Think you could keep pace with Cornell's Ranger robot? Just last week, the robot walker set an unofficial world record by trotting nonstop for 45 laps (that's 5.6 miles, for those counting) around the university's Barton Hall running track. After reaching that mark, the creature presumably fell over from battery exhaustion, but the team of creators are investigating to find out the exact reason it finally collapsed. Although Guinness officials weren't involved due to too much "rigmarole," the team has quite a bit to be proud of -- after all, an earlier version of the creature only made it 0.62 miles before calling it a day. Aside from garnering bragging rights, the crew is hoping to use Ranger to better understand the "mechanics of walking," which could be used to improve rehabilitation procedures or even athletic performance.

[Via Physorg]

It was but two years ago that we all sat in awe of IBM's beautiful 280.6-teraflop masterpiece, and it's finally safe to call that workhorse a thing of the past. Today, Big Blue announced the second-generation of its famed supercomputer (dubbed Blue Gene/P), which reportedly comes close to "tripling the performance of its predecessor." In an attempt to showcase its might, IBM suggested that 27 million clinical trials could be computed "in just one afternoon using a sliver of its full power." Additionally, the engineers went the extra mile by crafting a highly scalable system that comes in "at least seven times more energy efficient than any other supercomputer," but we're sure those 294,912 processors (each touting four PowerPC 450 CPUs) can churn through some energy when utilizing the whole petaflop. And just think, Sun probably thought the 500 or so teraflop production from its forthcoming Ranger would be the (momentary) top dog.

Read - IBM's Blue Gene/P, via CNET
Read - Sun's Ranger, via Wired

If you've ever played a round of Team Fortress as a medic, you know how rough it is out there on the battlefield, and having cutting-edge medical gear makes everyone's life a lot easier. Verathon is looking to assist medically trained soldiers in the field handle throat injuries with its GlideScope Ranger, which enables easy viewing of the endotracheal tube, larynx, and vocal cords. The video laryngoscope provides a "clear, real time view of a patient's airway for fast intubations in military / emergency settings," and boasts a "Cormack-Lehane grade I or II view 99 percent of the time." Able to withstand the most extreme conditions, this portable device touts an "easy learning curve," so the operator should have no trouble seeing the less-than-pleasant issue(s) on the "non-glare monitor." The unit also sports an anti-fogging camera, "50 to 60 degree viewing angle" (so the whole platoon can get an eyeful), and the ability to perform 20 intubations on a single battery charge. Unsurprisingly, the GlideScope Ranger was crafted by a Vietnam veteran, and while we aren't sure if these will be made available to us common citizens, you might get lucky at your local PX.

[Via MedGadget]