Lifeboat Foundation

Robot armies could soon account for up to one third of all vehicles currently in service. Learn about robot armies and robot army development.

Researchers at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have developed a new type of self-assembling mobile micromachine that can be programmed to assemble into different formations — ranging from a tiny car to a miniature rocket. Here’s what’s next for the project.

One of the coolest electric conversions we have ever seen, an old-school VW Bug powered by Tesla batteries, is being given away for a good cause.

Zelectric, a California-based company specializing in electric conversion, has equipped a 1958 VW Bug with their conversion kit, including an electric motor and Tesla battery modules.

Continue reading “You can win this Tesla-powered old-school VW Bug” »

The cold fusion dream lives on: NASA is developing cheap, clean, low-energy nuclear reaction (LENR) technology that could eventually see cars, planes, and homes powered by small, safe nuclear reactors.

When we think of nuclear power, there are usually just two options: fission and fusion. Fission, which creates huge amounts of heat by splitting larger atoms into smaller atoms, is what currently powers every nuclear reactor on Earth. Fusion is the opposite, creating vast amounts of energy by fusing atoms of hydrogen together, but we’re still many years away from large-scale, commercial fusion reactors. (See: 500MW from half a gram of hydrogen: The hunt for fusion power heats up.)

Continue reading “NASA’s cold fusion tech could put a nuclear reactor in every home, car, and plane” »

China’s first hydrogen car is a tale of exaggeration.

Robocars need to park sometimes, and find places to drop off and pick up passengers. The vast array of rules for public and private parking and pick-up spaces is more complex than the rules of the road, so a public and private mapping system is called for.

Autonomous driving company Waymo has launched its tie-in with Lyft, using a “handful” of vehicles to pick up riders in its Phoenix testing zone, per CNBC. To be eligible, Lyft users requesting a ride have to be doing a trip that both starts and ends in the area of Phoenix that it’s already blocked for for its own autonomous testing.

The number of cars on the road is less than 10, since Waymo plans to eventually expand to 10 total for this trial but isn’t there yet. Those factors combined mean that the number of people who’ll get this option probably isn’t astronomical, but when they are opted in, they’ll get a chance to decide whether to go with the autonomous option via one of Waymo’s vans (with a safety driver on board) or just stick with a traditional Lyft.

Waymo and Lyft announced their partnership back in May, and the company still plans to continue operating its own Waymo One commercial autonomous ride-hailing service alongside the Lyft team-up.

They used to call it RoboBee—a flying machine half the size of a paperclip that could flap its pair of wings 120 times a second. It was always tethered to a power source, limiting its freedom. Now, though, RoboBee becomes RoboBee X-Wing, as Harvard researchers have added solar cells and an extra pair of wings, freeing the robot to blast off to a galaxy far, far away. Or at least partway across the room, as it can sustain flight for only half a second, and only indoors.

But hey, baby steps. The teeniest of quadrotors measure a few inches across and weigh a third of an ounce. RoboBee X-Wing is about the same size as those untethered fliers, but weighs a hundredth of an ounce, which earns it the distinction of being the lightest aerial vehicle to manage sustained untethered flight. One day that could make it ideal for navigating tight, sensitive spaces in a galaxy very, very near.

Continue reading “What Could Possibly Be Cooler Than RoboBee? RoboBee X-Wing” »

Tesla and the electric cars they produce are renowned for their sleek design and high tech capabilities. There is currently a saloon car (Model S), a budget version (Model 3), an SUV (Model X) and of course, the famous Roadster model which was launched into space by Elon Musk himself. There’s also a mid-sized car which is planned to be released later this year — the model Y, which is in between an S and an X. So, what’s missing from this luxury vehicle line-up? A pickup truck, of course! Tesla’s got that covered as well!

The latest Tesla model that Elon Musk has revealed is an electric pickup truck. Currently, it’s just a rumor and there has been no leak of the design or any details about this truck. That said, there is no shortage of speculation and many people seem to have their own opinions on the appearance of the new Tesla truck. However, one thing that is known is Tesla’s are expensive. Not only the design but the interior and the technology they scream luxury and offer amazing comfort. They are arguably some of the best electric vehicles on the market today but costs can run upwards of $100,000 for the latest models.

So, as anyone would expect, the new pickup truck was predicted to cost in the region of high five-, maybe even low six-figures. However, the price range has been revealed and it’s shocked everyone — apart from the Model 3, this could be one of the cheapest Tesla cars ever produced.