The Hubble Space Telescope got off to a rocky start when shortly after its April, 1990 deployment, operators found that its high-gain antenna was mysteriously stuck. Hubble team members recall that intense week and how they ultimately solved the antenna problem in this third installment of Hubble Memorable Moments: Tinkertoy Solution.

continue reading "Hubble Memorable Moments: Tinkertoy Solution"

Plans to generate electricity from the world’s first series of tidal lagoons have been unveiled in the UK.
The six lagoons – four in Wales and one each in Somerset and Cumbria – will capture incoming and outgoing tides behind giant sea walls, and use the weight of the water to power turbines.

continue reading "First full scale tidal lagoon power plant in Wales"

The arterial lines of most cities will clog and implode over the next few decades. The problems are endless: ancient infrastructure is crumbling, renewable energy strategies aren’t materializing quickly enough and rapidly growing urban centers are buckling under the weight of their commuting residents. And all the while, the specter of global warming threatens to quite literally sink everything.

Discover the latest advances in transportation of goods and humans, from supersonic trains to automated drones and next-generation planes.

continue reading "Transportation of the Future – Building the Hyperloop"

Over the coming weeks, construction of a completely unique and futuristic test-train track is starting in Quay Valley, California.

continue reading "Hyperloop Construction Begins, Will Transport Passengers at Speeds Up to 760MPH Between Cities"

Tarmac has created Topmix Permeable, a porous concrete that allows rain water to flow though it.
Up to 880 gallons of water can trickle through Topmix, which could eliminate flooding where it has been installed.
continue reading "This Concrete/Asphalt Absorbs Water Like Magic"

CNN’s Alex Zolbert shows how a 40-story building is being demolished the clean and environmentally friendly way in Japan.

continue reading "Demolishing building one level at a time"

A new high speed camera can capture light in motion and see around corners.

continue reading "Super Fast Cameras (1 trillion FPS)"

An Egyptian teenager may be about to change space technology. Aisha Mustafa’s next-generation quantum-based propulsion system could allow humans to reach other solar systems without using a single drop of fuel.

continue reading "Teenager Invents Quantum Space Propulsion System That Doesn’t Use Any Fuel"

NASA’s proposed magnetic control systems won’t be strong enough to drag spaceships around. Sorry, “Star Wars” fans.

continue reading "Magnetic Satellite ‘Tractor Beams’ Won’t Be What You Think"

The TriFan 600 VTOL by XTI Aircraft looks like a small jet. But it can take off vertically from heliport-sized areas – just like a helicopter.

continue reading "Futuristic TriFan 600 Can Take Off Vertically Like a Helicopter"

England’s highways made one step closer to the future with this project – a wireless electric vehicle charging road.

continue reading "Futuristic Highway That Wirelessly Charges Electric Cars as They Drive"

From impossible to possible: watch the science behind the Lexus Hoverboard from initial thoughts to final execution.
Pushing the boundaries of what is possible, Lexus has created a real-life hoverboard.
continue reading "The cool science behind how the Lexus hoverboard works"

The Open Hand Project began when a engineer named Joel Gibbard quit his robotics job and moved in with his parents to focus on developing a cheap, fast robotic hand. Gibbard has spent almost five years on his prototype, called Dextrus, which can be built for under $1500 (compared to tens of thousands of dollars for custom hands) and which is different from conventional prosthetics in a few ways.
continue reading "Cheaper, Faster, Better: The Plan to Build an Open Source Prosthetic Hand"

The vast majority of time you’re using a drill, you want your hole to end up as straight as possible. And the BullseyeBore promises to make it a lot easier to keep your drill at a perfect 90-degree angle using a series of laser-projected rings that distort when it’s not straight.
continue reading "A Clever Accessory Ensures You’ll Always Know When You’re Drilling Straight"

Haptocolne is a new interactive system that can display haptic and optical clone image in mid-air.
continue reading "The Haptic Tech That Could Let You Touch The Person You’re Skyping With"