Robo-Ostrich

Researchers at DARPA have recently created a robot ostrich capable of running up to 30 mph with incredible balance.

Scientists also predict the robot, named the FastRunner, may be able to reach speeds of up to 50 mph in the near future. This robo-ostrich can run on uneven surfaces like stairs or through obsticles, according to the researchers.

The FastRunner has a structure of an ostrich and runs with a single motor in each of its robotic bird legs. It also has a locking knee and springs in the legs so it runs easily and with little help from batteries. Since it runs with such little equipment inside of it, it is very lightweight and easily portable and fit for running.

Here's a picture of the robotic creature: 

The researchers who created FastRunner also say that it can handle as much weight as the material of the leg can handle because of the leg not requiring much energy to run, thanks to the springs and design.

In the near future, we could be seeing this robot increase its speed by up to 20 mph. There is also more robotic animals in developement, too, so we might see them soon.

All-in-all, I think that this concept of robot animals is kind of weird, but could help us in the long run with moving heavier objects much faster or just giving us an easy, convenient way to get around.

Nest Thermostat

Some time next month a new, high tech thermostat called "Nest", founded by Tony Fedell (creator of the iPod) will go on sale for about $250, making using thermostats a lot easier.

Nest looks like the classic Honeywell thermostat that many people may know.

Here's what it looks like:

Nest also has technology that lets it adjust itself automatically to your personal settings it can learn over time. Scientists say this is much more efficiant than adjusting it yourself because it will put it at a temperature that can save you money and be comfortable. It will glow red when heat is on and blue when AC is on.

It displays a green leaf when you turn the dial in the more efficient direction and can also shut itself off when you're not home. It does this with motion sensor that detects whether people are around or not to lower or higher the temperature accordingly.

Another great feature of Nest is that it has built in Wifi so you can control it from a smartphone, iPod app, etc.

Its' stainless steel dial also picks up the color of the wall it is mounted on so it can blend in with your house for a better looking thermostat.

Hopefully the Nest will be a great success because I honestly can see no downsides to this and believe it will overall benefit people and make their lives that much easier.

All information on Nest can be found here: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-10/ipod-creator-aims-ipod-ize-home-energy-efficiency-tech

New Supercomputer

Recently, a company called DARPA has been building a new supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Labs, which they named Jaguar, and will be ranked the number 1 biggest supercomputer by 2013.

The computer is currently ranked 3rd in the world for the biggest supercomputer, but an update in progress should make it number 1 by late 2012 or early 2013.

The updated model will have over 300,000 cores, which will make the computer extremely fast. It will make even more calculations than the current 2.3 petaflops per second. That's about 2.3 million billion calculations every second!

They believe its final speed will be 10-20 petaflops per second after the upgrade!

The scientists at Oak Ridge National Labs are using all types of modern wonders such as nuclear physics, clean energy science, and nano-scale material modeling.

All sorts of new things are being done to the computer everyday. One of those things is exploring battery chemistry to make sure the supercomputer will last as long as possible.

Here is a picture of the Jaguar:

So, when the Jaguar's update is done, hopefully we will be able to build from it and speed up all home computers and have everyone benefit from its technology.

All this information can be found here: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-10/day-life-supercomputer-oak-ridge-national-labs-jaguar-oct-25-2011