Fusion
Latest
Ford's new self-driving Fusion almost looks like a regular car
Ford has shown the first images of its new self-driving Fusion Hybrid with a more powerful computer and improved, better-integrated sensors. It uses an upgraded version of the Fusion Hybrid platform, bolstered by self-driving hardware, a large new computer and electrical controls that "are close to production-ready," the company said in a press release. It also packs lower-profile LIDAR units that appear to be the "Puck" models from Velodyne, a company in which it recently invested $150 million.
Fusion reactor endurance record hints at our energy future
Wondering why a fusion reactor isn't powering your home right now? There are numerous reasons, but one of the biggest is simply keeping the necessary super-hot plasma in an ideal state for energy generation -- it doesn't last that way for long. South Korea, however, just edged closer to that goal. The country's KSTAR (Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research) reactor team claims to have set an endurance record for operating with "high performance" plasma. The feat only lasted for 70 seconds, but that's still a "huge step forward," according to the National Fusion Research Institute.
Scientists confirm twisty fusion device's odd magnetic fields
Now that the first large version of a extraordinarily complex, cruller-shaped stellarator fusion device is up and running, there's an overriding question: is it behaving the way scientists expected? Thankfully, the answer is yes. Researchers have confirmed that Germany's Wendelstein 7-X stellarator is producing the 3D magnetic fields that were anticipated from its twisty design. In fact, it's faithful to the concept with "unprecedented accuracy" -- the error rate is less than one in 100,000.
Snowden: We rely too much on Facebook for news
Facebook has been under fire this past week for supposedly influencing the election by not doing enough to stop the rise of fake news. In an interview at the Real Future Fair conference, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden said that while this is certainly an issue, the real problem here is that Facebook is where most people get their news. "This gets into a bigger challenge, which is lack of competition," he said. "This is a danger of a single point of failure."
Ford previews the future of self-driving vehicles
This week, Ford invited members of the tech and automotive press to check out the latest developments, including the first rides in its autonomous vehicles. CEO Mark Fields already revealed the company is targeting 2021 for the release of a "Level 4" vehicle that's fully self-driving, without contrivances like steering wheels or pedals. For now, it's testing vehicles like these Ford Fusions on its Dearborn, MI campus, the Mcity test track in Ann Arbor, and on public roads in Arizona, Michigan and California.
Twisty fusion reactor goes online after 19 years of work
Germany just took fusion power one big, important step forward. The country's Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics has just switched on Wendelstein 7-X, the first large fusion reactor based on a twisty stellarator design. It's only producing hydrogen plasma at the moment and won't actually generate energy, but power isn't really the point. Instead, it'll serve as proof that stellarators could provide energy while operating continuously, unlike current (tokamak-based) fusion reactors that operate in short pulses. They should be safer, too.
Scientists want to laser-heat stuff to ten million degrees
Researchers at Imperial College London believe that they've created a method that could prove critical in the search for unlimited clean energy. The team has produced a theoretical method that, at least on paper, is capable of super-heating an object to ten million degrees in a fraction of a second. It's hoped that technology like this, if proven in the real world, will form a key component of a fusion reactor that'll provide a warm light for all mankind.
Twisty reactor hints at a future of practical fusion power
Many fusion reactors are based on a tokamak design, which uses an electrical current to twist a superheated plasma's electrons and ions into a three-dimensional loop. That's good for containing the plasma, but it's still not the safest design -- if the current fails or there's a magnetic disruption, you have a serious problem on your hands. However, scientists at the Max Planck Institute may have a more practical alternative. They've recently completed Wendelstein 7-X, the first large reactor based on a stellarator concept that relies on a cruller-like shape for the twisting action instead of a current. That's considerably safer than a tokamak, and the supercomputer-guided design should iron out the containment problems that have plagued stellarators until now.
Toshiba's Windows 10 laptops all have a built-in Cortana key
Toshiba just unveiled its back-to-school laptop lineup, and while mainstream notebooks are normally a bit of a snooze, there's at least one detail that makes these worth a second look. Everything in the line, from the $395 entry-level model to the souped-up 4K editions, has a built-in keyboard button to launch Cortana in Windows 10. Just hit what appears to be a search key in the Function row, and you'll bring up Microsoft's voice assistant, which can respond to commands like "what's the weather?", "tell me a joke" and "sing a song". (With all due respect to Cortana voice actress Jen Taylor, you might want to skip that last one.) Toshiba is not the only PC maker that's chosen to add extra features related to Cortana, but the built-in hotkey is still pretty novel.
Apple TV gains new YouTube app and additional channels
Apple TV owners are getting a holiday viewing gift today, with the addition of four new channels and a new YouTube app designed to act more like the apps found on other platforms. The new YouTube app provides easier access to subscriptions and searching, and also adds OAuth for login if you'd prefer additional security. Sadly, the new YouTube update means that you'll now get ads along with your favorite cat videos. There's no way to opt out, so get used to those 15- and 30-second blurbs for everything from dinner rolls to car insurance. The new channels on Apple TV include UFC, The Scene, Fusion, and Daily Motion (a French video upload site). UFC will provide premium subscription fighting and martial arts content, either through pay-per-view or a US$99 annual "Fight Pass". Conde Nast is the content provider behind The Scene, which provides video content from Conde Nast magazines and sites like The Verge. Fusion is a joint venture of ABC and Univision, providing video programming for a "young and diverse audience". The new channels and the YouTube update become available today, and you'll be able to tell what's new thanks to a small blue "New" banner that now appears on the app buttons.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Fusion power, Drop-a-Brick and settlements on Mars
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Why can't Tesla's sales model catch a break? The automaker is paving the way for the future of electric vehicles, however states keep stepping in the way. This week, Michigan passed legislation that essentially bans Tesla from selling cars in the state due to a last-minute addition by a legislator who receives contributions from the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association. In other transportation news, Italy has long been the Mecca of souped-up sports cars, but surprisingly the country has never produced a fully electric supercar. That all could change soon, now that the Italian company Tecnicar has unveiled a new electric car with a 789-horsepower electric motor.
Lockheed Martin thinks it can give the world unlimited clean energy in 20 years
Remember back in the '50s, when official-sounding newsreels promised that we'd have new-kew-lur-powered cars by the '70s and no one would ever be unhappy? Probably not, since we've gotten a skewed sense of history from watching too many episodes of Futurama. Still, several decades behind schedule, the promise of clean and unlimited energy might finally be looming upon the horizon, thanks to Lockheed Martin. The defense behemoth believes that it might have a working prototype of its Compact Fusion Reactor in a decade, which might just save the world as we know it.
MIT reactor gets a second shot at producing unlimited clean energy
Nuclear fusion is the holy grail of scientists (and politicians) as it could produce limitless free energy without nasty consequences like meltdowns and radioactive waste. Though nobody's been able to build a reactor that produces more energy than it consumes (except arguably one time), scientists are still trying, with three experimental reactors currently in operation in the US. One of those, however, has been in the Obama administration's cross-hairs: MIT's Alcator C-Mod reactor. The White House decided to chop that program back in 2012, calling it too small, outdated and a vanity program for MIT, according to the Boston Globe.
Scientists get meaningful energy from laser-based nuclear fusion
Researchers have long sought to generate significant energy from laser-based nuclear fusion, and it appears that they're finally making some headway. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reports that laser blasts in September and November produced more energy from hydrogen fusion reactions than they'd put into the hydrogen -- the first time that's happened. The key was an extra dose of caution. The lab team altered the laser pulse so that it didn't break a shell used in the necessary fuel-compression process, improving the energy yield. We're still far from seeing laser fusion reactors when just 1 percent of the power reached the hydrogen in the first place. However, the output was much closer to what scientists have been expecting for years -- laser fusion is now more of a realistic possibility than a pipe dream. [Image credit: Dr. Eddie Dewald]
Ford's Fusion Hybrid research car will explore our driverless future
Ford is convinced that autonomous cars are the future, and it's putting its money where its mouth is by unveiling a Fusion Hybrid variant built solely for researching driverless-car technology. The experimental machine boosts existing driver-assistance tech with four LIDAR sensors that create a 3D map of the vehicle's surroundings; while the data will only improve driver awareness in the short term, it should eventually help the car navigate on its own. Ford isn't planning a production version, so don't look for a robotic Fusion at your local dealership anytime soon. However, the project should be invaluable for translating autonomous-driving concepts into practical realities.
Phiaton launches new Fusion and Chord headphones for the audiophile set
Sennheiser, Klipsch, Phiaton... what is it about audio brands that don't easily roll off the tongue? It's the latter that interests us today, of course, after announcing two new sets of headphones for those who are serious about sound. The Chord MS 530 is a pair of beautifully designed Bluetooth 4.0 apt-X cans that pack active noise cancellation alongside dual microphones and 40mm titanium drivers. Rated for between 18-30 hours of battery life, the Chord will launch on October 8th for $350. If, however, that's a bit rich for your blood, then the company is also launching the Fusion MS 430, which has been cast in lightweight carbon fiber and offers a pair of tangle-free leads and 40mm drivers, and a foldable design. The Fusion will launch on October 1st for $180, and so while you wait for Autumn to set in, check out the press gallery below.
VMware launches Fusion 6 virtual desktop for Mac with Mavericks support, Windows Store app integration
VMware regularly upgrades its Fusion virtual desktop client to support major new operating systems, and it's keeping up that tradition with today's release of Fusion 6. The new Mac app is optimized for OS X Mavericks' most important features, including a reworked full-screen mode that plays nicely with multiple displays. The software is equally ready for Windows 8.1 virtual machines, and lets users place shortcuts for Windows Store apps in a Mac's Applications folder or the Dock. There's also fine-tuning for Haswell-based Macs, a simplified setup assistant and support for virtual machines with up to 16 processors and 64GB of RAM. Fusion 6 Professional users get a few business-friendly upgrades, such expiring virtual machines and cloned machines that link back to master copies. Both variants of Fusion 6 are available today, although pricing has increased significantly since Fusion 5. It now costs $60 for a stand-alone purchase of Fusion 6, and $130 for its Professional edition. Anyone who buys Fusion 5 between August 1st and September 30th can get the newer version for free, but they'll otherwise have to pay either $50 (for a standard copy) or $70 (for Professional) to stay on the cutting edge.
AMD outlines Elite Performance laptop APUs with game-ready Wireless Display
AMD isn't focusing all its attention on its entry-level mobile APUs today: it's also providing details for the faster Richland-based models. The new A6, A8, and A10 mobile variants fall under the Elite Performance badge, and theoretically beat Intel to the punch with up to 71 percent faster 3D graphics than the current Core i5 family. They also muster about 7.5 hours of battery life with web use, or about an hour longer than we saw in the previous generation. The roster includes both regular power (35W) and low-voltage (17W to 25W) APUs, in dual- and quad-core editions. We're more interested in how well the chips play with other devices and software, however. Besides the face and motion gesture recognition that we've seen before, AMD touts a new take on Wireless Display with low enough latency for game sessions, support for 1080p60 video and native Miracast sharing. The Richland upgrade also introduces a new DockPort standard that can feed both USB 3.0 and up to three external DisplayPort screens through one cable. If you like what AMD is pitching, you won't have to wait to try it -- Elite Performance APUs have already been shipping with MSI's GX60 and GX70, and other vendors shouldn't be far behind. %Gallery-189172%
Ford to break its yearly hybrid sales record in the US, seven months early
When Ford's hybrid lineup has been rapidly expanding over the past year, it stands to reason that the company's sales in the category would take off like an eco-friendly rocket. They have, and faster than you'd expect: the automaker now says it should break its yearly record for US hybrid sales sometime in May, with just under 6,000 cars standing between its current 2013 figures and an all-time high of 35,496 hybrids in 2010. The company has also more clearly established itself as number two, climbing from an estimated three percent of the US hybrid market share last April to 18 percent this year. While Toyota is still the clear frontrunner at 58 percent, Ford is ahead of its Detroit-based rivals -- and when Prius sales are soft, the Japanese firm just might be nervous.
Microsoft snags domains for 'Xbox Fusion'
Microsoft has registered numerous variants of XboxFusion.com (XboxFusion.biz, XboxFusion.de, XboxFusion.co.uk, etc), all of which currently redirect to the official English Xbox website. While the majority of the URLs were actually registered back in February, it was only very recently that their existence was uncovered by the sleuths at Fusible. Obviously, registering multiple domains for something no one has ever heard of – remarkably close to unveiling a new console – carries heavy implications, but let's not get too crazy here. "Xbox Fusion" is probably just a new flavor of Mountain Dew.
