http://www.technobeta.com The Brighter Side of Technology! Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:28:33 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en A new prototype known as the ChemBot may take the trend of making robots more like living organisms in a very interesting new direction.  The ChemBot - which has already caught the eye of DARPA and the U.S. Army - resembles a ball of goo that can grow, shrink, and ... http://www.technobeta.com/?p=380 Humanity, while still relatively new to space, needed little time to foul it up.  The area surrounding our planet is full of dead satellites, lost wrenches, and other crap that make it much harder for new missions to succeed.  But some robots may fix that in about four years. It's no ... http://www.technobeta.com/?p=378 Modern space travel seems horribly boring compared to the stuff portrayed in a lot of science fiction; we can't even get astronauts to nearby planets in a reasonable amount of time.  But tests on a plasma rocket that would speed things up are going well. Let's use a mission to Mars ... http://www.technobeta.com/?p=376 When other people play their music too loud, offended bystanders always have one thing to fall back on: the knowledge that the inconsiderate bastards are going deaf.  But the EU may try to save those idiots from themselves by introducing a law to limit MP3 player volumes. Meglena Kuneva, European Commissioner ... http://www.technobeta.com/?p=374 Hard drives have an unfortunate habit of filling up.  Then there's the issue of accessing the data, which always seems to take too long.  Seagate's taking a crack at solving those problems, however, with the release of the Barracuda XT. The Barracuda XT is being advertised as "the world's fastest, largest-capacity ... http://www.technobeta.com/?p=372 If you've ever had trouble accessing the Internet or moving information from one place to another within your home or business, due to either distance or to transfer rates, a new development should of interest.  The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Board has ratified the IEEE 802.11n-2009 amendment. According ... http://www.technobeta.com/?p=370 Unfortunately, medical technology hasn't yet made immortal androids of us all.  So it may be of some slight comfort to you to know that, even if you lose the use of your legs at some point, a darn cool wheelchair is in the works. A concept electric wheelchair designated "Universal Vehicle ... http://www.technobeta.com/?p=368 There are, aside from the usual cruelty- and health-related concerns, a couple of problems with Tasers: namely that they have a limited range and are yet another piece of equipment for armed persons to carry.  But a new form of ammunition for shotguns may address both of those issues. Rachel Williams ... http://www.technobeta.com/?p=366 Okay, folks.  Anybody remember the human-form Replicators from the "Stargate" shows?  Here's a bit of news that may have you trying to construct some of the protagonists' special anti-Replicator weapons: IBM would like to use DNA as a sort of framework for microchips. Scientists at IBM's Almaden Research Center and the ... http://www.technobeta.com/?p=363 Night vision isn't really a change-the-world technology; for people who aren't soldiers (or criminals), it might, at best, help with sleepover games or home defense paranoia.  But when it works well, it has a sort of innate "cool factor," and it looks like we've reached a point at which decent ... http://www.technobeta.com/?p=361