Japanese rocket engineers hope to outfit their launchers with an artificial intelligence capable of controlling its own body and launch. Current modern rockets are automated, but don't feature many decision-making algorithms.

Modern rockets have some degree of automation, as well as onboard sensors that inform engineers on the ground about trajectory, malfunctions and so on. But the setup is rather like a "check engine" light in a car that alerts the driver to an unspecified problem and neither offers nor implements a solution.

While the recent earthquake and tsunami might delay implementation, the new AI rockets, dubbed Epsilon, are slated for a 2013 maiden launch.

An AI-controlled rocket contains many obvious benefits, notably efficiency and cost. Once launched, modern rockets are usually controlled by a Mission Control Room staffed by dozens of people. If anything unusual happens, there's often a delay in the decision making process, and then ...

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Engineers at Michigan State University led by Norbert Mueller have unveiled a "Wave Disk Generator" that could eventually replace the internal combustion engine. The new design boasts an up to 90% reduction in auto emissions in addition to being 400% more fuel efficient. 

A typical car engine only uses 15% of the gas it consumes to move.  In contrast, the new engine will use 60%.  The new model contains no pistons, valves, crankshafts or transmission system...making the generator far cheaper to maintain over years. The invention also benefits from potentially being able to use gas alternatives such as hydrogen. 

Naturally, this engine technology could revolutionize pretty much the entire world and its logistical systems. Everything would become much cheaper in transportation, requiring drastically less fuel and maintenance. Professor Mueller hopes that his engine model might reach the streets in 3 years.

Researchers from the University of Washington and UCSD have learned how to hijack a modern car's OnStar, Sync or Bluetooth connection to control all of the car's computer functions, including the door locks and the ability to use brakes.

Led by Tadayoshi Kohno (UW) and Stefan Savage (UCSD), the team used a smartphone to hack into the cars, but each phone had to be already paired with system by the car owner or illicitly paired without his/her knowledge.

"We were surprised to find that the attack surface was so broad," Kohno says, referring to the wide variety of ways the researchers were able to gain access to the car's computer systems.

The team analyzed possible attack scenarios as well. For example, they showed that high-tech car thieves could search for desired models of cars, identify their locations, and unlock them, all without any forced entry. They ...

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Wired.com has a great article about Richard Garriott, creator of Ultima Online, and his trip to space onboard the Russian Soyuz at a cost of $50 million. Apparently, he's returned with a burning desire to somehow make it affordable for all of us. There's really nothing I can add or comment about it. The article is worth a full read.

As many techno-philes are aware, the TED conference is currently underway this week in Long Beach, California. While we're awaiting the latest batch of inspiring TED videos, Google has given attendees a treat...the opportunity to ride in a self-driving Prius.  

Google declared back in the October 2010 that their stated goal was to free up human productivity by eliminating their need to drive. In addition, they hope to take crucial steps towards a fully-implemented automated driving system that would increase safety by leaps and bounds. Obviously, being a drunk matters not at all if your car does the driving all by itself.

One of the unique aspects of Google's automated car project is that it isn't funded or incentivized by DARPA or any other agency.  This is Google acting on its own. 

Here are some of the latest videos released.  In the video, Google emphasizes that ...

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University of Arizona researchers are working with the Department of Homeland Security on an Automated Virtual Agent for Truth Assessments in Real-Time...which is their torturous way to use the acronym AVATAR to describe their system.  

Avatar's job will simply be to detect lies by scanning your facial features.  In particular, the machine will detect eye dilation and eye movement, two signs of lying.  A microphone will listen to what you say, but also how you say it.  The new machine currently is undergoing tests.  

We at Logic-Cool are airport security skeptics in light of the highly invasive procedures now in place. TSA has yet to announce the successful prevention of any terrorist attacks, nor have they ever arrested a single terrorist in all the years of its operation. They have reported success in finding smuggled drugs.

Ladies and gentemen, I present Avatar:

For the first time ever, four different spacecraft from four different countries are docked with the International Space Station all at the same time. The vehicles include the Discovery from the USA, the Kounotori 2 from Japan, the Russian space freighter Progress 41 and finally the EU's ATV-2 Johannes Kepler.

The ISS is an ongoing $100 billion dollar project being constructed by 15 cooperating countries, including the United States, since 1998. The space station currently is the largest man-made structure in space, often visible to the naked eye on clear nights and boasts the length of an entire football field. It currently houses 6 crew members and supplies a living space equivalent to a Boeing 747 jumbo jet.

Well, technically it's not a submarine.  The EGO, built by South Korean manufacturer Raonhaje, is actually a boat with an underwater viewing dock.  Even so, the device looks awesome.  The new semi-sub will be all-electric and boasts extremely basic controls...a steering wheel, a standard throttle, a foot-pedal and a forward-backward toggle switch.

The EGO can run 8 hours at cruising speed or 4 hours at the top speed 4 knots.  The semi-sub requires 6-9 hour recharge time and will be available October 2011 at an unknown price.

Amazon wishlist!

Airline passengers over Florida got a special historic treat when they looked out their left windows and saw the space shuttle Discovery lifting up through the cloud cover. Video cameras on board were able to capture almost the entire launch up to the edge of Earth's atmosphere.

This YouTube video was shot by software developer  Neil Monday.

(h/t Mashable)

Augmented Environments has released an Argon iPhone app, a portable web browser that lays graphic content on top of your smartphone's video stream.  Similar to existing translation apps, Argon will allow users to scan their immediate environments to see if any related Internet content exists. For example, if you're visiting New York City, a "Sex and the City" fan may have created a visual guide for you to follow. The company hopes to crowdsource the creation of suitable web content.

This post is for Narv, our resident steampunk fanatic.  Now thanks to eBay, and an anonymous tinkerer, visitors had the opportunity to bid on an authentic steam-powered car for $1,500.  Alas, we're too late covering the topic, for the bidding has ended.

Today, Boeing unveiled its new 747-8 Intercontinental. And yes, the plane looks beautiful, especially in the eyes of us aircraft nerds. This video is bad quality, but was yanked merely an hour ago from Boeing's live feed of their unveiling. It will have to do for now.

Now the largest airliner built in the U.S., the new Boeing 747-8 will fly cleaner, quieter and more efficiently.

Today, Boeing rolled out the very first 747-8 Intercontinental for Sunday's big unveiling. Stay tuned for tomorrow's ceremony. The 747-8 Intercontinental is Boeing's 4th generation plane, and boasts redesigned wings and increased fuel efficiency. Over 5 years in development, the 747-8 will also be the biggest and longest commercial airliner in the United States.

I always knew the acceleration problems reported on Toyotas were all just hype. I've owned two Toyotas so far. Over the years, I've suffered absolutely zero issues. My only car expenses are oil changes and standard maintenance. As always, while drummed up hysteria spreads like wildfire, the truth limps after it quietly.  Reuters also covers the topic here. 

First, gestural gaming came with the Wii. Now, gestural controls for driving might be heading our way. Researcher Christian Müller at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) has created a "gestural interface" that allows drivers to control any part of the dashboard without taking their hands off the wheel, including radio and potentially other settings such as the air conditioning. 

Boasting 86% success in gesture recognition, this clever "Kinect for fingers" uses sensors to detect the movements of the driver's right index finger through an electric field. The photographs below illustrate the very slight movements needed.

The article interviewed some naysayers from the U.S. and U.K. worried that the interface will become a much larger distraction for drivers than actual button pressing and knob turning. People should keep in mind that gestural commands will be infiltrating many, many aspects of human life in the coming ...

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The Chinese certainly aren't doing anything half-a**ed these days. Their latest scheme of urban planning involves building massive buses that actually straddle the roads, each one capable of carrying 1,200 passengers. The buses are so big that commuter cars are expected to drive underneath them...two lanes worth.  

As audacious as this plan sounds, the idea is already being implemented in a pilot program. The Mentougou District of Beijing has begun the layout of 186km worth of tracks to be constructed by the end of 2011. 

The Mega-Bus is expected to take the place of subways and train systems, estimated to being a whopping 90% cheaper, in addition to being more fuel efficient. These road-staddling goliaths carry the added benefit of pretty much ignoring any kind of traffic jam, as they're able to simply ride above the road. 

I can see this catching on in denser ...

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NASA just released an article discussing the future of commercial airliners 25 years from now. I'm just linking it for all the cool futuristic airplane images. Man, if only a concept artist could design the look of our entire world. If you want to skip all the "this is the future blah blah" and go right to the aircraft porn, you can do so here.  

Each concept art comes with an article explaining which company is designing that particular aircraft and for what purpose. Even better, all the photos are downloadable up to 1600x1200 and are in public domain because the government is publishing them (cha-ching!).

All these planes reflect NASA goals for 2030 era aircraft to:

1) Lower engine noise by 71 decibels

2) 75% reduction in pollution emissions

3) 70% reduction in fuel consumption

4) Under 5000 ft of required runway space during landing and take-off

If ...

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A scientist Marc. G. Mills at Cornell University has released a paper predicting that human travel between the stars won't be possible for the next 200 years.  He uses some fairly basic assumptions by asking 3 questions: 

1) How much energy would it take to accelerate a colony ship to an acceptable fraction of the Speed of Light?

2) What is the increasing rate of energy produced by the entire human civilization?

3) What fraction of this energy does the human race dedicate to space travel?

Place the line graphs for #1 and #3 together and the point at which they meet is the projected date humanity can finally travel to another star...voila...200 years.  You may read his paper here:

Interstellar Travel Projection

Kind of depressing, but I expect as space travel becomes commonplace, at least within our solar system, #3 is bound to increase by leaps ...

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Awww, MAAAAAN. Okay, so this post is similar to the previous one.  And yes, btw, whoever said, "Money doesn't buy happiness" has CLEARLY never wanted to fly into outer space either. Okay, Narv and Soloman, if you guys get me this, I'll stack on another thousand years that you don't need to get me a holiday gift.

Fine, two can play at this game. That script I'm selling?  Yea, I'm selling it for (wait for it)...a MILLION dollars!

Naturally, the British are trying to build an enormous version of this thing to supply military needs and disaster relief.  However, I'm thinking they should go small and build the "private flying car" version of this air vehicle.  Ah, some day!  I've always believed that combining the "blimp" idea with flying cars would be key to making them safe enough for private use.  Engine failure would mean you float down, instead of crash and burn in the middle of a crowded city.