The Slovakian makers of the 700mph Hyperloop have invented their own super-safe material which is 10 times stronger than steel May 24, 2016 Remember Hyperloop, the 700mph mass transportation system invented by Tesla founder Elon Musk? The technology – which is still at prototype stage – has been seized on by a company in Slovakia, which today announced that it has come up with a new, super-safe material to ensure passenger safety. “Vibranium” may sound suspiciously close to Avatar’s Unobtainium, [...]
How the government can put rocket boosters beneath the UK’s nascent space industry May 19, 2016 In a day dominated by pomp and pageantry, there was a surprising amount for techies to get excited about in the Queen’s Speech yesterday, with a whole bill dedicated to space travel, drones and self-driving cars. Far from being only relevant to sci-fi fans, however, the UK’s space sector is serious business. It is worth at least [...]
Space tourism, driverless cars and drones set for Queen’s Speech lift off May 15, 2016 New plans for driverless cars on Britain's roads are to be announced in the Queen's speech this week, as are proposals for creating an ambitious UK-based space tourism industry by 2018 along with drone-friendly innovations. “Driverless cars and commercial space flight might seem like something science fiction, but the economic potential of the new technology is huge [...]
SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule returns to planet Earth containing results and cargo from International Space Station May 11, 2016 A SpaceX Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, containing experiment results and cargo from the International Space Station (ISS). The returned capsule is the first to make it safely back to Earth since a launch accident in June 2015 in which another Dragon capsule was destroyed. SpaceX, founded by billionaire Elon Musk, resumed [...]
Ryan Bertrand’s secret second career as a fintech entrepreneur – and John Terry is backing his latest venture May 11, 2016 The history of football’s relationship with technology is a chequered one, from the game’s long resistance to implementing goal-line gadgetry to the tale of former Aston Villa striker Darius Vassell taking a power drill to his toenail in the misguided belief that it would relieve pain. Ryan Bertrand hopes to change that perception. When he is [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open May 10, 2016 Stock futures in the US are up on the back of a good day in Asia and a strong start across Europe. The S&P is up by 0.34 per cent, while the Nasdaq is up by 2.5 per cent. The Dow has added 0.35 per cent in the pre-market. The day's big news so far Germany's current [...]
Watch: How Hyperloop’s crazy next generation maglev tech will actually work May 10, 2016 One of the firms working on Hyperloop has revealed how the technology will work to transport people at hundreds of miles an hour in levitating pods. It uses a passive magnetic levitation, a step forward from the maglev technology used by high speed trains such as Japan's bullet train, to carry passengers at up to 760 mph [...]
Tesla executives Greg Reichow and Josh Ensign announce their departure ahead of Model 3 launch May 4, 2016 Electric car giant Tesla has announced two of its top motor executives will leave the company ahead of its widely-anticipated, mass-market Model 3 car. Tesla said its vice president of production, Greg Reichow, who had previously been pegged to lead the manufacturing of the Model 3 vehicle, would take a leave of absence after a [...]
Paypal founder Peter Thiel on why almost all the trends you’re excited about are overrated – and why being involved in the US election would make him blow his brains out April 12, 2016 “If you hear about a trend, it’s already passed. It means it’s a consensus thing,” says Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and venture capitalist. Speaking at LendIt USA, the largest online lending conference in the world, Thiel says he dislikes being asked what trends he’s excited about because he “isn’t a prophet” and “almost all [...]
Kerching: Tesla Model 3 pre-orders are now worth $14bn April 7, 2016 People are seriously loving Tesla's newest car. Just a week after the Model 3 was revealed, pre-orders worth $14bn (£9.9bn) have flooded in from eager car fans. That's an impressive 325,000 vehicles – roughly the equivalent of around 32 orders every single minute for the $35,000 electric car. Read more: Here's what you need to know about the Tesla Model [...]