clothbot was designed by a team from the Chinese Academy of Science, and it uses a special set of gripper wheels to help it ascend textiles. The tiny robot weighs just under 5 ounces, but is incredibly adept at handling the challenging surface of fabric. In the demo video below, we see Clothbot climbing a shirt, and then pair of pants:

Why, you may ask, would you need a robot that can climb your pants? Its creators think that the Clothbot could be the foundation for small robotic pets that could climb on us, or the slightly more ridiculous idea of a robotic cellphone which could saddle itself on your shoulder to free your hands – guess they never heard of a Bluetooth headset. They also suggest the idea of robotic “body inspection.” Um, no thanks. On the other hand, tiny robot pets that climb on us sound kind of fun – at least until Skynet gets a hold of them.

[via IEEE Spectrum]

The surgeons took healthy nerves from the man’s body and used them to bridge the damaged nerves affecting his hands. The operation was performed at the Washington University School of Medicine, and the doctors hope that the operation could prove to be a breakthrough for people suffering from spinal cord injuries.

Once the new nerves were connected to the damaged areas, the man received extensive physical therapy. Eight months after the operation, he was able to move the thumb and fingers of his left hand, and after 10 months he was able to move the fingers of his right hand. Prior to the surgery, the man had limited movement in his arms, but lacked the ability to grasp or hold things in either hand. The man is now able to feed himself and write to a limited extent. Unfortunately, they cannot restoring truly “normal” function using this procedure. In this instance, for example, the man had to teach his mind to use a nerve that normally bends the arm and elbow to make the grasping hand movements.

[via Journal of Neurosurgery via Guardian]

The brown patches in the image above are electrodes coated with genetically modified M13 bacteriophage, a virus that only attacks bacteria and is harmless to humans. When the electrodes are pressed, the viruses convert the force into electricity, as evidenced by the LCD display on top. The setup produces 6 nanoamperes of current and about 400 millivolts, about a quarter of the voltage of a triple-A battery. While there are already numerous piezoelectric technologies available, but Berkeley Labs states that those involve toxic materials and are “difficult to work with.” The modified M13 on the other hand is harmless, self-replicating and arrange themselves into organized films, making them quite promising.

I guess the video doesn’t really explain what’s going on in layman’s terms, but the full article at the Berkeley Lab News Center does have a more understandable breakdown of the research. The takeaway here is that if this virus-powered generators become fully developed, we’ll see more devices such as these that convert what would be otherwise wasted mechanical energy into electricity. Now where are the friendly worms and trojans?

[via Engadget]

The wreck is believed to have sunk in the 1840s, and has already given up its bountiful booty including the world’s oldest bottle of champagne considered drinkable. That champagne was auctioned off and now scientists have turned their tech to a bottle of beer discovered in the wreck.

According to the researchers, the beer they analyzed had not stood the test of time well, but did retain its pale golden color. The scientists believe the beer originally had hints of rose, almond, and cloves. The researchers say that with their chemical analysis and the help of a master brewer it’s possible to re-create the beer so beer fans can have a taste of what sailors drank 170 years ago.

[via Reuters]

The SpaceX Dragon capsule will launch atop its Falcon 9 Rocket from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is set for 4:55 AM Eastern Time, and NASA will broadcast the launch starting at 3:30 AM. Before the Dragon capsule is allowed to dock with the ISS, several tests will be conducted. The capsule will have to demonstrate its ability to maneuver and perform a docking abort before being allowed to participate in an actual docking procedure.

Should anything delay the launch, the backup plan is to launch on May 22. This mission was previously expected to launch in February.

[via PCMag]

The ship even traversed the Suez canal and docked at many port locations along the way. The ship was made to be as lightweight and aerodynamic as possible and measures 31 x 15 m. The PlanetSolar was made from carbon fiber and the deck surface has 537 square meters of solar panels. Those panels were able to generate 93.5 kW of power.

The power was stored in a lithium-ion battery system. The power generated and stored was enough to keep the crew of four people cruising on their trip around the globe. The vessel traveled as near the equator as possible to provide the maximum amount of sunlight. Once the ship docks officially, the power left in the batteries will be used for a light show display during the arrival festivities.

[via EcoGeek]

The explosion heard was a sonic boom of the giant meteor entering the Earth’s atmosphere. Parts of that meteor hit the ground and have already been found by treasure seekers. However, so far only small portions of meteor have been found. Some researchers believe that there have to be large pieces out there waiting to be discovered.

“Only small pieces have been found. There have to be big pieces out there,” SETI Institute meteor astronomer Peter Jenniskens said before the trip. “We’re just hoping to collect more meteorites for research.” The photo you see here is a group of NASA researchers heading to a NASA blimp to be used as an aerial platform to search for the meteor fragments. Meteors of this magnitude generally happen once per year around the Earth, but typically they happen in uninhabited areas. This meteor happened to plunge into the Earth’s atmosphere near populated areas and was witnessed by many people.

[via The Telegraph]

That means if the weather holds in your area you can go outside and you will see the largest moon of the year. The event has a fancy technical name – a “perigee-syzygy,” but us common folk simply call it a “supermoon.” A supermoon occurs when a full moon happens within 12 hours of the lunar perigee. The perigee is the point when the moon is closest to the Earth.

You don’t have to fear that the moon being so close to the Earth will cause earthquakes or volcanoes. The worst we will experience is that people in the coastal areas will see a lower and higher tides than usual. Be on the lookout for the giant moon this weekend.

[via Space.com]

These flashbacks are one of the worst symptoms for many people who suffer from PTSD. Research team leader Dr. Emily Holmes concluded that when played soon after exposure to trauma, Tetris served as “a cognitive vaccine” that seemed to “inoculate against the build-up of flashbacks.” I guess in the future if you have a bad day and there something you would prefer to not recall, try playing some Tetris.

The study into using the game to treat PTSD followed 60 participants and exposed them to a movie showing scenes of injury and death. The participants were then divided into three groups. One of the groups sat quietly and did nothing, the other group took a computerized trivia quiz, and the third group played Tetris. The Tetris playing group reported fewer flashbacks according to the study. I’ve never been through anything like soldiers go through in the field, but it would seem to me being next people you know and care for who get gravely injured or killed would be much more likely to cause traumatic flashbacks than watching a movie.

I’m also not sure it would work for me if I had to be treated with Tetris because the game really drives me crazy at times.

[via Wired]

For an upcoming episode of its popular show Curiosity, the channel arranged for a Boeing 727 to be crashed into Mexico’s Sonoran desert. The plane was crashed last Friday by a professional pilot, who ejected from the cockpit shortly before the plane hit the ground.

The plane was filled with crash test dummies and tons of cameras to capture as much information on the crash as possible. It’s expected that the footage will reveal information on the chances of survivability of a crash, as well as potentially provide ideas for safety improvements. Discovery Channel hasn’t yet said when the show will air, but you can be pretty certain that millions will tune in to see it.

[via LA Times]

In the photo here, you can see in the red area what appears to be a jointed ship hovering near the sun. Some believe it’s a UFO refueling, while others claim it’s nothing but another artifact caused by peculiar conditions in space. Nathan Rich, lead ground systems engineer at the United States Naval Research Laboratory says that what some believe is a spaceship is nothing more than a collection of streaks left behind by cosmic rays as they traveled through the sensor of the satellite that took the photos.

The photo was taken by NASA’s Solar and Heliosphereic Observatory (SOHO) earlier this week. “The streaks in question are consistent with energetic particle (proton) impacts on the CCD, something which is apparent in just about every image,” Rich said. He believes the UFO is nothing more than an electric charge left in the pixels of the camera the cosmic rays penetrated. What do you think?

[via Fox News]

Naturally as with anything from NASA, the system gets its own acronym. The system is called READI. Other than just being able locate the source and strength of an earthquake more quickly so emergency workers can be dispatched, NASA is also concerned about providing advance notice of tsunamis.

The tsunamis that destroyed parts of Japan and Indonesia were caused by massive offshore earthquakes. Any major earthquake that happens along the western United States has a potential of sending tsunami across the ocean where it could cause damage. As much advance notification of an incoming tsunami as possible is needed to protect lives. It’s interesting to see or GPS system used for things you might not think about such as earthquake preparedness.

The students created their grappling hook gun for an Air Force competition. The device the team created uses a launcher to shoot a grappling hook as far as 90 feet in the air. Once deployed, the system uses pulleys, and other tech to automatically pull the user up the building or other surface with little effort.

The contest the team will be participating in gives them 20 minutes to demonstrate the tool and then train military representatives on its use. The goal of the competition is to get three people up a 90-foot vertical incline while carrying 300 pounds of gear each. The device designed by the BYU students is able to climb 30 feet per minute. Check out the video above to see the system in action.

The Russian robot has no legs, just like R2, and is designed to connect to a crane operated on the space station. SAR-400 would be remotely operated by the controller wearing a head mounted display, jacket, and gloves that would relay the movements directly to the robot’s body. One of the most interesting things is that the Russian robot has tactile feedback.

The gloves that operator wears will squeeze the hands to allow them to feel the tool the robot is using in their hand remotely. That same feedback sensation can also alert the operator if the robot’s hand becomes stuck while working outside the space station. I have to wonder if there’s some R2 tech in the SAR-400, given the similarities between the two robots.

[via PlasticPals]

Although it sounds like a delightful device made of pure imagination, come with me… and you’ll be… in a world of pure disappointment…ation. Unfortunately, Choc Creator is painfully slow:

Compounding its impracticality is its price: the Choc Creator costs £2,488 (~$4,000 USD). That’s without Oompa Loompas. Ridiculous! Ridiculous I say! But if you really want to be on the cutting edge of confectionery, head to Choc Edge’s website to reserve your own Choc Creator.

[via Fast Co. Design]

Scientists in Japan have taken a bald mouse and successfully regrown its hair. Even more interesting is that the scientists were able to control the color and density of hair. You see that on this particular bald mouse that appears to have eyelashes growing out of his neck. Mice are so ugly.

These researchers cultivated two different kinds of mice hair follicles and then transplanted them onto a mouse. It took about three weeks for 74% of the follicles to grow hair. The scientists then transplanted the hair follicles on the mouse’s back, and it grew human hair. Certainly, if they can grow human hair on a mouse, they’ll be able to grow it on human heads before long.

[via CBS News]

Scientists say they’re completely safe, but if you’re not comfortable with chomping down food that’s partially laboratory-made, then you might find the Elephant Nose concept interesting.

It’s a small, pen-shaped device that “smells” your food for the presence of any genetically modified organisms. Its designer, Junhyun Kim, explains: “Many people are concerned about the health effects associated with the consumption of GMOs. Elephant Nose was designed to identify the state of foods (GMO/natural, fresh/stale, and so on) using artificial nose technology.”

Information about the food is then flashed on the Elephant Nose’s display.

The device, which is also a 2011 red dot design concept winner, has huge potential. What do you think?

[via Yanko Design]

The study could make surgery using ultrasound techniques more precise, but more importantly, one day it might go in your pocket and help you escape a horde of Daleks. It might also help get you a cute sidekick.

The scientists used energy from an ultrasound array to form a beam. This beam can carry momentum to push away an object in its path and, by using a beam shaped like a helix or vortex, cause the object to rotate. Hence, “unscrewing”. Next I hope they work on some psychic paper.

[via BBC]