The Most Expensive Object Ever Built

International Space Station

Humans have built some incredibly expensive things throughout history. From lavish skyscrapers to giant, energy producing dams, to technological marvels like the space shuttle. For most things, being “expensive” is an entirely relative term. However, when talking about the most expensive objects ever built, relativity goes out the window.
To create something as massive in scale as the Three Gorges Dam, or as technologically advanced as a space shuttle program requires the resources of an entire nation’s government. No one single citizen could foot the bill of those projects, and even the world’s biggest companies risk going bankrupt attempting them. The ultra-deep pockets of an entire nation are needed. This led one reader to ask, “What’s the most expensive thing ever built?”
Most people agree that the most expensive object ever constructed is the International Space Station. At a cost of nearly $160 billion dollars (and rising, as new sections are added), very few things even come close.
Even among other pricey space ventures, it’s an expensive price tag. To put that number in perspective, just over 10 years ago NASA estimated the cost to send astronauts to Mars. Their rough estimates put the price of a human Mars mission in the ballpark of $40 billion US dollars.
Fortunately, the ISS’s hefty price tag is shared among the many participating countries which include Canada, the European Union, Japan, Russia and the US. No single country is shouldering the entirety of the project. It’s doubtful the ISS would even exist if not for the combined efforts of the cooperating countries. Since the ISS was constructed, it has had visitors from 15 different nations.

Deceptively Large

The ISS is larger than most people realize. You may be surprised to find out that it’s bigger than a 5 bedroom house. In fact, it’s so large, it can be seen from Earth with the naked eye, and is the largest artificial satellite that has ever orbited Earth.
The physical dimensions of the ISS are impressive. It’s 171 feet long, 240 feet wide and 90 feet high. There is a total of 15,000 cubic feet of space inside, and it weighs a whopping 412,000 pounds.

China’s supersonic submarine, which could go from Shanghai to San Francisco in 100 minutes, creeps ever closer to reality

Researchers in China are reporting that they’ve taken a big step towards creating a supersonic submarine. This technology, which could just as easily be applied to weaponized torpedoes as military or civilian submarines, could theoretically get from Shanghai to San Francisco — about 6,000 miles — in just 100 minutes. If all this doesn’t sound crazy enough, get this: This new advance by the Chinese is based on supercavitation, which was originally developed by the Soviets in the ’60s, during the Cold War.
As you may already know, it’s a lot harder for an object to move quickly through water than air. This is mostly due to increased drag. Without getting into the complexities of fluid dynamics, water is simply much thicker and more viscous than air — and as a result it requires a lot more energy for an object to push through it. You can experience the increased drag of water yourself next time you’re in a swimming pool: Raise your hand above your head, and then let it fall towards the water. (Or alternatively, if there are people sunbathing nearby, do a belly flop.)
Anyway, much like a small-engined car is ultimately limited by its ability to cut through wind resistance (drag), a submarine or torpedo needs insane amounts of power to achieve high velocity through water. This is why, even in 2014, most submarines and torpedoes can’t go much faster than 40 knots (~46 mph). Higher speeds are possible, but it requires so much power that it’s not really feasible (torpedoes only have so much fuel).

How a normal torpedo works, vs. a supercavitation torpedo

Enter supercavitation, a technique devised by the Soviets in 1960 with the explicit purpose of creating high-speed torpedoes. Supercavitation gets around the drag of water by creating a bubble of gas for the object to travel through. The USSR’s research resulted in the Shkval torpedo, which uses a special nose cone to create the supercavitation envelope, allowing it to travel through the water at speeds of up to 200 knots (~230 mph, 370 kph) — much, much faster than the standard torpedoes fielded by the US.
The only other countries with supercavitational weapons are Iran (which probably reverse-engineered a Russian Shkval), and Germany with its fantastically named Superkavitierender Unterwasserlaufkörper (“supercavitating underwater running body”). The US is researching its own supercavitational torpedo, but there’s very little public information available.

Which brings us neatly onto China. Unlike previous approaches, which have to be launched at high speed (~60 mph) to create the initial supercavitation bubble, the method described by the Harbin Institute of Technology in China uses a “special liquid membrane” that reduces friction at low speeds. This liquid is constantly showered over the object to replenish the membrane as it’s worn off by the water. Once the torpedo/submarine/vessel gets up to speed, it sounds like it uses the same gas-through-nose-cone technique to achieve supercavitation. (Details are a bit vague at this point.)
Read our featured story: The science of beam weapons
In theory, supercavitation could allow for speeds up to the speed of sound — which, underwater, is a heady 1,482 meters per second, or 3,320 mph. At that speed, you could go from Shanghai to San Francisco (about 6,000 miles) in well under two hours. Suffice it to say that there isn’t a country in the world that wouldn’t love to have a submarine that can circumnavigate the world in half a day — especially a country with nuclear missiles, like China, Russia, France, the UK, or the US.

The nose cone of a Russian Shkval (Squall) torpedo. Note the vents for escaping gases, which combined with the flat nose create a supercavitation bubble.

In practice, though, it’s a) very difficult to steer a supercavitating vessel (conventional methods, such as a rudder, won’t work without water contact) — and b) developing an underwater engine that’s capable of high velocity over long distances is very, very difficult. You can’t use a jet engine underwater, sadly — and generally, rockets only have enough fuel for a few minutes, not hours. Nuclear power might be a possibility as far as supersonic submarines go, but that’s just a guess.
Read: The secret world of submarine cables

Low-drag full-body swimsuits, like the Speedo LZR worn by Michael Phelps, have since been banned for being too good.

Li Fengchen, a professor at the Harbin Institute, says their technology isn’t limited to military use. Yes, supersonic submarines and torpedoes are top of the list — but the same tech could also boost civilian transport, or even boost the speed of swimmers. “If a swimsuit can create and hold many tiny bubbles in water, it can significantly reduce the water drag; swimming in water could be as effortless as flying in the sky,” says Li.
As always with such advanced (and potentially weaponized) technology, it’s hard to say how far away it is from real-world use. If civilian researchers are making good progress, then it’s a fairly safe bet that the military is even further along. Wang Guoyu, another Chinese researcher, told the South China Morning Post: “The primary drive [for supercavitation] still comes from the military, so most research projects are shrouded in secrecy.”

Elon Musk’s speed-of-sound Hyperloop is actually being built

Way back in the summer of 2013, SpaceX’s Elon Musk proposed a new transportation system that was equal parts awesome and insane: The Hyperloop. The system, which would consist of an above-ground vacuum tube, would be able to get people from San Francisco to Los Angeles in under 30 minutes. Unfortunately, that was the extent of Musk’s involvement: He gave us his plans in the form of a 57-page white paper, and then told the world to go ahead and build it. Now, a group of 100-odd engineers have banded together to try and actually create a Hyperloop — and they seem to be making pretty solid progress.

Back in September, following the release of Musk’s Hyperloop white paper, a company called Hyperloop Transportation Technologies Inc was formed. This isn’t your usual kind of company, though: They’re using a model/service called JumpStartFund, where each employee is only paid if the company ever turns a profit. As a result, most of the workers are already working for other companies, such as Boeing, NASA, and SpaceX — but on the side they do some moonlighting on the Hyperloop project, with the hope that there’s eventually a massive pay-off. Wired reports that there’s about 100 engineers currently working on the Hyperloop project, and that it isn’t some all-inclusive club where everyone can join in: They rejected “100 or so” applicants, too. It’s kind of like crowdsourcing, but a bit pickier.
Anyway, Hyperoloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) has been fairly quiet over the past year — but now, it seems, they’re ready to show their work so far:

There’s a lot of work left to do, of course. So far, a lot of the work appears to have been done by a group of 25 UCLA design and architecture students. The engineers — the ones who work at aerospace companies during the day — are working on a technical feasibility study, which is due to be completed by mid-2015.

What’s better than a Hyperloop? A SERIES OF TUBES.

Beyond the technical feasibility of traveling just under the speed of sound (760 mph) in an elevated, above-ground tube, the HTT engineers are also spending a lot of time analyzing the potential routes that the Hyperloop system might take. Musk wanted San Francisco to Los Angeles, but politically and geographically that might be tricky. Instead, HTT is also looking at the potential of a Los Angeles to Las Vegas route — and, in the long term, a network of hyperloops that span the entirety of the United States. Ultimately, they don’t really care where hyperloops get built — they just want to build one, to prove it’s feasible.

The proposed Hyperloop capsules – you sit in the bubble/capsule, which is then loaded into a more rugged outer shell

The engineers have proposed a tweak to Musk’s original capsule design, too: Instead of a capsule with doors that swing upwards, there’ll now be an inner “bubble” — and an outer, tougher shell that the bubble capsule is loaded into. The outer shell will be equipped with the air compressor, batteries, and other bits that are required for travel along the vacuum tube.
Moving forward, it’s now about actually building some working prototypes. The company’s CEO, Dirk Ahlborn, says they’ve mostly solved the problems of building the partially evacuated (soft vacuum) tube, and suspending it on top of pylons. He also says that Musk’s price estimate of around $6-10 billion for a 400-mile Hyperloop is “on point,” judging by their research so far. “I have almost no doubt that once we are finished, once we know how we are going to build and it makes economical sense, that we will get the funds.”
Presumably, once the complete technical feasibility report is completed in mid-2015, plans will be drawn up for the first short-range tube — and then, who knows? As urban population density continues to climb, we could certainly do with a cost-effective replacement for high-speed rail and air travel.

The Real Story Of Apollo 17... And Why We Never Went Back To The Moon

On December 11, 1972, Apollo 17 touched down on the Moon. This was not only our final Moon landing, but the last time we left Low Earth Orbit. With the successful launch of the Orion capsule, NASA is finally poised to go further again. So it's important to remember how we got to the Moon — and why we stopped going.

Crewed by Commander Eugene A. Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald E. Evans and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison P. Schmitt, the Apollo 17 mission was the first to include a scientist. The primary scientific objectives included "geological surveying and sampling of materials and surface features in a preselected area of the Taurus-Littrow region; deploying and activating surface experiments; and conducting in-flight experiments and photographic tasks during lunar orbit and transearth coast." 

Harrison 'Jack' Schmidt had earned his PhD in Geology from Harvard University in 1964, and had worked for the United States Geological Survey and at Harvard University before going through Astronaut training in 1965. Apollo 17 was his first mission into space, and would be the first astronaut-scientist to step on the surface of the Moon. Accompanying him was Eugene 'Gene' Cernan, a veteran astronaut who had first flown into space with the Gemini IX-A mission in 1966 and later served as the Lunar Module Pilot for the Apollo 10 mission in May of 1969, where he came within 90 miles of the Lunar surface.

04 14 21 43: Schmidt: Stand by. 25 feet, down at 2. Fuel's good. 20 feet. Going down at 2. 10 feet. 10 feet -

04 14 21 58: Schmidt: CONTACT.

04 14 22 03: Schmidt: *** op, push. Engine stop; ENGINE ARM; PROCEED; COMMAND override, OFF; MODE CONTROL, ATT HOLD; PGNS, AUTO.

Schmidt landed the Challenger Lunar Module in the Taurus-Littrow lunar valley, just to the southeast of Mare Serenitatis, a region of geological significance on the Moon. The mission's planners hoped that the region would provide a wealth of information about the history of the Moon's surface. Upon landing, the pair began their own observations of the lunar surface:

04 14 37 05: Cernan: "You know, I noticed there's even a lot of difference in earthshine and - and in the double umbra. You get in earthshine on the thing, and it's - it's hard to see the stars even if you don't have the Earth in there."

04 14 23 28: Cernan: "Oh, man. Look at that rock out there."

Schmidt: "Absolutely incredible. Absolutely incredible."

After several hours of preparation, Cernan stepped onto the Lunar surface:

04 18 31 0: "I'm on the footpad. And, Houston, as I step off at the surface at Taurus-Littrow, I'd like to dedicate the first step of Apollo 17 to all those who made it possible. Jack, I'm out here. Oh, my golly. Unbelievable. Unbelievable, but is it bright in the Sun. Okay. We landed in a very shallow depression. That's why we've got a slight pitch-up angle. Very shallow, dinner-plate-like."

The two astronauts unloaded a lunar rover, and began to deploy scientific instruments around their landing site: an experiments package and explosives (to complete seismic experiments begun with other Apollo missions in other locations on the Moon). Their first exclusion in the rover yielded numerous samples of lunar rock. Over the next couple of days, the astronauts completed two additional Moon walks, where they continued to drive across the lunar surface and collect samples. 

Schmidt later described the landing site to NASA Oral historian Carol Butler: "It was the most highly varied site of any of the Apollo sites. It was specifically picked to be that. We had three-dimensions to look at with the mountains, to sample. You had the Mare basalts in the floor and the highlands in the mountain walls. We also had this apparent young volcanic material that had been seen on the photographs and wasn't immediate obvious, but ultimately we found in the form of the orange soil at Shorty crater."

Why we went to space

The scientific endeavors of Apollo 17 were the culmination of a massive program that had begun in 1963 following the successes of the Mercury Program. In the aftermath of the Second World War, the United States and Soviet Union became embroiled in a competitive arms race that saw significant military gains on both sides, eventually culminating in the development of rockets capable of striking enemy territory across the world. The next step for arms superiority jumped from the atmosphere to Low Earth Orbit to the Moon, the ultimate high ground. As this happened, each country capitalized on the advances in rocket technology to experiment with human spaceflight missions. The Soviet Union succeeded in putting Yuri Gagarin into space in 1961, just a couple of years after launching the first satellite into orbit.

Closely followed by the United States, space became an incredibly public demonstration of military and technological might. The development of space travel didn't occur in a political vacuum: the drive for the United States to develop rockets and vehicles which could travel higher and faster than their Soviet counterparts happened alongside increasing US/USSR tensions, especially as geopolitical crises such the Cuban Missile Crisis and the US deployment of missiles to Turkey demonstrated how ready each country was to annihilating the other. 

As the space program took off, it was supported by other research and scientific efforts from the broader military industrial complex which President Dwight Eisenhower had worried about just a handful of years earlier. (Eisenhower had not been a major supporter of the development of space travel which began under his watch, and had attempted to downplay the significance of Sputnik.) The red hot environment of the Cold War allowed for significant political capital and governmental spending which supported a first-strike infrastructure, and in part, trickled over to the scientific and aeronautical fields, which maintained a peaceful and optimistic message.

By 1966, the space race peaked: NASA received its highest budget ever, at just under 4.5% of the total US federal budget, at $5.933 billion dollars (around $43 billion today.) The United States had made clear gains in space by this point: Project Gemini had completed its final mission, and with efforts towards the next phase under Apollo were well under way. By this point, the social and political infrastructure and support for space had begun to wane, and would ultimately fall away after Apollo 11 successfully landed on the Moon's surface in July of 1969. After this point, NASA continued with planned missions, and eventually landed five additional Apollo missions on the Moon. (Another, Apollo 13, was unable to land after mechanical problems).

Changing priorities

Just a year after Apollo 11 landed, NASA began to reprioritize: plans for a space station were revived, and in 1970, they announced that Apollo 20 would be cancelled in favor of the creation of a new venture: Skylab. On September 2nd, 1970, the agency announced the final three Apollo missions: Apollo 15, 16 and 17. The agency was forced to contend with political pressure as well: In 1971, the White House intended to completely cancel the Apollo program after Apollo 15, but ultimately, the two remaining Apollo missions were kept in place. Harrison Schmidt, who had been training for Apollo 18, was bumped up to Apollo 17 after NASA faced pressure from scientists to send one of their own to the Moon.

On December 14th, 1972, Cernan became the last human to step on the Moon's surface:

07 00 00 47: "Bob, this is Gene, and I'm on the surface and as I take man's last steps from the surface, back home, for some time to come, but we believe not too long into the future. I'd like to Just list what I believe history will record that America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow. And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus Littrow, we leave as we come and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17."

In the forty-two years since those words were spoken, nobody has stepped on the Moon. The levels of federal spending which NASA had received before 1966 had become untenable to a public which had become financially wary, particularly as they experienced a major oil crisis in 1973, which shifted the nation's priorities. Spending in space was something that could be done, but with far more fiscal constraints than ever before, limiting NASA to research and scientific missions in the coming years. Such programs included the development of the Skylab program in 1973, and the Space Shuttle program, as well as a number of robotic probes and satellites. 

This shift in priorities deeply impacted the willpower of policymakers to implement new exploratory missions to the Moon and beyond. Optimistic dreams of reaching Mars had long since perished, and as NASA focused on the Space Shuttle, the physical infrastructure which supported lunar missions vanished: No longer were Saturn V rockets manufactured, and unused rockets were turned into museum displays. The entire technical and manufacturing apparatus, which has supported both military and civilian operations, had likewise begun to wind down. The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) and its successors began to freeze the numbers of missiles which could be deployed by both the United States and Soviet Union in 1972, and each country largely began to step down their operations. The urgency which fueled the Cold War arms race had begun to cool, and along with it, the support for much of the efforts required to bring people into space and to the Moon.

Since that time, US Presidents have spoken of their desire to return to the Moon, but often in terms of decades, rather than in single digits. It's easy to see why: up until recently, US spaceflight operations were focused entirely on Low Earth Orbit activities, as well as admirable cooperative international programs such as the International Space Station, and major scientific instruments such as Mars Pathfinder, Opportunity/Spirit and Curiosity. Other major concerns have redirected US attentions from spaceflight: the United States' War on Terror, which is expected to cost US taxpayers over $5 trillion dollars in the long run.

The launch of Orion atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket was exciting to watch, as well as newer players in the space launch field, SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corporation, which suggesting that a new generation of infrastructure is being constructed. The reasons for visiting the Moon and potentially, other planets and bodies in our solar system, are numerous: they could be the greatest scientific endeavors of our existence, allowing us to further understand the creation of our planet and solar system and the greater world around us. More importantly though, such missions contribute to the character of the nation, demonstrating the importance of science and technology to our civilization, which will ultimately help us process and address the issues of greatest concern: the health of our planet. Hopefully, Cernan's words and hope that our absence from the Moon will be short-lived, and that we will once again explore new worlds in our lifetimes. 

But we know why! Patrick Dempsey's father cooked the books to convince NASA it was too expensive to go back and as he was the only accountant they had, they believed him, all to push the Decepticons' evil plan 40 years later!

Wait...Transformers Dark of the Moon isn't historically or scientifically accurate?

3-D Printer Creates First Object in Space on International Space Station

The International Space Station’s 3-D printer has manufactured the first 3-D printed object in space, paving the way to future long-term space expeditions.

"This first print is the initial step toward providing an on-demand machine shop capability away from Earth," said Niki Werkheiser, project manager for the International Space Station 3-D Printer at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. "The space station is the only laboratory where we can fully test this technology in space.”

NASA astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore, Expedition 42 commander aboard the International Space Station, installed the printer on Nov. 17 and conducted the first calibration test print. Based on the test print results, the ground control team sent commands to realign the printer and printed a second calibration test on Nov. 20. These tests verified that the printer was ready for manufacturing operations. On Nov. 24, ground controllers sent the printer the command to make the first printed part: a faceplate of the extruder’s casing. This demonstrated that the printer can make replacement parts for itself. The 3-D printer uses a process formally known as additive manufacturing to heat a relatively low-temperature plastic filament and extrude it one layer at a time to build the part defined in the design file sent to the machine.

On the morning of Nov. 25, Wilmore removed the part from the printer and inspected it. Part adhesion on the tray was stronger than anticipated, which could mean layer bonding is different in microgravity, a question the team will investigate as future parts are printed. Wilmore installed a new print tray, and the ground team sent a command to fine-tune the printer alignment and printed a third calibration coupon. When Wilmore removes the calibration coupon, the ground team will be able to command the printer to make a second object. The ground team makes precise adjustments before every print, and the results from this first print are contributing to a better understanding about the parameters to use when 3-D printing on the space station.

“This is the first time we’ve ever used a 3-D printer in space, and we are learning, even from these initial operations,” Werkheiser said. “As we print more parts we’ll be able to learn whether some of the effects we are seeing are caused by microgravity or just part of the normal fine-tuning process for printing. When we get the parts back on Earth, we’ll be able to do a more detailed analysis to find out how they compare to parts printed on Earth.”

The 3-D Printing in Zero-G Technology Demonstration on the space station aims to show additive manufacturing can make a variety of 3-D printed parts and tools in space. The first object 3-D printed in space, the printhead faceplate, is engraved with names of the organizations that collaborated on this space station technology demonstration: NASA and Made In Space, Inc., the space manufacturing company that worked with NASA to design, build and test the 3-D printer. Made In Space is located on the campus of NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.

“We chose this part to print first because, after all, if we are going to have 3-D printers make spare and replacement parts for critical items in space, we have to be able to make spare parts for the printers,” Werkheiser said. “If a printer is critical for explorers, it must be capable of replicating its own parts, so that it can keep working during longer journeys to places like Mars or an asteroid. Ultimately, one day, a printer may even be able to print another printer.”

Made In Space engineers commanded the printer to make the first object while working with controllers at NASA’s Payload Operations Integration Center in Huntsville. As the first objects are printed, NASA and Made In Space engineers are monitoring the manufacturing via downlinked images and videos. The majority of the printing process is controlled from the ground to limit crew time required for operations.

"The operation of the 3-D printer is a transformative moment in space development," said Aaron Kemmer, chief executive officer of Made In Space. "We’ve built a machine that will provide us with research data needed to develop future 3-D printers for the International Space Station and beyond, revolutionizing space manufacturing. This may change how we approach getting replacement tools and parts to the space station crew, allowing them to be less reliant on supply missions from Earth."

The first objects built in space will be returned to Earth in 2015 for detailed analysis and comparison to identical ground control samples made on the flight printer after final flight testing earlier this year at, NASA’s Marshall Center prior to launch. The goal of this analysis is to verify that the 3-D printing process works the same in microgravity as it does on Earth.

Samsung showcases Project Beyond 360-degree 3D camera

Samsung announced the Project Beyond camera at its 2014 Developers Conference last night. Project Beyond is a saucer shaped camera capable of capturing a 360-degree field of view in true 3D. This will enable it to shoot 3D video and stream it to a Gear VR headset. According to Samsung, it captures a Gigapixel of 3D footage in every single second!
The camera was showcased by Pranav Mistry, Samsung’s VP of Research, who said that, “Beyond is a new kind of camera that gives a new kind of immersive experience.” It makes use of an array of 16 full HD cameras which are placed at a 45-degree angle in pairs of two along the circumference of the casing. There is one camera at the top as well.
Beneath the camera are Project Beyond’s processor and storage, which also includes an arrangement for high-speed connectivity to get the 3D footage shot by the camera onto other VR headsets. Each camera has an image sensor and a controller associated with it. To be able to capture a 360 degree view, naturally Project Beyond employs ultra-wide angle lenses on its cameras.

The blown up view of the Project Beyond camera

 

There is no word out on its price or when the device will be officially released. There was no clarity if the product will even be available for mass market consumption. Samsung was being very secretive as to the target audience.
Those who have had a chance to see the footage shot by the Project Beyond camera have come away impressed at the immersive nature of the experience.
But while the experience is immersive, the camera is a stationary one. This means that your point of view will be limited to the position of where the camera was placed. According to Engadget, the camera is designed to be a static one and isn’t meant to be a GoPro replacement.
As for the video quality, it got a thumbs down. “The quality of the video itself wasn’t quite as impressive as I was hoping for, either — it’s noisier and grainer than I expected, given the relatively high resolution output of the Gear VR headset,” said The Verge. Whereas Engadget said, “The 3D video did give me a tiny bit of a headache as I turned around in a circle, and I was surprised at how grainy and pixilated the video was — the combination of the two took me out of a supposedly immersive experience. It’s a reminder that this is still very much in beta, and I imagine the quality will be tweaked over time.”

An American firm has developed a wristband, Pavlok, that can shock people in to giving up bad habits.

 

 

MELBOURNE: An American firm has developed a wristband that can shock people in to giving up bad habits.

The 'Pavlok' wristband lets the user simply picks a bad habit he or she wishes to tackle and chooses the punishment it will mete out, News.com.au reported.

The shocks can range anywhere from a vibration or sound reminder, to making the wearer pay a fee or sending a mild electric shock of up to 300 volts.

If on the other hand, the wearer gets up early as planned, goes to the gym or completes the hours necessary to complete an academic paper, then a financial reward is handed out or a friend is notified.

The wristband has been developed by a Boston company and contains a Bluetooth radio that links to a smartphone app that can, for example, tell if the user has turned up on time to the office for work and even claims to change behaviour and allow users to unlock their potential and seamlessly transform into the person they want to become

 

First Microsoft-branded smartphone Lumia 535 launched

NEW DELHI: Following teasers and leaks, Microsoft has officially unveiled its first smartphone without Nokia branding - Lumia 535. The smartphone will be available in dual-sim and single sim variants from November at an estimated price of 110 euros (Rs 8,400 approximately) (excluding taxes and subsidies) with sales starting in China, Hong Kong and Bangladesh. There's no information on the India pricing and release of the phone.

Lumia 535 looks similar to Lumia 530 which was unveiled earlier this year, complete with rounded corners and a coloured back cover.
However, it does not sport any Nokia branding. Also, Microsoft has tried to fill in some gaps to make it more feature complete. For instance, the phone has a 5MP front camera for selfies and Skype calls and an LED flash at the back to take low-light photos. It also has 1GB RAM unlike the Lumia 530 which was unable to run games that demanded more memory.

Lumia 535 sports a 5-inch qHD (960x540p, 220ppi) IPS LCD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The phone is powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 quad-core processor and 1GB RAM. It comes with 8GB internal storage and supports microSD card slots of up to 128GB for expansion. The phone has a 1905mAh battery.

Lumia 535 is the first smartphone from Microsoft to be devoid of any Nokia branding.

Nokia launches iPad mini lookalike running Android Lollipop

NEW DELHI: After teasing the upcoming product on its official Twitter and Facebook accounts, Finnish networks and location services giant Nokia has launched a new Android tablet, Nokia N1. The tablet looks very similar to Apple's iPad mini tablet and Nokia will essentially sell it as a reference design to OEM partners who will also be able to use the brand by paying royalty.

The Nokia N1 tablet sports a 7.9-inch IPS display(2048x1536p) with LED backlight. The fully-laminated zero air-gap display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3.

Powered by a 2.3GHz Intel Z3580 64-bit Atom processor and 2GB RAM, the tablet comes with 32GB internal storage and a microSD card slot. It runs Android 5.0 Lollipop with Nokia Z Launcher running on top.

The Nokia N1 tablet sports an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front-focus camera. It supports 1080p (full-HD) video recording.

The tablet comes with a 3.5mm headset jack, Micro-USB 2.0 Type-C reversible connector and offers Wi-Fi(including 802.11ac), and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity options. The tablet has a 5300mAh battery. It also offers advanced audio capabilities including stereo speakers and High Quality Discrete Audio Codec, Wolfson WM8958E chip and independent audio codec.

The tablet sports a one-piece design with an aluminium body and surface anodization. It will be available in natural aluminium and lava gray colours. The tablet weighs 318gram.

The N1 is planned to be available for purchase in China in Q1 2015 for an estimated $249 before taxes. The company intends to expand sales to other markets following the launch.



It is worth pointing out that the company has sold its handsets division to Microsoft and cannot use the Nokia brand name for smartphones till 2016. However, it looks like tablets are not covered under the agreement.

According to Nokia, the N1 will be brought to market in Q1 2015 through a brand-licensing agreement with an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partner responsible for manufacturing, distribution and sales.

In addition to the Nokia brand, Nokia said it is licensing the industrial design, Z Launcher software layer and IP on a running royalty basis to the OEM partner. "The OEM partner will be responsible for full business execution, from engineering and sales to customer care, including liabilities and warranty costs, inbound IP and software licensing and contractual agreements with third parties," as per Nokia.

"We are pleased to bring the Nokia brand back into consumers' hands with the N1 Android tablet, and to help make sophisticated technologies simple," said Sebastian Nystrom, Head of Products at Nokia Technologies, who announced the N1 at the Slush technology conference in Helsinki. "The N1 has a delightfully intuitive interface and an industrial design to match it. This is a great product for Nokia fans and everyone who has not found the right Android tablet yet."

Japanese Maglev Train MLX01 Reach Speeds Of 500km/h

Japanese Maglev Train MLX01 Reach Speeds Of 500km/h on Test Bed

Magnetically levitated (MAGLEV) trains are considered as a future application of HTS development. To understand why, we must look briefly at the history of the railroads. The development of trains and rails began in the early 1800s. The modern conventional train is no faster (~110 mph) than those of the late 1890s. So conventional trains have reached the end phase of their development.

France, Germany, and Japan have developed "high-speed" or "bullet" trains capable of speeds of 150-180 mph. This improvement in speed is based upon improved rails and controls. However, this technology has also reached the end phase of its development. One limiting factor for these trains is the expensive and time-consuming maintenance of the rails. So it is the mechanical friction between train wheels and metal tracks that limit this technology. This leads us to the development of the magnetically levitated (no friction) trains. We briefly describe the history of this development.

The idea of MAGLEV transportation has been around since the early 1900s. The benefit of eliminating the wheel/rail friction to obtain higher speeds and lower maintenance costs has great appeal. The basic idea of a MAGLEV train is to levitate it with magnetic fields so there is no physical contact between the train and the rails (guideways).

To get from this simple concept to a real operational system involves enormous technological developments. While there has been no development of MAGLEV trains in the U.S., in Germany and Japan they have developed functioning demonstration trains (in Japan they have one system that has transported over a million people). To date there are no existing construction designs that include HTS magnets, but we will give a brief history of the MAGLEV trains in Japan and Germany to help explain why HTS magnets should be considered in future development.

Two basically different concepts of magnetic suspension have evolved.

1. The attractive electromagnetic suspension (EMS) uses electromagnets on the train body which are attracted to the iron rails. The vehicle magnets wrap around the iron guideways and the attractive upward force lifts the train.
2. The electrodynamic suspension (EDS) levitates the train by repulsive forces from the induced currents in the conductive guideways.

In both of these systems the levitating magnets are mounted to a number of "bogies" connected to the train body by a secondary suspension system of dampers and springs. However there is a fundamental difference between these two systems. In the EMS system, the "airgap" between the guideways and train magnets is very small (~1/2 inch), whereas the "airgap" in the EDS system may be as large as 8-10 inches. The small airgap of the EMS system implies much more stringent

 controls to maintain this small gap.

The superconducting magnets that have been used in these MAGLEV systems have been of the low temperature variety. Because these must operated below liquid helium temperature (4.2 K) these are expensive and complex systems. The technological advantage of operating HTS magnets at liquid nitrogen temperatures (77 K) are enormous.

 To find out the rest of the story, we refer you to the following Web sites:

http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p=Maglev

http://www.rtri.or.jp/index.html

http://www.railway-technology.com/projects

This particular train whooshed between the cities of Uenohara and Fuefuki faster than the current commercial record-holder—the Shanghai Maglev Train—which reaches speeds of up to 431 kilometers per hour (268 miles per hour).

Cool Futuristic/Concept Gadgets That Really Inspire

About 10 years ago, we didn’t really expect the 1.4mb 3.5 inch floppy to evolve into flash drives 10x smaller with storage capacity as big as 32gb. The interesting thing about technology is; it’s just going to get more and more high-end but the size, is just going to get smaller and slimmer.
These concept gadgets you see before you today, have extremely high chance of getting into production anywhere in the future. For example, Microsoft’s Surface Computing Technology certainly tells us they are for real. Here’s some really cool concept gadgets, just concepts for now but we really hope it’ll be implemented, that inspires. If we happened to missed something impressive, please let us know in comment. Full list after jump.

1. Virtual Goggles: Virtual Reality, Oculus Unveils New Goggles

Oculus VR today announced a new version of its developer goggles, dubbed “Crescent Bay”
This new, lighter-weight VR headset is lighter than its Oculus predecessors and feature built-in headphones. According to Oculus, Crescent Bay also boasts “360° head tracking” and “expanded positional tracking volume.”
See Also: Virtual Reality Poised for Mass Entertainment, but Can Hollywood Make It Happen?
In a keynote at the Oculus Connect conference in Hollywood, Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe said Crescent Bay is a step toward a consumer version of its VR goggles, but did not mention a date for that launch. “None of this is perfect, but it’s much better,” said Iribe, adding that Crescent Bay’s new feature set “allows for sustained presence” — that is, the feeling that you are actually experiencing a scene, not just watching it.
The Crescent Bay prototypes were available for demos at the conference.
Iribe reviewed the technical challenges of creating VR products that deliver “presence” to consumers. “If we had known how hard it was, we might not have started,” he admitted. But Iribe was upbeat in his assessment of VR, telling the assemblage of developers that the new platform would change the world.

2.  B-membrane Laptop/Desktop

Concept computer designed by Korean designer Won-Seok Lee. No bulky monitors, just a UFO shape system that displays screen like a projector. [via yankodesign]


Wow, I have seen parsecs worth of concept computer designs during my visit here on Earth, but nothing like this “B-membrane” design by Korean designer Won-Seok Lee. He has taken the need for a bulky monitors right out of the equation and opted for beaming your YouTubing onto any surface you can point the omni-directional projector at. Some highlights of this Kubrick inspired mother ship computer include a membrane keyboard that appears when needed, integrated optical drive and when not used as a computer, the projector can beam ambient light effects on any surface you desire.
Designer: Won-Seok Lee

At night it can be used for mood lighting.

3. Nokia's aeon "full surface screen" cellphone concept

 

 

Nokia's research and development team have kicked it up a gear with an attractive "aeon" concept phone showing up in the R&D section of the company's website. The most prominent design feature of aeon is a touchscreen that stretches over the full surface area of the phone, similar to BenQ-Siemens's Black box concept phone we saw recently. Currently mobile technology isn't quite up to realizing this fantasy, but we'll sleep better tonight knowing that at least one of the cellphone industry's biggest names shares the same dream as we do -- BenQ's dream didn't count, unfortunately.

4. High Tech Napkins

We saw several napkin idea concepts last year but this is the first to utilize e-ink and RF technology. The Napkin PC is designed for group collaborations. Each pen transmits your doodles to the base station which is a PC in disguise. That information gets processed and displayed on the napkin like e-ink paper. Cool idea but someone better make sure nobody decides to wipe their dirty lunch stains with one.
Designer: Avery Holleman

 

5. Cryptex Mobile: Feel the code

Opus Dei has been needing a mobile phone to call their very own since the demise of the Knights Templar. If only designer Marc Schömann was catholic and lived 600 years ago, this baton style mobile phone might have saved them from a Dan Brown style disaster. This phone called “_______” (yup, it has no name) uses haptic technology to provide physical feedback for making a call. To turn it on…twist a section, to dial a number…twist a bunch of sections, to make an international call…break your wrist! There is no display and no buttons. The vibrate feature should prove popular with 50% of the world’s population.
Designer: Marc Schömann


You turn the dial of every element to the desired cipher. If you entered the number you turn the first segment “to phone” (green LED). If you want to hang up the call you turn the first segment to “hang up” (red LED). The phone works without buttons and without a display and based on the old dial phones.