| US Navy deploys SeaFox submarines to Persian Gulf for universal mine control Jul 16th 2012, 16:49  Tasked with mine detection and eradication in the Persian Gulf, the US Navy has sent a fleet of unmanned submarines to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open in Iran. Dubbed the SeaFox, each vehicle houses an underwater TV camera, sonar and a dose of explosives. Tipping the scales at less than 100 pounds, the subs are about four feet in length and are controlled via fiber optic cable that sends the live feed back to the captain of each ship. SeaFoxes can dive to depths of 300 meters and boasts a top speed of six knots. The units are thrust into action from helicopters, small rubber boats and off the rear of minesweepers and are capable of disposing of the aforementioned weapons of both the floating and drifting sort. There is one small catch: the $100,000 submarine destroys itself in the process, making each successful trek a suicide mission of sorts. Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Robots US Navy deploys SeaFox submarines to Persian Gulf for universal mine control originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 12:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  The Register, Business Insider |  LA Times | Email this | Comments | | Into the wild: cultivating the next generation of American scientists with Project Aether Jul 16th 2012, 16:00  At first it was faint -- a blurry smear bisecting the sky above, running roughly north to south and flanked by a second, even more indistinct line to the west. Soon, though, both lines began to change, coalescing and intensifying into bright green streaks impossible to miss and difficult to ignore. As the night began to expire and the morning matured, those lines grew brighter and brighter and then, without warning, they started to dance. Numbing feet and chilly fingers forgotten, bundled-up onlookers looked skyward to gasp and laugh out loud as the evergreen, spectral curtains far above began to waver and move, blown by a fickle celestial wind. Waves traveled from north to south and back as the luminescent lines above twisted, forming glowing knots of purple and red before slowly spreading out, covering the night sky in green, bright enough that even the snow-colored landscape glowed like an emerald wonderland. Gradually, the motion stopped and slowed, seeming to stall in the sky above, exhausted before -- encore; the heavenly dance began anew. Continue reading Into the wild: cultivating the next generation of American scientists with Project Aether Filed under: Misc. Gadgets Into the wild: cultivating the next generation of American scientists with Project Aether originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |
