Washington state is readying a $1 million anti-vandalism project, part of which involves testing a $30,000 drone that paints over graffiti. Signed into law on March 15 by Gov. Jay Inslee, the “Graffiti Abatement and Reduction Pilot Program” is scheduled to go into effect on June 6, and includes “field testing spray drone technology” along […]
Chicken fat supercapacitors could store green energy of the future
As vital as it is for society to transition to renewable energy, it’s not as easy as simply swapping out fossil fuels for solar panels. To ensure they’re as efficient as possible, power infrastructures need powerful batteries to reliably house their excess generated energy for later use. Storage equipment has increasingly utilized carbon materials due […]
A father and son designed the world’s fastest quadcopter drone
A father-and-son team recently set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest quadcopter drone, speeding past the previous title holder. After months of fiery trial-and-error, Luke and Mike Bell’s remote-controlled Peregrine 2 design buzzed through the air at a ridiculous 298 mph. While the team’s four-propellor drone achieved its top speed back on April […]
Neuralink admits patient’s brain implant is partially ‘retracted’
Neuralink quietly published an update earlier this week on the first patient to receive its experimental brain computer interface (BCI), but a troubling detail is buried within the progress report. According to Elon Musk’s company blog post on Wednesday, the implant is partially detached from its user’s brain. The Neuralink N1 is a roughly quarter-sized […]
The World Video Game Hall of Fame announces its 2024 inductees
There are a lot of great video games, but only a select few are considered pivotal enough to earn a place within the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Established in 2015 and located within The Strong National Museum of Play, the Hall of Fame highlights titles that meet four major criteria—iconic status, longevity, international […]
Ancestry and the National Archives are digitizing tens of millions of records
The National Archives is partnering with the genealogy company Ancestry to digitize and index tens of millions of US records related to the military, immigration history, and Indigenous communities over the next 5 years. Announced on Thursday, organizers intend to make an initial 65.5 million documents available online within two years, including World War II […]
AI ethicists warn of ‘digital hauntings’ from dead loved ones
The internet is filled with personal artifacts, much of which can linger online long after someone dies. But what if those relics are used to simulate dead loved ones? It’s already happening, and AI ethicists warn this reality is opening ourselves up to a new kind of “digital haunting” by “deadbots.” People have attempted to […]
Blasting coffee grounds with ultrasonic waves creates a 60-second cold brew
As the weather continues to warm, many coffee drinkers currently are making their annual transition over to iced coffee. But for those with more sensitive stomachs, cold brew’s comparatively low acidity makes it their preferred year-round caffeine fix. This smoother, creamier, and sweeter brew comes from allowing grounds to steep in refrigerated water for upwards […]
Swarm of tiny snail robots stick together to form new structures
Researchers have built a swarm of miniature, snail-inspired robots, minus all the mucus. Instead, a retractable suction cup works in tandem with the remote-controlled machine’s tank-like treads to maneuver across both difficult terrain and over each other. Biomimicry is nothing new within the field of robotics. But while many aquatic and flying examples can navigate […]
Welcome aboard the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell superyacht
Superyachts are notoriously dirty luxury toys, with a single billionaire’s boat emitting as much as 7,020 tons of CO2 per year. And while it’s unlikely uber-wealthy shoppers are going to forgo from their statement vessels anytime soon, at the very least there’s now a chance to make superyachts greener. That’s the idea behind the new […]