Source: Glenn McDonald, Seeker.com, November 1, 2017 A Harvard engineering lab has been building a robotic bee for more than 25 years, and it can now do things that even real bees can’t manage. For more than 25 years now, a quiet little design lab at Harvard has been working on a unique robotics project… Continue reading New and Improved RoboBee Flies, Dives, Swims, Then Flies Again
Category: Curious Oddities
Boston Dynamics’ latest robot dog is slightly less terrifying
Source: Nick Statt, TheVerge.com, November 13, 2017 Robot maker Boston Dynamics, now owned by Japanese telecom and tech giant SoftBank, just published a short YouTube clip featuring a new, more advanced version of its SpotMini robot. SpotMini, first unveiled in June 2016, started out as a giraffe-looking chore bot that was pretty terrible at performing tasks around… Continue reading Boston Dynamics’ latest robot dog is slightly less terrifying
The U.S. & Russia Are Building a Deep Space Gateway, Here’s What You Need to Know
Source: Seeker.com, October 14, 2017 The U.S. and Russia have announced plans to put a new structure in the orbit of the moon. What will it look like? We last popped up to the moon in 1972. But now, the USA is going to work with Russia to head back to orbit ol’ Luna on… Continue reading The U.S. & Russia Are Building a Deep Space Gateway, Here’s What You Need to Know
MEET THE GEEK WHO TRACKS ROGUE SATELLITES WITH COAT HANGERS
Source: Sarah Scoles, Wired.com, October 13, 2017 EVERY 95 MINUTES, the Chinese satellite Zhuhai-1 02 makes a full pass around the planet, its solar-panel arms extending from its boxy body as it observes Earth. Sometimes, its path takes it over Pueblo, Colorado. There, more than 300 miles below, Mike Coletta’s receiving station can pick up Zhuhai’s transmissions. Because… Continue reading MEET THE GEEK WHO TRACKS ROGUE SATELLITES WITH COAT HANGERS
This Engineer’s Crazy Plan to Clean Air with Smog-Sucking Bikes
Source: Seeker.com, October 10, 2017 These bicycles are designed to filter smog out of the air as you ride. This could be a game changer for smoggy cities like Beijing. Some days in Beijing are so hazy schools shut down, which isn’t as fun as a snow day because you can’t go outside and build… Continue reading This Engineer’s Crazy Plan to Clean Air with Smog-Sucking Bikes
Daredevils Surf a Mountain Zipline and then BASE Jump
By Alyssa Danigelis, , Seeker.com, November 9, 2016 The Flying Frenchies give these daring deeds an unexpectedly comedic twist. BASE jumping can be seriously dangerous, but the collective known as the Flying Frenchies is giving this daring activity an unexpectedly comedic twist. Living up to their name, these French aerialists flew across a zipline set… Continue reading Daredevils Surf a Mountain Zipline and then BASE Jump
Secret Passageway Found at Shakespeare's Theater
By Rossella Lorenzi, Seeker.com, November 10, 2016 The feature in the 16th-century theater allowed actors to pass unseen from one side of the stage to the other. A secret passageway has been found beneath the stage of the theater where William Shakespeare’s Henry V, and possibly Romeo and Juliet, were first performed. The unusual feature… Continue reading Secret Passageway Found at Shakespeare's Theater
Dogs and Chimps Could Use Eyeglasses Too
By Jen Viegas, Seeker.com, November 7, 2016 Many dogs and cats already sport prescription eyewear, and new research finds some wild primates become far-sighted with age. A chimpanzee wearing bifocals, a dog sporting prescription sunglasses, and a bonobo undergoing Lasik-type surgery to correct his vision could all be in the future, since new research suggests… Continue reading Dogs and Chimps Could Use Eyeglasses Too
Finally, a jacket for your legs (not pants)
By Lizzie Plaugic, TheVerge.com, November 4, 2016 The Legs Jacket. Pants = 3,000 years old. Boring as heck. The Legs Jacket: A jacket for your legs. Like pants, but not. Better than pants. Instructions: “Zip it like a regular jacket but on your legs.” GIF courtesy of The Legs Jacket Read full details here….
Student Inventor's Laser Tool Helps Preserve Shellfish
By Seeker Team, Seeker.com, November 3, 2016 A New Zealand teenager creates a way for divers to gather only shells that are of legal size, without having to touch, and possibly harm, the undersized ones. A teenager and budding inventor in Auckland, New Zealand named Mitchell Hollows had a problem. He enjoyed diving to gather… Continue reading Student Inventor's Laser Tool Helps Preserve Shellfish