An airport for flying cars will thrust the English city of Coventry into the future later this year, with a project aimed at demonstrating how air taxis will work in urban centers.
Tag Archives: Technology
Analysis: How America Can Build & Run A 100% Clean Electric Grid (Video)
The U.S. electric grid is outdated. Designed for a world that runs on fossil fuels, our grid needs some major tech upgrades in order to transition to a more distributed, all-renewable system. That means smart, internet connected hardware working in tandem with advanced data analytics software to ensure that supply and demand are balanced, even when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.
High-Speed Transport: ‘Hyperloop TT vs Virgin’
Seven years after Elon Musk first challenged innovators to develop a functioning hyperloop system, Richard Branson-backed Virgin Hyperloop and Hyperloop TT are in a race to bring the high-speed transportation technology into the real world. Photo illustration: George Downs
Science & Wildlife: ‘The Bird Genoscape Project’
Billions of birds migrate annually across the Western Hemisphere… but if we don’t know where they go when they leave their breeding grounds, how can we protect them? By extracting DNA from individual feathers (and borrowing cutting-edge technology from the Human Genome Project) scientists can map bird migration with greater precision than ever before. The result is the Bird Genoscape Project, and it’s revolutionizing bird conservation by connecting migratory birds – and the people who care about them – across the Americas. This work was funded by the National Geographic Society. Learn more at http://www.natgeo.org.
Analysis: The Size And Scope Of ‘Google’ (video)
No other tech firm in history has managed to infiltrate and influence daily life to the same insane extent as search giant Google. The Californian company’s impact on how we work, play, and settle drunken arguments is so well documented it more or less goes without saying. What’s perhaps less well understood is just how vast the company has grown, since deciding it wasn’t satisfied simply being everybody’s omniscient online know-it-all. So today we’re on the search for just what this modern-day behemoth actually does and asking the question – how big is Google?
Technology Podcast: Einstein’s Photons, Lasers And Cheaper Solar Power
How has Einstein’s work on photons ushered in a golden age of light? Oliver Morton, The Economist’s briefings editor, explores why laser’s applications have been spectacular and how solar power became the cheapest source of electricity in many countries.
Also, he talks to the scientists scanning the skies with the largest digital camera in the world.
Covid Prevention: ‘Smart Technology At CES 2021’
At this year’s virtual tech megashow, gadgets to protect you from Covid-19 are all the rage. But do you need a connected mask and a personal air purifier? What about a doorbell that takes your temperature? WSJ’s Joanna Stern checks out this new gear—from her basement. Photo illustration: Preston Jessee for The Wall Street Journal
Work Innovation: ‘2021 Nissan Office Pod Van’
The Nissan Office Pod is more than a workstation: it’s a fully mobile van with just enough creature comforts to make a day at the office feel like a quiet vacation.
The van, a Nissan NV350 Caravan, features an office desk and chair, though it can slide in and out of the back of the van, giving workers an open-air working experience when it’s extended. It stows away inside when needed.
On top of the Office Pod is a balcony that’s accessible from the interior. Official video show off a large lounge space, a patio recliner, and a sizable umbrella. The van also features a golf ball-like exterior with a scallop-like pattern along its sides, which sits above the slightly widened fender extensions.
2021 Tech: Digital Health, Household Automation & Transportation AI (Video)
Top technology at all-digital CES 2021.
Technology Podcast: Covid “Growth”, Magnetic Tape & Herbal Remedies
Covid-19 has catalysed scientific advancement and boosted technological optimism. Could innovation be the answer to decades of slowing growth in Western countries? Also, why magnetic tape still reigns supreme in “cold” data storage. And how effective are traditional herbal remedies at treating tropical diseases?