The elusive concept of a space elevator has been around for more than a century, but until now it’s been difficult to imagine having the technology to actually make it happen. Canadian company Thoth Technology has been granted an American patent for an inflatable space elevator jutting 12.4 miles into the sky from Earth’s surface.

The goal of a space elevator isn’t to provide a roadway all the way to the moon or another destination. It’s all about elevating a space vehicle high enough that it won’t need as much lift as it would if it were taking off from the ground. A conventional launch requires rockets and a lot of heavy fuel to lift the vehicle. If the launch were to take place miles above the planet’s surface, there would be less of a gravity struggle to deal with, less fuel to use up, and a much lower cost to launch.

Using the Thoth elevator as a lift-off and landing place, the company estimates that space flights could use up to 30 percent less fuel per launch. The elevator’s platform would act as a place to launch, refuel, land, and relaunch – making space travel just a little more like conventional passenger jet travel.

The elevator, if ever constructed, could dramatically cut down on the cost of launching supplies and people into space. In the patent, the 20 km high structure is made of inflated sections held in place by pressurized gas. We’ll be interested to see how that construction stands up to the rigors of being so very tall and anchored to the Earth. In any case, the patent is a starting point, and the company can refine the details from there.

The post Going WAY Up: Inflatable Lift Will Cut Space Travel Costs first appeared on Gajitz.

We are equal parts off-the-wall excited and completely annoyed about this development in food magic – and we’re only annoyed because it could have happened way sooner. Researchers at Oregon State University have created a strain of dulse seaweed that tastes – and even kind of looks – like bacon. Surprisingly, it’s been around for some 15 years. Researchers at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, led by Chris Langdon, have been growing it as a superfood for farmed abalone. Yep, abalone have been eating bacon-flavored sea algae for years while you had to settle for the dirt-flavored kind.

Dulse is pretty highly valued in the health food world thanks to its high concentration of vitamins and minerals and high fiber content. It’s often eaten as a snack in Europe, but in the U.S. you’re most likely to find it in a dried, ground-up version that’s used as a culinary seasoning. We were just kidding about it tasting like dirt – it actually has a very pleasant smoky, salty flavor.

Plus, get this – dulse is actually said to have twice the nutritional value of kale (which really and truly does taste like dirt-flavored sheets of dirt). But the OSU researchers have managed to make dulse taste like a really, really, really unhealthy food despite all of its health benefits. It grows extremely quickly in tanks and contains up to 16 percent protein in dry weight. Apparently, the researcher responsible for this strain didn’t even think to investigate it as a food for humans.

That revelation only came after OSU College of Business faculty member Chuck Toombs stopped by the lab looking for a new project for his students. He saw the translucent red marine algae growing in tanks and took it to the school’s Food Innovation Center for ideas. The students came up with some great ideas, but Langdon seems partial to simply frying strips of the seaweed, which he says tastes very strongly of bacon. Langdon and OSU have patented the strain and are looking at ways to market not only the product, but the cultivation process itself. Pig-friendly bacon plants, here we come!

The post Holy Grail of Food Science: This Seaweed Tastes Like Bacon first appeared on Gajitz.

The experience of listening to music through headphones is immersive and typically done alone. That’s what makes the concept of the ‘silent disco’ so intriguing – enough so to attract the attention of the patent hounds at Apple.

The implementation of a ‘silent disco’ is like going to a concert or DJ set with the added inconvenience of wearing headphones. It’s been done many times by many groups, with the common factor being that every participant is listening to the same sounds. Apple’s latest patent allows the participants to hear their own music, regardless of artist or even genre.  A common tempo is used so someone listening to low-bpm reggae doesn’t get freaked out by the person listening and dancing to high-bpm thrash metal.

The social aspect is the main focus of Apple’s patent, which is, of course, centered around the iPod, iPhone and iPad. A ‘roving DJ’ is nominated and sets a general tempo, and personal information, along with music, can be shared among users. Interestingly, the patent also specifies that the participants don’t even need to be in the same physical location – wi-fi, Bluetooth, cellular networks and the Internet can all transmit the party to people anywhere. It may be too trendy to replace actual concerts, but its novelty is undeniable.

The post Apple Patents Their New Take on the “Silent Disco” Idea first appeared on Gajitz.

It seems like everything is getting a high-tech upgrade these days, even mundane objects like handcuffs. According to a patent filed by Scottsdale Inventions, LLC of Paradise Valley, Arizona, a new restraint system could administer incapacitating jolts of electricity to prisoners. It works kind of like a Taser, which delivers shocks to a person’s central nervous system to temporarily subdue them with no long-lasting effects. The shocks could be activated by guards carrying remote controls, or by certain pre-set conditions occurring. These conditions could be anything from proximity to a certain object or area to violent movements.

An included accelerometer, microphone, camera, biometric sensor and a whole slew of other sensors would make it possible for prison guards to remotely monitor the location and even the behavior of prisoners. The cuffs could administer a warning for breaking the rules – maybe via beeps, flashing lights or a very weak electric shock – before breaking out the heavy-duty consequences. Perhaps the most alarming part of the design is its ability to release gases or dyes, or even inject the prisoner with a sedative drug in the case of extreme behavior.

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In Star Trek, the holodeck was a place to experience otherwise-impossible places and situations – and soon, we might have the technology to let us do the same. Microsoft recently applied for a patent for an immersive gaming environment that seems an awful lot like the holodeck. Judging from the description and pictures contained in the patent application, the system would let gamers step bodily into a game and feel like the game environment is all around them.

According to the application, Microsoft’s invention involves a peripheral projector that would not replace the TV in a video game setup; it would simply extend the visual display. Players would be able to see the game environment on all sides and feel like they are actually in the fictional world. Of course, the as-of-now conceptual “Immersive Display Experience” is not nearly as interactive (or as awesome) as the holodeck…but it’s getting close.

The post Fit for Starfleet: Microsoft’s Patent for a Real-Life Holodeck first appeared on Gajitz.