In another confirmation that Elon Musk lives life differently from the rest of us, he’s just posted a new SpaceX video that’s straight out of a sci-fi movie. In it, he demonstrates designing parts for a rocket the company could use just with hand gestures using a Leap Motion controller. After that, we move to a 3D projection of the part, free standing glass projection just like Iron Man, and even an implementation with the Oculus Rift VR headset. While much of its appeal is watching a billionaire play with the latest tech toys, the video gives a peek at what’s possible with technology that’s actually available to a rapidly growing number of people. Inspiring stuff — we’ll see if we can finish the Hyperloop concept with a Kinect and an old Virtual Boy.
There’s no better time than now for Microsoft to turn the way they do business on its head – who better to replace retiring CEO Steve Ballmer than entrepreneur extraordinaire Elon Musk? This man has successfully launched an all-electric vehicle, sent a privately-made, privately-powered space vehicle to the International Space Station, and is – as […]
After mentioning it earlier this year, Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX fame released detailed information on the Hyperloop he imagines, something that could quickly transport passengers from one location to another. To give the curious and ambitious a better look at what could be, the plans have been rendered and 3D printed to scale. […]
SpaceX‘s Grasshopper test rig for the Falcon 9 reusable launch vehicle has stepped up its game, with Elon Musk’s private space company demonstrating that the rocket can now not only take off and land in a straight line, but track sideways as part of the maneuver. A vital talent if Grasshopper is to land safely […]
You’ve seen the SpaceX Grasshopper blast off, hover and land vertically. You’ve seen it fly higher than the Chrysler building and land vertically. Now you can see this innovative little rocket zoom 250 meters into the air and fly 100 meters sideways. You know what it does next? It lands vertically.
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
After a bit of a foot-in-mouth mention of a high-speed transit system between the two ends of the country earlier this year, Elon Musk is today ready to bring a bit more heat to the very real possibility of this Hyperloop system. In a release made through Tesla Motors, Musk suggests that this next-generation system […]
Bill Gates has slammed Google’s Project Loon, which would bring internet connectivity to developing nations using high-altitude balloons, arguing that getting online won’t help core issues like malaria, and suggesting that the search giant has lost its way when it comes to altruism. “When you’re dying of malaria, I suppose you’ll look up and see […]
Here’s an epic fight that won’t take place inside the octagon: Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are apparently competing to take over a NASA launchpad… and instead of dishing out jiu-jitsu moves, they’re letting money do the talking. In particular, the dotcom billionaires’ space companies, Blue Origin and SpaceX, are bidding for Kennedy Space Center’s historic Launch Complex 39A — site of NASA’s first and last space shuttle blast-off. Each company’s plan for 39A is to launch both unmanned missions and shuttles carrying commercial customers and astronaut crews into space. Bezos’ Blue Origin, however, also aims to turn it into a multi-use facility where other companies can launch their rockets for a price. NASA’s keeping bidding details on the down low, but seeing as it wants to offload 39A in October to save money, we’ll know soon enough who’ll win this battle of the dollars.
While people can get around just fine in cars, planes, trains, and boats, SpaceX and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk isn’t quite pleased with transportation efforts yet. However, he thought up a new method that would transport people from one side of the US to the other in just 45 minutes, a trip that normally takes almost six hours by plane.
Musk announced via his Twitter account that he will be publishing the design for what he’s calling “Hyperloop” on August 12, and he will be graciously accepting “critical feedback for improvements.” The main idea behind Hyperloop is similar to how drive-thru banks work, where you transport money back and forth using a system of tubes to the bank teller.
Musk describes the Hyperloop system as “a cross between a Concorde, a rail gun, and an air hockey table.” Hyperloop would a system of cross-country tubes that would consists of capsules capable of carrying six people and their luggage. It’s said that these capsules would be able to travel as fast as 4,000 mph using maglev technology that’s currently being used on bullet trains.
The tube system would be evacuated of air, so there would be no friction, and the passengers would only experience the same G-forces as riding in a car. Of course, all this sounds good on paper, but it seems like a huge undertaking when considering all points. However, it’s noted that Hyperloop would only need about 1/20th the materials of a high-speed rail line at 1/10th the cost, or 1/4th the cost of a highway.
Based on how Hyperloop would transport passengers, it’s said that the system could take on around 200,000 passengers per hour per direction, and a quick 45-minute commute from New York to Los Angeles could only cost around $100. A trip from New York to Beijing? Just about two hours. But seeing how hard it is to get a high-speed railway here in the US, it could be a long time before we see anything like Hyperloop make an appearance.
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.
