Hasta La Gadget!

First, the Mavericks Civilian Space Foundation tested a Nexus One’s ability to deal with the stress of a rocket launch. Then, Google floated seven Nexi to the edge of space to see if the phones could cope with the void. Now, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) is looking to launch a satellite into orbit and use a ‘droid — much smaller than the Astromech variety — to control said satellite. SSTL, who is helping build Galileo (and is acutely aware of its cost, no doubt), views smartphones as a way to democratize access to space because they are far less expensive than purpose-built control systems. The company hasn’t said which handset will be used in the satellite, but they chose Android because it allows engineers to easily modify the phone to do their bidding — from controlling pulse plasma thrusters to handling the advanced guidance and navigation systems of the foot long satellite. Additionally, the open source OS means that they “could get people to develop apps” for the satellite. We’ve seen plenty of Android apps, but we’re really hoping this venture is successful so we get to see apps… in space.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

SSTL using Android handsets to control satellites, conquer the final frontier originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 06:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Want to know who the self-confessed “mother of the motherboard” is? Or why every piece of organically farmed, tenderly loved food at your local Trader Joe’s has a barcode on it? Or perhaps you’re curious to learn more about how millions of airline reservations can be made around the world with unfailing reliability? All those queries have their answers in IBM’s self-congratulating videos after the break. Commissioned as a celebration of the company’s upcoming 100th birthday, they chronicle some of its more notable moments in the global spotlight. Our favorite little nugget of discovery was finding out that testing for the IBM Personal Computer included the question, “would it run Pac-Man?” — conclusively proving that the foremost reason for the PC’s existence is, and has always been, gaming.

Continue reading IBM looks back on 100 years of history, finds plenty to be proud of (video)

IBM looks back on 100 years of history, finds plenty to be proud of (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Jan 2011 18:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The B.C. government and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation are pledging $17.8 million to outfit a research ship with a new hybrid electric engine. The ship, called the Tsekoa II, will have a brand new propulsion system, powered by a series of batteries, fuel cells, and diesel generators.

The ship will be used by researchers from the University of Victoria, University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver Island University and the University of Alberta, who will be looking into the changing ecosystem along the B.C. coast. Not only will the new engine be better for the environment, but it will also be helpful for research purposes. The quieter electric engine will have less of an effect on the marine animals.

Work will begin on the Tsekoa II over the next few months, and it’s expected to take to the seas once again later this year. However, it will be doing so under a new, as of yet unannounced, name.

Via the CBC

We know you are vigilant enough not to trust your car’s security to a wireless system, but plenty of other folks like the convenience of putting away the metallic keys and getting into their vehicles with a bit of Bond-like swagger. Professor Srdjan Capkun of ETH Zurich found himself perched on the fence between these two groups when he recently purchased a vehicle with a keyless entry system, so he did what any good researcher would: he tried to bypass its security measures. In total, he and his team tested 10 models from eight car makers and their results were pretty conclusive: each of the tested vehicles was broken into and driven away using a very simple and elegant method. Keyless entry systems typically work by sending a low-powered signal from the car to your key fob, with the two working only when they’re near each other, but the wily Zurich profs were able to intercept and extend that signal via antennas acting as repeaters, resulting in your key activating your car even when it’s nowhere near it. The signal-repeating antennae have to be pretty close to both the key and the car, but that’s why heist movies stress the importance of teamwork. Hit the source link for all the chilling details.

Research shocker! Keyless car entry systems can be hacked easily, elegantly originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Jan 2011 19:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota wants to take your range anxiety out for a walk behind the woodshed and obliterate it from the known world. The means for doing this, the Japanese giant has revealed, might very well be contained in its new magnesium-sulfur batteries, which promise to double the energy density of the current industry-best lithium ion cells. Of course, the catch here is that the new magnesium goodness is nowhere near ready and is projected to come in 2020 at the earliest, but we’re gladdened to see a long-term view being taken by car manufacturers with regard to powering vehicles electrically. Alternative methodologies currently under review in Toyota’s labs also include aluminum and calcium materials, showing that there is indeed no lack of ambition for making plug-ins respectable road warriors.

Toyota working on magnesium batteries for PHEVs of the not so near future originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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