amphibious
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ICYMI: Turbine sunbather, NASA stress test and an aquatic hedge trimmer
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-447825{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-447825, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-447825{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-447825").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It, Usain Bolt may be the "fastest man on Earth" but he can't outrun a cameraman on a Segway. An amatuer drone pilot stumbles across a sunbather 200 feet above the ground. NASA puts its 3D-printed rocket engine pump through a grueling series of tests. The UK showcases its amphibious weedwhacker and some delightfully demented genius has recreated the Pokemon theme song within Grand Theft Auto V. If you come across any interesting videos, we'd love to see them. Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd. And if you just want to heap praise on your handsome guest host, feel free to hit him up @mr_trout.
FlyNano proto takes to the air, final model will soar mainly with electrons (video)
Last time we saw the FlyNano amphibious ultralight plane, we weren't sure if it would be gas or electric, and we wondered who'd be brave enough to fly the tiny thing -- if it flew at all. That's all been answered, because the sub-154 pound carbon fibre vehicle completed its first flight, taking a brief skip above a Finnish lake with pilot Pekka Kauppinen at the helm. The short trip showed promise, and the company affirmed it would continue development and airborne tests with the aim of delivering to customers in late 2013. According to the maker, recent technology gains mean that electric motors will now be the main power option. No change to the $27k base price tag was announced, so if you've got the nerve to strap one on -- and a lake to launch from -- click the source or watch the video after the break.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: 'Plantscraper' vertical farm, new wave energy and a battery-powered iPhone case
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. Groundbreaking green architecture burst into life in Sweden this week as Inhabitat reported that Plantagon began construction on the world's first 'Plantscraper' vertical farm. We also marveled at artist Yayoi Kusama's dazzling Infinity Mirror Room, which shines with the reflections of thousands of LEDs, and we shared the bubbly modular AMPS living wall system. Meanwhile, the MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program announced that HWKN's bright blue spiky sea-urchin shaped pavilion will be popping up this summer, PinkCloud.DK unveiled plans to transform oil refineries into giant energy positive communities and the UK granted planning commission for its first amphibious house.We also showcased several amazing applications for LEGO bricks this week: a NYC apartment renovated with 20,000 plastic bricks, a gigantic LEGO-inspired church in the Netherlands and a remarkable fully articulated prosthetic LEGO arm. Speaking of next-gen prosthetics, this week Israeli scientists demoed a real-life "Star Trek" VISOR that enables the blind to see, and Nike took the wraps off a prosthetic running sole for amputee triathlete Sarah Reinertsen.This also marked a heated week for energy news as solar power heavyweight Sunpower sued Solarcity over stolen data, and Aquamarine Power geared up to connect its new wave energy generator to the UK's national grid. We also got ready for rough days ahead with the waterproof, armageddon-ready, solar-charged, battery-powered iPhone case, and we got things cooking with Biolite's brilliant new camping stove, which converts waste heat into electricity for USB gadgets. Last but not least, we were wowed by several amazing new applications for discarded tech: Sean Avery's astounding animal sculptures made from shattered CDs and Paola Mirai's elegant jewelry fashioned out of discarded computer circuits.
Rocstor outs Amphibious hard drive, keeps top-secret docs safe from wandering peepers
If you're a fan of keeping all of those precious work files locked down tight on your portable storage device, Rocstor has a rugged new option for you. The company has announced the launch of Amphibious at CES 2012, a portable hard drive that sports real time encryption and offers not one, but two-factor authentication via Smart Card and keypad -- keeping those top-secret merger plans shrouded in mystery. Incorporating a SATA HDD (up to 1TB) or SSD, the device connects via USB 2.0 or Firewire 800 and protects data behind AES-256 bit key strength and a FIPS 140-2 validated crypto module. In terms of durability, the pocket-sized Amphibious is housed in an aircraft grade aluminum alloy case. You can take a look at the full list of specs in the PR after the break and get ready to snag one for yourself during Q1 of 2012.
Sealander amphibious trailer lets you (kinda) rough it on the water (video)
With a name like the Sealander Amphibious Camping Trailer, it's pretty clear what you're getting yourself into. This German-designed trailer does double duty as both a place to rest (for those who think roughing it is not having TiVo) and a lake-worthy water vessel. The ultra-light, waterproof hitch rider can be towed by almost any vehicle -- even those cutesy sub-compacts its European creators seem to love so much. And, once you're in the water, a small electric motor ensures you won't have to wait for the currents to carry you back to shore. The Sealander should become available in early 2012 in a variety of configurations, with an expected price of about €15,000 (around $24,000). Of course, for the same cash you could probably just buy a small camping trailer and a separate boat, though that lacks the cool convergence factor. Check out the epic demo video below.
Amphibious Aquapod might be the clumsiest robot ever (video)
It may look like nothing more than a random piece of seaside trash, but that ugly little creature you're staring at is actually known as Aquapod -- an amphibious robot that crawls around by falling over itself. Literally. Developed by researchers at the University of Minnesota's Center for Distributed Robotics, Aquapod uses two carbon fiber arms and a servo motor system to somersault itself around, like an inebriated horseshoe crab. It's certainly not the swiftest of bots, but this guy's durable enough to move across rough terrains and, per its nickname, is completely waterproof and in full control of its buoyancy. Creators Andrew Carlson and Nikos Papanikolopoulos say their $2,000 brainchild could one day be used to monitor fish populations and conduct underwater experiments -- or to simply scare the bejesus out of beach-going children. Video after the break.
762 horsepower amphibious HydroCar listed on eBay for $777,000
Well, this is something you don't see every day, that's for sure. We've seen plenty of outlandish items for sale on eBay, but this one might just take the cake. A hand-built, amphibious HydroCar packing 762 horsepower is currently listed on eBay for a mere $777,000 -- that's the 'Buy it Now' price, anyway. Crafted by Rick Dobbertin, the 32-foot long steel HydroCar moves from land to water and back again, for all your amphibious vehicle needs. At the time of this writing, Dobbertin has seemingly already rejected 11 offers, so if you're in the market for a vehicle of this kind -- and let's be honest, who isn't? -- you're going to want to hit up the source link fast. Video after the break.
AQUA2 amphibious robot is super cute and fast, less annoying than most pets because it has no head
The AQUA2, built at McGill University in Montreal, is the first of its kind. You see, the AQUA2 is a robot that can both dive and swim in water, and move about on land. The amphibious bot can explore water up to 120 feet and is tethered to a remote control via ethernet or fiber optics. The 'headless' robot's flippers make it a pretty impressive swimmer, and it's also strikingly fast on even rough terrain. Check out the video after the break.
Fast Track amphibious vehicle moving beyond proof-of-concept
The Fast Track amphibious vehicle has been tearing up the land and water in its proof-of-concept form for a few years now, but it looks like the team behind it has finally worked all the kinks out, with Gizmag reporting that the vehicle is now headed towards production, albeit on an extremely small scale. In its current state, the vehicle can hit 39 mph on water and decent 55 mph on land, with the propulsion in each case handled by the vehicle's snowmobile-like tracks. The first vehicles custom made for customers, however, will up the potential danger level considerably, with a 300 horsepower engine delivering speeds of 60 mph on water and 80 mph on land, not to mention "aggressive" new styling that's sure to make it seem even faster. While it's apparently yet to take its first order, the upstart company is certainly not lacking in grand ambitions, with a range of additional amphibious vehicles already on the drawing board, including a 7000 pound hurricane rescue vehicle that will seat ten and a smaller personal-sized craft that'll be half the weight of the original Fast Track. If that's not enough, the team's also going to have a go at the world water speed record for amphibious vehicles later this year, hoping that a 350 horsepower Corvette engine will give 'em the necessary edge. Until then, you can check out the vehicle's current capabilities in the video after the break.
