Lung-inspired hydrogen fuel cell skimps on platinum, sees efficiency boost

For as spectacular as hydrogen fuel cells are on paper, they haven't been able to replace combustion engines in vehicles. Or much of anything else, really. But thanks to Signe Kjelstrup at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters in Oslo, the tried-and-true fuel cell is getting a serious boost. Kjelstrup's crew determined that by using less platinum in a cell, a substantial increase in efficiency and a significant decrease in cost could be achieved. The new ...
Darpa’s Butterfly-Inspired Sensors Light Up at Chemical Threats [Darpa]
![Darpa’s Butterfly-Inspired Sensors Light Up at Chemical Threats [Darpa]](http://itoptech.com/wp-content/themes/iTopTech/scripts/timthumb.php?src=http://itoptech.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/35aa595ad20x272..jpg.jpg&w=80&h=80&zc=1&q=100)
The Pentagon's got a new game plan to detect deadly chemical threats: tiny, iridescent sensors that are designed to mimic one of nature's most colorful creatures: Butterflies.
It's the latest in a series of Darpa-funded efforts to use insects to spot weapons. Last year, the agency tapped researchers at Agiltron Corporation to implant larvae with micromechanical chemical sensors. In 2005, Darpa-backed scientists started training honey bees to become ...
TSMC begins construction of new $9.3b foundry, wants to sate our constant hunger for chips

TSMC might not necessarily be a household name, but the product of its labors tends to be all over home electronics. Aiming to keep that trend going, the Taiwanese chipmaker has just broken ground on its third 300mm wafer plant, located in Taichung's Central Taiwan Science Park. The new Fab 15 will have a capacity of over 100,000 wafers per month -- earning it the prestige of being described as a Gigafab -- and once ...
Solar Impulse, the solar-powered airplane, tries to fly 24 hours

A solar-powered airplane, named the Solar Impulse , means to prove, once and for all, that harnessing the energy of the Sun is a good and practical idea. I mean, why would we try to capture some of the energy put out by a completely free nuclear reactor hanging in the sky? The plane took off from Switzerland a little bit ago, and will try to fly for 24 hours without stopping. Here’s hoping it’s a great success. Should the flight prove successful it sure as heck ...
My brush with the good life: Wearing a $77,000 watch

In the literature of watch geekdom we often bump up against watches that cost well into the six figures, some even in the seven. I take a populist stance on the purchase of watches and encourage the intelligent watch collector to purchase what they can afford or, better yet, save up for a nice watch they can wear forever. I also, for the most part, scoff at any watch over, potentially, $20,000. A few weeks ago I went to the JCK show in Las Vegas, a strange ...
Engadget Podcast 203 – 07.02.2010

Robots, death, Epic Fascination, and tropicalia: genre-surfing tokenism dominates the Engadget Podcast this week.
Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Guest: Chris Ziegler
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Castor - Rude Boy
Hear the podcast
00:02:58 - Motorola Droid X review
00:04:40 - Introducing review scorecards!
00:18:48 - Droid X ad pokes fun at iPhone ...
What if you could commute in a spider robot?
You know, you'd think that ridable spider robots would be one-of-a-kind, yet here we are with our second ridable spider robot in just one month. Sure, the first one might look a bit more tough and intimidating than today's, but that's not what its all about.
A guide to 3D display technology: its principles, methods, and dangers

Whether you buy into the hype or not, it’s plain fact that 3D is everywhere these days. From movies and games to laptops and handhelds , pretty much every screen in the house is going to be 3D-capable in a year or so, even if you opt not to display any 3D content on it. Those of you who choose that path may stop reading now, and come back a little later when you change your mind. Because if you have kids or enjoy movies and games, ...