Posted on March 1st, 2011 by jxh

Drivers often encounter wildlife along the road. But what if instead of the usual birds, deer, and squirrels, you could cruise alongside fish?
That vision is now a reality with the electric submarine EGO, which literally puts you face-to-face with underwater wildlife.
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Filed under: e-News, Electrical, Mechanical, Ocean, Transportation | 6 Comments »
Tags: Design, Electrical, Green Technology, Green Transportation, Mechanical, Ocean, Transportation
Posted on February 28th, 2011 by jxh

Biomimicry is back!
By studying lizards, a team of researchers has created a snake-like robot that can move through sand. The new robot is the most detailed model of an organism moving through an environment that is not water or air.
The Georgia Institute of Technology researchers studied the sandfish lizard, which is able to burrow into sand to avoid predators or escape the desert’s heat.
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Filed under: e-News, Electrical, Mechanical | 5 Comments »
Tags: Biomimicry, Electrical, Robotics, Space
Posted on February 23rd, 2011 by jxh

Dreaming about a beach break this spring?
A multinational company hopes you’ll soon be flying over water — and not just on an airplane to get there. Jetlev, a new water-powered jet pack being piloted in Dania, Fla., has the potential to fly 30 feet in the air at 22 miles per hour, making it a lot more thrilling than a water slide or jet ski.
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Filed under: e-News, Mechanical, Ocean, Transportation | 6 Comments »
Tags: Mechanical, Ocean, Transportation
Posted on February 15th, 2011 by axb

A new spin on Theo Jansen’s Strandbeesten should leave even the artist himself smiling. Starting with a make-your-own-Strandbeest kit from Gakken (an educational toy company), I-Wei Huang, an animator and steampunk hobbyist, put his own unique and furry twist on the design.
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Filed under: e-News, Mechanical | 1 Comment »
Tags: And Now, Mechanical
Posted on February 4th, 2011 by jxh

So far, 2011 has been full of winter storms and a whole lot of snow. And as a massive blizzard that just slammed the Midwest U.S. moves eastward, Japan might have a cute and innovative solution for scooping up all the snow.
Not only can shoveling be too strenuous for some people, such as the sick or elderly, but it can also leave massive piles of snow in roads or sidewalks.
Instead, winter storm victims could enlist the help of the self-guided robot Yuki-taro, which eats up snow and then excretes little snow-bricks.
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Filed under: Computer, e-News, Electrical, Mechanical | 3 Comments »
Tags: Civil, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, Green Technology, Mechanical, renewable energy, Robotics