Click to read more about Nike 3D printed shoes, the digital Harry Potter books, and videos taken from space.
The featured image was taken from a SkyPan drone. SkyPan is being fined the largest civil penalty of its kind for illegally flying aircrafts in regulated zones. Read more below. Image from SkyPan.
Lauren Yang | News Editor
Orbs of colorful liquids spin in space as they are filmed by a 4K resolution camera. Video from NASA Johnson.
1. Astronauts experiment with water orbs
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station recently filmed an ultra-high resolution video of colored liquid orbs floating in space. Although the scientific significance of the video is small, the film provides a mesmerising snapshot into what life in space is like. The purpose of the video is to calibrate the camera to film more complicated experiments. Learn more here.
New Mexico, shown above, will soon be the home of the test city designed by CITE. This picture was taken at the continental divide in New Mexico. Creative commons image from karol m.
2. $1 billion uninhabited city to be built
A city that can sustain a population of 35,000 is going to be built in the wastelands of New Mexico. Why dedicate one billion dollars of resources and effort into a city nobody will call home? To test modern and developing city technologies, city project creator CITE (Center for Innovation, Testing and Evaluation) says. CITE hopes to utilize the city as testing ground for new security, communication, construction, and disaster technology without worrying about its impact on a human population — because there isn’t one. After CITE is built, it will be the home of driverless cars, traffic monitoring drones, and smart roads before these products are ready to be introduced into the real world. Click here to learn more.
Digital books may be as well enjoyed as the traditional Harry Potter books with the addition of exclusive and interactive content. Creative commons image from B.Davis2003.
3. Apple partners with Harry Potter series
Apple is now exclusively selling enhanced digital versions of the Harry Potter series in the iBooks store. The enhanced digital books feature annotations from J. K. Rowling, interactive illustrations, animations, and even sounds. Readers can now listen to coo of Hedwig, the roar of a crowd during a Quidditch match, and the scribble of quills during class with the introduction of the Harry Potter series to the iBooks store. Learn more here.
Nike shoes, like the one pictured above, may soon be manufactured in your home with a 3D printer. Creative Commons image from dennis crowley.
4. Nike plans to 3D print shoes
Nike hopes to utilize 3D printers to manufacture customized shoes. With this method, Nike plans on selling the instructions for the 3D printer to print the shoes, and have the shoes ready within hours. Customers can then either print their shoes at a Nike store or with their own home. Read more here.
SkyPan’s drones took aerial panoramas like the one above. Image from Skypan.
5. Largest fine ever placed on drone company
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) placed a $1.9 million civil penalty fine on the drone photography company SkyPan, proving to be the largest fine of its kind in history. SkyPan is being fined for executing 65 illegal commercial drone flights in New York and Chicago. The drones, which lacked a two-way radio and altitude-regulating equipment, threatened the safety of the airspace. Read more here.
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