Robot jellyfish sucks up power from the water

Robojelly - a robot jellyfish that feeds on water - could aid in underwater search and rescue operations, say its creators.

Researchers at Virginia Tech and the University of Texas at Dallas built Robojelly from materials known as shape-memory alloys, which return to their original shape when bent. Eight moving segments wrapped in carbon nanotubes and coated with a platinum powder replicate the jellyfish's natural opening-and-closing method of propulsion.

The robot is powered by heat produced from chemical reactions between the oxygen and hydrogen in the water and the platinum powder, which causes the alloys to change shape. "To our knowledge, this is the first successful powering of an underwater robot using external hydrogen as a fuel source," says Yonas Tadesse, who led the research, published in the journal Smart Materials and Structures today.

More work is needed to make the hydrogen-powered robot fully functional, however. The video above shows an electricity-powered Robojelly swimming freely in a tank of water, but the hydrogen-powered version has so far only been tested while clamped to the bottom of the tank. The researchers' next step is to figure out a way to deliver hydrogen to each segment separately, allowing them to be controlled individually, so that the robot can move in different directions.

source : newscientist

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Squirrel falls for toy dinosaur

A photographer used a tasty snack as a bribe to get a shot of a squirrel seemingly snogging a toy dinosaur.

Elliott C Nathan, of Boulder Colorado, placed a seed in the dinosaur's mouth to attract the bushy-tailed Romeo.

"I spent about half an hour getting the squirrel to trust me with seeds then I started putting them onto things," he said.

"He was careful about the dinosaur at first, but finally his hunger got the best of him and he went in for the kiss."

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Pilot shocked to see shark fly past

A pilot in New Zealand couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a shark flying past him at 7,000ft.

He'd been preparing to land at Christchurch International Airport when he spotted the 5ft shark staring back at him.

The shark in question was actually an inflatable remote-controlled toy which had flown off.

The 'Air Swimmer' toys have been a popular present this Christmas in New Zealand and police have been bombarded with reports of escaped inflatable sharks.

Experts say that other than giving the pilot a shock, the helium-filled shark was unlikely to pose any threat to the flight.

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Not so bleak house...

A couple have embraced austerity by completely refurbishing their home with reclaimed goods.

Kresse Wesling and James Henrit bought their two bedroom flat last year when it was little more than a shell.

Now, after trawling charity shops and tips and searching on websites Gumtree, Freecycle and eBay the pair have created an incredible home from items destined for landfill.

What would have cost around £35,000 using new materials has been achieved for a fraction of the cost - albeit with a lot of hard work.

Their kitchen is created from reclaimed wood and granite and the tiles in their hallway are made from old firemen's hoses.

A disused work bench has been turned into a dining table and other furniture including the sink has been found at dumps and transformed into spectacular pieces.

Kresse, 34, said: "Our bed and closet were made from scaffolding poles and we found many things at the dump or in charity shops.

"We don't have two knives and forks that are the same and we use old jars for glasses.

"But we have a lovely Chesterfield sofa and Tibetan rugs in the floor and Welsh slate tiles in the bathroom.

"We have proved it can be done as long as you keep your mind open and are prepared to do the work."

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