Important Innovations

  Revolutionary New Battery                                             Source:  Prototype e-VTOL Energy Dense, Rapid Recharge, Burst of Power Engineers at Penn State University have designed a battery prototype that they say is capable of powering flying cars.  The battery is specifically designed for e-VTOLs which take off and land vertically like a helicopter.  The battery has to deliver a lot of power very quickly to get a flying car off the ground.  The vehicles also require high energy density to keep flying.  And, the recharge needs to be quick because the main use of e-VTOLs is expected to be as flying taxis for commuters with frequent takeoffs and landings.  The Penn State team says their breakthrough battery can accomplish all of those requirements. Prototype Successfully Tested The Penn State team has successfully...

Sounds of Invisibility Penn State researchers have created an underwater ground cloaking technology that's capable of redirecting sound waves so objects appear invisible.  What's different here is sound waves not light waves are used to cloak.  And it's not just theory.  It's been tested and works. Super Metaterials The cloak uses a metamaterial not found in nature.  It allows sound wave to bend around objects as though they weren't there. Put to the Test The Penn State scientists tested their cloaking tech.   They created a 3 foot tall pyramid of steel and placed it underwater.  They used a hydrophone to produce sound.  The metamaterial redirected the sound waves around the pyramid, making it invisible. Cloaking Emerges from Science Fiction According to Asst. Prof. Amanda Hanford their metamaterial is real and works. "We're working to open the floodgates to see what we can create with these materials."  In the past couple of years, ...

Facial Recognition via DNA Samples If Sherlock Holmes were real and around today, he would soon have a new technology tool to catch criminals.  Based on DNA retrieved at the crime scene, detectives may soon be able to accurately sketch the suspect's face.  That's because researchers have identified 15 genes that determine our facial features. 15 Key Genes Scientists have provided a database with 3D images of faces and the corresponding DNA.  Each face was subdivided into small modules.  Then it was determined if any locations in the DNA matched the modules. Unprecedented Accuracy The modular division technique made it possible to check for an unprecedented number of facial features, resulting in unprecedented facial recognition accuracy.  A team of university scientists from Stanford, Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh collaborated on this breakthrough technique to decode faces from retrieved DNA. Exciting Potential Uses This system not onl...

The Blue Sparrow - Next G Flying It definitely looks like a highly advanced helicopter.  It's a hexacopter created by a team of Penn State engineers led by Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering Jack Langelaan. It's their winning design concept and technical specifications that landed them in a top ten contender spot in Boeing's GoFly International Competition for safe, small personal flying machines with vertical takeoff and landing and minimal noise. The competition underscores Boeing's belief that personal flight vehicles are part of the transportation future. Rotor Power 6 rotors give the Blue Sparrow thrust.  The team gets flight control by modulating the rotor speeds.  That changes the thrust from each rotor and the torque from each rotor.  The total thrust controls acceleration.  Differential thrust and torque gives them control over pitch, roll and yaw.  Take off Time The rubber is now hitting the road for the Blue Sparrow....