Technology
Riding in a self-driving car is not the white-knuckled, cybernetic thrill ride one might expect. The car drives like a person, and after a few minutes you forget that you’re being driven autonomously.
When looking back at 2014’s biggest moments, don’t forget to take a look at the biggest innovations in science. From monumental gains in space exploration to DNA and ancient dinosaurs, intrepid intellectuals made great discoveries. RT’s Lindsay France has more.
The self-driving, goofy-looking car with no steering wheel or pedals that Google revealed in May is now “fully functional” and should start testing on public roads next month, the tech giant says. Over the past seven months, Google has made a series of prototypes, testing different aspects of the design, from steering and braking to the sensors and software that brings it all together. The result, it says, is “our first complete prototype for fully autonomous driving.”
The question many people have been asking since the first hours passed, is how can an airliner go missing again after Malaysia Airlines Flight 370?
Radar only extends so far. Most of us landlubbers understand that air traffic controllers typically use radar to monitor a flight’s progress. That’s all very well over land. But radar also has a limited range, and you can’t put a radar station in the middle of the ocean.
While we’re “debating” torture, access to basic health care and the veracity of climate change, the rest-of-the-world is simply advancing transformational infrastructure like you would not believe. In Switzerland, the world’s longest rail tunnel — straight through the Alps — is about to open. Italy now boasts Europe’s fastest high-speed train — capable of speeds up to 400 km/h (249 mph) — that will cut travel times between Rome and Milan — about the distance between Washington, D.C. and Providence — to two hours and some change. Meanwhile, Amtrak still has no concrete plan — and no government support — to bring true high-speed rail to our most densely-populated, north-south corridor. Our “high-speed” Acela train runs slower than most “regional” trains in Europe and Asia.
A new laser instrument developed for the International Space Station is expected to generate incredible 3D maps of Earth’s forests. The instrument called Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) uses lidar, a special kind of laser technology, to create detailed 3D maps and measure the biomass of forests.
Space technology this year reached some important goals, culminating with the spectacular landing of a space probe on a comet, millions of kilometers from Earth. But there were some setbacks, too. This video shows some of the highlights and lowlights.
“We don’t have the Harry Potter invisibility cloak yet. However, we’re closing in and we now realize that it’s well within the laws of physics.”
The THRIVE Movement has received over 500 breakthrough projects in the past three years, both technological and social innovations. This excerpt from the ThriveTogether event describes the potential for Open Source and 3D printing in getting new energy technologies out to the world.
Microsoft announced Monday a new step toward real-time translation, launching a Spanish-English test program using its Skype messaging service.
Scientists have created a smart prosthetic skin that’s stretchy and warm like real skin, and is jammed with tiny sensors that can pick up a variety of environmental cues such as heat, pressure and moisture.
Dr. Michio Kaku discusses economics, technology, and our abundant future in this full video presentation of a lecture he gave.
Abby Martin discusses some of the top revolutionary public transportation ideas that could be implemented in the US.
The Antikythera Mechanism has had scholars scratching their heads over how the Greeks managed to build a mechanical computer a hundred years before the birth of Christ and thousands of years before anything similar.
