How to Lift a Marble

A wonderful machine to lift marbles up and then let them down again.

Fan Wing UAV

The FanWing experimental aircraft opens up a new area of aerodynamics Designs to establish a means of integral lift and thrust using a horizontal-axis wing rotor are recorded back as far as the late 19th century. Some of the experiments started to take off but did not sustain flight. The FanWing blown-wing solution offers both basic proof of concept and a steady trajectory of improved and controlled flight performance. Read more

i(TRASH)Robot

A robot capable of automatically sorting rubbish into six categories of recycled waste using laser detectors has been developed by scientists in Japan.

The device, created by Mitsubishi Electric Engineering Corp and Osaka University researchers, identifies different plastic materials among rubbish and sorts them into piles.

Consisting of a robotic arm, the robot measures 5ft 6ins (1.7m) by 6ft 9ins (2.1m) and uses five laser beams and sensors to detect a range of different plastics for recycling purposes. Read more

Flying Water

Engineering researchers have crafted a flat surface that refuses to get wet. Water droplets skitter across it like ball bearings tossed on ice. The inspiration? Not wax. Not glass. Not even Teflon. Read more

Deep Space Antenna Network

NASA’s Deep Space Network is building new antennas to improve communications and the first phase will take place at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex in Australia. This image of the Canberra complex shows four Deep Space Network antennas. The Deep Space Network is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Image credit: NASA/JPL/CDSCC Read more

Sustainable BioMass Jet Fuel Plant?

In many industries, air travel is an unfortunate necessity, and we all know that there are just some vacation destinations that can’t be accessed any other way. People are constantly looking for simple ways to green their air travel, but thanks to one popular airline, the skies are about to more eco-friendly– fast. Read more