Man, the mad scientists are really on a roll of late. First we hear that Li-ion cells are set to magically double in capacity, and now we're learning that a new form of invisibility cloak is totally gearing up for its Target debut. As the seemingly endless quest to bend light in such a way as to create a sheath of invisibility continues, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Nicholas Fang has reportedly developed a metamaterial that acts as a type of acoustic superlens. In theory, at least, this approach would rely on phreaking with sound rather than light in order to intensely focus ultrasound waves; by doing so, one could hypothetically "hide ships from sonar." To be fair, this all sounds entirely more believable than hiding massive vessels from human sight, but we're still not taking our skeptic hat off until we see (er, don't see?) a little proof.

[Via Slashdot]

Researchers in China, inspired by Mother Nature, have developed postage stamp-sized copper mesh boats, "some of the most buoyant" yet devised. Taking a page from both the shark and the lotus, the team applied a rough and uneven coating to the surface of the mesh, which reduces the vessel's contact with water. Next, a hydrophobic was applied, which keeps water from penetrating the porous material, "even when they are carrying a load," according to Dr Qinmin Pan, a chemist from Harbin Institute of Technology. "We believe these boats are some of the strongest ever built - in terms of the mass they can carry." Possible uses for the superhydrophobic material include microfluidic devices (where minuscule amounts of a liquid are used to carry information on a chip) and miniature aquatic robots. As you know, ensuring replicant diversity is an important part of their plan.

You heard right, folks. There's absolutely no need to wait until 2011 in order to buy yourself a personal Surface. Instead, you can grab one of Microsoft's multitouch phenomenons this June, but there's just one tiny catch: it comes attached at the waist with a multi-million dollar yacht. Down at the Miami Yacht & Brokerage Show this month, Lazzara Yachts showcased its soon-to-be-released LMC 76, which -- coincidentally enough -- comes loaded with a Surface along with software from Infusion Development. The boat (and by extension, the Surface) should be ready to take on the open seas in just a few months, but there's no indication yet on exactly how many New York banks you'll have to rob in order to make it happen. If you need some encouragement on turning to the dark side, a hands-on demo video is just past the break.

[Via Beyond | IT, thanks Roy]

Read - Details from Lazzara
Read - Hands-on experience

Cruising across the open seas may seem like a great way to get close to nature, but take a look at the sheer quantity of fuel most boats suck down as they power through waves (and manatees) and you'll realize the truth. Thus a new breed of eco-friendly boat has arisen, the latest entry being San Francisco's Alcatraz Cruises Hornblower Hybrid ferry. The ship, which will take passengers on trips to the Rock and elsewhere in the Bay, uses two vertical wind turbines and a solar panel to power its on-board electronics, with any excess juice going to the boat's propulsion systems -- which still rely mostly on diesel to get the craft and its passengers where they're going. Okay, so it's perhaps not as green as other eco-boats we've seen, but a tour on this one should be a good bit more affordable when it enters service early this year.

[Via Inhabitat]

Yachts are usually pretty environmentally unsound, so the DSe Hybrid just debuted by Island Pilot at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show should be a real breath of fresh air (literally) if green is your thing. And apparently it's really about as eco-friendly as it gets -- using a combination of diesel, solar and electric power (when it goes into commercial production it will also boast wind turbines) the vessel can cruise at up to six knots on a sunny day for an indefinite period of time without any fuel and zero emissions. Possibly best of all (for those like us with delicate ears, anyway), it's virtually silent when not running on fuel. If you need to get somewhere in a hurry however, its Parallel Hybrid Propulsion System in diesel mode will move at up to 13 knots. There are all sorts of "luxury" amenities on board including a 26-inch HDTV and totally ferocious Bose home theater system. Island Pilot is taking pre-orders now (you have to lay down $5,000 just to reserve one) for delivery in 2009, but fair warning: this thing has a price tag of $600,000.

[Via gizmag]

If you had any urge whatsoever to try to your hand at drug trafficking over water while these "weird" economic times sort themselves out, uh, you may want to reevaluate your options. The ever-so-stealthy Stiletto has come to life after tracking down a remarkably quick drug-running boat near Florida; the bad guys were cruising at 42 knots, but that comic book-esque thing you're undoubtedly peering at above can reach speeds of up to 60 knots. The double-M-shaped hull enables it to navigate in extraordinarily shallow waters without trouble, and a plethora of sensors and radars give it all the power it needs to track down goons. Oddly enough, it's having a somewhat difficult time finding a government agency to truly call home, but if it continues to keep the coke out of our seas, we'd say it'll win over some hearts soon enough.

[Thanks, Laz]

First things first -- when we say "partially" propel, we mean partially. Nippon Yusen and energy distributor Nippon Oil are teaming up to spend around $1.37 million in order to equip a car-hauling cargo ship with 328 solar panels. Rather than just provide energy for the crew's on board entertainment system, it will be the first solar installation to actually produce a smidgen of power for the boat's engine. If successful, the panels would provide 0.2% of the ship's energy consumption for propulsion, and they're hoping to raise that to a whopping 1% by 2010. Gives a whole new meaning to "baby steps," huh?

Want to get something really special for someone this holiday season? Something that can't be picked up in your local Sharper Image or Hot Topic? How about the late Saddam Hussein's 269-foot mega-yacht: the "Qaddisat Saddam?" For the low entry fee of $34 million, you'll get you a massive gold, silver, and marble adorned ship replete with Arabesque arches, fountains, dining and silverware for 200, a clinic with a surgical suite, a helipad, 14 cabins, plus bunk space for 35 crew members (or servants, if you will), and a secret passageway to an escape boat and sub-pod (in case you too are paralyzed by fear of assassination attempts). The sellers have thoughtfully renamed the craft the "Ocean Breeze," but we're fairly confident that no matter what you call it, the overwhelming vibe of mustachioed dictator will be impossible to obscure. Check the read link for a thorough tour of the entire ship -- and make sure you have your credit card handy.

[Photo courtesy of Radar Online]

If you thought a solar-powered ferry was far out, get a load of this. Reportedly, a 132-meter long vessel will be making its maiden voyage next month, but rather than chugging copious quantities of diesel while traversing the Atlantic, it'll be sipping down fuel and receiving a good bit of help from the computer guided kite attached to its bow. The $725,000 device will be tethered to a 15-meter high mast and will fly some 300 meters above the ship in order to catch enough wind to actually aid in its movement. It's suggested that the SkySails kite propulsion system will slash fuel consumption by "up to 20-percent," saving the operator some $1,600 per day and reducing carbon emissions all the while. 'Course, all the company has to do now is make sure the January trip is a success and it'll have a list of to-be owners a mile long.

[Via Slashdot]

Although this isn't the first time we've heard "solar-powered" and "kayak" used in the same sentence, the SPK-1 does its darnedest to make us shake our heads in disbelief. This "outrigger attachment" essentially hooks onto any medium / large-sized kayak and relies on the sun to charge up the 12V deep cycle marine battery. From there, a Minkota trolling motor provides the power your kayak needs to move about in the water, leaving you with nothing better to do than kick back, enjoy a book and keep an eye on any incoming yachts. Sure, you could consider the $1,100 adornment an exemplification of indolence, but we think it's more like training wheels... only, for your kayak.

[Thanks, Rich H.]

A DIY nuke detector won't be the only oddity out in the San Francisco Bay before too long, as we're hearing that Hornblower Yachts is currently lobbying for Coast Guard approval to operate a solar-powered ferry in the area by 2009. The sails (but not the actual vessel) would be created by Australia's Solar Sailor, which already has a sun-lovin' boat that cruises around the sunny Sydney Harbor and utilizes eight solar sails to dramatically decrease its consumption of diesel. Furthermore, the firm is planning to deliver a set of sails to a ginormous passenger boat in Shanghai and could be close to landing a contract for four 100-person ferries in Hong Kong. If you're wondering just how much coin you'd have to cough up to snag a few solar sails for personal use, we're told that $1.5 million of the estimated $8.5 million reserved for the San Fran boat will be headed straight to Solar Sailor, so yeah, only the affluent need apply.

[Image courtesy of Solar Sailor]

We can imagine that quite a few of you sea-dwellers out there would love to just escape reality and cross the Atlantic on a solar-powered vessel, but for those who can't withstand a full ten minutes at sea without heading for the railing, Seakeeper feels your pain. Busting out a pair of advanced stability systems, the firm is hoping to give boaters a much smoother ride whilst crashing the waves. The 7000 Gyro system is designed for boats 35-feet and up, and quells rolling by tilting at angles determined by a connected motion sensing computer, while the simpler Stability Control system operates by replacing traditional trim tabs and controlling pitch, roll, and yaw. Unfortunately, each setup comes at a lofty price, with the Gyro 7000 ringing up at $55,000 (plus installation), and the latter costing a stiff $21,500.

[Via Gizmag]

In an interesting turn of events, it seems like the winner of Volvo's lucrative treasure hunt won't be unearthing the $50,000 treasure anytime soon, as the automaker's hunt partner (Odyssey Marine Exploration) has happened upon an actual $500 million treasure instead. The reported fortune is located somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean -- in a secretive area known only as Black Swan -- but reports are claiming that a court in the Spanish coastal town of La Linea has "issued an order for the Spanish Guardia Civil to detain any Odyssey vessel should it leave the port of Gibraltar," which has brought about an abrupt halt to Volvo's retrieval plans. Thankfully, it sounds like the Russian winner will still be awarded the dough and a new XC70 to boot, but there's no telling how long it'll be before Odyssey is able to put aside its bigger worries and dig up the (comparatively) paltry $50k.

[Via CarTechMag]