Growing up in Southern California you see a lot of car chases on TV. They’re a sick sort of tradition, with an interruption to regularly scheduled programming and friends gathering around to watch. It’s the equivalent of LA’s NASCAR, the fans are looking for a wreck. The problem is they put lives at risk and damage property. Eureka Aerospace in Pasadena, CA plans to put an end to the madness.

Their new device beams microwaves from high above in police helicopters, frying the electrical systems of cars that try to flee. The prototype has been in the works since 2003. Using a powerful 300 megahertz radio frequency, it focuses radiation via a narrow beam, disabling vulnerable electrical components. For comparison purposes, the frequency of an average kitchen microwave is 2.45 gigahertz, which is less powerful. Yet just like the kitchen microwave it’s harmless to humans.

A beam lasting 50 nanoseconds is enough to fry electrical components such as wires, eventually shorting out the cars microprocessor. Four cars were paralyzed in tests from 10 to 50 feet away. That’s cutting it a little close to shoot it by chopper, but the California Highway Patrol thinks they’re up to the task.

Although people may worry that it’ll end this cherished form of entertainment, there is yet hope. After shining a light and giving a verbal warning the police intend to use it to intentionally stop vehicles where the suspect would have problems getting away on foot. Thus turning car chases into a live “Cops” episode.

It cuts down the risk to human life and property, uses amazing future tech and still has entertainment value? White Broncos, beware, the LAPD is ready for you.

[Discovery]

Who doesn’t want a robot to clean the house, put the dishes back in the cupboard, feed the pets and clear a cluttered table? Those types of life sucking chores are the exact reason we always dream of having the little guys around in the first place.

The problem with robots is that we are always comparing them to us. Our brains calculate at such a blazing speed that robots just don’t have the time to catch up. The easy part is observing all of the visual and auditory data. The analysis is the part where our poor number crunching minions have their troubles.

Until now, robots needed to use preprogrammed three-dimensional objects. If it didn’t recognize an object it had trouble interacting with it. A perception system is the key. The STAIR (Stanford Artificial Intelligence Robot) by Andrew Ng and Aaron Edsinger aims to perceive the 3D world in real time.

They rigged a system together with fragmented technologies: machine learning, computer vision, speech recondition and grasping hardware. The real feat, however, is the algorithm for grasping. It identifies a midpoint of graspable edges on any object, such as a handle. This may not sound like rocket science, but it makes the difference between a smart robot and a preprogrammed machine.

It still is a long way off from performing tasks, such as making me bacon and eggs in the morning. But then again, we can’t all be perfect. That is, until we’re perfected.

[Technology Review]

In 2001 fourteen companies were bidding to make the first functional exoskeleton for the army. Now the hybrid man-machine has become a reality. I can hear it now, “We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better…stronger…faster.”

Salt Lake City based Sarcos is well known as the creators of the Bellagio fountains. Defense contractor Raytheon didn’t recently buy them because they were impressed with entertainment value. Sarcos was the one company that pulled ahead in the race to build a robotic exoskeleton.

The original intent of the project was to assist ground troops in lifting heavier objects and give them the ability to leap further and run faster. They’ve really hit their marks, as the video below clearly shows.

So what does it feel like to be strapped in as a cyborg? John Main, chief of the Pentagon’s exoskeleton research arm told New Scientist, “It makes you feel really, really strong. You get the sensation that you have a lot of strength. I sort of felt like The Hulk and I’m a skinny guy. I wore a 100-pound weight on my back and it felt I was carrying nothing like that amount.”

Although there are so many implications for this technology, you can’t help but think of what it’s actually going to be put to use for. You don’t exactly plan to integrate a bullet-proof shielded suit for heavy lifting back at the base.

Originally powered by an internal combustion engine, this model could very well use lightweight and compact rocket motors. Either way they still have a few kinks to work out before these go into the field. It’s exciting and a bit eerie all at the same time.

The death of supersonic air travel baffled me. In a world with unlimited capabilities and exponential advances in technology, the Concorde still used 1960’s technology. Then one day in 2003 it was retired and since there have been no commercial flights over Mach 1.

Aerion, a private US based company plans to remedy that. Their supersonic business jet will be capable of 1.6 times the speed of sound (1,186 mph, 1,909 km/h). That’s a hop across the pond from NY to Paris in about four hours. It’s also capable of scaling down its speed to prevent sonic booms when flying across land.

They intend to use readily available engines and maintain that exotic structural material isn’t necessarily required. In most respects it would be similar to current business jets with a cruising ceiling of 51,000 feet. That eliminates the need for technical altitude certification.

They intend to bring supersonic back to the people by 2014. Well, by people I mean to say the super rich. But at a $80 million price tag it is affordable alongside other jets in the luxury class. A Sheikh in the UAE was the first to cough up the $250,000 deposit. Others in the Middle East and Europe are expected to follow.

It’s my hope that these jets become more efficient and cheaper to build. With time we might actually see a commuter supersonic jet enter into service that doesn’t cost $10k for a one way trip and have a limited flight path. But then, only time will tell.

As if insects weren’t bad enough already. Now you’re going to have to keep an eye on more than just the ones that bite. That’s because the day has finally come, the DelFly II, developed by the Delft University of Technology is a dragonfly and a spy camera all rolled into one.

This little critter has a ten centimeter wingspan, weighs just 16 grams and can glide for fifteen minutes at up to 30mph. Why would you worry about a spy camera that’s whizzing by so fast? That’s because it can also hover in place against the wind, fly backwards and vertical. All while watch you taking a shower like it’s nobody’s business.

Interestingly enough, the flight system was the easy part. It was miniaturizing the electronics, camera, and controls that posed a problem. The camera doesn’t have just one sole purpose. It works in conjunction with an image stabilization engine, comparing the controls of the pilot with images while self-balancing its movement for more stable footage. Software determines which targets to track and for how long.

The team is currently working on an even smaller version of the insect. Version 3.0 will be one third the size of it’s daddy, measuring in at 5cm. Future uses, besides espionage, could include tracking victims of natural disasters or saving the day in a chemical spill.

If you ask me those are just politically correct ways to say they’ll be used to watch what’s going on with the girl next door.

[Bot Junkie]