Gamifying hoovering with AR
From Superinnovators 02/02/24 Just over a week after unveiling the original Augmented Reality (AR) hoovering experiment, Daniel Beauchamp, Principal AR/VR Engineer at Shopify, has made an upgrade where you collect coins as you clean. Dubbed Chores 2.0, the video has clocked over 5M views on X so far with the original now at 20M. The […]
Deep underground laboratory will be a first for Africa
From Stellenbosch University 01/02/24 Africa’s first deep underground science laboratory may become a reality in the next five to ten years with the establishment of the Paarl Africa Underground Laboratory (PAUL) in the Du Toits Kloof mountains in the Western Cape in South Africa, accessed via the existing Huguenot tunnel. The PAUL project was officially […]
Plasma drilling could unlock deep geothermal
From Superinnovators 02/02/24 Slovakia-based GA Drilling (f. 2008) is developing PLASMABIT, a drilling solution that uses a high-power rotating electric arc that produces 6000℃ plasma (ionised hot gas) to disintegrate any material without direct contact. The technology is designed to lower drilling costs and increase efficiency at greater depths up to 10km, enabling deep geothermal […]
Elevated mechanic’s creeper for top down view of engine
From Superinnovators 01/02/24 US-based Nomad Manufacturing created the Elevated Creeper, a patented platform designed for safe and comfortable topside vehicle maintenance while laying in a fully horizontal position. Available since at least 2009 and priced at £787 ($995), this creeper supports up to 159kg and adjusts up to a 6.5ft working height, featuring steps and […]
Popping a champagne cork reveals propulsive dynamics
From Cambridge University Press 01/02/24 Researchers have resolved the complex gas dynamics that occur upon opening a champagne bottle (or, more generally, a bottle containing a pressurised liquid and gas) and these dynamics’ interaction with the bottle’s cork stopper. The researchers’ findings have been published in Cambridge University Press fluid mechanics journal Flow. They found […]
Major climate benefits with electric aircraft
From Chalmers University of Technology 01/02/24 Aviation has grown considerably in recent decades and accounts for approximately 2 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and some 4 percent of all climate change impacts annually. While aviation is an important contributor to climate change and other environmental problems, electrification is one option for reducing these environmental […]
New coffee snake species discovered in Ecuador’s cloud forests
From Pensoft Publishers 01/02/24 Researchers of Khamai Foundation and Liberty University have discovered a new species of coffee snake endemic to the cloud forests of northwestern Ecuador. Biologist Alejandro Arteaga first found the snake in Ecuador’s Pichincha province, while looking for animals to include in a book on the Reptiles of Ecuador. “This is species […]
The car boot reinvented
From Superinnovators 31/01/24 Chinese automotive supplier Nobo Automotive Systems (f.1994), unveiled a concept car with a novel tray-style boot at IAA Mobility 2023, Munich, last Sept. The deep tray automatically extends horizontally out of the back of the vehicle, a feature the company describes as a crossover between an SUV and pick up truck. The […]
79% of Canadians support the therapeutic use of psilocybin for people at the end of life
From Université Laval 31/01/24 Nearly 4 out of 5 Canadians believe that the use of psilocybin, the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms, is an acceptable medical approach to treat existential distress in patients suffering from a serious and incurable disease. This is the main conclusion of an online survey of 2,800 people conducted by a […]
Model of SwRI-built spacecraft to be displayed in Smithsonian
From Southwest Research Institute 31/01/24 A model of a Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) microsatellite has been delivered to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington for an upcoming display. The CYGNSS mission is to improve tropical storm and hurricane forecasting. The constellation of eight microsatellites was designed, built and operated by […]