Science

At most major automotive shows, the "star" attraction tends to be a really hot, really expensive sports car, or more recently an incredibly fuel-efficient hybrid. But at the 2012 New York International Auto Show, what's stealing the spotlight is a ... flying car. Early glimpses of the "Transition ," a unique flying car from Massachusetts-based Terrafugia, were first seen back in 2010. At that time, the fledgling firm hoped it could start selling its ground-breaking dual-use vehicle by the end of 2011. That timeline never quite panned out. But Terrafugia and its Transition flying ... (view more)

The push to create smarter surveillance systems recently produced a major leap forward: A Japanese company has unveiled a new security system that can identify one particular face in a crowd in just one second flat. At the 2012 Security Show Expo in ... Tokyo, Hitachi revealed an exciting new security system that can scan a myriad of faces and compare them against 36 million records in a security database, and find all the matches in time to make use of the information. Using facial recognition to process surveillance footage is an established concept. In the United Kingdom, Scotland Yard has ... (view more)

Researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel have successfully created man-made, biodegradable transistors derived from proteins found in a mixture of blood, milk and mucus. Mixed together, the concoction is able to self-assemble into a ... semi-conducting film. This could revolutionize the tech industry by helping manufacturers produce devices that are both more flexible and biodegradable. According to the science behind the substances, the different proteins contain unique properties that combine to make a better transistor. The oxygen storing ability of blood, for example, helps mix chemicals ... (view more)

A new video game allows players to shoot at three-dimensional asteroids with weapons controlled only by their eyeballs. Importantly, the technology behind this game could be used for other purposes, too. The game is an update to Asteroids, an Atari ... classic. However, the new version is available only as an old-school standalone arcade cabinet, rather than as software for computers or games consoles. This is necessary because the "eye control" technology requires specialized equipment to accomplish its eyeball tracking. However, PC manufacturer Lenovo has already tried installing the ... (view more)

A new generation of Volvo electric vehicles will allow users to recharge from any power outlet and pay for it through their home electricity bills. Among other advantages, this new system will make it easier to take advantage of off-peak discounts. ... The new billing system, called Electric Vehicle Intelligent Infra Structure, or ELVIIS, is the work of Volvo and mobile electronics firm Ericsson. Unlike some older electric vehicles, newer models can recharge from any power outlet, even those at home. Charging is controlled from a touchscreen built into the vehicle, or through a smartphone or ... (view more)

Two Japanese scientists have designed a device that can disorient a talking person powerfully enough to make them stop. The technique is based on the "echo" feedback we sometimes get when using a telephone. Kazutaka Kurihara and Koji Tsukada created ... the SpeechJammer while investigating the characteristics of speech control. They were particularly interested in "problem" scenarios where loud talkers annoyed unwilling listeners, and where conversations hit a snag because both speakers continued to talk at the same time. For example, if somebody is speaking in a way that ... (view more)

More and more fashion companies are integrating technology into their new clothing designs. Take Moon Berlin, a German fashion label of the company Franken ... (view more)

Many of us go to great lengths to ensure our drinks are cold because, let's face it, there's nothing more disgusting than a warm beer. Thankfully, South Korea's LG now offers a solution to the age-old beverage-cooling problem: its new "Blast ... Chilling" refrigeration technology. LG introduced refrigerators with a special Blast Chilling compartment during a recent presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), taking place in Las Vegas right now. It's part of what LG calls its "Smart Manager" technology, the name for appliances that can track data or communicate with other digital devices ... (view more)

Leaving electrical appliances plugged in to power outlets, but unattended, has long been an energy-drain issue for some individuals. High electricity costs, coupled with countless instances of accidental electrical fires, have now given rise to a ... new socket design that unplugs devices without any prompting. Electrical Socket Ejects Devices After Ten Idle Minutes Called the "PumPing Tap", the spring-loaded electrical socket detects current flowing through it and releases the plug when an electrical device is left idle. The new outlet is primarily intended to conserve energy, and is a great ... (view more)

It's neither a bird, nor a plane, nor Superman. The giant object now appearing next to the planet Mercury remains a mystery. UFO followers believe it could be an alien ship. Scientists, however, aren't convinced. The object appears in a number of ... images taken by a NASA telescope named Heliospheric Imager-1, which was focused on a coronal ejection from the Sun. In a sequence where the telescope observes a solar flare, viewers can clearly see a massive circular object moving around in the frame. YouTube Video Arouses Speculation Video of the object next to Mercury has been posted to YouTube, ... (view more)