The purpose of this blog is the creation of an open, international, independent and free forum, where every UFO-researcher can publish the results of his/her research. The languagues, used for this blog, are Dutch, English and French.You can find the articles of a collegue by selecting his category. Each author stays resposable for the continue of his articles. As blogmaster I have the right to refuse an addition or an article, when it attacks other collegues or UFO-groupes.
Druk op onderstaande knop om te reageren in mijn forum
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Deze blog is opgedragen aan mijn overleden echtgenote Lucienne.
In 2012 verloor ze haar moedige strijd tegen kanker!
In 2011 startte ik deze blog, omdat ik niet mocht stoppen met mijn UFO-onderzoek.
BEDANKT!!!
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UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES
UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld Ontdek de Fascinerende Wereld van UFO's en UAP's: Jouw Bron voor Onthullende Informatie!
Ben jij ook gefascineerd door het onbekende? Wil je meer weten over UFO's en UAP's, niet alleen in België, maar over de hele wereld? Dan ben je op de juiste plek!
België: Het Kloppend Hart van UFO-onderzoek
In België is BUFON (Belgisch UFO-Netwerk) dé autoriteit op het gebied van UFO-onderzoek. Voor betrouwbare en objectieve informatie over deze intrigerende fenomenen, bezoek je zeker onze Facebook-pagina en deze blog. Maar dat is nog niet alles! Ontdek ook het Belgisch UFO-meldpunt en Caelestia, twee organisaties die diepgaand onderzoek verrichten, al zijn ze soms kritisch of sceptisch.
Nederland: Een Schat aan Informatie
Voor onze Nederlandse buren is er de schitterende website www.ufowijzer.nl, beheerd door Paul Harmans. Deze site biedt een schat aan informatie en artikelen die je niet wilt missen!
Internationaal: MUFON - De Wereldwijde Autoriteit
Neem ook een kijkje bij MUFON (Mutual UFO Network Inc.), een gerenommeerde Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in de VS en wereldwijd. MUFON is toegewijd aan de wetenschappelijke en analytische studie van het UFO-fenomeen, en hun maandelijkse tijdschrift, The MUFON UFO-Journal, is een must-read voor elke UFO-enthousiasteling. Bezoek hun website op www.mufon.com voor meer informatie.
Samenwerking en Toekomstvisie
Sinds 1 februari 2020 is Pieter niet alleen ex-president van BUFON, maar ook de voormalige nationale directeur van MUFON in Vlaanderen en Nederland. Dit creëert een sterke samenwerking met de Franse MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP, wat ons in staat stelt om nog meer waardevolle inzichten te delen.
Let op: Nepprofielen en Nieuwe Groeperingen
Pas op voor een nieuwe groepering die zich ook BUFON noemt, maar geen enkele connectie heeft met onze gevestigde organisatie. Hoewel zij de naam geregistreerd hebben, kunnen ze het rijke verleden en de expertise van onze groep niet evenaren. We wensen hen veel succes, maar we blijven de autoriteit in UFO-onderzoek!
Blijf Op De Hoogte!
Wil jij de laatste nieuwtjes over UFO's, ruimtevaart, archeologie, en meer? Volg ons dan en duik samen met ons in de fascinerende wereld van het onbekende! Sluit je aan bij de gemeenschap van nieuwsgierige geesten die net als jij verlangen naar antwoorden en avonturen in de sterren!
Heb je vragen of wil je meer weten? Aarzel dan niet om contact met ons op te nemen! Samen ontrafelen we het mysterie van de lucht en daarbuiten.
07-01-2017
CES Day One: The Weirdest, Coolest, and Most Futuristic Tech
CES Day One: The Weirdest, Coolest, and Most Futuristic Tech
Every year, the Consumer Electronics Show highlights the latest in tech, and this year's innovations include paper-thin televisions, autonomous cars, and advanced AI systems.
Though not all of the products showcased at the CES will make it to market, the event is an inspiring showcase of humanity's capacity for innovation and imagination.
It’s the first week in January, and that can only mean two things — painful hangovers from New Year’s revelries and the international Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas! Forget Christmas…for tech nerds, the CES is like dying and going to heaven — a heaven full of shiny new technology, self-driving cars, flying cars, vibrating pants, robots, smart beds, and loads of other neat stuff.
There’s a lot of new tech to get through, so let’s take a look at some of the coolest (and weirdest) offerings at the CES 2017:
NVIDIA’S SPOT AND SHIELD
NVIDIA founder and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang was the keynote speaker on Wednesday night, and he revealed some of the company’s big plans for the coming year. Among the most notable was the “Shield,” a 4K HDR streaming media player, but it’s NVIDIA’s new AI platforms that are really turning heads. NVIDIA’s SPOT device, which can be simply plugged into any outlet and linked with the Shield, is capable of natural language processing and voice recognition, and it even knows where you are in your house. Big Huang is watching you!
BOSCH CONCEPT CAR
Bosch’s new concept car gives us a preview of a world in which cars are personalized and, frankly, little more than big, expensive smart devices that can move you from place to place. Bosch’s futuristic vehicle concept includes facial recognition technology to customize the driving experience to an individual driver’s tastes, and the car’s haptic touch display, gesture control, and eye-tracking systems seem awfully “sci-fi” to us.
Credit: Bosch
THE FF91
Faraday Future, meanwhile, launched its FF91 — a fully electric, fully connected self-driving car with a 1,050-hp engine that can take it from 0 to 60 mph in 2.39 seconds. And it even includes a smartphone-operated “driverless valet” that parks the car for you. Eat your heart out, Tesla!
DRIVERLESS AI
In other news, the German automotive company ZF has partnered with NVIDIA to create the ProAI, a deep-learning artificial intelligence (AI) program that represents a huge step toward “intellectualizing” our vehicles. According to an NVIDIA press release, the ZF ProAI “will be able to process inputs from multiple cameras, plus lidar, radar and ultrasonic sensors, in a process we call sensor fusion,” generating a 360-degree sensory sphere for the vehicle.
Looks like our vehicles are finally getting the futuristic smarts they’ll need to survive in the 21st century.
WALLPAPER TV
COMING SOON - LG SIGNATURE OLED TV W - 4K HDR Smart TV - 77" Class (76.7" Diag)
In the world of television (a perennial favorite), LG debuted the Signature OLED TV W — known on the street as “The Wallpaper TV.” It’s got a flexible screen with a depth of just 4 millimeters (.15 inches). You can hang it on the wall with magnets, and it comes in 65- and 77-inch versions. It’s slim, sleek, and futuristic, and you can have it in April for the low, low price of only $8,000.
VIBRATING PANTS
Easily the most anticipated product at the CES 2017 — and without question 2017’s most promising transformative technology — is Spinali Design’s vibrating short-shorts, which sync with your phone and translate directions from your favorite navigation app into goading twitches to your left or right cheeks. For the time being, however, the technology is limited to women who habitually go braless and have an unhealthy denim fixation.
Credit: Spinali Design
Virtual reality shoes
Developed by Japanese firm Cerevo, the Taclim VR shoes allow you to use your feet to interact with what you see in virtual reality.
The shoes give haptic feedback and vibrations to the wearer to give them a sense of walking on the virtual surfaces they see in front of them.
Hypersuit
Another extension to a virtual reality headset, the Hypersuit is a wearable simulator from French firm THEORY that gives the wearer the impression they have wings or can fly like a superhero.
Intended for entertainment and gaming purposes, users lie on a movable exoskeleton platform and use their arms to control the direction of "flight", while a fan blows in their face to complete the illusion.
Smart cane
Created by French company Dring, this smart cane for the elderly is designed to learn the user's habits and detect any unusual activity, such as falling over.
It can then automatically alert carers and family, without any action from the user, and share their location over text or email.
Smart bed
The Sleep Number 360 smart bed is designed to keep you comfortable by sensing your movements and automatically adjusting your position to keep you sleeping blissfully.
It works even when there are two people in the bed, can warm your feet to help you fall asleep faster, and even raise you head to stop snoring.
We’ll continue to keep you updated on the weird and wonderful technology being showcased at the CES 2017.
Two teams have advanced to the final round of the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE competition to create a medical tricorder inspired by the one in the "Star Trek" television series.
A handheld diagnostic device could improve healthcare tremendously, giving people instant access to information about their vital signs, illnesses, and more.
Credit: Paramount Television
“I’M A DOCTOR, NOT AN ENGINEER”
Nonprofit organization XPRIZE aims to incentivize innovation through competition, and they recently teamed up with Qualcomm to host a contest inspired by one of the most beloved of all sci-fi universes, “Star Trek.”
The world was first introduced to the medical tricorder in the original “Star Trek” series, which debuted in 1966. The device was used by Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise, to quickly scan and diagnose medical conditions. XPRIZE is hoping to help bring that kind of futuristic technology to the present.
The competition has chosen two finalists to continue developing their tech. One, Dynamical Biomarkers Group (DBG), is composed of physicians, scientists and engineers out of Taiwan. The other, Final Frontier Medical Devices, is led by siblings Basil and George Harris, an ER doctor and a network engineer, respectively.
According to Space.com, the DBG group’s device employs an HTC smartphone they’ve modified and several sensors. Those sensors connect to the smartphone via Bluetooth, and all of the components fit into a box where they can be charged using just one USB cable. The Final Frontier Medical Devices’ tricoder prototype comes in a kit that includes multiple 3D-printed devices that are wirelessly paired with an iPad Mini for diagnoses.
Credit: XPRIZE
BEAMING UP THE FUTURE
Under the rules of the competition, each device must be able to detect or monitor three different sets of information: the Core Set, the Elective Set, and the Vital Signs Set.
In this final round, the devices must be able to test for all 13 of the conditions on the Core Set list, which includes anemia, diabetes, and stroke. It must also be able to test for any three items from the Elective Set list, which includes hypertension, food poisoning, strep throat, and HIV. Finally, the device must be able to continuously monitor five essential vital signs: blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation.
With just a little incentive, like $6 million, we can move the clock of technology forward centuries. “Star Trek” is set in 2265, but we have already surpassed a lot of the technology portrayed in the original series with devices like smartphones and software like Skype. Who knows? By the time even 2200 rolls along, we could be centuries ahead of those who first lived long and prospered.
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05-12-2016
Atlas the Life-Sized Robot Just Became a Bit More Human
Atlas the Life-Sized Robot Just Became a Bit More Human
IHMC
IN BRIEF
Humanoid robots just got a major upgrade: they can walk!
A new "walking algorithm" has been developed at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) for Boston Dynamics' Atlas robot.
A sped-up animation of the algorithm in action.
STEPPING OUT
We’ve come a step closer to those human-like, walking “droids” we all love from the Star Wars universe. A new locomotion algorithm has been developed that allows the Atlas robot to gingerly walk through rough and uneven terrain.
Most robots would need flat surfaces to traverse. This control algorithm, developed at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) for the Atlas robot from Boston Dynamics, mimics a human-like line of thinking of deliberating carefully before making a step. Atlas balances itself before stepping onto an uneven foothold.
“Our humanoid projects are focused on enabling our bipedal humanoids [to] handle rough terrain without requiring onboard sensors to build a model of the terrain,” said the developers from IHMC. “Our goal is to tackle increasingly more difficult walking challenges.”
HUMAN ROBOTS?
Boston Dynamics’ Atlas has been in the works for a while now under the DARPA Robotics Challenge, a competition funded by the US Government. The company, a subsidiary of Google, has been continuously bringing out developments to make this robot as close to the human form as possible. Particularly, they have been focusing on equipping Atlas with balance and agility, qualities that traditionally would be quite difficult for robots.
Humanoid robots, once a tale from science fiction, are slowly coming to life. Today, they’re mastering walking through rubble and keeping balance on a thin plank of wood. Tomorrow, they could be indispensable partners in our daily lives. The calculated steps that Atlas now makes could be life-saving when put to the right uses. Like in the movies, the future could have artificially intelligent healthcare providers, policemen, and more.
MIT and NASA researchers have developed a morphing airplane wing which could greatly simplify the manufacturing process and will make planes more fuel efficient.
The design is similar to that of Wright brothers’ Flyer 1, which they did more than a century ago. The entire wing bends and twists, but in place of wires and pulleys, this wing uses a high-strength foil on an aluminum frame.
The wing’s aerodynamics and its agility have been improved. Using an “array of tiny, lightweight structural pieces” dubbed “digital materials,” the scientists made the wings that can be assembled into a virtually infinite variety of shapes, just like LEGO blocks. The wings are able to twist with the help of activating two small motors that apply a twisting pressure to each wingtip.
Image courtesy Kenneth Cheung/NASA
As per MIT, “Wind-tunnel tests of this structure showed that it at least matches the aerodynamic properties of a conventional wing, at about one-tenth the weight.”
The wings are bendable and are made of lightweight carbon fiber reinforced plastic and are assembled by a team small robots. Miniature robots crawl along or inside the wing structure as it takes shape.
Gonzalo Rey, chief technology officer for Moog Inc., said, “Ultralight, tunable, aeroelastic structures and flight controls open up whole new frontiers for flight. The broader potential in this concept extends directly to skyscrapers, bridges, and space structures, providing not only improved performance and survivability but also a more sustainable approach by achieving the same strength while using, and reusing, substantially less raw material.”
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28-11-2016
Synthetic Future: Revolutionary Center Will 3D-Print Human Tissues and Organs
Synthetic Future: Revolutionary Center Will 3D-Print Human Tissues and Organs
Stevens Health Institute
IN BRIEF
A new 'biofabrication institute' is being made that will scan, model, and 3d-print patient-specific tissues in one building.
The ultimate goal is to 3D-print entire organs, which could save the lives of thousands of people on organ transplant lists.
A PLACE OF COLLABORATION
Most developments happening right now in the field of bioprinting come from individual laboratories that publish results that come from a controlled lab setting. At the present moment, rarely do the research institutes themselves specialize in 3D bioprinting. Instead, there is a separation between those doing the work and those using the fruits of this labor.
Driven by this emerging technology, the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), in partnership with the Metro North Hospital and Health Service, has announced that they will establish a ‘biofabrication institute’ that will scan, model, and 3d-print patient-specific tissues in one building.
Credit: QUT
The institute will occupy two floors at the Herston Health Precinct and will be capable of performing the major processes in the bioprinting process, namely: clinical scanning, 3d modeling, and tissue engineering. It will also contain learning spaces and an innovation hub.
The Minister for Health, Cameron Dick, has expressed optimism on the endeavor, saying in the Brisbane Times that it will bring together various experts in the field of medicine, science, and engineering to “deliver the best outcome for patients.”
He adds, “This institute, opening in 2017, will catapult Queensland onto the global stage as a leader in medical innovation and technology that will change the face of healthcare.”
THE ULTIMATE GOAL
The ‘end goal’ for this institute, according to QUT Biofabrication and Tissue Morphology Group Associate Professor Mia Woodruff, is the 3D-printing of an organ. The institute could speed up developments in bioprinting, which may ultimately mean the difference between life and death for people waiting for an organ donor.
Woodruff says that the 3D-printed organs are taken from a patient’s tissue and, to that end, are not rejected by the body, eliminating the need for metallic implants or extensive antibiotics.
She concludes, “Organ transplant lists are endless at the moment and we want to be able to help these people.” Other advantages that 3d-printed organs have are much more customized prosthetics, drugs tailored to a patient, and 3D-printed bones.
Divergent 3D has shown off the Blade Supercar, the first-ever 3D-printed sports car capable of reaching 97 km (60 mph) in 2.2 seconds.
The car is made from a more sustainable approach to materials that, if widely adopted, could help alleviate the carbon footprint of automakers.
LEGO BLOCK “SUPERCAR”
At the Los Angeles Auto Show, automaker Divergent 3D showed off their 3D-printed Blade Supercar. The 635 kilogram (1,400 pound) car is made of a combination of aluminum and carbon fiber; accelerates to 97 kilometers per hour (60 miles per hour) in 2.2 seconds with its 700 hp engine; and can use either gasoline or compressed natural gas asfuel.
Jon Lloyd
The Blade Supercar debuted last year in June, heralding the company’s radical, environmentally-sustainable approach to manufacturing. Divergent calls the manufacturing approach NODE, where they 3D print aluminum nodes joined together by carbon fiber tubing.
The process, which is similar to using Lego blocks, requires less capital and uses up fewer materials. The ease of assembly means that even semi-skilled workers can run the process.
As an added bonus, Divergent 3D’s cars are 90 percent lighter and more durable than cars built with traditional techniques.
Divergent 3D's printed supercar greets visitors in the atrium of the LA Convention Center at the LA Auto Show.
The rear of the Blade 3D printed supercar Wednesday Nov. 16, 2016 at the LA Auto Show.
MANUFACTURING THE FUTURE CAR
Divergent 3D aims to manufacture competitive automobiles while radicalizing the usual car manufacturing process that can be taxing on the environment.
Making a car can be just as polluting as driving one. Metals, rubbers, plastics, paints, and more are extracted from nature and synthesized through a long process where resources are shipped from all across the world. As The Guardian reported in 2010, producing a medium-sized car like a Ford Mondeo could generate more than 17,000 kilograms (17 tonnes) of carbon dioxide equivalent.
But more industries today are taking a global shift into sustainability. Divergent, together with its partner companies, are helping take the lead in changing auto manufacturing for the better.
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A Self-Piloting Human Transport Drone Flew Untethered for the First Time
A Self-Piloting Human Transport Drone Flew Untethered for the First Time
Urban Aeronautics
Urban Aeronautics Cormorant
Formerly known as the "Air Mule," this is a flying taxi, or maybe a future unmanned ambulance.
Tactical Robotics
IN BRIEF
The autonomous aerial vehicle (UAV) prototype AirMule has completed its first completely untethered flight, but its control system made a handful of incorrect decisions.
Tactical Robotics, the makers of the AirMule, envisions UAVs landing and taking off from rugged terrain that human pilots can't handle.
Below is some additional technical information related to the recent flight and also in general--the challenge of NOE (Nap of the Earth) flight:
As tech companies, car manufacturers, and governments like France usher in a self-driving transit ecosystem, handing the keys over to computers seems to make more sense.
Israeli firm Tactical Robotics wants to take self-piloting tech to the air. AirMule, an autonomous vertical take off and landing (VTOL) prototype capable of carrying people and supplies, has just demonstrated its first fully untethered autonomous flight along a preplanned route.
The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) — now known as Comorant — uses internal rotor blades and rear horizontal thrust ducted fans to take off. It also has two laser altimeters, a radar altimeter, inertial sensors, and an electro-optic payload camera as sensors to guide its flight decisions.
That doesn’t mean the whole flight was smooth sailing. On three occasions, the robot’s flight management system (FMS) had to take over the autonomous flight control system (FCS) because the tech made incorrect decisions. And two times the FCS misjudged altitude due to inaccurate laser altimeter readings, causing the transport to land early.
“While the FCS was ‘learning’ to fly the aircraft through the various pattern maneuvers, the FMS was continuously monitoring the level of safety, and making judgements regarding if and when to intervene,” Tactical Robotics said in a press release.
More R&D is clearly in order. But the manufacturers say the UAV will one day be able to land and take off vertically from rough terrain human pilots can’t handle. They envision the drones carrying supplies and soldiers to battlefields and war zones.
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10-11-2016
Paralyzed Monkeys Able to Walk Again With Brain Implant. Human Trials Are Next
Paralyzed Monkeys Able to Walk Again With Brain Implant. Human Trials Are Next
A neural interface helped a monkey walk again after its spinal cord was cutSwiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne
Jemere Ruby
IN BRIEF
Using a system of electrodes, transmitters, receivers, scientists were able to restore leg function in a primate, completely bypassing damaged nerves.
While this remarkable feat may be decades away from human use, it is a promising development for the hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. with spinal cord injuries
Gregoire Courtine, a neurologist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, holds a silicone model of a primate's brain with an electrode array. The goal is to pick up signals from the brain and transmit them to the legs.
Alain Herzog/EPFL
INSTANT FUNCTION
Electrodes implanted in the brain and spine have helped paralyzed monkeys walk. The neurologists behind the study reported that the implants restored function in the primates’ legs almost instantaneously. The findings are detailed in Nature.
The spinal cord of the subject monkey was partially cut, so the legs had no way of communicating with the brain. To mend the brain-spine interface, electrodes were placed on key parts of the monkey’s body. Implants were placed inside the monkey’s brain at the part that controls leg movement, together with a wireless transmitter sitting outside the skull. Electrodes were also placed along the spinal cord, below the injury.
A computer program decoded brain signals indicative of leg movement and transmitted the signals to the electrodes in the spine. Within just a few seconds, the monkey was moving its leg. In a few days, it was walking on a treadmill.
Alain Herzog/Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL)
“The primate was able to walk immediately once the brain-spine interface was activated. No physiotherapy or training was necessary,” said Erwan Bezard, one of the authors of the study.
PRIMATE-TO-PRIMATE
This study is a massive breakthrough—it’s the first time implants have helped a primate walk. There has been much research to develop tech for paralyzed patients, but most lab trials were done on rodents. “It seems the principles learned in rats are now translating into primates,” said Jen Collinger, a University of Pittsburgh bioengineer.
The results were astoundingly positive, but the researchers say that it will take at least a decade to fine-tune the technology for use in humans. Still, our bodies are greatly similar to that of monkeys, and the researchers believe transition could be quick.
Exciting news about the study is that the components that the researchers used are legal for human use in Switzerland. The Swiss group of the study have started clinical trial with eight people with partial leg paralysis.
We’re all eager for further development in the study—an innovation that could greatly change the lives of approximately 282,000 people in the U.S. with spinal cord injuries.
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07-11-2016
This Quarter-Sized, Self-Powered Drone Is the Smallest in the World
This Quarter-Sized, Self-Powered Drone Is the Smallest in the World
UPenn/Scott Spitzer
IN BRIEF
The Piccolissimo comes in two sizes, a quarter-sized one weighing less than 2.5 grams and a larger, steerable one that's heavier by 2 grams and wider by a centimeter.
According to the researchers, 100 or 1,000 small controllable flyers like the Piccolissimo could cover more of a disaster site than a single large drone and more cheaply.
The Piccolissimo is the world’s smallest self-powered controllable drone. It comes in two sizes, a quarter-sized one weighing less than 2.5 grams and a larger, steerable one that’s heavier by 2 grams and wider by a centimeter (.39 inches). Size-wise, it is actually a bit larger than Harvard’s RoboBee, but the latter is hooked to an external power source and consequently has more limited motion.
Piccolissimo is made possible by UPenn’s ModLab, which specializes in “underactuated” robots that can achieve great ranges of motion with the fewest motors possible. The tiny tech only has two parts: the propeller and the body. The motor spins the body 40 times per second in one direction, while the propeller spins 800 times per second the opposite way. The drone can be steered because the propeller is mounted slightly off-center. Changing the propeller speed at precise points during the drone’s flight changes its direction.
“One of the interesting things about the design is that much of the complexity is in the design of the body which is 3D printed,” researcher Mark Yim told Digital Trends. “Since the cost of 3D-printed parts are based on the volume of plastic in the part, and independent of complexity, the flyer is very low-cost.”
COMPLEX FUNCTION, SIMPLE DESIGN
Tiny flying microbots have huge potential for applications in agriculture or disaster relief. When equipped with smart sensors, autonomously flying micro-robots could be used for crop pollination or to monitor agriculture for dryness or drought. In search and rescue missions, they could allow rescuers to cover larger areas faster and more cheaply. “Having 100 or 1,000 small controllable flyers could explore more of a disaster site than a single big, expensive one,” says Yim.
Microbots like Piccolissimo are taking function to a fundamental size, showing that in the future of tech, sometimes less can be more.
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03-11-2016
Meet the Nightmare Machine: An AI That Creates Your Worst Fears
Meet the Nightmare Machine: An AI That Creates Your Worst Fears
DeepDream Project/Google
IN BRIEF
Dr. Cebrian and his colleagues fed 200,000 images of human faces into the machine – then, they fed a zombie face into the neural network.
When a machine learns what images scare humans, it can be taught to do the opposite, and generate behavior that makes us feel comforted.
GENERATING FEAR
The artificial intelligence (AI) currently being developed is largely benevolent. It can mimic the way humans think, complete menial and repetitive tasks, and more. But that doesn’t prevent people from being afraid of AI, thinking it will take away jobs or eventually turn Terminator into a documentary.
Somebody thought AI wasn’t scary enough, and did something to change that. Researchers from MIT and Australia’s CSIRO have created AI that actively warps pictures into scary nightmare fuel.
Nightmare Machine
Aptly named the Nightmare Machine, the algorithm started like any nightmare would, rather benignly. The researchers fed their algorithm 200,000 faces, for it to recognize and generate a normal face.
But they then fed it just one picture of a zombie, and changed the code so the zombie face would have more weight in the images generated. Soon after, the algorithm was generating nightmare fuel like crazy.
FOR COMFORT AND WARMTH
Creating sleepless nights is not the main reason for the Nightmare Machine. It has a higher purpose: to tell machines how to comfort us. When it learns what images or things scare humans, AI can then be taught to do the opposite, and generate behavior that makes us feel safe.
“Just like a child, or an adult, by learning behavior that upsets humans, a machine can then be trained to avoid that behavior,” says Manuel Cebrian Ramos, of the CSIRO, in a statement. “So the same technology we are using in this silly project could actually be used to comfort, to invite humans to co-operate with machines.”
In fact, he believes that this is the best way to create benign AI, as opposed hard wiring rules. “Instead of [Asimov’s] top-down rules, which are always going to have loopholes, it’s better for a machine to learn bottom up,” says Cebrian.
Essentially, if machines can help us understand them, then it’s going to be easier to work with them. “If we perceive them as alien, as too different from us, then we will fight them, and I don’t like that, I like co-operation,” he says.
How ny drones does it take to screw in a light bulb? Apparently two, and about nine smashed bulbs (hey, progress requires risks), according to the description of a fascinating video uploaded to YouTube Sunday.
The video shows a quadcopter attempting to replacing a ceiling’s light bulb, while putting a new spin on the worn-out joke, and highlighting how we could one day keep the lights on.
During the drone’s first attempt, the remote-controlled flyer struggles to connect with the bulb and crashes to the ground. (It wiped out pretty good, which we think could be when the second drone came into play.) After multiple tries the drone successfully grasps the bulb with its three prongs. Just a few spins later, it unscrews the bulb.
The drone then carries a replacement bulb up to the outlet before taking another spin to secure it in place. This last step proves to be the easiest and soon the bulb is glowing.
What other hard-to-reach light fixtures could drones one day maintain for us? The future is clearly bright.ma
The next time you see a moth, dragonfly, or other winged insect, go in for a closer look. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been developing insect cyborgs for the past seven-plus decades, and a recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from San Jose State University Lecturer Dr. Susan Maret’s blog “secrecy {fragments}” shows just how sophisticated these futuristic, dystopian bug drones have become.
Over a year after Maret’s FOIA request, DARPA sent back 88 pages, most of which were Powerpoint slides. Since the 1940s, DARPA’s toiled to develop Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) and Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS). It didn’t take long for engineers to realize that the key to effective MAVs was right in front of their eyes: Nature’s own insects — and, in some cases, winged mammals — were ideal case studies to be mimicked and, in some designs, enslaved. These engineers, along with DARPA’s numerous contractors and subsidized academic institutions, began developing HI-MEMS — Hybrid Insect Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems.
Yikes.
In the paper’s conclusion, the authors write: “We also showed down-and up-stroke actuation of each wing separately, through which we were able to affect the flight direction of Manduca sexta. This work paves the way for future engineering approaches to utilize the bioelectronic interfaces, especially for realizing insect cyborgs.” In the acknowledgements, the researchers thank DARPA’s HI-MEMS program for single-handedly footing the bill.
Eight years have passed since these researchers’ insect cyborgs first took flight. It could well be that these cyborg bugs already fly among us, or patrol far-off battlefields. Or maybe they remain an unfulfilled prophecy. Regardless, like the cicadas, they’re bound to rise soon enough.
In many parts of the world, the lack of an adequate supply of clean water is a serious problem. As per UNICEF estimates, worldwide, about 2,000 children under the age of five die every day from diarrhoeal diseases and of these some 1,800 deaths are linked to water, sanitation, and hygiene.
In a big breakthrough, VICI-Labs in collaboration with UC Berkeley and the National Peace Corps Association have developed a device with a goal to provide a sustainable source of clean, safe water.
This device is known as “Water Seer.” It relies on simple condensation processes to collect clean water from the atmosphere. It works without using any power source, without generating any sort of pollution or environmental impact, without the need for costly chemicals or maintenance.
Image courtesy Water Seer
How the Water Seer Works:
The Water Seer device has a vertical wind turbine on its top, and it functions by utilizing wind power. It is planted six or more feet into the ground, and then the soil is packed around its metal neck. When the wind spins its internal fan blades, it draws air into the subterranean chamber. Since it is cooler underground, the air condenses into water in the reservoir to create a sort of an artificial well.
This clean drinking water can be delivered to the surface by using a simple pump and hose.
It works well even in areas with a very harsh climate. It can yield up to 37 liters of pure water a day, and the best part is it is priced at just $134.
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The World’s Smallest Drone is Voice Controlled, And it Can Fit in Your Pocket
The World’s Smallest Drone is Voice Controlled, And it Can Fit in Your Pocket
Amazon
IN BRIEF
Amazon has created the smallest drone ever – and it's targeted toward consumers, not for delivery.
Using RFID-search capabilities and facial recognition software, the drone can help locate lost persons or objects.
A MINI ALEXA THAT FLIES
Just this week, Amazon received a patent for the smallest drone ever. The miniaturized, unmanned, aerial vehicle (UAV) is designed to assist users in a number of ways — from recovery of lost persons and items, to providing assistance to policemen and firefighters. It’s Amazon’s first venture into a drone product for consumers – not just for delivery.
The drone’s features make it an all-around personal assistant, equipped with voice-control and Alexa (Amazon’s AI-equipped voice assistant). Accordingly, it can respond to voice commands such as “follow me” and “hover,” allowing for varied uses. Amazon also plans to make the drone quite small – small enough to fit in your pocket or to dock on a police officer’s radio.
Amazon
Using RFID-search capabilities and facial recognition software, the drone can help locate lost persons or even your elusive car keys. In terms of locating people, the patent states:
The UAV can receive a “find Timmy” command, which can include the “search” routine, and possibly an “identify Timmy” subroutine to locate a person identified as “Timmy.” In some examples, Timmy can have an RFID tag sewn into his clothes or a bar code printed on his shirt to facilitate identification.
Amazon has taken a major step in the right direction as the company moves beyond usingdrones for delivery. While many of the intended uses of this mini drone are still considered illegal in the United States, the FAA is supposedly updating their rules for commercial drone use within the next five years.
The future is bright for unmanned vehicle technology. Rather than fear such technological advancements, we should look to the added value they offer to the way we work and live.
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20-10-2016
Vliegende auto: koop jij er volgend jaar een
Vliegende auto: koop jij er volgend jaar een
Tim Kraaijvanger
Nog een jaar en dan kunnen we een proefrit maken in een vliegende auto. Tenminste, als het aan het bedrijf AeroMobil ligt. CEO Juraj Vaculik beweert dat de eerste vliegende auto volgend jaar te koop is.
Het idee is niet helemaal nieuw. In 1990 ontwikkelde het bedrijf AeroMobil het allereerste prototype: 1.0. De jaren daarop kwamen er nieuwe versies uit. Het laatste decennium gaat het hard. In 2010 toonden de Slowaken de AeroMobil 2.5. Dit model werd in 2014 opgevolgd door het allernieuwste type: de 3.0. Hieronder zie je een promotievideo van deze vliegende auto.
AeroMobil beweert nog steeds dat 2017 een haalbaar jaar is voor de introductie van de eerste vliegende auto bij de autodealer. Deze vliegmachine biedt de voordelen van een normale auto, maar kan daarnaast opstijgen en landen op een willekeurig grasveld. Het grasveld moet overigens wel een paar honderd meter lang zijn, anders komt het niet goed. Op de weg heeft de AeroMobil 3.0 een bereik van 877 kilometer en een topsnelheid van 159 kilometer per uur. In de lucht is het bereik nog steeds een indrukwekkende 700 kilometer en vliegt het luchtvaartuig met een snelheid van 200 kilometer per uur. Het verschil in snelheid tussen vliegen en rijden is veertig kilometer per uur en dat lijkt niet veel, maar houdt er rekening mee dat de vliegende auto ook nog eens direct van punt A naar punt B vliegt. Tijdens een langere rit – of is het vlucht? – kom je misschien wel twee keer zo snel aan op de plaats van bestemming. Zeker als je op een slecht bereikbare plek moet zijn.
CONCURRENTIE
In 2010 is een Amerikaans bedrijf gestart met de productie van een vliegende auto, namelijk de Terrafugia Transition. Zeventig klanten bestelden zo’n 159.000 euro kostend voertuig. Daarna bleef het stil. Als het goed is, worden eind dit jaar de eerste exemplaren uitgedeeld.
Deze zomer was de AeroMobil 3.0 overigens te zien in Brussel. “Deze tweezitter is de eerste in een reeks van innovatieve voertuigen die wij gaan lanceren,” zei CEO Vaculik tijdens de beurs. “De technologieën en innovaties die in de AeroMobil 3.0 zitten kunnen in een breed scala van producten gebruikt worden, waardoor we snel over hopen te gaan tot massaproductie.”
De AeroMobil 3.0 moet daarnaast Slowakije op de kaart gaan zetten. “Het project trekt momenteel veel aandacht en verbindt ingenieurs binnen de Europese Unie”, zei de Miroslav Lajčák, de Slowaakse minister van Buitenlandse Zaken. “Er ontstaat wellicht een nieuwe Europese industrie.”
Mooi is ‘ie wel, deze vliegende auto.
ONGELUK
Vorig jaar stortte een AeroMobil neertijdens een testvlucht in Slowakije. Chauffeur/piloot Stefan Klein ontsnapte aan de dood en kon zijn parachute ontvouwen.
Twijfels De grote vraag is of AeroMobil er in gaat slagen de verwachtingen waar te maken. Ten eerste is het huidige wegennetwerk niet geschikt voor de AeroMobil. in het meest gunstigste geval worden er landingsbanen langs de snelweg gelegd, waar mensen kunnen landen en invoegen of uitvoegen en opstijgen. Daarnaast krijg je als bezitter van deze vliegende auto te maken met wetgeving en regels. Veel regels zullen opnieuw opgesteld moeten worden als deze vliegende auto in het straatbeeld verschijnt. Mag je zomaar landen in een weiland of moet je eerst de eigenaar van een lap grond bellen? Tenslotte mag de auto niet gevlogen worden zonder een vliegbrevet. En zo’n brevet heeft niet iedereen in z’n portemonnee zitten. VlieglesDeal beweert dat je ongeveer tienduizend euro nodigt hebt om het brevet te halen.
De infrastructuur bepaalt het succes van de AeroMobil 3. Wanneer er veel landingsbanen worden aangelegd langs snelwegen, kan dit consumenten motiveren om over te stappen op de vliegende auto.
Alleen voor miljonairs Kortom, de AeroMobil 3.0 zal niet direct op de oprit van je buurman staan. Het Slowaakse bedrijf richt zich in eerste instantie op rijken en op mensen die graag vliegen. Voor de laatste groep is het mogelijk goedkoper om een vliegende auto te kopen, dan om een eigen privejet aan te schaffen.
Denk jij dat de AeroMobil 3.0 volgend jaar echt te koop is? En lijkt het jou wat? Reageer onder dit nieuwsbericht!
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Staat deze voedselprinter over vijf jaar bij jou in de keuken?
Staat deze voedselprinter over vijf jaar bij jou in de keuken?
Caroline Kraaijvanger
Maak maar alvast ruimte op je aanrecht: de voedselprinter komt eraan! Binnen vier tot vijf jaar kan dit exemplaar – of iets wat erop lijkt – al in je keuken staan!
Voedselprinters zijn er natuurlijk allang. Maar vaak zijn ze groot en log en allesbehalve gebruiksvriendelijk. Je moet er eigenlijk (letterlijk!) voor gestudeerd hebben om ze te kunnen gebruiken. Dat moet anders, zo bedacht Hod Lipson, professor aan de faculteit werktuigbouw aan Columbia University in New York en een pionier op het gebied van robotica, 3D-printen en voedselprinten. Hij ontwikkelde – samen met twee studenten – een voedselprinter voor ons allemaal.
Gemak Eén van de twee studenten die samen met Lipson aan de voedselprinter knutselde, is Drim Stokhuijzen. Het ontwerp van de revolutionaire voedselprinter werd de afstudeeropdracht waarmee hij zijn studie industrieel ontwerpen aan de TU Delft afrondde. “Deze voedselprinter had een compleet andere start dan bestaande voedselprinters,” zo vertelt hij aan Scientias.nl. De huidige voedselprinters zijn eigenlijk niets anders dan gemodificeerde 3D-printers. “Maar voor deze voedselprinter begonnen we echt met niets.” Het doel? Een voedselprinter die net zo gemakkelijk in gebruik is als de welbekende koffiemachines met de minstens zo bekende cupjes die door George Clooney aan de man worden gebracht. “De voedselprinter moest eenvoudig zijn: plug and play.”
Vers van de pers: vismousseline met wortel.
Hoe werkt ‘ie? En dat is gelukt. Want iedereen kan met deze voedselprinter – die ook nog eens heel klein is en dus met gemak op je aanrecht past – uit de voeten. Stokhuijzen legt uit: “Je hebt een soort capsules met daarin gepureerd en ingevroren voedsel waar geen additieven aan zijn toegevoegd. Het apparaat vertelt je in welke volgorde je deze capsules in het apparaat moet stoppen. Een robotarm kan deze capsules pakken en de inhoud op een bord plaatsen. Terwijl de robotarm daarmee bezig is, verhit een infraroodmodule de geprinte lagen.” Terwijl het voedsel geprint wordt, wordt het dus ook gekookt. In de toekomst kun je de capsules gewoon in de winkel kopen. Ook voorziet Stokhuijzen een soort ‘Spotify’ gevuld met gerechtjes waar je als trotse eigenaar van de voedselprinter uit putten kan.
De capsules die je in de 3D-printer moet stoppen.
Supplementen Wellicht zie je jezelf op korte termijn al je pannen en deksels en maatbekers en ander keukengerei bij het grof vuil zetten. Maar wacht nog even! “Dit apparaat vervangt het koken niet,” benadrukt Stokhuijzen. De voedselprinter is niet bedoeld om drie of vier gangen te creëren, maar is een aanvulling op je eigen kookkunsten. “Stel, je hebt een drukke werkdag gehad en niet zo gezond gegeten, dan kun je een gezond gerechtje printen,” legt Stokhuijzen. Omdat je de volledige controle over de samenstelling van het gerechtje hebt, kan het je exact bieden wat je die dag tekort bent gekomen (zie ook het filmpje hieronder).
In de toekomst gaat dat nog een stap verder, voorspelt Stokhuijzen. “De voedselprinter wordt dan je persoonlijke diëtist.” Op basis van je persoonlijke gegevens – die nu reeds door smartphones worden verzameld – weet de printer precies wat je op dat moment nodig hebt.
QUICHES
In principe kan de voedselprinter van Lipson en studenten alles printen. “Vlees, vis, noem het maar op,” vertelt Stokhuijzen. “Maar in beginsel zullen we voor toegankelijke gerechtjes kiezen, bijvoorbeeld quiches.” Want de grote massa zal de voedselprinter sneller omarmen als deze smakelijk uitziende gerechten print en vlees ziet er geprint nu eenmaal niet echt lekker uit.
Heerlijk Natuurlijk heeft Stokhuijzen de proef op de som genomen en het geprinte voedsel geproefd. Hij blijft enthousiast. “Het is net als met een gewone printer, waarbij de kwaliteit van de inkt de kwaliteit van de print bepaalt. Als je goede ingrediënten gebruikt, is het geprinte voedsel heerlijk.”
Gezond Waarschijnlijk had Stokhuijzen een paar jaar geleden niet gedacht dat hij vandaag zo enthousiast zou zijn over geprint voedsel. “Ik was bij aanvang heel sceptisch,” erkent hij. “Ik vroeg me af of we 3D-geprint voedsel wel nodig hadden. Ik was net druk bezig met gezond eten en dat lijkt haaks te staan op het reageerbuis- en robotachtige geprinte voedsel.” Maar opeens realiseerde Stokhuijzen zich dat gezond eten dankzij de voedselprinter veel gemakkelijker kan worden. “Als je nu door de supermarkt loopt, dan wil je voedsel dat kostenefficiënt, oftewel niet te duur is. Maar het moet ook voedzaam en gezond zijn. En het moet gemakkelijk te bereiden zijn. En lekker. Het is eigenlijk onmogelijk om aan al die vereisten tegelijkertijd te voldoen: als je iets makkelijks wilt, is het vaak ongezond. En als je iets heel gezonds wilt, is het vaak duurder. En dus maak je in de supermarkt eigenlijk altijd een verkeerde keuze.” De voedselprinter maakt daar een einde aan, omdat deze voedsel kan creëren dat aan alle genoemde eisen voldoet. “Deze voedselprinter kan gezond eten democratiseren.”
Een geprinte polenta met bietjes.
Acceptatie Maar hoelang moeten we daar nog op wachten? “Deze voedselprinter is een proof of concept en wordt op dit moment in het laboratorium doorontwikkeld. We verwachten dat deze over vier tot vijf jaar in de keuken te vinden is.” Of dat werkelijk haalbaar is, hangt met name af van ons, de consument. “Op dit moment is de markt nog vrij sceptisch,” stelt Stokhuijzen. “De acceptatie van de voedselprinter is denk ik de grootste uitdaging. Misschien komt die vanuit de mensen zelf. Of eerst vanuit atleten, waarna de consument aansluit.”
De voedselprinter heeft voorlopig de naam ‘Sanna’ gekregen.
Software Maar acceptatie door de massa is niet de enige hobbel die genomen moet worden. Er komt nog veel meer bij kijken. Zo is er bijvoorbeeld dringend behoefte aan software voor het ontwerpen van voedsel. Al jarenlang wordt voor het ontwerpen van constructies en apparaten een beroep gedaan op CAD-systemen. Maar deze systemen schieten tekort als er met voedsel wordt gewerkt. Daar is speciale software voor nodig die bijvoorbeeld kan voorspellen hoe een 3D-geprinte vorm eruit ziet als deze een x aantal minuten is gekookt bij een temperatuur van x graden Celsius.
Er is dus nog werk aan de winkel. Maar de voedselprinter lijkt een onstuitbare technologie te zijn. “We verwachten dat deze voedselprinter rond de 100 dollar gaat kosten,” vertelt Stokhuijzen. De capsules zullen qua prijs absoluut de concurrentie aankunnen met kant-en-klaarmaaltijden, maar wel iets duurder zijn dan de maaltijden die je helemaal zelf bereidt. Stokhuijzen kan in ieder geval niet wachten. “Als de voedselprinter op de markt komt, krijgt deze zeker een plekje in mijn keuken. Het is zo makkelijk op drukke dagen. Net als gisteren: ik had gesurfd en ’s avonds zin in eten. Maar dan ben ik te lui om iets te koken en neem ik toch maar een pizza. Of ik kook snel pasta. Maar dan kijk ik achteraf op de verpakking en blijkt er weer heel veel zout in te zitten. Met de voedselprinter kan ik een gemakkelijk en gezonde keuze maken én heb ik de controle over wat er in mijn eten zit.”
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Largest-Ever Destroyer Just Joined US Navy, and It Could Fire Railguns
Largest-Ever Destroyer Just Joined US Navy, and It Could Fire Railguns
USS Zumwalt in full dress for its commissioning in Baltimore
(Credit: US Navy)
IN BRIEF
The U.S. Navy has officially commissioned the USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), the largest and most high-tech destroyer ever that packs a massive 78 MW of power.
The USS Zumwalt is a glimpse of the technology and sophistication we can expect to see in future warships.
The U.S. Navy’s largest destroyer ever built, the USS Zumwalt, carried out trial operations last year — and now the high-tech warship has officially entered the fleet. The ship is the most advanced in its class, and the name of its captain, James A. Kirk, makes the futuristic cruiser sound like something out of “Star Trek.”
“Today’s ceremony marked the culmination of over three years of dedication and hard work by some of the finest sailors I have had the pleasure to lead,” said Kirk, according to the U.S. Navy.
It took almost five years and over $3.5 billion to build the USS Zumwalt. The destroyer sports an all-electric propulsion system, a stealthy “tumblehome” design, a vertical missile launcher, and an advanced computerized system.
And it packs 78 MW of power — nearly as much electricity as a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier — thanks to two 45.4-MW Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines driving Curtiss-Wright electric generators and two 3.8-MW Rolls-Royce RR4500 turbine generators.
That’s enough energy to run the ship and power a small town at the same time, according to the U.S. Navy. This massive front of electricity could also fire the Navy’s next-gen beam weapons and railguns. We could one day see Zumwalt-class warships equipped with kinetically-charged railguns capable of launching projectiles as far as 201 km (125 miles) at Mach 6 speeds.
Image Credit: U.S. Navy/Petty Officer 1st Class Nathan Laird
The destroyer’s large size can also support its missile launcher and aircraft simultaneously.
“The Zumwalt-class is much larger than today’s destroyers with a considerably larger flight deck – enough space to operate host Joint Strike Fighters, MV-22 Ospreys, and unmanned systems and a Vertical Launch System second to none,” said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, according to the U.S. Navy.
The USS Zumwalt will make its way to San Diego, where it will install its combat systems and receive final testing before engaging in fleet operations.
Watch the destroyer cruise along in Bath, Maine below.
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29-09-2016
New Wind Turbine Tech Could Use a Single Typhoon to Power a Country For 50 Years
New Wind Turbine Tech Could Use a Single Typhoon to Power a Country For 50 Years
Challenergy
IN BRIEF
Humanity pumps nearly 38.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the air each year because of fossil fuels, but one typhoon is equivalent to half the world-wide electrical generating capacity.
Now, Japanese engineer Atsushi Shimizu claims to have developed a way for humanity to harness this power.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF EARTH
We are all farmilar with the tragedy of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, which was caused by an enormous tsunami that occurred back in 2011. It brought the nuclear power debate back to life.
Now, one Japanese engineer wants to harness the power of another potentially destructive force in order to generate energy. Atsushi Shimizu has created a wind turbine that can withstand the terrible force of typhoons, and it can gather their energy to provide clean power.
“For decades, Japan has brought in European-style wind turbines, not designed for typhoon zones, and installed them with no careful consideration—they’ve broken almost entirely,” Shimizu said to CNN. Now, that could all change.
There is tremendous potential in typhoon energy—it is estimated that one typhoon is equivalent to half the world-wide electrical generating capacity, and if we could harness all of its energy, Shimizu asserts he could power Japan for 50 years.
To that end, Shimizu has constructed a special turbine, one that looks like an eggbeater. It utilizes the Magnus effect to prevent the turbine from spinning out of control. The design helps it withstand unpredictable wind directions.
HARNESSING EVERYTHING
Taking advantage of typhoon energy may seem like a moonshot, but we already have structures that can withstand hurricane force gales.
And given our current climate crisis, its not like we can afford not to do it. The green revolution is all about harnessing the power of Mother Nature and moving away from fossil fuels in order to end the current mass extinction event and help protect our biosphere. Countries like Japan are regularly battered by typhoons, and this is one way of taking advantage of the situation.
But more than that, if we are to advance as a species, we will need this type of technology. Advancing to a Type I civilization in the Kardashev scale means being able to control the elements—sunlight, volcanoes, earthquakes, and yes, even typhoons.
This could be another step towards getting humanity beyond our Type 0 classification status.
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23-09-2016
Delftse onderzoekers ontwikkelen dubbeldekkerdrone met één propeller
Delftse onderzoekers ontwikkelen dubbeldekkerdrone met één propeller
Tim Kraaijvanger
De delftAcopter is misschien wel de meest bijzondere drone van het jaar. Deze drone stijgt op als een helikopter, kantelt vervolgens 90 graden en vliegt verder als een vliegtuig. Hoe dat eruit ziet, zie je hier!
De drone maakt het mogelijk om makkelijker te landen en op te stijgen in een moeilijk gebied. Dit komt omdat de dubbeldekkerdrone één hoofdrotor heeft en een staart ontbreekt. “Verticaal opstijgen (of landen) en horizontaal verder vliegen is zeker niet nieuw, maar wel op deze elegante manier,” zegt onderzoeker Bart Remes van het Delftse MAVlab. “Doordat de staart is weg gelaten en het vliegtuig slechts één dubbeldekkervleugel heeft, kan het elegant rechtop blijven staan om te landen en op te stijgen.”
De drone is met een spanwijdte van 1,5 meter geen kleintje. Het beestje kan een snelheid van 100 kilometer per uur bereiken en vliegt maximaal zestig kilometer op één acculading. Daarnaast kan de drone stil in de lucht blijven hangen.
Nog een mooie innovatie: de delftAcopter vliegt zelfstandig van plek naar plek en hoeft dus niet bestuurd te worden. Daarvoor gebruikt de drone GPS en zijn zicht. “De drone gebruikt on-board vision om zelfstandig een landingsplek te kiezen,” laat Remes weten. “Zo zal hij volledig zelfstandig de meest veilige plek uitkiezen waar geen obstakels in de weg staan.”
De delftAcopter doet eind deze maand mee aan de UAV Medical Express Challenge. Elf teams proberen de zieke Outback Joe te redden met een onbemand vliegtuig. Remes: “De opdracht draait om het ‘redden’ van een persoon in een overstroomd gebied in Queensland. Outback Joe voelt zich niet lekker, en na overleg met zijn dokter is besloten om snel een bloedsample af te nemen en te onderzoeken. Joe kan zelf een sample nemen. De uitdaging voor ons is om dit sample snel naar een laboratorium te krijgen.” Dit laboratorium is dertig kilometer verderop. De delftAcopter moet zelf Outback Joe vinden, zo dicht mogelijk bij hem landen (maar niet dichterbij dan dertig meter) en het bloedmonster verzenden naar het laboratorium. En dat binnen een uur. “Het wordt heel spannend om te zien hoe ver we ermee komen.”
Lasers play many roles in our everyday lives, from optical storage to metal cutting to tattoo and hair removal. Laser technology is used in a wide range of other applications, including surgery and weaponry.
Now, researchers from the University of Michigan have developed a laser technique that uses blood to spot tumors in a human body. The new technique combines laser light with a fluorescent dye to observe cell structure and activity at the molecular level.
The researchers tested out the technique by shining a laser light into a cavity containing whole human blood mixed with Indocyanine green, an FDA-approved fluorescent dye used in diagnostic tests. By examining the light that was reflected back at them, they could observe cell structure and the changes happening to the cells at the molecular level.
The light could be amplified to spot the smallest changes in cells or bodily tissues. This could help in improving clinical imaging and better monitoring of tumors. Surgeons can use the new laser technique to spot the edge of a tumor and remove every last bit of cancer.
It could also be used during drug testing to monitor the changes that cells undergo when exposed to prospective new drugs.
Beste bezoeker, Heb je zelf al ooit een vreemde waarneming gedaan, laat dit dan even weten via email aan Frederick Delaere opwww.ufomeldpunt.be. Deze onderzoekers behandelen jouw melding in volledige anonimiteit en met alle respect voor jouw privacy. Ze zijn kritisch, objectief maar open minded aangelegd en zullen jou steeds een verklaring geven voor jouw waarneming! DUS AARZEL NIET, ALS JE EEN ANTWOORD OP JOUW VRAGEN WENST, CONTACTEER FREDERICK. BIJ VOORBAAT DANK...
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Over mijzelf
Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
Ik ben geboren op 18/10/1950 en ben nu dus 74 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Ufologie en andere esoterische onderwerpen.
Op deze blog vind je onder artikels, werk van mezelf. Mijn dank gaat ook naar André, Ingrid, Oliver, Paul, Vincent, Georges Filer en MUFON voor de bijdragen voor de verschillende categorieën...
Veel leesplezier en geef je mening over deze blog.
