Science, Space, Health & Robotics News - Page 1

Sony has released a new air conditioner that sits on the back of your neck and either cools or warms you, depending on the environmental conditions.

The Reon Pocket 5 is the first such model to be made available outside of Asia, but while it's only on sale in the UK as well as certain Asian territories, the fact that it has made the leap to Europe indicates the invention could well come to the US.

Given the name, you might think the Reon Pocket sits in your, erm, pocket, but as mentioned, it fits neatly around your neck (the Reon Neck-brace 5 probably didn't sound like such a great name).

Engineers from a university are reportedly closing in on a technology breakthrough that would enable submarines to travel as quick as a jet.

A new report from the South China Morning Post reveals engineers from Harbin Engineering University in Heilongjiang province are nearing the final designs of a new system that uses lasers to propel submarines to extreme speeds.

So, how does it work? Lasers generate plasma underwater that results in a "detonation wave" being produced. This wave has the potential to propel an object underwater, but for the 20 years it has been researched, engineers have struggled to come up with a design that can direct the generated force in a specific direction.

The head of NASA appeared before the House committee to warn of a secret growing military presence in space and how the US is "in a space race" with China for the goal of arriving on the Moon first.

NASA administrator Bill Nelson testified before the House appropriations committee on NASA's 2025 budget, and said the space agency has reason to believe China is increasing its presence in space, especially within the last 10 years. However, China's space presence remains "very, very, secretive", and that a lot of the nation's civilian space program is actually China's military space program in disguise.

Nelson said he hopes Beijing will "come to its senses and understand that civilian space is for peaceful uses", but added: "We have not seen that demonstrated by China." Furthermore, Nelson said that the US is expecting to land on the Moon again before China, and the US is in a space race against China for landing on the Moon again as there is concern that Beijing could land before the US and say, "OK, this is our territory, you stay out,'" said Nelson.

Sega Toys has a line of robot cats as part of its 'KIMIT Ragdoll' line, which attempts (arguably creepily) to recreate the look of a real cat. This means it has synthetic fur, so you can cuddle and pet it like the real thing. It even purs, though the eyes lighting up is a little strange.

Unfortunately, two months after their February 29th, 2024 debut (priced at around $215 USD), these robot cats are being recalled due to a 'burning smell.' At this point, you can probably put two and two together - electrical components mixed with synthetic fur lead to heat issues and an unpleasant plastic-burning smell.

As of writing, there aren't any reports of cat robots catching on fire, but Sega has issued an immediate recall of all models (including white and brown robot cats). Sega also asks users to turn them off immediately and go through the refund and returns process.

If you thought robot dog flamethrowers were a thing of the future, you would have thought wrong as they are completely real, and you can buy one today.

Introducing Thermonator, the world's first flame-throw-wielding robot dog, and it's capable of launching a stream of fire up to 30 feet. The robot dog has been built on the Unitree Go2 quadruped robot that is akin to Boston Dynamics' iconic robot dog called Spot, except smaller and lighter. It should be noted that Boston Dynamics requires its buyers not to turn their robot dogs into weapons of any kind, which is why Thermonator is designed for "wildfire control and prevention," "snow and ice removal," and "entertainment and SFX."

Thermonator is equipped with a LIDAR sensor for navigation through mapping the objects it detects through its laser eyes, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, smartphone remote control, and first-person navigation through an on-board camera system. Thermonator weighs 37 pounds, is 30 × 20 × 20 inches, and features an ARC Flamethrower with a built-in fuel tank that can be filled with gasoline or a gasoline/diesel mixture.

A space startup has claimed to have discovered a breakthrough force of nature humans will use to propel objects for the next 1,000 years.

The claims come from Exodus Propulsion Technologies, who's co-founder is Charles Buhler, a former NASA engineer that worked on a selection of legendary NASA programs such as the International Space Station (ISS), the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Space Shuttle. Additionally, he is the lead scientist and co-founder of NASA's Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory at Kennedy Space Center and has a PhD in Condensed Matter Physics from Florida State University.

According to Buhler, who spoke to The Debrief, the startup presented its new findings of a breakthrough force that Buhler believes "will be this force that we will use to propel objects for the next 1,000 years... until the next thing comes." Adding, "There are rules that include conservation of energy, but if done correctly, one can generate forces unlike anything humankind has done before."

GUNNAR has unveiled its latest glasses, which were made in collaboration with Amazon Studios for the new Fallout TV show.

Titled the "Fallout Vault 33," glasses are a limited-edition run of glasses that are heavily inspired by Bethesda's Fallout franchise and Amazon Studios' recent hit TV show "Fallout," which is based on the games. The glasses are smudge-resistant and anti-reflective and feature a retro-futuristic square style that is made of stainless steel and nylon. The glasses have flexible spring hinges and the classic GUNNAR patented lens technology that is designed to block out harmful blue light and 100% UV.

These limited-edition glasses feature an olive/gunmetal colored frame and an epic Fallout collectors case to store them in. Within the case are a microfiber pouch and a microfiber cleaning cloth, both of which are also collector's items. It should be noted that these glasses are officially licensed by Amazon Studios, and I've been told they have exceeded GUNNAR's expectations, nearly selling out completely.

NASA has taken to its website to explain that bacteria aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have mutated and become distant from their Earth counterparts.

Principal Investigator Dr. Kasthuri Venkateswaran of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory examined thirteen strains of E. bugandensis, a type of bacteria that on Earth is known to be drug-resistant. The findings were published in a new scientific paper, and according to NASA, the strains were isolated aboard the ISS for some time. During their time aboard the ISS these strains mutated, becoming genetically and functionally distant compared to their counterparts found on Earth.

According to the space agency, these strains of bacteria were able to live isolated with multiple other microorganisms, and, in some cases, potentially helped the other organisms survive.

A top brain expert and a former CIA officer has said he was instructed to write a paper on the number of injuries sustained by US military serviceman after encountering a UFO, or UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena).

Detroit Professor Christopher Green, a forensic neuroimaging expert who worked at the CIA since the 1960s, said in 2010, he was asked by an unnamed government defense program that was tasked with monitoring UFOs to write a paper on the injuries military personnel received after encountering an "anomalous" craft, or UFO/UAP. The doctor said he has dealt with "hundreds of patients" that range from special forces officials and other military serviceman, with some of these patients later dying.

Dr. Green's paper, titled 'Clinical Medical Acute & Subacute Field Effects on Human Dermal & Neurological Tissues' was released under the Freedom of Information Act and mentions patients developing the following symptoms post-UFO encounter: sclerosis, brain damage, and burns.

NASA is preparing to launch its massive solar sail into space on the back of a rocket to test the power of sunlight and determine whether it will be a viable means of propulsion to traverse the solar system.

The technology seen in the 2002 animated Disney movie Treasure Planet is about to be tested in space by NASA, as the space agency has announced via its blog that its very own solar sail is about to be transported into space on Tuesday, April 23, aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket. NASA explained that the CubeSat for the mission will be deployed 600 miles above Earth, which is about twice the altitude at which the International Space Station (ISS) orbits the planet.

Once in position, the CubeSat, which is approximately the size of a microwave oven, will undergo a two-month-long system check that will then be followed by the deployment of its solar sail. When fully unfurled, the solar sail will be as big as half a tennis court. The test will consist of many up and down maneuvers to hopefully prove the solar sail is able to use sunlight as a viable means of propulsion.