Home | Glossary | Timeline | New

First Flight of a Laser Powered Airplane
   Today, NASA tested a laser-powered airplane: a 312-gram (11-ounce), 1.5-meter (five-foot) wingspan plane. A laser beam struck the photovoltaic cells that powered the tiny motor that turned its propeller.
Rotundus And Rover: Robotic And Fictional Guardians (Updated)
   The Rotundus robot is a rather unusual spherical bot that moves using an internal pendulum. The robot was originally designed for planetary exploration at the Ångström Space Technology Center, part of Uppsala University, Sweden.
HELLADS: Lightweight Laser Cannon
   Ultra-light High Energy Liquid Lasers are coming.
Algae To Clean Atmosphere
   Atmospheric cleansing by means of carefully selected algae has been suggested before.
Laser-Powered Aircraft Model Tested
   A nifty laser-powered model plane was tested in Osaka, Japan earlier this week.
Metal-like Polymer Developed In South Korea
   Who would ever think of flexible, extrudable plastic with the same properties as metal wire? SF authors, that's who.
PEBBLES Robot - Teleconferencing For Kids At NextFest 2006
   The innovative PEBBLES robot received a da Vinci award for adaptive and assistive technology this week.
Reborg-Q May You Shop In Peace
   Not just a mall walker, this robot can sense water and fire, check employee security badges and even make promotional announcements.
HeadThere Giraffe Telepresence Robot
   This is a pretty cool-looking example of an inexpensive remote-controlled telepresence device.
Sigma: SF Writers Advise Homeland Security
   Science fiction writers dream for the government as well as for us.
Twist In Saturn's Electric Ring
   Unusual activity out around Saturn-way may have a more fictional explanation.
DIY Telepresence By Teleoperated Robot
   Do it yourself telepresence robotics makes IvanAnywhere cool.
'ETs Attacked Me With Meteorites' - Bosnian Man
   This story is pretty hard to believe, but as long as we're looking into it, we might as well talk about kinetic energy weapons placed in orbit.
7 Day Old Baby Meets Telepresence Robot Dad
   Very interesting application of medical rounding robots usually used to work with adults who understand what's going on.
Tmsuk Telepresence Shopper Cell Phone-Controlled
   Interesting robot is controlled by the user with a cell phone; go shopping by remote control. Now, that's a cool cell phone app.
Rotundus Groundbot Robotic Spherical Guardian Video
   Take a look at the latest version of the Rotundus spherical robot - it's a beauty. With a GroundBot's eye view video.
Eye Of God Found - But No Mote
   In the Niven and Pournelle novel, a similar sight inspired the founding of the Church of Him. Himmists, take note.
Silver-Based Epoxy Makes Electronics Thinner
   Interesting technique for making memory packages smaller - I'm pretty sure I read about this idea more than thirty years ago.
HTC Magic Smartphone At Google IO
   Take a look at what they gave us at Google IO 2009; maybe the most remarkable pocket-sized computer you ever owned.
Laser Propulsion May Beam Spacecraft To Orbit
   Will spacecraft and satellites ride a beam of light into space? Aerospace engineer Leik Myrabo has been working on the technology for decades.
MeBot Robot Avatar Telepresence
   Interesting telepresence robot from MIT specializes in non-verbal communication.
Telepresence Robot Roundup With Anybot
   The field of telepresence robotics is starting to heat up; take a look at this roundup to see the variety of functions performed.
Laser-Powered Helicopter
   Held aloft on a beam of light.
iRobot AVA Telepresence Robot With iPad
   If iRobot is entering the field of tele-operated robotics, the business case must be good.
Videochat Robot: DIY Telepresence Robot
   Another great project from Mr. Chung, this one lets you be in two places at once for just $500.
SIlver Pen Writes Flexible Circuits
   Write your own circuits informally.
Giant Asteroid Misses Earth!
   Whew, that's a relief. It did come inside the orbit of the Moon, though.
Kuri Robot Roams Your Home, Taking Pictures
   'Small devices with cameras and sound equipment which could move freely...'
Laser Lofts UAV for Two Day Flight
   Based on an idea from a physicist and science fiction writer in the 1960's.
Double Robotics iPad-Based Telepresence Robot
   'Rand could effectively be in several places at once...'
Beam Yourself To Distant Places
   'If he sent out two or three of the small tele-operated devices... Rand could effectively be in several places at once...' - Niven and Pournelle, 1981.
Looking For Local Extraterrestrials
   '...one day the Face of God awoke... He opened His single Eye.'- Niven and Pournelle, 1974.
HEL MD Laser Weapons Will Sound Like Star Wars, Star Trek
   Considering how important the film's sound track is, the sounds of Star Wars weapons are not described in the original novel.
Laser-Powered Spacecraft To Explore The Solar System
   'Whoever launched it fired a laser cannon... for about forty-five years, so the intruder would have a beam to travel on...'- Niven/Pournelle, 1974.
NASA Turns To Museum Space Shuttles For Parts
   Tropes true to life.
Telepresence In The Office
   'That led to his development of robot probes; small devices with cameras and sound equipment which could move freely... under direct control.' - Niven and Pournelle, 1981.
Reduce Hurricanes By Altering The Atmosphere
   'When yon volcanoes belch gas, the maintenance posts fire jets of tailored algae into the air stream.' - Niven and Pournelle, 1974.
Joint Precision Airdrop System (JPADS)
   'When it sees a tank silhouette, it steers toward it.' - Niven and Pournelle, 1985.
Volcanoes Terraformed Mars?
   'When yon volcanoes belch gas...' - Niven and Pournelle.
Temi Robotic Telepresence Roommate
   'Small [telepresence] devices with cameras and sound equipment which could move freely...' - Niven and Pournelle, 1981.
Make Space Tools On The Spot (Like Moties)
   'A moment ago it was squeezing silver toothpaste in a ribbon...' - Niven and Pournelle, 1974.
Dim The Sun With Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment
   'Those twin volcanoes; d'ye see them, Mr. Renner?' - Niven and Pournelle, 1974.
France's 'Red Team' Of Science Fiction Authors
   'They're the only experts we have.' - Niven and Pournelle, 1985.
Does Your Company Need A 'Chief Dreamer'?
   As far as the future is concerned 'they're the only experts we have'.
Frictionless Toilet Could Save 140 Billion Liters Of Water
   'The bowl was a frictionless surface...' Niven and Pournelle, 1974.
Draw Circuits With Conductive Ink
   'It's rewiring things... squeezing silver toothpaste in a ribbon along the printed circuitry.'
MIT Wants To Catch Interstellar Visitors
   'INVESTIGATE MYSTERIOUS OBJECT ENTERING NEW CALEDONIA SYSTEM FROM NORMAL SPACE' - Niven and Pournelle, 1974.
Ford Uses Obedient Robot Dogs To Update Facilities Maps
   'If he sent out two or three of the small tele-operated devices... [he] could see machinery and construction details in real time from both above and below.' - Niven and Pournelle, 1981.
Electric Vehicle Prices Will Drop To $2,890
   'the human seats took up two-thirds of the room in each'
Plasma Window Technology, Pressure Cushions and Deflector Doors
   'The Marine Gunner stepped gingerly through the invisible barrier. He had to push.' - Niven and Pournelle, 1974.

New on Site