Apr 10
On an epic two-year journey across the Pacific, a bait box in a Japanese boat turned into an aquarium when five striped beakfish made it their home. More »
Feb 28
I’ve probably watched too many James Bond movies, but a personal submarine sounds pretty cool, no matter what. While this started out as a concept a couple of years ago, it’s actually available for purchase now.
The EGO was designed by the Korean firm Raonhaje and they claim it the “world’s first compact semi-submarine.” This boat gives passengers the opportunity to observe underwater life via an enclosed core that’s always submerged under the water. I guess you’ll also be able to see sharks coming without having to put on your scuba gear. The upper deck of the boat allows passengers to enjoy the surface of the water as well.
It’s powered by twelve 8-volt marine batteries, and run for four to eight hours on a single charge.
You’ll have to contact Raonhaje in order to get a price for your own semi-submarine, and you can also try it out if you’re in Korea or there’s a dealer nearby.
[via The Awesomer via HiConsumption]
Jan 24
While they’re not capable of moving you through space and time like a Hot Tub Time Machine, these Hot Tub Boats can at least transport you through water – because why bother swimming, when your boat can do it for you?
These fun boats will help you relax and unwind as you set sail. Its tub is positioned in the vessel’s center of buoyancy, making it quite stable and drafting only 20 inches when it’s filled up with 2,100 lbs of water and six adults. In case you’re wondering how you pilot a boat while you’re taking a bath, it’s controlled via a joystick.
The hot tub boats were engineered and are built in Seattle by a marine carpenter. They have a vinyl-ester hull that’s topped off with a slatted deck, handcrafted from African teak wood.
Its diesel-powered boiler has an adjustable thermostat, and heats the water up to 104° F. There is also a waterproof MP3 stereo system and two flush-mounted 50W speakers that pop-up from the deck. A 24-volt electric motor makes this thing go up to 5mph.
The Hot Tub Boat is available from Hammacher Schlemmer for the low, low price of just $42,000(USD).
[via Uncrate]
Jan 22
Hot Tub Boat
Posted in: Today's Chili
You know you’ve got it made when you live in a lovely mansion with perhaps a pool out in front, have a couple of supercars in the garage alongside a luxury sedan or two to get around, a beautiful model wife and three kids – oh yeah, and perhaps, a dog. Of course, life gets better when you realize you earn more money than you could ever spend in this lifetime and the next, not to mention having a yacht by a marina somewhere. Well, perhaps not everyone is able to attain such living standards, but for those who have more or less made it in life and want for nothing, you could check out the $42,000 Hot Tub Boat as your next gift to yourself.
The Hot Tub Boat is an electric boat with a hot tub that has been built into its deck. Engineered and built in Seattle by a marine carpenter who specializes custom house boats, this puppy comes with a Vinylester hull that is topped with a slatted deck handcrafted from African teak. The hot tub measures 8′ x 4′ x 24″, and will remain on the boat’s center of buoyancy, so that it delivers exceptional stability. It will draft at only 20″, never mind when it is filled with its maximum load of 2,100 lbs. of water and half a dozen adult bathers. There will also be a waterproof stereo system which will playback music from your MP3 player via a couple of flush-mounted 50-watt speakers which pop-up from the deck. A quartet of ice chests are there to offer ample chilling capability for your preferred libation, and there are also additional storage compartments at the fore and aft.
There is a cheaper option though – the HotTug that we talked about before Christmas, but that seems to be more “Forever Alone” than anything else.
[ Hot Tub Boat copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Dec 27
SAIC shows how DARPA’s submarine-tracking drone ship finds its silent targets (video)
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Some of us have been feeding advice to DARPA’s ACTUV sub-tracking drone project for more than a year, but we haven’t had a in-depth look at how the autonomous ship will go about its business, especially when chasing very silent diesel-electric subs. Thankfully, craft designer SAIC has stepped in with a detailed video tour. If there’s suspicions that a diesel sub is in the area, the US Navy can deploy sonar buoys that give the ACTUV an inkling of where to go first. After that, the drone takes over with both long-range and short-range sonar. The vehicle can gauge the intent of ships in its path (with human failsafes) and hound a target for up to 13 weeks — either letting the Navy close in for an attack or, ideally, spooking the sub into avoiding conflict in the first place. While ACTUV won’t hit the waves for years, there’s a promise that we’ll always know about underwater threats and deal with them on our own terms.
Filed under: Robots
Source: Wired
Nov 24
Vestas Sailrocket 2 breaks at least one sailing speed record, says motors are for slowpokes (video)
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Most of the boats achieving technical wonders these days have motors at their heart, even if they’re completely fuel-free. Not so Vestas’ Sailrocket 2, which just recently broke the 500-meter sailing speed record. A run across Namibia’s Walvis Bay, just longer than the nautical mile the team wanted, saw pilot Paul Larsen officially reach a typical 54.1 knots (62.2MPH) with only wind power to carry him along. The necessary technological breakthough, as you’d suspect, comes mostly through the sail. Since the Sailrocket 2 doesn’t have to turn in all directions, it uses an asymmetric wing whose optimized shape and lightweight carbon ribbing produce not only a very efficient power-to-weight ratio, but a seemingly logic-defying amplification effect: the sail catches wind generated by the boat’s own speed, magnifying the intensity of any gusts until physics prevent going any faster. The kicker may be a slew of additional records coming in short order. As you’ll see in the video after the break, Larsen has already hit unofficial averages of 55.3 knots (63.7MPH) over a nautical mile, 59.4 knots (68.3MPH) over 500 meters and 64.8 knots (74.6MPH) at peak speed. If we could reach that kind of pace on the water, we’d start to look at everyday motorboats as downright antiquated.
[Image credit: Helena Darvelid, Vestas Sailrocket]
Filed under: Transportation, Alt
Via: The Register
Source: WSSRC, Sail-World.com
Oct 30
I have never been one for boats or yachts, but even I could be persuaded to give yacht-life a try in this magnificent vessel that was co-designed by the Apple-master himself, Steve Jobs. This was the boat that Steve Jobs was working on until his untimely death in 2011.
Venus was a collaborative effort between Steve Jobs and Philippe Starck, and it measures over 230 feet in length. Just like your MacBook Pro, it’s has an aluminum shell. The interior cabin is equipped with a set-up of seven 27-inch iMacs for its control room.
I wonder if they’ve upgraded to the new iMac that will be released shortly. The yacht is akin to an Apple store, with large windows, almost from floor to ceiling. The main living area has walls of glass that are forty feet long and ten feet high (!).
Venus finally made its maiden appearance in the city of Aalsmeer in the Netherlands. If you’re wondering how much Venus cost to build, it’s way more money than you could ever afford.
[via designboom]
Oct 28
Advances in unmanned military tools and vehicles have come on leaps and bounds, but, until now, we haven’t seen a weapon firing drone operating in the seas. A recent test taking part offshore near Maryland saw several missiles launched from a new remote-controlled inflatable-hulled ship. While the Navy has used drones before for mine clearing and other defensive tasks, the small boat (similar to that pictured above) is the first experiment to involve true offensive capabilities. The almost zodiac-like craft has been an ongoing project over recent years, and contains a fully automated system which the Navy calls a “Precision Engagement Module” which uses an Mk-49 mounting with a dual missile launcher manufactured by Rafael. The hope is that such vehicles could patrol the coastline, or serve as a first defense against pirates, and other such small, fast-moving seafaring dangers. If you want to catch it in action, head past the break for the video, but don’t be fooled. While it might look like a series of misses, the Navy claims this is just a trick of the camera angle, with all six missiles apparently making contact.
Continue reading US Navy tests first 11-meter missile-firing sea drone (video)
Filed under: Robots, Transportation
US Navy tests first 11-meter missile-firing sea drone (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Oct 2012 05:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 
Wired | 
Rafael | Email this | Comments
Oct 27
Butlers, lunar rovers, snakes and airboats: the best of Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute
Posted in: Today's Chili 
How was your week? We got to spend a couple of days trekking around the Carnegie Mellon campus in Pittsburgh, PA to check out some of the latest projects from the school’s world renowned Robotics Institute — a trip that culminated with the bi-annual induction ceremony from the CMU-sponsored Robot Hall of Fame. Given all the craziness of the past seven days, you might have missed some of the awesomeness, but fear not, we’ve got it all for you here in one handy place — plus a couple of videos from the trip that we haven’t shown you yet. Join us after the break to catch up.
Butlers, lunar rovers, snakes and airboats: the best of Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Oct 2012 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Oct 24
Here’s another extremely cool offshoot of the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute. Platypus LLC build autonomous robotic airboats that can be deployed for a wide range of usages including environmental data and monitoring hard-to-reach spots after natural disasters like flooding. The hull of the boat looks a good deal like a boogie board, built from polyurethane. On top, you’ll find a propulsion fan assembly, just behind a hard plastic electronics compartment that houses internals like the Arduino board. That microcontroller communicates via Bluetooth with a smartphone that sits in the front of of the boat, safely cocooned inside an Otterbox case.
The models we saw this week were carrying Nexus S handsets — relatively cheap solutions bought second-hand off of eBay. Just about any Android phone should do the trick, but in the case of this project, where phones can get wrenched loose or just outright pilfered, cheaper is certainly better. Platypus’ proprietary app helps control the boat autonomously, using the handset’s camera to provide situational awareness. Sensors mounted on the boat, meanwhile, offer up information on oxygen and PH levels, temperature and more.
Continue reading Platypus airboats have a Nexus S for a brain, we go eyes-on (video)
Filed under: Cellphones, Robots, Science
Platypus airboats have a Nexus S for a brain, we go eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Platypus | Email this | Comments
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.