Category: Technology

3D Image Projector With Frickin Lasers

3d display made with lasers 

A research firm in Japan has "developed a device that uses lasers to project real three-dimensional images in mid-air." Sounds cool, but that’s not all. It does this by exploding the air forming a brilliant white plasma. Oh yeah, now it’s mega cool!

At the demonstration, bursts of laser light were emitted 100 times per second to form shapes in the air up to 50 cm above the device. Heat from the laser caused the air to expand, producing a crackling sound that resembled a series of tiny explosions.

[via Engadget and ReBlog] 

AIST develops 3D image projector

30 Foot Tall Walking Robot Elephant

Giant 30' tall robotic elephant

As part of a Jules Verne celebration in France (back in November ’05), a 30 foot tall robotic elephant was constructed. The ears, head and trunk move about an will even spray water on the crowd as it walks (yes walks) down the street. You have got to see the video to believe it! The event called Royal de Luxe also had some other Verne inspired images like the moon capsule that was fired out of a giant canon, giant marionettes, more images can be seen here. I’m wondering how this totally missed me until now, it’s a stunning display of engineering magic.

[via Red Ferret]

Robot Elephant 

Ballistics Recovery Parachute

 

It’s a toss up on what the coolest recent invention has been for civil aviation. Its either the GPS or the recovery parachute. Most people know what a GPS is and might have even look forward to using one however a recovery parachute is something that you don’t want to use unless you are in quite a fix. What is it you might ask? Well, its a device that mounts onto a light aircraft that will fire a parachute out of a mortar mounted on your plane. Why would anyone want to do that? Well, the idea is that if you stall, your engine quits, or even if the pilot has a heart attack the ‘chute will arrest the forward motion of the plane and gently land you on the ground safely. So far the system has saved 184 lives. Thats quite an impressive record. It’s too bad you can’t mount one on a commercial jet (the device would be about half the size of the jet !) but you can use it on small aircraft and even ultralights.

[via Flight Nest]

 Ballistics Recovery Parachute

Nano-Size Battery to be Implanted In Eyes

Micro Eye Battery

I’m sure that this is years away from being used in people but the idea is pretty neat. Nano sized electrical cells that could power things in a person like an artificial retina, replacement cochlea, maybe even pacemakers. Maybe this could also serve as a way to correct vision like LASIK or radial keratotomy by flexing a liquid lens implanted in the eye. Something like that could be a new lease on vision for cataract sufferers.

[via Medgadget] 

Sandia researchers to model nano-size battery to be implanted in eye to power artificial retina