Just Simple Things

US Air Force Testing Google Glass For The Battlefield

is now being tested for use in 
battle.  The research team, Battlefield Air Targeting Man-Aided 
K[n]owledge (BATMAN),  who work for the US Air Force, is currently 
beta-testing the technology for military use.  So far, testing has had 
positive results.
 
One of BATMAN’S software developers, Andres Calvo, said that part of 
Google Glass’ appeal is that it can “access information very quickly.” 
 2nd Lt. Anthony Eastin who is a researcher for BATMAN says that some of
 its positive aspects “are its low power, its low footprint, it sits 
totally above the eyes, and doesn’t block images or hinder vision.”

Glass may be used for things like air controllers helping aircrafts 
to their targets; search and rescue assignments; communication with 
overhead aircrafts; and ground troops in action. Although the Air Force 
didn’t officially have a relationship with Google, they earned the 
rights to two pairs of glasses through the <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/glass/start/how-to-get-one/" target="_blank" title="Glass Explorer">Explorer program</a>. 
 They had to pay $1,500 for the glasses.  “The Glass Explorer program 
includes people from all walks of life, including doctors, firefighters,
 and parents. Anyone can apply to become a Glass Explorer, provided he 
or she is a U.S. resident and over the age of 18,” says a Google 
spokesperson.

<a href="http://research.google.com/" target="_blank" title="Google Research">Google X</a>
 is a special projects division of Google who are currently working on 
driverless cars and high-altitude balloons that provide the world with 
Internet.  The  Google Glass device is another creation from Google X, 
it is Android powered and looks like a pair of eyeglasses.   Google 
Glass includes a display comparable to an advanced fighter jet or 
commercial planes that transmits information to air traffic control as 
well as other aircrafts.  As for the Glass devices that BATMAN are 
currently testing, they are impressed so far.  If they military intend 
to adopt Google Glass as part of their military kit, this could create a
 huge revenue for <a href="http://www.google.com/" target="_blank" title="Google">Google</a>.  The question is, how will it perform when under attack?

As always, if you would like to leave a sensible comment, then please do so in the comments section below.

[Image via <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/" target="_blank" title="nbcnews">nbcnews</a>]

SOURCE: <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://venturebeat.com/2014/04/08/u-s-air-force-is-testing-google-glass-building-apps-for-battlefield-use-exclusive/&usd=2&usg=alhdy281jdlzjcdh97zbipkkl3o3cjkmgq">http://venturebeat.com/2014/04/08/u-s-air-force-is-testing-google-glass-building-apps-for-battlefield-use-exclusive/</a>

US Air Force Testing Google Glass For The Battlefield

is now being tested for use in battle. The research team, Battlefield Air Targeting Man-Aided K[n]owledge (BATMAN), who work for the US ...

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Sony Selling Waterproof Walkman Inside A Bottle Of Water

Most people probably listen to music on-the-go through their 
smartphone nowadays but there is still a niche market for MP3 players. 
Sony wants to capitalize on this and is targeting consumers who want to 
listen to music underwater.

Smartphones are not cheap and so for some places they are simply a 
no-go. Sony wants you to be able to enjoy your favourite tunes 
underwater and have designed a waterproof MP3 player. To prove just how 
waterproof it is, the company has decided to sell the device inside a 
bottle of water.

As well as proving the point, it is also an ingenious marketing 
tactic. Although the idea of listening to music under water is not a new
 one, it is still not that popular. Sony hope that by having vending 
machines that provide an MP3 player stored in water, enough curiosity 
will be aroused in people, motivating them to buy one.

Priced at<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=USJSOPPZoKI" target="_blank"> $99</a>,
 this Walkman is not the cheapest MP3 out there but purchasing it 
through a vending machine and then taking it out of the wet packaging, 
certainly beats ordering it from a retailer; that’s just boring!

Sony Selling Waterproof Walkman Inside A Bottle Of Water

Most people probably listen to music on-the-go through their smartphone nowadays but there is still a niche market for MP3 players. Sony w...

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GOGO 2KU Promises 70Mbps in Flight Wifi

is a leading aircraft 
communications service provider.  They have announced the next step in 
their technology plan for global connectivity and its called 2Ku.  GOGO 
is expecting this new technology to outperform other global connectivity
 solutions which are currently available.  Among the first to trial this
 advanced technology is expected to be <a href="http://www.jal.com/en/" target="_blank" title="Japan Airlines">Japan Airlines</a>.
 
The new system will develop the same low-profile antennas as <a href="http://gogoair.mediaroom.com/technology" target="_blank" title="GTO">GOGO’s Ground to Orbit</a>
 (GTO) technology, used for aircraft flying in North America; however, 
instead of using GOGO’s Air to Ground solution for the return link to 
the ground, 2Ku will have two low-profile, high efficiency Ku-band 
satellite antennas.  It is this new technology that will deliver peak 
speeds to the aircraft of approximately 70 Mbps.

“GOGO has proven time and again that it’s the leader in developing 
and operationalizing new technologies for the aero market.  2Ku is the 
next step in our technological evolution and is a ground breaking new 
technology for the global commercial aviation market…When we launched 
our in-flight Internet service five years ago, we were able to deliver 
peak speeds to the aircraft of 3.1 Mbps through our ATG network.  About a
 year ago, we began deployment of our next generation ATG-4 service, 
which took peak speeds to 9.8 Mbps.  Our GTO solution takes the peak 
speed to 70 Mbps in the U.S. and 2Ku brings 70 Mbps to the rest of the 
world,” said GOGO’s president and CEO, Michael Small.

Advantages of the 2Ku antenna are considerable.  The 2Ku antenna is 
approximately twice as spectrally efficient than other antennas in the 
commercial aviation market.  This means it will produce more bandwidth 
at less cost.  The 2Ku antenna is only 4.5 inches tall, which will 
reduce drag on the aircraft.  Another interesting application is the use
 of the service in the tropical regions of the planet, where other 
satellite solutions degrade significantly due to restrictions associated
 with operating at high tilted angles. It is in these areas that 2Ku’s 
performance benefits will be even more dramatic.  GOGO is expecting the 
service to be available in mid-2015.

As always, if you would like to leave a sensible comment, then please do so in the comments section below.

[Image via <a href="http://www.skift.com/" target="_blank" title="skift">skift</a>]

SOURCE: <a href="http://www.4-traders.com/GOGO-INC-13450310/news/Gogo--Announces-its-Next-Generation-Global-In-Flight-Internet-Technology-2Ku-18232567/" target="_blank" title="4 Traders">http://www.4-traders.com/GOGO-INC-13450310/news/Gogo–Announces-its-Next-Generation-Global-In-Flight-Internet-Technology-2Ku-18232567/</a>

GOGO 2KU Promises 70Mbps in Flight Wifi

is a leading aircraft communications service provider. They have announced the next step in their technology plan for global connectivit...

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Space X Has 20 Year Lease At Kennedy Space Centre

Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center
 in Florida, was the topic of a custody battle between SpaceX (who 
designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft) and <a href="http://www.blueorigin.com/" target="_blank" title="blueorigin">Blue Origin</a> (a privately funded aerospace company initiated by Jeff Bezos, creator of amazon.com).  Blue Origin wanted <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/" target="_blank" title="nasa">NASA</a> to allow different companies to use the pad but it was turned down.

Even though both companies have used the pad, <a href="http://www.spacex.com/" target="_blank" title="spacex">SpaceX</a>
 was the only one to complete a mission; therefore, they were allowed to
 sign a 20 year lease with NASA in order to operate Pad 39A.  This isn’t
 the only pad it has leased.  SpaceX now has one at Vandenberg Air Force
 Base in California, and one in Florida at Cape Canaveral.  It has 
already launched its first commercial communications satellite.  Their 
Falcon 9 Rocket is also a ‘delivery service’ for the International Space
 Station.

Now, they will control maintenance and operation of Launch Complex 
39A.  In history, this pad has seen the biggest names in rocket 
history!  Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins have launched
 from here on missions that went to the moon.  In the past, NASA has 
paid for missions but now they are starting to outsource basic missions 
to the private sector, taking pressure off the American taxpayer.

Pad 39A was put out of commission at the end of the Space Shuttle 
program in 2011.  Tours were started in 2012 but because it was no 
longer needed by NASA, they began requesting bids for private companies 
to lease the pad. SpaceX plans to upgrade pad 39A in order to launch its
 first Falcon Heavy rocket early next year. But the historic elements 
will be maintained.  Being a successful private company, SpaceX 
symbolises what the private industry can accomplish in this field.  NASA
 can empty its resources on things like research and experimental 
missions and leave routine missions to the private sector.  This may 
take the pressure off NASA by the American government as well.

As always, if you would like to leave a sensible comment, then please do so in the comments section below.

[Image via <a href="http://www.wikimedia.com/" target="_blank" title="Wikimedia">wikimedia</a>]

SOURCE: <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/15/5617902/spacex-signs-20-year-lease-with-nasa-for-kennedy-launch-pad-39a" target="_blank" title="The Verge">http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/15/5617902/spacex-signs-20-year-lease-with-nasa-for-kennedy-launch-pad-39a</a>

Space X Has 20 Year Lease At Kennedy Space Centre

Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, was the topic of a custody battle between SpaceX (who designs, manufactures and launches a...

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US Military To Build Stealth Motorcycle

Stealth technology has been around 
for some time now.  The military have used the technology in its varying
 forms on all sorts of vehicles from jet fighters to submarines.  But I 
do not think that anyone has yet to construct a stealth motorcycle.  
Well, apparently all that is about to change.  The U.S. military have 
approved funding to develop a hybrid, stealth motorcycle.  The cycle is 
to be ridden by members of special operations teams in the future.

Who has funded the exercise?  <a href="http://www.darpa.mil/" target="_blank" title="Darpa">DARPA</a>
 of course!  The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has issued a 
substantial grant to integrate a multiple fuel, hybrid-electric power 
plant into a dirt bike that is to be built by <a href="https://www.faster-faster.com/index.html" target="_blank" title="BRD">BRD Motorcycles</a>.
  Logos Technologies will build the hybrid electric engine and according
 to them this will be the first hybrid-electric dirt bike ever built. 
 DARPA leaders have foreseen an electric bike, which can ride for an 
extensive range whilst producing nearly zero engine noise.

<div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_14398" style="width: 718px;">
<img alt="US Military To Build Stealth Motorcycle" class="lazy size-full wp-image-14398 data-lazy-ready" data-lazy-src="http://news.filehippo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Honda_NM4_Vultus_Motorbike.jpg" data-lazy-type="image" height="531" src="http://news.filehippo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Honda_NM4_Vultus_Motorbike.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="708" /><div class="wp-caption-text">
Honda’s NM4 Vultus demonstrates the sort of styling the US Army will be looking at for their Stealth Motorcycle.</div>
</div>
Wade Pulliam, manager of advanced concepts at <a href="http://www.logostechnologies.com/" target="_blank" title="logostechnologies">Logos Technologies</a>
 said, “Quieted, all-wheel-drive capability at extended range in a 
lightweight, rugged, single-track vehicle could support the successful 
operations of U.S. expeditionary and special forces in extreme terrain 
conditions and contested environments…With a growing need to operate 
small units far from logistical support, the military may increasingly 
rely on adaptable, efficient technologies like this hybrid-electric 
motorcycle.”

The motorcycle’s stealth will be a creation of its hybrid-electric 
engine, which will allow soldiers to ride for long periods on rough 
terrain while emitting virtually no engine noise.  The hybrid drive 
system would give the bike more range than a exclusively electric 
system. This is going to be the first time that a hybrid drive system 
will be incorporated onto a motorcycle, a Logos official said.

As always, if you would like to leave a sensible comment, then please do so in the comments section below.

[Image via <a href="http://3d-car-shows.com/new-honda-nm4-vultus-motorbike/" target="_blank">3d-car-shows</a>]

SOURCE: <a href="http://defensetech.org/2014/04/15/pentagon-wants-to-build-a-stealth-dirt-bike/" target="_blank" title="Defensetech">http://defensetech.org/2014/04/15/pentagon-wants-to-build-a-stealth-dirt-bike/</a>

US Military To Build Stealth Motorcycle

Stealth technology has been around for some time now. The military have used the technology in its varying forms on all sorts of vehicles...

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Google Acquires Titan Aerospace Before Facebook Does

Google has bought <a href="http://titanaerospace.com/" target="_blank" title="titanaerospace">Titan Aerospace</a>.
 Yes, you heard that correctly.  The very same Titan Aerospace that 
Facebook wanted to acquire.  Google have snatched the firm right from 
under Zuckerberg’s nose.  Last month Facebook  was allegedly in talks to
 buy Titan Aerospace for approximately $60 million.  The disclosure of 
the amount that Google has paid is not public.

The <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304117904579501701702936522?mod=WSJ_TechWSJD_NeedToKnow" target="_blank" title="WSJ">WSJ</a>
 has allegedly claimed Google want to boost their aerial technology, the
 company has consequently acquired Titan Aerospace, though the final 
purchase price has not been disclosed. This report further claimed that 
Titan Aerospace and its staff of 20 employees will stay in New Mexico, 
and Vern Raburn, chief executive officer, will continue to oversee the 
day to day running of the business.

We reported in early March about <a href="http://news.filehippo.com/2014/03/facebook-acquiring-drone-company-take-google/" target="_blank" title="Facebook Wants Titan">Facebook wanting to acquire Titan Aerospace</a>
 for their latest purchase and TechCrunch reported that Facebook has 
planned to build 11,000 Solara 60 drones to offer Internet access in 
Africa. These drones would be classed as “atmospheric satellites” for 
monitoring weather, assisting in disaster recovery and offering 
communication capabilities.

If Facebook purchased Titan, it would see the social network rival 
Google’s Project Loon, which is aiming to offer Internet connectivity 
via air balloons. In addition to this, Facebook most probably wanted to 
further connect Africa, because of the newly acquired WhatsApp service.

Google however has seized Titan Aerospace first. The Wall Street Journal has said the Titan team would now work directly with <a href="http://www.google.com/loon/" target="_blank" title="Loon">Google’s Project Loon</a>, thereby helping to build large, high-altitude balloons that send Internet signals to the offline world.

Titan’s drones are capable of collecting real-time, high-resolution 
images of the Earth. The technology also features atmospheric sensors 
and supports voice and data services. This also means Google could use 
them with Google Maps.  The Titan team may also work with Google’s <a href="http://www.google.com/makani/" target="_blank" title="Makani">Makani project</a>, developing airborne wind turbines for energy efficiency.  I can see a future acquirement of <a href="http://www.altaerosenergies.com/" target="_blank" title="altaerosenergies">Altaeros Energies</a> may be in the pipeline, although the Makani project is similar, so who knows?

As always, if you would like to leave a sensible comment, then please do so in the comments section below.

[Image via <a href="http://www.unmannedsystemstechnology.com/" target="_blank" title="unmannedsystemstechnology">unmannedsystemstechnology</a>]

SOURCE: <a href="http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/128445-google-buys-drone-maker-titan-aerospace-before-facebook-does?utm_source=pocketlint&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss" target="_blank" title="Pocket Lint">http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/128445-google-buys-drone-maker-titan-aerospace-before-facebook-does?utm_source=pocketlint&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss</a>

Google Acquires Titan Aerospace Before Facebook Does

Google has bought Titan Aerospace . Yes, you heard that correctly. The very same Titan Aerospace that Facebook wanted to acquire. Google...

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Self-Healing Muscle Grown in Lab

Biomedical engineers at Duke 
University have grown living skeletal muscle that resembles real tissue.
  It contracts rapidly and powerfully, integrates into the host quickly 
and for the first time ever; it demonstrates the ability to heal itself 
both inside the laboratory and inside an animal.

The study conducted at <a href="http://duke.edu/" target="_blank" title="Duke University">Duke University</a>
 has tested the bioengineered muscle on a living mouse. The fresh 
technique they used has allowed for real-time monitoring of the muscle’s
 integration and maturation inside a living animal.  Both the lab-grown 
muscle and experimental techniques are important steps toward growing 
viable muscle for studying diseases and treating injuries, said <a href="http://www.bme.duke.edu/faculty/nenad-bursac" target="_blank" title="Nenad Bursac">Nenad Bursac</a>,
 associate professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University.  “The
 muscle we have made represents an important advance for the field…It’s 
the first time engineered muscle has been created that contracts as 
strongly as native neonatal skeletal muscle,” Bursac said.

<div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_14017" style="width: 718px;">
<img alt="self replicating muscles" class="lazy size-full wp-image-14017 data-lazy-ready" data-lazy-src="http://news.filehippo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/scicasts.com_.jpg" data-lazy-type="image" height="424" src="http://news.filehippo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/scicasts.com_.jpg" style="display: inline; line-height: 1.5em;" width="708" /><div class="wp-caption-text">
Long,
 colorful strands of engineered muscle fiber have been stained to 
observe growth after implantation into a mouse. (Image courtesy of Duke 
University)</div>
</div>
A team led by Bursac and graduate student Mark Juhas, have discovered
 that preparing better muscle requires two things, well-developed 
contractile muscle fibres and a pool of muscle stem cells, known as 
satellite cells.  Every muscle has satellite cells on reserve, that are 
ready to activate upon injury and begin the regeneration process. The 
key to the team’s success was successfully creating the 
microenvironments, called niches, where the stem cells await action.

“Simply implanting 
satellite cells or less-developed muscle doesn’t work as well…The 
well-developed muscle we made provides niches for satellite cells to 
live in and when needed to restore the robust musculature and its 
function,” said Juhas.  To test their engineered muscle, the team ran it
 through trials in the laboratory. They stimulating it with electric 
pulses, measured its contractile strength, thereby showing that it was 
more than 10x stronger than any previously engineered muscles.  Next 
they damaged it with a toxin that was found in snake venom.  This was to
 prove that the satellite cells could activate, multiply and then heal 
the injured muscle fibres.  After these tests, then they moved it out of
 a dish environment and into living tissue, a mouse.

Greg Palmer, an assistant professor of radiation oncology in the <a href="http://medschool.duke.edu/" target="_blank" title="Duke Med School">Duke University School of Medicine</a>,
 assisted the team.  The engineers next inserted their lab-grown muscle 
into a small chamber, which was placed on the backs of live mice. A 
glass panel then covered this chamber. Every two days for a two week 
period, Juhas looked upon the implanted muscles through the window to 
ascertain the progress.  The muscle fibres were genetically modified to 
produce fluorescent flashes during calcium spikes, which cause muscle to
 contract. The researchers could then watch the flashes become brighter 
as the muscle grew stronger.  “We could see and measure in real time how
 blood vessels grew into the implanted muscle fibres, maturing toward 
equalling the strength of its native counterpart,” said Juhas.

The engineers are now starting work to see if their biomimetic muscle
 can be used to repair muscle injuries and disease.  “Can it 
vascularise, innervate and repair the damaged muscle’s function?…That is
 what we will be working on for the next several years,” said Bursac.

Self-Healing Muscle Grown in Lab

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have grown living skeletal muscle that resembles real tissue. It contracts rapidly and powerfully...

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