Hovercraft
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Kalashnikov's next military gear might be hoverbikes
Popular Mechanics reports that a Russian defense company has developed a flying vehicle that took to the air earlier this week as manufacturers demonstrated what it can do. The hovercraft, built by Kalashnikov Concern, gets its lift from 16 sets of rotors and appears to run on battery power, not fuel. It's likely that a future version of this vehicle might be used by military as Kalashnikov is already involved in the production of guns and ammunition as well as combat vehicles and automated gun systems.
ICYMI: Password via voice recognition, drone delivery & more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-271554{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-271554, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-271554{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-271554").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Customers at the Netherlands ING Bank can now check their account balance by saying "my voice is my password." A delivery company named Workhorse is testing out a parcel delivery service with drones, from a base at the tops of delivery vans. And Microsoft researchers have outlined how to record content viewable with HoloLens and a very odd assortment of characters are ready to entertain you.
Russia's amphibious UAV is equal parts plane and hovercraft
Flying an unmanned aerial vehicle isn't usually the hard part, getting it on and off the ground is. But thanks to the addition of an all-terrain hovercraft skirt, the Russian Federation's newest hybrid UAV will be able land and launch virtually any surface --from snow and sand to lakes and waterways, even stone-riddled roadways strewn with pebbles up to about 8 inches tall -- all while riding a protective cushion of air.
The Big Picture: Creating technology with amphibious ambitions
The first practical hovercraft, the Saunders Roe SRN1, was designed by Sir Christopher Cockerell. The first trials took place 55 years ago to the week, near the Isle of White, UK. The Saunders Roe SRN1 experimental hovercraft above is shown floating on the Thames near Westminster. The new transport technology was so unusual at the time, the BBC reports it was often referred to as a "man-made flying saucer." [Image credit: Getty Images]
Bubba Watson's hovercraft golf cart available now for $58k, that's one dollar for every jealous comment
When we first saw the BW1 golf cart hovercraft, it's fair to say we were excited. But now -- if you've got burdensome disposable income -- you can buy one for yourself. If you're willing to drop the requisite $58,000, you can cruise the fairway (not to mention the rough and water obstacles) in a BW1 of your very own. It comes complete with a 65-hp twin-cylinder Hirth engine and a streamlined, sound minimizing fan that promises enough power to reach 45 mph and ferry two golfers plus caddies between holes. So, it may not be for those still improving their technique, but for the swinger that's got everything, it's the perfect ride for your trip to the floating golf course.
Oakley gives Bubba Watson a hovercraft to replace his golf cart (video)
While there's plenty of tech to improve your swing, the golf course itself doesn't see too much innovation which is why this attention-grab from Oakley and Bubba Watson is even more enjoyable. The audacious golfer decided that he was tired of pootling around courses in a golf buggy, so his new sponsors enlisted the help of Neoteric Hovercraft to build him a whip that isn't restricted to the cart path. In fact, with the BW1 hovercraft, Watson can take shortcuts across water hazards and through sand traps while shaded under the traditional golf buggy canopy -- making it the perfect ride for the eccentric 2012 Masters winner. If you'd like to see the other golfers stare in slack-jawed disbelief, then head on past the break for the video.
Visualized: DeLorean hovercraft cruises around McCovey Cove, wins the internet
What do you get when you multiply a crazy Make project with a Kickstarter fund? You get the answer to our childhood dreams, that's what.
Video: Scarpar off-road powerboard absolutely must go commercial
Hoverboards? Too complicated, too far out and too expensive. What the world really needs is the Scarpar. Said device is an off-road powerboard that just moved on from the concept stage to engineering. Its creators have thrown together an absolutely sick video (after the break) which showcases all the possibilities, and now all that's left is for those very folks to procure a good bit of venture funding to get things moving. Take it from us, VCers -- hit these guys up, now.
How-to build your own wireless, autonomous hovercraft
So to be clear right off the bat, this is not the type of hovercraft that you might commute to work or class in, but rather a small RC version more suitable for transporting babies or adorable pets. That being said, Instructables user bradpowers has posted step-by-step guide for the ambitious modder to build his or her very own remotely-controlled or autonomous 'craft, from constructing the frame to assembling the lift and propulsion systems to setting up the onboard PIC. Definitely not a project for the easily distracted, however, a successful build will surely make you the delight of neighborhood children for blocks in every direction. Check out a video of the little guy in action after the break.
WoW Future-Vision: Express train to the level cap
The year is 2012. WoW fans are excitedly awaiting the game's 5th expansion, Revenge of the Gnomes, which brings two new races to the game (Sporeggar and Goblins, at last!), as well as a new class (the Tinker), and a slew of other features. As everyone knows, this is the expansion where the gnomes finally take back Gnomeregan from the troggs, pushing them back all the way into the "Undergloom," a vast and ancient network of caverns beneath Azeroth. Of course, the gnomes also accidentally stumble upon the long-buried prison of the Old Gods and unleash unbridled havoc on the World of Warcraft, but that's where the fun is, right?I could go on and on about the new features included in Revenge of the Gnomes, but I'm sure you've heard about most of them already (like the subterranean hovercraft group-mounts and blue-pill, red-pill potions for alchemy). Suffice it to say that the feature everyone is most excited about is that the level cap is once again being raised another 10 levels, to a grand total of 110. Like everyone else, you're probably wondering how in the world (of Warcraft) are you going to level your new Goblin Tinker character all the way through those tedious levels of 1 to 100? Everyone wants to try out the new content, but no one wants to slave away through Stranglethorn Vale for the 48th time. To complicate things further, Blizzard still doesn't want to add any more 1-60 quests in the lower-level zones (not to mention any of the Outland, Northrend, Emerald Dream, or Great Sea Expansion zones)! Fortunately, though, Blizzard's got what you need! Are you prepared for the "/level" command?
Hovercraft helicopter hybrid UAV attracts interest of US military
Geoff Hatton, a British engineer that previously worked on hovercraft designs, has designed an unmanned aerial vehicle that has attracted the interest of the US military and its very healthy budget allocation. The design is based around the melding of a hovercraft with a helicopter, and manages to take some of the best characteristics of each. For one thing, the saucer shaped UAV can fly high in the air (unlike a hovercraft) but also doesn't have a large rotor blade (unlike a helicopter.) The concept takes advantage of the "coanda effect" -- which says that a fluid will tend to stay attached to a convex surface -- with control surfaces at the base of the UFO-like vehicle used to alter the course of the UAV. One of the main reasons that the military is interested is that the design means there's much less of a problem with collisions because the rotor isn't as big or as exposed on other reconnaissance vehicles, although Geoff points out that there are "a lot of prospects besides the military": because civilians can be klutzes when it comes to unmanned aerial vehicles too.[Via The Raw Feed]
