Spidey Sense | Pod Racing | Mars Relay - The Convo Kit #21

New logo, who dis? Last week’s spoopy edition Conv-o-lantern is back in storage until next year, but you can still live on Arrakis if you want.

-Steve

Join The Convo for weekly briefings on tech, space, and science news!

Spidey Sense

Scientists believe jumping spiders’ heightened intelligence results from their enhanced vision, relative to size. This wider view of the world enables them to plan the best possible hunting approach.

• Jump height: 4-6 inches

• Average lifespan: ~1.5 years

• # of spider pics needed to creep me out: like, 25-30

Jumping spiders tailor hunting techniques for specific prey, including other jumping spiders. Studies have shown they can assess risk and even count. Impressive, but they won’t be doing your taxes anytime soon.

More details and an illustration of the spidey maze.

Now This is Pod Racing!

2022 will bring us flying car racing when Airspeeder launches its eVTOL Grand Prix. Speeders recently hyped the series up with a remote drag race in southern Australia.

• Top Speed: 125mph

• Speeder weight: 220 lbs.

• LiDAR-based “Virtual force fields” will increase pilot safety

Creators behind real life pod racing hope the competition will lead to innovation and push eVTOL technology to its limits. Jedi reflexes will be necessary in the high stakes racing, but the real question is: how much NOS can Vin Diesel fit in one of these speeders? 

Video of the test race available here.

Space Telephone

Mars rovers rely on orbiting satellites to send information back to Earth. This month, China’s Zhurong rover will test this functionality in a one-way conversation with a European Space Agency (ESA) orbiter.

• Zhurong is China’s first Mars rover

• Mars landing: May 15, 2021 (first try!)

• Takes a better selfie than most of us

Bouncing communications off foreign orbiters is not uncommon, but it’s usually a conversation between machines. ESA’s orbiter will record as much as it can hold before turning and beaming it back to Earth. Sort of like ordering at a drive-thru.

More info at Space.com.

Robo Weeder

Carbon Robotics hates two things: weeds and pesticides. Their Laserweeder uses AI to detect and zap away weeds autonomously instead of using harmful chemicals.

• Clears 15-20 acres of weeds per day

• Eight 150-watt lasers firing 20 times per second

• Total weight: ~10,000 lbs.

Automating weed removal saves farmers time and money they would otherwise spend on staff and pesticides. Laserweeder can even work in the dark, but it is probably a too large to assist with your veggie garden.

More details and pics of the weed-killer here.

It’s a Bird, it’s a Plane, it’s a...Blimp?

Israel is testing a new type of missile defense, a blimp. The HAAS blimp will provide enhanced missile detection in areas where traditional radar has trouble, such as mountains.

• HAAS = High Availability Aerostat System

• Remotely piloted

• Joins “Iron Dome” defense system capable of stopping 80% of hostile rockets

Specifics are still being worked out in the testing stage, but the ability to remain airborne for extended periods of time will allow the Israeli Air Force to constantly monitor missile threats. Needless to say, this is nothing like the Goodyear blimp.

Images and videos of the blimp here.

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