Lifeboat Foundation

It goes without saying that the neutralizing of underwater mines is a dangerous task – definitely one that you’d avoid sending a scuba diver to do, if at all possible. That’s why Pittsburgh-based RE2 Robotics is designing a robotic system to do the job.

Drawing on a US$9.5-million contract recently awarded by the US Office of Naval Research (ONR), RE2 will act as the systems integrator for the autonomous robotic Maritime Mine Neutralization System (M2NS).

In a nutshell, that system will consist of a set of RE2’s Sapien Sea Class robotic arms, mounted on a Defender ROV (remotely operated vehicle) manufactured by Pennsylvania-based VideoRay. M2NS will also incorporate RE2’s Detect computer vision software for locating mines, and its Intellect autonomy software for placing “neutralizing devices” on them.

WASHINGTON — Israel Aerospace Industries will debut REX MK II, its newest ground robot set to be fielded to British troops, at DSEI, the London-based defense exhibition, which begins Tuesday. IAI signed a contract with the UK in the second quarter of the calendar year and has sold the vehicle to other European countries, Rani Avni, IAI’s deputy general manager for robotics and autonomous systems, told Defense News in a Sept. 12 interview ahead of the show. He declined to identify the other countries.

Israeli defense company unveils its latest ground robot at DSEI as market for light robotic combat vehicles heats up in the European theater.

Puncture-proof tires have been an intriguing concept for many years. Tire maker, Michelin, has been working on it since 2005 and after more than a decade of work, it is now closer to reality. The company took its puncture-proof tires for a spin for the first time, on an electric vehicle, in line with the company’s goals of being more sustainable in the future.

More than three billion tires are produced annually around the world. Once beyond their lifetime, these tires usually end up in landfills. They are also at risk of catching fire and releasing toxic fumes into the atmosphere. Like with other things manmade, one way of making tires more eco-friendly is to make them out of naturally occurring material. The second is to reduce instances that cause wear and tear and render the tires useless. French tire manufacturer, Michelin, is using both these approaches to make its tires more ‘green’ in the future.

Continue reading “Michelin’s New Airless Tires Just Hit Public Streets For the First Time” »

Tesla may already have a lot of projects on its plate, but the company still appears to be exploring other projects for its product lineup in the future. Among these is a “Robo Van” that’s optimized to transport people with disabilities, among others.

References to the Tesla “Robo Van” were reportedly shared by CEO Elon Musk during the company’s recent all-hands meeting, according to individuals familiar with the topics covered in the event. Apart from the “Robo Van” being capable of transporting large numbers of people, Musk reportedly highlighted that the upcoming vehicle would be designed to address the needs of passengers with disabilities.

This suggests that the Tesla “Robo Van” would be optimized for easy ingress and egress, making it perfect for passengers who may have difficulty getting into conventional vehicles. Features such as active air suspension, similar to the one used in the Cybertruck, would be particularly useful for disabled passengers as well, as they would make it easier for items such as wheelchairs to be loaded and unloaded from the Tesla “Robo Van.”

When it comes to innovation in the auto industry, Tesla is seemingly always at the forefront. They popularized electric cars, shifting public view on them from a failed fad of the past to an essential way forward. Tesla also led the way when it came to autonomy; in late 2014 the addition of Hardware 1 to the Model S saw consumers experience levels of driver assistance previously never seen in a mass-produced car. And as Tesla grows in size they continue to invest in R & D, always looking at smarter and more efficient ways of doing things. Now it seems they have turned their attention towards windshield wipers.

Tesla has successfully patented an idea for laser windshield wipers which would remove debris from cars.

I drove 1,800 miles in a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car! Thanks to Toyota for sponsoring this video and lending us the 2021 #Mirai.

Upcoming videos in this series:
Hydrogen vs. Battery Electric.
Grid Energy Storage.
Concentrated Solar.

Continue reading “The Truth about Driving a Hydrogen Car” »

After 50 years of sporadic development, Bell thinks it can build a survivable, long-range, high-speed, VTOL aircraft adapted to tomorrow’s wars.

Powered by 36 electric jet engines, Lilium’s fifth-generation demonstrator is an example of how quickly the eVTOL revolution is moving forward.

COPENHAGEN, Sept 8 (Reuters) — The world’s largest plant that sucks carbon dioxide directly from the air and deposits it underground is due to start operating on Wednesday, the company behind the nascent green technology said.

Swiss start-up Climeworks AG, which specialises in capturing carbon dioxide directly from the air, has partnered with Icelandic carbon storage firm Carbfix to develop a plant that sucks out up to 4,000 tons of CO₂ per year.

That’s the equivalent of the annual emissions from about 790 cars. Last year, global CO2-emissions totalled 31.5 billion tonnes, according to the International Energy Agency.