Welcome to the engineering update. In this week’s episode: Super-thin Solar Cells MIT has created what they’re claiming are the thinnest and lightest solar cells ever made. They’re so small, in fact, that they can rest on the surface of a soap bubble without popping it. A Digital Assistant Faster than Siri A Santa Clara-based startup…
HotSpot Episode 152 – New Hoverboard Is Powered By 36 Electric Fans
This week on WDD’s HotSpot: New Hoverboard Is Powered By 36 Electric Fans New Mexico-based ARCA Space Corporation boasts the first revolutionary breakthrough in motion since the bicycle, automobile, and airplane with its ArcaBoard, a 272 horsepower and 203,000 watt electric-powered hoverboard. This Smartwatch will Read Your Veins Samsung recently released a patent for a…
Engineering Update #149: Help NASA Create Better Vision for its Robot Astronaut
Oak Leaf Turned Rechargeable Sodium Battery Scientists from the University of Maryland and the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology from Beijing discovered that a baked oak leaf pumped full of sodium made a successful negative terminal for a proof-of-concept battery. Help NASA Create Better Vision for its Robot Astronaut In its Robonaut Vision Tool Manipulation…
HotSpot Episode 151 – World’s First Wireless Flexible Smartphone
This week on WDD’s HotSpot: Smart Training With Your Own Virtual Reality Coach A new system in a virtual training room, ICSPACE, is helping users practice and improve sports exercises and other motor activities. Mind-Controlled Prosthetic A team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University is claiming another significant breakthrough: they’ve built a new mind-controlled prosthetic arm…
HotSpot Episode 150 – 4 Tech Hacks For The Ultimate Valentine’s Day
This week on WDD’s HotSpot: Wireless Smart Gloves If you’re looking for a way to control your camera or smartphone without having to pull them out of your pocket, grab a pair of BearTek’s new smart gloves. Cue the Mood Music The palm-sized, water-resistant BRAVEN LUX speaker can be taken virtually anywhere, offering over 12…
HotSpot Episode 149 – Amazon Echo Now Lets You Order Pizza
This week on WDD’s HotSpot: Google Is Taking Its Self-Driving Cars to Rainy Washington Google is adding a third test track for its autonomous cars: Kirkland, Washington, a city that gets lots and lots of rain. This will allow Google to test its cars in less-than-ideal driving conditions. Audio Adaptor Turns Speakers Wireless Using Logitech’s…
Engineering Update #146: 13 CubeSats To Launch Aboard SLS
The Driverless Shuttle Service Of The Future Ultra Pods are fully-automated pods that have, for about five years, been successfully used at Heathrow Airport. Now the Pods are taking on a new endeavor. The autonomous vehicles will be taking the streets of the London borough of Greenwich by storm. Wireless Charging Without the Charging Mats…
HotSpot Episode 148 – Crash-Proof Drone for Search and Rescue
This week on WDD’s HotSPot: Wristband Monitors Health Via Sweat Berkeley engineers have developed a flexible sensor that can measure biochemicals in perspiration in real-time to build a more complete picture of our well-being. Smart Sensors Perfect Your Golf Swing DuoTrac is a multi-point, motion sensing device that tracks and improves your golf swing, your…
HotSpot Episode 147 – Students Break World Record for Heaviest Drone Payload
This week on WDD’s HotSpot: This Smart Device Will Save Your Steak From Coming Out Like a Hockey Puck Meater is the only wireless, smart, meat thermometer that will guarantee perfectly cooked meats each time you cook. SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick The SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick is a tiny gadget, only 3 inches long, that connects to…
HotSpot Episode 146: No Robot Dogs for the Marines Any Time Soon
This week on WDD’s HotSpot: Wi-Fi HaLow To Become IoT’s Own Wi-Fi The Wi-Fi Alliance announced the new low-power, long-range version of Wi-Fi that is designed specifically with the Internet of Things (IoT) in mind, Wi-Fi HaLow, a technology based on the pending IEEE 802.11ah specification. This Smart Jacket Will Give You a Back Massage…
CES 2016 Top 5: Best of Show
We’re talking CES 2016 again, and we’ve gathered what we believe to be the top 5 best of show! Cast Off With This Portable Wireless Sonar Deeper’s dual-beam sonar is powerful enough to function in depths from 1.5 feet to 130 feet below the surface in both salt and fresh waters. Simply adjust the…
HotSpot Episode 145 – Tiny Wireless Charger for Wearables
This week on WDD’s HotSpot: Stay Hydrated With This Smart Water Bottle Seed is a smart bottle that helps you subconsciously form healthier hydrating habits. The device tracks your water consumption and reminds you when you need to drink more water. Robot Suit Makes You Feel Old, Or Young Again Genworth Financial unveiled R70i, a robotic exo-suit,…