Notice (8): Trying to access array offset on value of type null [APP/View/Articles/view.ctp, line 115]
Notice (8): Trying to access array offset on value of type null [APP/View/Articles/view.ctp, line 115]
Notice (8): Trying to access array offset on value of type null [APP/View/Articles/view.ctp, line 116]

Tech Briefs (2 - 8 September 2013)

  2 min 28 sec to read

Now, Send Your Own Spacecraft to Moon for 199 Pounds
Space enthusiasts now have a unique chance to explore the solar system with their own spacecraft – just for 199 pounds! A British company plans to launch thousands of miniature probes on to the Moon, each of which can be bought for 199 pounds and personalised by the sponsor. The probes, to be launched by Pocket Spacecraft, are the size of a CD and as thin as a piece of paper. They will be released over the Earth in June 2015 and over the Moon in June 2016.Explorers can personalise their own spacecraft by adding a picture and customising the message it transmits using just their web browser. People can watch online as their Pocket Spacecraft is built in the lab and loaded into an Interplanetary CubeSat Mothership.
 
NASA may Send Sail-Powered Zephyr Rover to Venus
NASA is considering sending a sail-powered robotic rover to Venus that could use the planet’s high wind speeds and hot temperatures for exploration. The wind-sailing rover would not only be able to move around Venus, but would also have electronics inside able to withstand the temperatures of 450 degrees Celsius. The rover, nicknamed Zephyr, would spend most of its time on Venus doing analysis on the ground. However, whenever the science team wants to move some distance, it would deploy a sail that could bring it across the surface. One vision sees it sailing for about 15 minutes a day for about a month, ‘Universe Today’ reported.
 
Nissan to Sell Self-Driving Cars by 2020
Nissan Motor Co Ltd said it will be ready to bring fully self-driving vehicles to market by 2020. The Japanese automaker said it plans to offer “multiple, commercially viable” vehicles that are capable of autonomous operation without driver input. The self-driving vehicles will be sold “at realistic prices for consumers,” the company said at a media event in Irvine, California. Nissan said its goal is to offer autonomous cars “across the model range within two vehicle generations” - about 10-12 years after the projected 2020 launch. 
 
China’s Xiaomi Poaches Top Google Exec
Chinese Internet and smartphone company Xiaomi has poached Google executive Hugo Barra to help fulfill its ambition to become a global player. Barra, who was vice president of Google Android, announced his departure on his Google Plus account. He will take up his new post in October, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun wrote in a Weibo post, China’s version of Twitter. Xiaomi, which operates a version of the Android mobile platform, is China’s sixth-biggest smartphone company and is growing rapidly.

Deprecated (16384): Using key `action` is deprecated, use `url` directly instead. [CORE/Cake/View/Helper/FormHelper.php, line 383]
No comments yet. Be the first one to comment.