technology

A couple of articles covering a competition to have a sailboat cross the Atlanta autonomously. Interesting, although I would rather go along for the ride, myself :-)

• A sailing robot to cross the Atlantic
• Pinta the robot sailing boat takes on Atlantic challenge
• The Microtransat Challenge

The Suntory Mermaid II is an interesting take on an alternative power vessel... powered by a contraption that gets energy from the waves, this is a 9.5 meter cat that is aiming to make a voyage from Honolulu, HI to Asia.
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The Navy is testing an upgraded version of their 82' Mark V Special Operations Craft. This is a "go fast" designed to deliver SEAL teams on their missions. The current boat is aluminum hulled and works fine, but is beating the operators and SEALs with up to 20G loads. Injuries and fatigue are issues.  read more »

Another up-and-coming technology that we may want to keep an eye on. 60% potential efficiency from sun or other heat sources (it converts heat, not light, so it can work with various heat sources). Geared around having "cool" air for a temperature differential. Wonder how it would be with the (nearly always cooler than air temp) water that the boat is sitting in.

This article shows a bit more of the "background" of what can be done with some of the modern CNC routers and wood cutting equipment. This particular design really doesn't seem that good to me (and looks to have an awful lot of waste), but the idea of machine cutting parts is growing, and I think will become more and more popular in the home build world. Already some people offer kits with machine cut parts. As more designs become available as electronic files from the designer, then having major parts cut locally for home assembly becomes more practical.  read more »

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Do you know how?

An interesting little article discussing how certain solar flares can swamp the GPS signal. Yet another reason to make sure you have a backup and don't just rely on our tech toys.

Books related to this topic.