NASA’s next mission to the Red Planet will be a special one, and not just for the space agency, as they announced today that boarding passes will display names submitted by internet users etched onto microchips and carried aboard the Mars 2020 rover. It’s scheduled to launch as early as July 2020, with the spacecraft expected to touch down on Mars in February 2021. This 1,000-kg rover is designed to search for signs of past microbial life, characterize the planet’s climate as well as geology, collect samples, and pave the way for human exploration. Read more for another video and additional information.
Researchers at the Robotics and Perception Group at the University of Zurich have created autonomous drones equipped with event-based cameras that can respond to changes in a scene on a per-pixel basis in microseconds. The time it takes any kind of robot to avoid an obstacle is constrained primarily by perception latency, or in other words, the sensor itself, which is why event cameras are a game changer, since they can collect data with a theoretical latency measured in nanoseconds. Read more for a video and additional information.
Photo credit: Sebastian Errazuriz
New York-based designer Sebastian Errazuriz has seen numerous Notre-Dame Cathedral proposals and wanted to come up with one a bit more lighthearted as an “act of creative one-upmanship”. What did he come up with? Turning the cathedral into a rocket launch pad. “This is not a serious a proposal for the reconstruction of Notre-Dame. This is an act of creative one-upmanship designed to ridicule every remaining, rapacious architectural firm still circling the carcass of Notre-Dame with an ‘idea’ for a new roof proposal,” said Errazuriz. Read more for additional pictures and information.
If Iron Man owned a 2018 Scout Bobbeer, it would probably look like The Appaloosa by Belgium-based Workhorse Speedshop. It took over 700 hours of work to complete, with plenty of shaping, forming, and conceptualizing required for the outer facade. It draws inspiration from early 1900’s Formula One vehicles, and even the iconic F-86 Sabre aviation platform. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information.
Photo credit: Erick Martinez / iDropNews
The Apple Car, codenamed “Project Titan,” had been in development for quite some time, and after failing to acquire Tesla back in 2013 for roughly $240 per share, the company has recently continued development. Craig Irwin, a senior research analyst at Roth Capital Partners, states that Apple is currently building “multiple very large drive rooms in California” for research and development purposes, while also allegedly working on “something interesting and exciting on the battery side.” Read more for another picture and additional information.
Logitech’s G430 7.1 DTS Dolby Surround Sound Gaming Headset lets you experience an immersive 360-degree sound field that lets you hear what you can’t see, and it’s being offered for just $29.97 shipped, today only, originally $79.99. This headset is built for comfort, thanks to soft sport cloth ear cups with 90-degree swivel and a personalized fit. A folding, noise-cancelling boom mic reduces background noise for clear voice pick up and rotates up and out of the way. Product page. Read more for another video review and additional information.
Photo credit: Steve Biro
Photographer Steve Biro was shooting at the Canadian Raptor Conservancy in Ontario when he just so happened to be in the perfect place and time to capture a stunning bald eagle, named Bruce, flying straight towards him. What really stood out was its symmetrical reflection on the surface of calm water below. For the photography geeks, he used a Canon 5D Mark IV and a Canon 100mm L macro lens,at f/7.1, 1/2000s, and ISO 2500. Read more for a video and additional information.
Yes, the ‘Yamaha OX99-11’ V12 is a real supercar designed by Yamaha’s subsidiary Ypsilon Technology and IAD, an English engineering consultancy, and it was supposed to enter production in 1994. Yamaha first began competing in Formula One as an engine supplier in 1989, and using the experience it had gained during that time it wanted to build a price-no-object car based on actual F1 technology. By 1991, the team had just produced a new engine, the OX99, and approached a German company to design an initial version of the car, thus the Yamaha OX99-11 was born. Unlike other supercars, it features 1 canopy door that replaces the 2 conventional doors that swing outward. Read more for another video, additional pictures and information.
TuSimple, a San Diego-based startup, announced today that its self-driving trucks will begin transporting mail between USPS facilities in Phoenix and Dallas to see how autonomous technology might improve delivery times and costs. However, there will be a safety driver behind the wheel to intervene if necessary and an engineer will ride in the passenger seat. If this test is successful, it would mark an achievement for the autonomous driving industry and a possible solution to the driver shortage and regulatory constraints faced by freight haulers across the country. This The pilot program will consist of five round trips, each totaling more than 2,100 miles or around 45 hours of driving. Read more for another video and additional information.
Limited to 15-units worldwide, the Bentley Bentayga² by Bengala Automotive Design SL sports “substantial quantities” of carbon fiber, a raw stainless steel grille guard, and a suspension that was tuned with the help of a Spanish Off-Road Rally champion and his team. Other additions include a roof-mounted LED light bar, louvers on the rear window, and a steel bar extending out of the rear bumper. As for engine modifications, we’ll have to wait until the first prototype is unveiled. Read more for additional pictures and information.