Even if both the driver and passenger are hefty specimens of childhood, the Classic Corvette can support up to 330 pounds—though I’m sure traveling near or at max weight will affect the car’s performance somewhat. With a price of $32,000, the Classic Corvette is definitely beyond the reach of your average kid, and even your average adult, but within the wallet of over-indulgent wealthy parents or financial prodigies who’ve managed to create income streams at a tender age.

If only I was small enough to fit into this thing. Ah, but such toys are best left to the future of this world. As an educational tool, nothing like a fancy car teaches the attention—good or bad—notable possessions bring. Again, the Junior 35 MPH Corvette retails for $32,000, from hammacher.com.

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Courtesy Popular Science

And I bet developing that “custom-made steering system” required some work too. Early test runs saw Guan braking by digging his heels into the road “Fred Flintstone-style”, until he settled on using mountain bike brakes for safety’s sake: “Once, his quick footwork helped him avoid being hit by a train.”

The important stats? The motive assembly weighs a surprisingly hefty 160 pounds. Guan estimates a max range of 12 miles, and he even modified the transmission mechanics to keep the top speed at 30mph—the original ceiling of 45mph apparently seemed a bit too dangerous for a vehicle without any sort of crash absorption whatsoever. Mostly though, that hasn’t been a problem, according to Guan. “When you’re driving something this weird, everyone tends to stay away from you.”

No word yet on if this creation will ever see the mass market (honestly, the only market for this are golfers with a sense of humor?). You can bet though that a production line will cut down the one-year-long build-time. The same might not be true for the $300 cost of materials, given that Guan used whatever was lying around in MIT’s labs.

Source

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I’ve always wondered why Toyota and Honda have been working on motive robots for the last decade or so. Will future models be more reminiscent of Mechwarrior or Heavy Gear? If so, I want in, even if large humanoid robots are totally impractical for transportation or even combat—coolness outweighs sensibility any time!

Anyways, we are signing over our independence to machines that are slowly becoming more autonomous and capable than us, but at least there are warning signs. Some are more obvious than others, like in the case of the running robot.

Once if starts jogging place, you know it’s about to charge towards you, at a deadly speed of 7kph. That gives you just enough time to solidly shove it on the chest as it nears, and prevent yourself from turning into robot-induced roadkill.

That is, of course, until newer, better, more lethal runners make their debut.

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The inventor? A 24-year-old student from Battersea, London. Dominic Hargreaves was apparently unsatisfied with his folding bike—which collapsed on him—so he set out to design his own, with an emphasis on hardiness. The mechanical reality that makes this gadget work? The front whell, engineered to rotate and reposition to make compactness achievable. I guess the only way you can make it any more compact is if you use smaller wheels or actually engineer folding wheels.

Future prospects? Well, Hargreaves is looking for a manufacturer now, and The Contortionist is in the running for the £10,000 James Dyson award. Hopefully Hargreaves was able to patent this invention, because I’d probably want to buy this bike when it hits a reasonable price, and reward him for such creativity.

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In any case, Lockheed Martin’s insistence to develop the fifth generation fighter with that kind of weight forced them to develop the most powerful fighter engine ever built, the Pratt & Whitney 135:

Courtesy x planes

Featuring a maximum of 42,000 pounds of force under full afterburner, I wonder how quickly the Pratt & Whitney 135 can cook marshmallows. I also wonder how the super-powerful and super-awesome F-35 will be relevant for future, unconventional, warfare. By that time, everyone will be smart enough not to confront first-world countries with their powerful conventional armies head on.

Source

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The reason you look like a dork riding a Segway is that you look smug. You don’t seem to be working hard enough.

Someone riding a motorcycle isn’t working any harder. But because he’s sitting astride it, he seems to be making an effort. When you’re riding a Segway you’re just standing there. And someone who’s being whisked along while seeming to do no work—someone in a sedan chair, for example—can’t help but look smug.

Here’s an example: look at the video below, and tell me you almost don’t feel satisfied about the unfortunate operator planting her face:

Graham also goes on to say that if Segway (the company) had some difficulties getting off the ground, they would’ve come up with a better product. As Segway had an easy time raising money, they weren’t able to benefit from customer feedback.

With limited funds, Segway would’ve been forced to pay attention to what people were saying about their product, and make the necessary adjustments. Without lots of cash to burn, they would’ve soon gone out of business if they went full steam ahead with their current, totally uncool, wheel-platform-and-a-stick configuration.

Ironically, if Graham is right, this would be a case where throwing lots of money at a problem actually kept a project from achieving its objectives. Retaining its high price tag and slowly growing reputation for dorkiness, the goal of personally affordable transporation seems so far away for the Segway. The cash, a representation of the belief people had in the Segway’s vision, kept it from attaining critical mass and ultimately its primary goal.

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Images!

Video!

Quick facts:

• This is nothing new; the product FAQ cites experience based on 10 years of use
• A promise top speed of 40mph on the surface and 20mph underwater
• Price is $48,000 for the basic model, while all the bells and whistles can be had for $68,000
• Inner Space ships all over the world, through 20-foot shipping containers, for around $3000 to $6000 depending on location
• Max depth is 5 feet
• Positively buoyant; unless something’s actively dragging the Seabreacher down, it will float to the surface automatically
• Cockpit and engine bay are kept watertight with pneumatic, inflatable seals
• Launchable on regular boat ramps, the Seabreacher comes with its own custom boat cart

Available for purchase via the contact information available on Seabreacher.com.

(All photos courtesy of Innerspace Productions Inc.)

(Source)

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Jay Leno and his NextEngine 3D Scanner. Courtesy Popular Mechanics

Need a replacement part for a decades-old or exotic car? All Jay Leno does is get the part he wants to replace, and use a 3D scanner to convert into information his 3D printer understands. He then waits a few hours while the printer reproduces a plastic facsimile. After printing’s done (which can take as long as 33 hours), Leno checks if the newly-fabricated plastic part fits as a replacement properly. Once everything checks out, the plastic is used to create a mold to create a real (usually metal) replacement.

The gadgets in use? The NextEngine 3D scanner and the Dimension 3D printer. Priced at $3,000 and $15,000 respectively, it’s clear that the Jay Leno way requires lots of money—which he probably has in spades anyway.

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And that was just a rehearsal. Now see how the shot turned out during the live Eurovision performance (right at 2:40):

Extreme cinematography execution and Segway-manship at its finest, no doubt. Fellow Steadicam pros/enthusiasts are going gaga over the performance, and its rumored that the operator is a certain Karsten Jacobsen.

Ah, but all amazing feats always involve the unheralded, the sidekick who helps the leader look good. In this case it’s the camera assistant, valiantly operating focus and zoom at performance level, making sure not to trip up himself or his wingman.

(Thanks ProVideo Coalition!)

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To their credit, the US government kept the most sensitive data off the internet. But recently, “computer spies” were able to acquire data on the design and electronics of the F-35. In the words of Reuters, “making it potentially easier to defend against the plane.”

Oh well, just watch this “uplifting” video of the F-35 testing its hover capability, while it was still competing for the Joint Strike Fighter Project. The F-35 will come in three flavors: one that takes of normally, another that can take off vertically (the capability show here), and yet another designed for aircraft carriers.

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