Future tech

Terrafugia to develop vertical takeoff flying car

Frustrated commuters may soon get some good news from Terrafugia, the maker of the Transition flying car.

The company on Sunday said it has begun feasibility studies of a four-seat, vertical takeoff and landing plug-in hybrid-electric flying car, the TF-X. The vehicle will "further increase the safety, simplicity, and convenience of personal aviation" by using state-of-the-art intelligent systems and other technology, Terrafugia said.

"This is the right time for us to begin thinking about the future of the company beyond Transition development," Carl Dietrich, Terrafugia's chief executive and chief technology officer, said in a press … Read more

NASA wants to send your best haiku... to Mars

For its trip to Mars, NASA wants haikus like this, Why? Because it's cool.

That's pretty much the gist of this whole story, actually. Maybe I should start composing all stories in the form of a haiku to save us all time.

It's no joke, though, that NASA really is collecting submissions of three-line poems from the public to send into space aboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft, which will launch later this year for a mission to study the Red Planet's atmosphere.… Read more

The 404 1,263: Where Caroline bribes us with bacon (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Google Think Insights on Dumb Ways to Die.

- Robert Scoble: My two-week review of Google Glass: it all depends on the price.

- Oh, you like cats? Follow Caroline on Instagram to see more.

- While you're online, check out Caroline's Tumblr, Twitter, and Medium, too.… Read more

World's first 3D-printed gun makes its debut

Many believe that the future of printing is in 3D, which enables companies and even novices to design whatever they want and "print" it into a real-world device.

Now, a group has a proof-of-concept that such a dream could be a reality. Only this device is a gun.

Defense Distributed, a Texas-based group working toward nonprofit status, has given Forbes images of what is being called the world's first 3D-printed handgun. The gun is capable of firing standard handgun rounds and is made entirely of plastic, except for a nail that's being used as a firing … Read more

Printable bionic ear sends hearing to the dogs

Using off-the-shelf 3D printing tools, silver nanoparticles, and cell culture, scientists at Princeton University have created a functional bionic ear that can detect radio frequencies far beyond the normal human range.

Living, 3D-printed tissue has been in the news a fair bit recently, but this is the first attempt at creating a fully functional organ with embedded electronics.

"In general, there are mechanical and thermal challenges with interfacing electronic materials with biological materials," said Michael McAlpine, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton and the lead researcher on the project. "Previously, researchers have suggested some strategies to tailor the electronics so that this merger is less awkward. That typically happens between a 2D sheet of electronics and a surface of the tissue. However, our work suggests a new approach -- to build and grow the biology up with the electronics synergistically and in a 3D interwoven format." … Read more

The 404 1,262: Where we lock the gates with Marc Maron (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Check out Marc Maron's new memoir, "Attempting Normal."

- Marc's IFC show, "Maron," starts May 3 at 10 p.m.

- Listen to Marc Maron on Howard Stern.… Read more

A better button-down? Entrepreneur promises self-cleaning shirt

A new shirt being touted as "the better button-down" aims to make laundry as we know it a thing of the past. The entrepreneur behind it claims it never wrinkles and can be worn over and over, without being washed.

Marketing grad Mac Bishop, 24, says his shirt not only looks good, but is soft to the touch, resistant to wrinkling, and odor-free. To prove it, he wore one of the shirts for 100 days in a row without washing it.

"I've (run) 4 miles in this shirt, I've biked 5 miles in this shirt, I've thrown it on after a basketball game," Bishop told CBS News. "It airs out. It's the miracle fiber." … Read more

Bug-eyed! This digital camera tech gives 180-degree view

A team of researchers at several universities around the world has created a new digital camera technology that takes cues from bug eyes.

The technology, which has not yet been named, is designed after the eyes found in arthropods. The camera is equipped with a a slew of image sensors and focusing lenses around a hemispherical base. With the sensors arranged in that way, the camera can take complete 180-degree pictures with no interpretive mistakes in image quality.… Read more

Robots in development can reach out and touch someone

Robotic prostheses may have a way to go before they work exactly like human limbs, but researchers are making great strides. A team out of Georgia Tech is working on new technology that could give these robotic limbs something akin to a sense of touch.

Thanks to tactile-sensing material that covers the entire prosthesis and software that integrates the gathered data, this robotic arm can maneuver through clutter and distinguish between hard and soft objects as it grips, pushes, and pulls more intuitively.

"Up until now, the dominant strategies for robot manipulation have discouraged contact between the robot's … Read more