Neighbors commonly compete over who has the greenest, most manicured lawn. But for Don Wales, the driver who intends to break the current lawn-mower land-speed record of 130 kilometers per hour (80.8 miles per hour) this month, he who cuts fastest wins. Wales’s machine, dubbed Project Runningblade, will make the high-speed dash on sand but must then prove capable of actually cutting grass. For the past three years, a team of automotive engineers has been fine-tuning the mower’s power train so it can deliver the burst of speed needed to cover the 1-mile course in less than 36 seconds. They’re also honing its aerodynamics so the mower won’t become airborne at top speed.
iCandy: Bridges, Beams, and Bots in Bands
France’s vertical lift bridge, Nicaraguans bridging the laptop divide, and a true heavy metal band
Sensuous Electronics
As we design electronics, let’s not forget the urge to see and touch them
iCandy: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Food to fuel, tissue regeneration, and Japanese wind power
Paying for Free TV
Aereo takes broadcast TV signals and puts them on your computer, tablet, and smartphone—for a fee
Review: Slide Scanner
Digitize your high-quality photo slides with the Plustek 8200i Ai
Review: Duo Gamer
A Bluetooth controller makes the iPad a better platform for hard-core gaming
iCandy: As Seen in the Movies
A bendable display, a rocket-powered bicycle, and a gun that fires only for its owner
App Watch: The Final Frontier—on Your Phone
NASA brings its missions to the smallest screen
Comic Books Go Digital
Can Your Paper Version Do This?
Can You Trust an Amazon Review?
Reviewers are gaming the system at Amazon and elsewhere for mischief, politics, and profit
iCandy: It’s Electric
A robotic newspaper-storage locker, an electronic fork, and shoes that track your dance moves
Review: Beam Toothbrush
A Bluetooth connection lets you use an app to monitor your dental hygiene
iCandy: A Better View
A panoramic vision system, an eye tracker, and a 3-D model of a fetus
Review: Networked Audio Players
These systems can tap vast libraries of music and the spoken word
License Plates, Cameras, and Our Vanishing Privacy
New license-plate video cameras are tracking millions of us as we drive around
iCandy: Robots and Us
A smart prosthesis, a robotic brain surgeon, and an exoskeleton
High Tech Gifts for the Holidays
Presents that geeks will love
Automatons on Tap
Explore and interact with a world of robots through IEEE Spectrum’s first iPad app
Review: Putting Your Lightbulbs on the Internet
GreenWave’s system controls home lighting wirelessly—and intelligently
Portable Chargers for Your Mobile Gadgets
A selection of battery packs with enough kick to charge a tablet, plus ways to get power when completely off the grid
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