1,000 Mph Bloodhound All Set To Break Land Speed Record

Four wheels, 7.5 tonnes, 135,000 horsepower! Science, technology, engineering and Maths are all set to inspire a generation by breaking the world land speed record.
The current land speed world record is 763 mph, set by the ThrustSSC. The pioneer of the ThrustSSC, Richard Noble, now aims bigger and higher by becoming part of the Bloodhound project. The project, actually, started as a venture to get students more involved in engineering pursuits.

This 14m long engineering beauty is a blend of car and aircraft technology. The front half is a carbon fibre  monocoque like a racing car, while the back half is inspired from an aircraft and comprises of metallic frame and panels.


The Bloodhound uses three different methods of propulsion including a hybrid rocket, Eurojet EJ200 jet engine and an 800 BHP V12 engine. The force created is 50,000 G. The rocket will scream at around 180 decibels, louder than a 747, and the temperature inside the rocket will reach around 3,000 °C, twice as hot as inside a volcano. This gives you the slightest idea of how big this engineering challenge is. To add more to the astounding features of the car, if it were shot straight up into the air, it would reach an altitude of 25000ft.

The vehicle plans to hit speeds of 1,000 mph on a South African plain sometime next year. And we are sure, it will be one hell of a sight to see it break the land speed record.

NASA releases design for a warp drive ship

NASA releases design for a warp drive ship
As some of you may have heard, scientists at NASA’s Johnson Space Center are working on warp technology (did your little Trekkie heart just skip a beat?).

Alcubierre warp drive via Anderson Institute

In 1994, physicist Miguel Alcubierre proposed a new kind of technology that would allow us to travel 10 times faster than the speed of light without actually breaking the speed of light. Sound confusing? Well, the Alcubierre drive does not actually propel the ship to speeds exceeding light; instead, it uses the deformation of spacetime permitted by General Relativity to warp the universe  around the vessel. Essentially, when the drive is activated the spacetime behind expands, while in the front it contracts. In this respect, the path taken becomes a time-like free-fall.

In 2010, NASA physicist Harold White revealed that he and a team were working on a design for this faster-than-light ship, and he’s created a new, more realistic design of what such a ship might actually look like. As you can see in the image, the ship rests between two enormous rings, which create the warp bubble.

Image via Mark Rademaker

Artist Mark Rademaker worked on the project with White. In the release, Rademaker asserts that he spent over 1,600 hours working on the design.
The ship is called the IXS Enterprise, and it is meant to fit the concept for a Faster Than Light ship. Mike Okuda also brought input, and designed the Ship’s insignia. To give you some idea of just how awesome warp technology would be: A trip to the nearest star (Proxima Centauri), which rests some four light-years from Earth, would ordinarily take over 17,000 years. However, with the Alcubierre drive, it would take a little under five months. For those of us who have a mental breakdown on 10 hour plane flights, 5 months might still seem like quite a bit of travel time.
But when we are talking about the vast cosmic distances between Earth and Proxima Centauri, a 5 month trip would be an achievement of monumental proportions (keep in mind, it took Curiosity 8 months just to reach Mars).

Star Trek fans get hyped as scientists at NASA’s Johnson Space Center have just unveiled a design for a warp drive ship. NASA scientist and Advanced Propulsion Team Lead Harold White revealed that he was investigating if a warp drive ship could travel faster than light and if so, how can we build one.

[photo credit]

In 1994, physicist Miguel Alcubierre proposed a method of warping space-time in his paper titled, “The Warp Drive: Hyper-Fast Travel Within General Relativity,”  The idea is not to propel the ship faster than light, but to expand space time behind it, which subsequently would contract space time at the front of the ship. This decreases the time it takes to travel a distance enormously  and the method is said to be valid within Einsten’s General Relativity.
Now White has teamed up with artist Mark Rademaker to produce some stunning concept design images to imagine what the craft would look like. Spending over 1600 hours, Rademaker has produced some beautiful renders of the ship dubbed the IXS Enterprise – of course!

[photo credit]

So, how fast would it go. White says that the ship could travel at 10 times the speed of light and reach the nearest star Alpha Centauri in just in under 5 months. Alpha Centauri sits 4 lightyears away from Earth and at today’s speeds, it would take us 17,000 years to get there! It took Curiosity 8 months to reach Mars.
The images show the ship sitting between two enormous rings which would be responsible for the expansion and contraction of space time. A ‘warp bubble’ is generated that moves space-time around the craft. “Remember, nothing locally exceeds the speed of light, but space can expand and contract at any speed,” White told reporters.

[photo credit]

However, calculations found that a ridiculous amount of energy is required for the warp drive, something around the mass-energy of the planet Jupiter (what is 1.9 × 10²⁷ kilograms or 317 Earth masses) and hence, the idea was brushed aside. However, White says that the key to making it possible is by altering the geometry of the ship and has already worked on designs that reduce the amount of energy required.
- See more at: http://interestingengineering.com/nasa-releases-design-for-a-warp-drive-ship/#sthash.fBTGrGPW.dpuf

Coca Cola Introduces A Cooler That Doesn’t Need Electricity To Chill Your Drink

Welcome to Colombia where in the town of Aipir, the temperature averages in at 45ºC. One would believe that to survive in such a hot town, electricity must be a basic necessity that has been provided to all the residents; you are wrong. The town folks, broadly speaking, do not have access to electricity or at least access to reliable supply of it. There goes your idea of grabbing an ice cold beverage from the fridge.
However, this was the case until Coca Cola and the Leo Burnett Colombia advertising agency decided to do something about it and have, as a result, introduced a gadget known as ‘Bio Cooler’, which is capable of chilling cans of Coke without employing electricity. Another collaborator in this project is the International Physics Centre in Bogota.
A short video has been released by the Leo Burnett ad agency, which talks about this particular gadget and how it works by employing 2 methods; the first method involves a compartment which is located on top of the gadget and contains plants and soil whereas the Coke cans are placed in a chamber below. Once the plants are watered; most of the water gets evaporated resulting in a cooling effect on the chamber down below.
The second method that has been incorporated involves using the heat from sun and a mirror to convert a gas (unnamed so far) into liquid and the cooling effect by liquid’s circulation around the chamber is harnessed.
Coca Cola has recently also introduced 16 new caps for its bottles that will allow you to see recycling as a whole new thing for Vietnam. It would seem that Coca Cola is targeting a specific audience and designing gadgets as per the audience’s needs and requirements.

 

20 Cool Gadgets

20 Cool Gadgets

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£320 million floating island in the Maldives

The floating islands are part of a joint project that many hope will be the solution to the impending environmental crisis the islands could face over the next 50 years.

Thanks to climate change and the forecast of increasing sea levels, the Maldives — which are now only one and a half metres above sea level — could one day be totally submerged.

The project is a joint venture between the Maldivian government and Dutch Docklands, a Holland-based firm that specializes in building everything from floating prisons to floating conference and hotel complexes and homes.

The 5 Lagoons Project — 80 million square feet — will include: a private islands project with $10 million villas; a floating 18-hole golf course with an undersea tunnel; a conference complex and hotel; 185 $1-million waterfront homes connected along a flower-shaped quay as well as a separate floating island with homes for residents of Malé, the country’s capital.

The first phase of the $1-billion project will go on sale later this year with other parts of the development to be started over the next two to five years. Privately financed, the project is a joint venture between the Maldivian government and Dutch Docklands.

Paul Van de Camp, chief executive officer of Dutch Docklands, and his company worked for two years with the Maldivian government to come up with a plan. Key to the deal was allowing foreign ownership of the high-end villas that would be constructed. In exchange Van de Camp’s company would build a separate floating island with homes for the bulk of the country’s population.

All of this will be done with an eye to protect the islands’ natural resources and environment, said Van de Camp. The floating islands will not hurt or touch the coral reefs and coral beds that surround the island nor the other marine life in the Indian Ocean that surrounds the Maldives.

“The Maldives are the biggest marine protected environment in the world,” said Van de Camp in an interview with the Star during a short visit to Toronto. The government is very cautious about anything that could potentially harm the aquatic life, the environment and tourism.

The floating islands will be anchored to the seabed using cables or telescopic mooring piles. They will be stable even in storms, the company says. One of the reasons designers decided to build lots of small islands was to lessen any shadow of the seabed because it could affect wildlife.

Van de Camp and his partner, architect Koen Olthuis, have plenty of experience when it comes to designing floating things.

Since its inception a decade ago Dutch Docklands has built all kinds of floating islands and buildings in Holland, including a floating prison, a floating conference centre and thousands of floating homes.

Until recently Van de Camp hadn’t thought of taking his vision abroad because he had so much work in Holland. “But because of the environment issue, we decided our expertise could be exported,” he said.

“As Dutch people we know as nobody else knows the fight against water is a fight you’ll lose. Water is so strong you have to come up with different solutions.”

With the Maldives project about to launch, Van de Camp is looking at other international possibilities. One such location could be Toronto which is ideally suited for a series of floating islands because of its location on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Van de Camp suggests that a series of floating islands would give a different dimension to the city — a new footprint that abandons the idea that the only way a city can expand is to build towers.

“We think cities shouldn’t always be looking backwards and creating highrise buildings. They should also look to the water to see if they could come up with solutions on the water that would give a better shape to the city.”

For golfers who struggle to avoid the water hazards, it could be a challenging course.
The Maldives has revealed plans for a radical £320m floating course, which players access by an undersea tunnel.
The course is part of a massive plan to replace the sinking islands with a network of man made, floating islands.
With an average elevation of just five feet above sea level the Maldives, with its 1,192 islands in the Indian Ocean, is the lowest country in the world. 

The floating golf course that could soon form the centerpiece of the Maldives, replacing its islands as they sink below the surface of the sea

Amid fears many of the islands will soon sink into the sea, the Maldivian government has started a joint venture with the architectural firm Dutch Docklands International to build the world’s largest series of artificial floating-islands.
The Dutch firm has already built floating islands for prisons and housing from slabs of concrete and polystyrene foam.

The hotel and conference centre, which resemble a starfish from above, will be built within circular reefs to allow visitors to dive right from the beach

In the Maldives, the floating islands will be anchored to the seabed using cables or telescopic mooring piles, making landforms that are stable even in storms.
The architects chose this approach to minimise damage to the seabed, and also chose to build lots of small islands to reduce the shadow on the seabed, which could affect wildlife.
The islands will be constructed in India or the Middle east to reduce costs, then simply towed to their final destination in the Maldives.

The real thing: The Huvafen Fushi resort in Maldives, which researchers say could soon be under water, along with the rest of the Maldives.

The islands will also be designed for swimmers, divers and even private submarines to enter them from below, and the Dutch firm designing the scheme has said visitors will be able to rent private submarines that can surface right in the middle of their living rooms.

Watch out for the water hazards: The plans include an 18 hole golf course designed by Troon, complete with clubhouse

The idea is the brainchild of Dutch firm Waterstudio who designed the project.
It is being engineered by floating architecture specialists Dutch Docklands.
CEO Paul van de Camp said: 'We told the president of the Maldives we can transform you from climate refugees to climate innovators.
'And we have a way of building and sustaining this project that is environmentally friendly too.
'This is going to be an exclusively green development in a marine-protected area.'
The first part of the project to be built will be the golf course.
'This will be the first and only floating golf course in the world - and it comes complete with spectacular ocean views on every hole,' said van de Camp.
'And then there's the clubhouse.
'You get in an elevator and go underwater to get to it.
'It's like being Captain Nemo down there.'

Players will access the floating course via a series of underwater tunnels so wide they can even accommodate a golf buggy

Designer Koen Olthuis said: 'We'll be building the islands somewhere else, probably in the Middle East or in India - that way there's no environmental cost to the Maldives.
'When it comes to the golf course, the islands will be floated into position first and then the grass will be seeded and the trees planted afterwards.'
Development on the course is expected to begin later this year, and it should be ready for play by the end of 2013 ahead of the full launch in 2015.

The course will be split over different floating islands, while private cabins will also be located on some of the islands

The proposed site is just a five-minute speedboat ride from the capital of Male, giving golfers the chance to make quick journeys to the mainland.
Amazingly, the course will even be powered by solar energy which is a resource the Maldives has plenty of - as it's located just north of the equator. 
The designers claim the entire resort will be carbon neutral.

43 private floating islands will be built, complete with a jetty to moor your yacht and a pool.

The ambitious plans will also feature 43 private islands.
Called Amillarah (the Maldivian word for Private Island).
This unique project exists of 43 floating private Islands in a archipelago configuration.
Each has its own jetty for yachts, along with a pool. Palm trees give each mini island its own secluded area.

Even the low cost 'affordable' housing has a luxury feel, complete with waterside jettys.

The 'workers islands' will be in their own area of the Maldives, allowing workers to commute by boat to other areas

The sea views of the Maldives most popular resorts are set to be kept - but on a floating island instead of a real one

Coral Atoll near Maldives Island. Researchers say it could soon be under water, so plans for a series of floating islands are being drawn up.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Car Designed By French Students Can Go 2072 Miles On 1 Litre Of Fuel

Fuel efficiency is crucial when you are selecting a car and these days, the automobile industry is working towards cars that are more and more fuel efficient. However, we doubt any of them will be able to reach the bar that has been set by French students of La Joliverie College in Nantes, western France.
Their invention known as the Microjoule is perhaps the most efficient car ever built with a weight of 35 Kg only. This car was built as a part of the Shell European Eco-Marathon Contest. The contest was conducted to ascertain which is the most fuel efficient vehicle in the world. The French team one, beating 200 other contestants, with their vehicle travelling for 2,072 miles while using only 1 liter of fuel, yup; over two thousand miles in only one liter of fuel.
The car was tested on a track in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. If you were to drive the Microjoule around the world, it will cost you about $26. One of the French student stated; ‘The car has an internal combustion engine and runs on ordinary fuel. It weighs 35 kg and is made entirely of carbon fiber. It offers very low rolling resistance and air resistance, and a very low drag coefficient. For example, when you spin the wheels, they will keep rotating for several miles without ever stopping.’
The car has a shape, which resembles that of a water droplet with a nose area of 3.3 sq. foot in order to achieve optimized aerodynamics. The car can run on petrol as well as ethanol. The minimum weight of the driver, however, has to be 50 Kg. With the fuel prices rising and fuel reserves diminishing, cars like the Microjoule will soon be out in the market, or we all could go electric!