blimps
Vehicles
You Too Can Fly Away In A Your Very Own Blimp
7:52AM Matt Buchanan | You don’t need crazy parents to fly away in the atmosphere and spark a massive police search. In fact, there’s a whole subculture of backyard blimp crazies. More »
Vehicles
Buzz Aldrin Double Fists An iPhone And A Blackberry On A Blimp
10:00AM Sean Fallon | Apparently Airship Ventures’ Zeppelin Tours of San Francisco welcomed a distinguished passenger on board recently—none other than Buzz Aldrin. Apparently, the view did not take precedence over his rigorous work schedule. More »
Robots
Who Needs Nature? Festo Bionic Learning Network Builds A Better Penguin
3:00AM Jack Loftus | Festo is no stranger to autonomous robot creatures, but their latest initiative, called the Bionic Learning Network, might as well be referred to from here on out as Skynet for the animal kingdom. More »
Vehicles
Zeppelins Return to the US This Halloween, $US785 Gets You On Board
9:00AM Sean Fallon | We first learned about Airship Ventures plans to bring airship travel back to the US after a 70 year absence back in May when they secured 8 million in funding for the project. Now it appears that their dream of filling the skies with huge, slow balloons once more will become a reality this Halloween when they will embark on their first ever passenger flight. More »
Vehicles
Zeppelins Return to US, Slightly Less Flammable Now
12:30AM Wilson Rothman | A San Francisco start-up called Airship Ventures has raised US$8 million to launch its first Zeppelin this fall, for the purposes of tourism and research. The “flightseeing,” as they’re calling it, will cost a US$250 to US$500 for a spin around the Bay Area in a bonafide don’t-call-it-a-blimp Zeppelin. What’s the difference, you ask? Blimps are basically helium filled baloons with little cockpits attached. Zeppelins are usually rigid structures, larger and faster, achieving higher altitudes with better maneuverability. Before you airship nerds get all uppity, I will join you in saying that not all Zeppelins are Zeppelins (wha?)—it all boils down to the rigidity of your dirigible. Here’s a rundown of this particular model, plus an actual photo of it: More »
Robots
AquaJelly and AirJelly Robot Jellyfish At Home In the Water or the Sky
8:30AM Sean Fallon | Festo, the same company that brought us the Air Ray robot last year, have developed yet another graceful robot inspired by a creature of the sea. In fact, they have developed two versions, both based on the common jellyfish: the AquaJelly and the AirJelly. According to Festo, the AquaJelly is “an artificial autonomous jellyfish with an electric drive and an intelligent, adaptive mechanical system.” Apparently the idea is to have several of the robots autonomously working together using a communication system comprised of Zigbee short-range radio on the surface and LEDs when underwater. More info and videos after the break.
Vehicles
‘Manned Cloud’ Airship, Around the World in Three Days
6:33PM Charlie White | While I try to quell thoughts of “Oh, the humanity,” take a look at another fanciful attempt to bring back the glory days of the Zeppelin airships. This one is called the Manned Cloud, and can fly fast enough to take a round trip around the globe in three days. The 1640-square-foot craft, whose French designers say could take to the skies in a year or so, will have 60 rooms and travel at a breakneck speed of 173mph. Since this behemoth gets its lift from helium, there’s not much danger of a fiery hydrogen explosion like that ill-fated Hindenburg, so we’re thinking it might be fun to float around the world in a luxo-hotel. Of all the ideas like this, maybe this one will be the one to actually fly. [Born Rich] More »
_
