PopSci is running an excellent series on the Physics of Superheroes.
Monthly Archives: February 2008
Climbing robots
Researchers working for USA’s DARPA have created RiSE, a robot that can climb a whole variety of different surfaces.
Flames in space
Everyone knows that hot air rises; candle flames point up.
But what if there’s no “up”?
In space, flames form tiny balls, and can break apart and move around!
Powered by knees
Max Donelan at Canada’s Simon Fraser University has developed a system that attaches to the knees of the wearer and provides about 5W of power, enough to power an iPod and speakers.
Unfortunately this means that if you stop walking, so does your iPod.
5200mm lens
See that tiny blob on the right-hand side of the lens below? That’s a standard SLR camera!
Canon’s 5200mm lens weighs 99kg and can be used to take photographs of objects “between 18 and 32 miles away”!