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Iranian experts unveil new UAV, solar car
Iranian researchers have produced an indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which can be used for reconnaissance mission together with a domestically-designed and -developed solar car.
The aircraft, named ‘Afar’ and developed by Iranian technicians at the Qazvin Branch of the Islamic Azad University, has a wingspan of three meters (about 10 feet) and a hull length of 1.5 meters (about 5 feet).
The...
Japanese giants Panasonic, Sharp post $11 billion losses
A Japanese electronics manufacturer Panasonic showroom in Tokyo.
Embattled Japanese consumer electronics giants Panasonic and Sharp have posted more than USD11 billion in combined losses over the nine-month period ending in December.
On Friday, Sharp announced its losses had doubled in the nine months leading to December to USD4.6 billion. Panasonic, meanwhile, said it had lost about USD6.77 billion...
Iran rolls out bold design for homemade fighter jets
Iran has presented its first domestically designed defense fighter-bomber jet with limited stealth capabilities. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stressed that the plane was designed for defense purposes, and will not be used for aggression.
Codenamed Qaher-313 (‘Conqueror’), the jet is an advanced single-seat single-engine military plane. It is reportedly capable of engaging targets...
Belgium to build 'battery island' to store wind farm energy
Belgium plans to build a horseshoe-shaped artificial island off its North Sea coast to store energy generated by its wind farms. The project will also double as attraction for sea birds (and possibly flocks of tourists).
The ambitious undertaking was unveiled this week by Belgian North Sea Minister Johan Vande Lanotte, as he reported on the implementation of marine special planning.
The island is...
New York artist to debut 'drone-proof' anti-surveillance clothing line
Some fashonistas strive for sexy when it comes to clothes, but one artist from New York is taking a rather utilitarian approach with outfits — he’s about to unveil a whole line of garments designed to make the wearer nearly invisible to drones.
Brooklyn-based artist Adam Harvey used to work primarily with photography, but he undertakes an entirely different medium with his newest project. He says...
Russia says next-gen spacecraft design ready
Russia’s halting attempts to build a next generation spacecraft have received a boost after a leading constructor announced that it has completed the design of a new prototype. But seasoned space watchers await specifics before popping their corks.
“We have finished the design of the new spaceship. We took into consideration that the new craft has to be able to travel not only to the International...
Smart TVs can spy on their owners
Viewers, beware: while you’re watching TV, your TV might be watching you back. A security firm discovered that Samsung’s Smart TV can give hackers access to the device’s built-in camera and microphones, allowing them to watch everything you do.
The Malta-based firm ReVuln posted a video showing its team of researchers hacking into one of the Samsung TVs and accessing its settings, channel lists,...
Russia shelves hypersonic aircraft project
The work on the Russian aviation project of the hypersonic experimental aircraft, known for the Russian initials as GELA, has been shelved before 2014, RBC reports.
According to sources at Rainbow design bureau and the Central Institute of AeroHydroDynamics, the works on the Russian hypersonic experimental aircraft (GELA), which were conducted in Dubna (a town near Moscow) were suspended at least...
Hi-tech contact lenses show texts and maps
Imagine texting while driving, or placing a call while showering, without holding your phone in your hands. It’s not sci-fi any more – a new technology allows information like text messages and driving directions to be projected onto a contact lens.
The hardware behind this invention is a spherical curved LCD display that can fit into a contact lens, developed by Ghent University’s Centre...
Russian scientists create world's best heart valve
Heart surgeons have performed the first-ever implantation of the artificial heart valve, which was developed in Russia. The valve was produced in the Moscow-based Bakulev’s Center of Cardiac Surgery in cooperation with a company from Penza. The valve differs from all of its predecessors for better blood passability. For the time being, the Russian, full-flow valve is considered the best in the...
World's tallest skyscraper to be built in China
The skyscraper 838 meters tall is to be built in China. It will be not only the highest skyscraper in the world, but also a massive construction built in a record time.
The project is being implemented by BROAD Sustainable Building (BSB), which is known for its buildings in the sky. BSB has recently built a 30-storey hotel in 15 days. This time, the company has decided to build a skyscraper in just...
Cop cars to be replaced with drones by 2025
Honda R&D Americas, Advanced Design Studio, California
Law enforcement agencies across the US are lining up to be among the first to use drones to serve and protect, but unmanned vehicles are likely to replace the traditional cop cruiser in just a few short years.
In places like California, Texas and Washington State, police officers in recent weeks have intensified their demands for surveillance...
Human Rights Watch urges international ban on 'killer robots'
Human Rights Watch has called for an international ban on ‘killer robots’ – autonomous machines that independently decide their targets, Press TV reports.
“They’re weapons where there is no human intervention. That is, the armed robot itself makes the decision about what its target should be and when it should pull the trigger,” Stephen Goose, the arms division director of Human Rights...
Major US chipmaker to slash 1,700 of its workforce
Major US electronics corporation Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) plans to eliminate 1,700 jobs.
Major US electronics corporation Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) has announced plans to slash its global workforce by 1,700 people as a ‘cost-cutting’ measure.
The move, announced Wednesday by the Dallas-based chipmaker, is part of the TI’s plan to discontinue its mobile business, according to the company’s...
Japan to unveil world's first 3D printing photo booth
Otome 3D compnay will open the world’s first 3D printing photo booth in Japan.
The world’s first 3D printing photo booth, creating life-like miniature photos, is set to be unveiled at the Eye of Gyre exhibition in Japan.
A Japanese company known as Omote 3D is planning to offer the 3D photo printing service at the Eye of Gyre exhibition that will be held in Tokyo’s Harajuk.
According...