The future that was predicted in Hollywood flicks like Star Wars, Star Trek and Iron-Man is finally here. From gravity defining Jetpacks to Super speed Hover-bikes, the technology is on the brink of a major breakthrough in redefining the ways we travel and communicate.
Jet Pack International
Jet Pack International are making great progress in jetpack technology H202 and H202-Z jetpacks. As the name suggests, both the H202 and H202-Z are hydrogen peroxide-fueled jetpacks that will allow users to fly at up to 77 miles per hour at a maximum height of 250 feet.
So far though, the higher-capacity H202-Z is only capable of a maximum flight time of 33 seconds and a maximum travel distance of 3,300 feet.
Aerofex Aero-X
If you are a Star Wars fan, the Aerofex Aero-X, a real-life model of the Star Wars speeder bike, is definitely something you will wish to keep your eyes on. This Aero-X is the result of more than 15 years of R&D.
Powered by a water-cooled 240 hp engine and two large rotors, the Aero-X can hover at a height of 12 feet and at speeds of up to 45 miles per hour. It can also carry up to 310 pounds. Just think of the potential of this amazing tech.
Also, as a result of this extensive research and development period, Aerofex claims to have overcome the dangerous coupling effect that can arise due to using two rotors, ensuring that the Aero-X will be safe and easy to control.
Prosthetics with a sense of touch
In March 2013, Denis Aabo Sorensen had the privilege of testing a new kind of prosthetic hand, created by a team of European engineers and scientists. Unlike the conventional prosthetics, the new prosthetic hand connects directly to the remaining nerves in Denis’ upper arm. This means that the “hand” has a sense of touch and is actually controllable.
Blindfolded tests confirmed that Denis was indeed able to differentiate between different items such as a bottle, a baseball and a mandarin orange. It also could exert different levels of pressure, allowing Denis to touch, hold or grab onto something.
TALOS: The Iron Man Suit
TALOS stands for Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, a combat suit that the US Army is hoping, will become a reality within the next four years. The TALOS provides ballistic, shock and fire protection for Special Ops soldiers.
The target is to provide these soldiers with better, more mobile and more versatile protection suits than what currently exists. The development of the TALOS suit will be a collaborative effort between universities, government agencies and corporations. There is also the goal of testing a complete working prototype by August 2018.
Titan Arm
The Titan Arm is the idea of a team from the University of Pennsylvania, and is a strength-enhancing upper-body exoskeleton that will assist you in lifting an extra 40 pounds. It’s a far cry from the Powerloader we see and love in the Alien films but the Titan Arm was designed with a more humble goal in mind.
The Titan Arm is built to help rehabilitate people who have suffered from serious arm injuries and strokes as well as provide some extra strength and protection to anyone who lifts heavy objects for a living.
To keep costs low, the Titan Arm uses 3D printing techniques allowing the prototype development costing to be reduced to £1200. The fact that the developers gained extra funding by winning the 2013 James Dyson Award, means that the Titan Arm may just become a commonplace sight in the near future.
Super Maglev Train
Chinese researchers have recently been studying into the next phase of train transportation, beyond even Maglev technology.
China and Japan already have very fast Maglev trains that are capable of reaching over 260 miles per hour, but the new next-gen Maglev technology, dubbed as super Maglev, will apparently be even faster. Researchers claim that such enclosed-tube Maglev systems could see trains reaching speeds of up to 1800 miles per hour. Simply Outstanding!
Cave2
Cave2 is a hybrid reality environment that enables artists, scientists and engineers become fully immersed in their research. The Cave2 is a 360° wraparound structure carrying 72 LCD panels, a 20-speaker surround sound system and a 10-camera optical motion tracking system.
With 3D glasses, scientists and engineers will actually be able to virtually experience and move through anything of their choice, whether it is the human body or planets in the solar system. The Cave2 holds an immense amount of potential, especially for situations involving large amounts of data requiring visualization.
3D Printed Food
3D printing has taken the world by storm, and slowly but surely people are being taken over by the idea that it’s for more than just gadgets. Food is also something that can be easily 3D printed. The German company, Biozoon, is harnessing the powers of 3D printing to create seneoPro, a range of 3D-printable powder mixtures that solidifies when printed but also very quickly melts when eaten. The main target for this new 3D-printable food are elderly patients who suffer from dysphagia, or the inability to swallow.
High Power Wireless Charging
Wireless charging, up until now, meant charging via a pad, rather than via wires and cables. But if you ask the team from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, wireless charging can also be done from a distance.
The team recently demonstrated a prototype of a newly developed Dipole Coil Resonant System (DCRS) that can wirelessly power devices up to 15 feet away. The DCRS system achieves this feat using a magnetic field, and is apparently powerful enough to charge up to 40 mobile phones, and can even power larger devices, like a TV.
StoreDot Fast Charging Battery
StoreDot, a ground-breaking nanotechnology company, recently unveiled a prototype for the next-generation battery that harnesses all their knowledge of nanotechnology and energy storage technologies. StoreDot uses bio-organic “nanodots” that have increased electrode capacitance and electrolyte performance.
The science is a bit complex, but the outcome is simple: as a result of these nanodots, the battery can be fully charged in only 30 seconds.