Still searching for a new backpack this school season? Look no further than UC Berkeley Labs, where engineers have created a laser-scanning backpack that makes instant 3D maps of its surroundings. It may not have room for textbooks, but it can generate perfect digital likenesses of the inside of just about any building.
Developed in collaboration with the US Airforce, this device could allow troops to quickly and efficiently scout out new areas and map battlefield locations.
The backpack is outfitted with four cameras pointing in different directions, lasers, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU).
Today, everyone’s favorite plumber celebrates his 25th anniversary. To commemorate a quarter century of Super Mario Bros, the folks at Nintendo have put together this nifty retrospective video – watch how the game has changed (and stayed the same) over the years:
Your apartment is heated by the warmth of human bodies in a nearby Metro station – creepy or cool?
We’re not sure, but French engineers are moving ahead with plans to install the experimental heating system in a public housing project in Paris.
The caloric heat collected from Metro passengers, as well as the heat collected from the train itself, will funnel through an underground corridor to heat exchangers that will push warm air through the building’s pipes.
Astronomers are boosting their efforts to peer deep into the center of the Milky Way in order to observe the massive black hole that resides there.
To get a clear and accurate picture of the black hole, astronomers are using the Laser Guide Star (LGS), a laser beam that corrects distorted images caused by the blurring effect of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Engineering Saturdays at the University of Texas, Arlington is an outreach program that showcases hands-on engineering fun and provides flexibility for a family with different ages to all find interesting things to do. Students in grades 2-12 are invited to join on: Sept. 18; Nov. 20; Apr. 16, 2011.
Astronomers are boosting their efforts to peer deep into the center of the Milky Way in order to observe the massive black hole that resides there.
