MatterHackers Pulse XE review
Thanks to ongoing advances in materials science, 3D printers can create objects in practically any material you want -- but unfortunately, not all printers can handle high-performance plastics. That’s where the Matterhackers Pulse XE comes in.
Israel’s lunar lander just snapped a selfie on its way to the moon
Israel's Beresheet spacecraft shared an image of itself floating far above the Earth this week. The first privately funded mission to the moon was launched by the Israeli nonprofit SpaceIL at the end of February, marking Israel's first venture to the moon as well. It is set to land at the Sea of Serenity on April 11.
Bad news: Neutralizing doomsday asteroids is way harder than we thought
If reality ever follows Hollywood movies like Armageddon or Deep Impact and a chunk of space debris comes hurling toward our planet, then we're in trouble. New evidence from computing modeling shows that asteroids are even tougher and harder to destroy than we previously thought.
For second time ever, a groundbreaking stem cell treatment has cured HIV
For the past decade, an American named Timothy Brown was the only person thought to have ever been cleared of the virus following an innovative cancer treatment procedure. Today, a study published in the journal Nature suggests that there may have finally been a second.
These are the first noise-canceling headphones that also charge your phone
Neavio's headphones are the first noise-canceling headphones that can also charge your phone. Forget to charge your smartphone? These headphones will provide that extra energy boost. If you back the campaign on Kickstarter you can get these cool headphones for $70 off its release price.
Could unsupervised A.I. enable autonomous cars to learn as they go?
Cortica embedded its "Autonomous A.I." solution on the Renesas system-on-chip (SoC) for self-driving cars. Autonomous A.I. uses "unsupervised learning" to enable vehicles to make predictions based on visual data. Cortica says unsupervised learning is faster and more accurate than deep learning-based systems.
Blockchain is overhyped, but it’s also perfect for California’s drought problem
A prolonged drought left California parched, and years of unregulated groundwater use exacerbated the damage. Now, with aquifers sinking, the state is looking for ways to manage groundwater, and a group of researchers is trying a combination of two exciting technologies: the internet of things and Blockchain.
Jibo the social robot is about to become an expensive ornament
Jibo the social robot is about to become a lot less functional as the servers that power it will soon be switched off. The news comes just a few months after the company behind it folded. Jibo launched in 2017, but its $900 price tag meant it was always going to be a tough sell.
Thanks to Motif, food startups don’t need a lab to make lab-grown meat and dairy
The Beyond Meat burger tastes a lot like real meat, but they had to spend a lot of money to do that. Motif Ingredients hopes to make that possible for companies large and small by becoming the nascent industry's ingredients supplier.
Watch an ISS astronaut enter the SpaceX crew capsule for the first time
American astronaut Anne McClain has welcomed SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station following its historic maiden docking over the weekend. This is partly a test mission, but the first flight with crew aboard the spacecraft could be just a few months away.
Ninja-like black hole discovered gobbling up a gas cloud 25,000 light-years away
How do you find something you can't see? Japanese astronomers have hunted a hidden black hole by observing the movement of a cloud of gas it is consuming, located 25,000 light-years away from Earth. This is the first intermediate-sized black hole ever found, giving clues to how black holes merge and grow.
See the beautiful first image captured by a new telescope in the Chilean desert
The SPECULOOS project, part of the European Southern Observatory in the Atacama Desert, Chile, is the site of four robotic telescopes named after Jupiter's moons which are used for planet hunting. Now the Ganymede telescope has obtained its first light image, showing the beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 6902.
Ability to twist like magic may make spider silk the robotic muscle of the future
Researchers from MIT have discovered a new property of spider silk that could make it the robotic muscle of the future. The team found that not only are silk fibers very resilient, but they can also twist and contract with great force when exposed to varying levels of humidity.
Drones locate fuzzy friends in Australian koala-spotting mission
Counting koalas is a challenge requiring expert spotters that can give unreliable results. Now researchers have demonstrated drones which can detect heat signatures, use an algorithm to hone in on areas where koalas live, and count the animals even through the foliage of the eucalyptus trees they live in.
Did there used to be liquid water on Mars? New images give clues
Mars may be cold and dry now, but new evidence suggests in the distant past the conditions on the planet were very different. The Mars Express orbiter has captured images of a region of branching valleys and trenches which suggest that liquid water once flowed on the surface.
Yes, data is the new oil and the fight to reclaim it from tech giants starts now
From Europe to the United States, a growing number of new privacy laws promise to change the behavior of data-grubbing giants -- and the internet as a whole. Welcome to the revolution. Here's what you need to know about GDPR, CCPA, and their high-profile tech supporters.
The Habitable Planet Finder is a new tool to locate Earth-like exoplanets
Astronomers have a new tool to help them find habitable planets in our galaxy: the Habitable Planet Finder (HPF), a high-precision spectrograph. The HPF can be used to detect worlds which have some key qualities, like being a rocky planet orbiting an red dwarf, also known as an M-dwarf.
Readying for Mars mission, rover finds clues to life in the Chilean desert
Ever wondered how the Curiosity rover was designed and trained? With no tech support available, engineers have to plan how a rover will navigate and collect samples. A rover testing out Mars-like environments here on Earth has successful in collecting soil samples in a trial mission to find signs of life.
It can be either death or glory when two galaxies collide
Images collected from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope are shedding light on the conditions that arise when two galaxies collide. Sometimes collisions result in one or both of the galaxies being destroyed, while other collisions result in a peaceful merging of the two. New data suggests why this might be.
Dwarf planet FarFarOut is the most distant object discovered in our solar system
Late last year, a team of astronomers discovered what was then the most distant body observed in our solar system, nicknamed FarOut, while searching for the mysterious hypothesized Planet Nine. Now the same team has discovered an even more distant objected jauntily dubbed FarFarOut.
SpaceX teams with NASA on its first crewed spacecraft trip to the ISS
In a joint project between NASA and SpaceX, the Crew Dragon spacecraft was successfully launched before dawn today. The craft will be traveling to the International Space Station (ISS) with supplies for the ISS crew and a dummy passenger to test the safety of eventually ferrying real passengers.
MIT has a robotic mini-cheetah that can do backflips. Humanity is doomed
Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a four-legged mini cheetah robot that is able to pull off picture-perfect backflips. Here are some of the other tricks it can perform for good measure. Check it out in all its nature-inspired robot glory.
Want to see the future of transport? Watch this drone taxi go airborne
Want to travel to work in a flying taxi that looks like something out of a James Bond movie? Vahana, an ambitious startup founded by aerospace giant Airbus, wants you to as well. As its 50th successful test flight shows, it's likely to happen sooner rather than later.
Thailand’s ambitious new solar plants will float on dams and reservoirs
Thailand has some big plans for solar energy. The country's state-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand is planning to build floating solar power stations at eight dams. The first one could start construction as early as next month. Here's what you need to know.
Planet Nine could be five times the size of the Earth and closer than we thought
For three years, the astronomy community has debated the idea there could be a mysterious ninth planet in our solar system. Now a pair of astronomers have published a pair of papers discussing the data in support of the Planet Nine hypothesis, finding further evidence for the existence of the planet.
Google has found a way to use A.I. to boost the usefulness of wind energy
Google and DeepMind have developed a deep learning artificial intelligence that's able to predict wind power output 36 hours ahead of the power being generated. The results could prove useful for strengthening the business case for the use of wind power. Here's why that's the case.
Defunct Soviet space probe will crash back to Earth after 47 years in orbit
According to experts, a failed Venus probe that was launched by the Soviet Union almost half a century ago could crash back down to Earth as early as this year. The Kosmos 482 probe was unsuccessful in leaving Earth's orbit in 1972, and has been doing laps of our planet ever since.
How to register a drone with the FAA
Before you take to the skies with your new drone, you need to make sure it has been properly registered with the U.S. government. Check our guide for registration requirements and easy, step-by-step instructions on how to complete your drone registration with the Federal Aviation Administration.
How a drone flight in Myanmar landed a French tourist in jail
Of course you want to fly your drone on vacation — exploring a new place from the sky and capturing video is all part of the fun of owning a quadcopter. But better make sure you check out the local drone rules first. A French tourist in Myanmar failed to do the proper research on a recent trip and ended up in jail.
Drone app B4UFLY should receive a better rating in the app store soon
The FAA's B4UFLY app is supposed to offer advice and help drone hobbyists fly their aircraft safely, but abysmal reviews on app stores suggest it's not working out. The good news is that the FAA has finally decided to overhaul the app with the help of San Francisco-based drone software specialist Kittyhawk.
Arkup’s $6 million floating home can withstand a Category 4 hurricane
As ocean temperatures rise, we can expect stronger hurricanes. Arkup may have an answer. The startup has built a floating, livable yacht that is designed to weather a hurricane. The 4,350-square foot structure can survive the high winds and towering waves that accompany a Category 4 storm.
What is artificial intelligence? Here’s everything you need to know
Artificial intelligence, machine learning, evolving algorithms -- we know it can get confusing very quickly. So let's take a look at AI and what it really means, its potential uses, and how it's currently evolving.
FedEx’s new autonomous delivery robots can hop curbs and climb stairs
Courier delivery service FedEx has announced its entry into the fast-growing field of delivery robots with the SameDay Bot. The company's delivery bots are capable of roaming the streets autonomously, and can even hop curbs and climb stairs to deliver packages to your front door.
French space agency unveils reusable rocket modeled after Falcon 9
The French space agency CNES working with European aerospace company Ariane Group, has unveiled a plan to create an "acceleration platform" called ArianeWords, which will begin with a first-stage rocket that is reusable for multiple launches. The first-stage rocket should make launches cheaper to implement.