Japanese company Power Japan Plus has announced the development and planned mass-production of “Ryden,” a disruptive carbon battery that can be charged 20 times faster than an ordinary lithium-ion cell. The battery, which is cheap to manufacture, safe, and environmentally friendly, could be ideal to improve the range and charging times of electric cars. Continue reading
Category Archives: Technology
US Navy to Test Mobile Laser Weapon Against UAS
The US Navy Office of Naval Research has awarded Raytheon US$11 million adapt a tactical laser weapon systems to a vehicle-based laser device, capable of defeating low-flying threats such as enemy drones. For the field demonstration planned by ONR Raytheon will integrate a short-range laser weapon system on a HMMWV.
Sikorsky, Boeing Selected to Build Technology Demonstrator for Future Vertical Lift
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. and Boeing have been selected to build a helicopter for the U.S. Army’s Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator Phase 1 programme (JMR TD), paving the way for the next generation of vertical lift aircraft.
StratoBus – Halfway Between Drone and Satellite
The StratoBus project offers long endurance and complete autonomy from a fixed position. StratoBus, a surprising vehicle halfway between a drone and a satellite, will be able to carry out a wide range of missions, including observation, security, telecommunications, broadcasting and navigation… and it offers a lifespan of five years. Continue reading
FLIR Brings UAS Sensor Technology to Smartphones
FLIR Systems, Inc. announced two new products at CES designed to put thermal imaging into the hands of consumers. The first is a new, consumer-level infrared thermal camera sensor, while the second is a slide-on attachment for Apple iPhone 5 or 5s smartphones that makes use of said sensor. Both could be used to locate lost pets in the dark, look for energy leaking from your house, or to watch for wildlife. Continue reading
DARPA Wants XS-1 Unmanned Hypersonic Space Plane to Deploy Satellites
U.S. military researchers are asking industry to begin work on developing a reusable hypersonic unmanned spacecraft able to carry and deploy 3,000-to-5,000-pound satellites to low-Earth orbit (LEO) for less than $5 million per launch. Continue reading
PowerUp 3.0 – Electric Paper Airplane – Kickstarter Campaign Launched
In February we wrote about a neat little device that turns a paper aeroplane into a real model plane controlled by an iPhone app. Since then, the manufacturers, PowerUp Toys have been working really hard to improve PowerUp 3.0 significantly – with increased flight range, flight time. Continue reading
Falcon Project in Pursuit of Bigfoot
The Falcon Project is a kind of supernatural missing persons mission, calling for “eyes in the sky” in combination with a “quick response investigative ground team.” They would spend months at a time scanning undisclosed locations with high Bigfoot potential, hoping not only for irrefutable video, but to make contact. Continue reading