Autonomous Airbus helicopter makes its first flights

[AIRCRAFT]( [Autonomous Airbus helicopter makes its first flights]( ​​Although Airbus' passenger-carrying drones may still be years away, that hasn't stopped the aerospace company from getting an autonomous helicopter off the ground. A demonstrator version of the VSR700 Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) has recently made its first self-piloted test flights. [Read more]( [AUTOMOTIVE]( [More venomous Hennessey emerges from the shadows]( Hennessey doesn't have the engineering might of Bugatti behind it, but that hasn't stopped it developing cars capable of breaking speed records. The Venom F5 was first teased last year, with John Hennessey proclaiming it would top 290 mph. Now, we have a shadowy first look at the finished product. [Read more]( [MARINE]( [The Neyk submarine: Does this "subaquatic luxury jet" hold water?]( If you have enough spare change to have your own bespoke submarine, you can probably afford one kitted out like a luxury private jet. That seems to be the logic behind the Neyk line of submersibles Netherlands-based startup Ocean Submarine is offering. Or is it? [Read more]( [ENVIRONMENT]( [Scalable solar-powered desal system could supply water to homes and towns]( Desalination makes saltwater more palatable and potable, but being a bit of an energy guzzler means it isn't the most practical solution in off-grid situations. A new system makes use of nanoparticles to harness the power of the sun and distill water more efficiently, without needing electricity. [Read more]( [URBAN TRANSPORT]( [Elon Musk has "promising" talks with LA mayor about his traffic-solving tunnels]( When Elon Musk started talking about digging tunnels as a way of avoiding traffic, a lot of people were hesitant to take the SpaceX CEO seriously. Not only is he now starting to convince the average joe that such a thing might be possible, but the people in power, too. [Read more]( Sponsored by Taboola [TELECOMMUNICATIONS]( [EE pitches 4G Smart Tent at UK's Glastonbury music festival]( For this year's Glastonbury Festival, EE is pitching a high-tech tent to keep festival-goers connected. Acting as a 4G Wi-Fi hotspot, the camper packs VR headsets, voice-activated mood-setting, livestreams of performances, a solar-powered boot warmer and a fridge that reminds you to restock it. [Read more]( [AUTOMOTIVE]( [Electric beach buggy concept opens up to the Elements]( Every year, Skoda gives members of its trainee program the freedom to create a unique concept. Past creations include funky compact pickups and fastback city cars, but the latest crop of students has used sand and surf for inspiration and turned the Citigo into an battery-powered beach buggy. [Read more]( [AUTOMOTIVE]( [Ford loads up FX4 package for off-road Expeditions]( Having announced the Expedition in Chicago, Ford has treated off-road enthusiasts to a tougher FX4 package. With better underbody protection and a proper rear differential, the Expedition FX4 should couple the efficiency of the standard car with the ability to handle difficult off-road trails. [Read more]( [COMPUTERS]( [Another record price for ultra-rare Enigma cipher machine]( An extremely rare German four-rotor M4 Enigma cipher machine used by the German U-boat forces in the Second World War has set a new world auction record at a Christie's sale at Rockefeller Center in New York. The property of an American collector, it sold for US$547,500. [Read more]( [MOBILE TECHNOLOGY]( [LG G6+ brings superior sound and storage to flagship phone]( The LG G6 has only been out for three months, but the company has already announced an upgraded model, the G6+. Along with new functionality that will be coming to existing G6's via software update, the G6+ expands internal storage, improves sound quality, and adds wireless charging capabilities. [Read more]( [SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR NEW ATLAS READERS]( [Aura Helps You Relieve Stress and Anxiety with Custom Meditation Exercises — Now 82% Off]( Created by top meditation teachers and therapists, and personalized by ground-breaking AI, Aura Health helps you relieve stress and anxiety by providing short, science-backed mindfulness meditation exercises every day. There are many mindfulness apps out there, but Aura is the only one that uses machine learning to completely cater to you and your specific needs. You can take stress ferociously head on, or you can let Aura help you reach a greater equilibrium without breaking the bank or spending excessive amounts of time on complicated exercises. [Read more]( [MUSIC]( [Roland launches Designer Series with boutique SE-02 analog synth]( ​Part of Roland's Boutique Series, the SE-02 monophonic analog synthesizer represents the first collaboration with select synth makers for its new Designer Series sound machines. And Roland has worked with analog synth veterans Studio Electronics for the first out of the gate.​ [Read more]( [SCIENCE]( [Drones use Wi-Fi to see what's hidden]( ​Three years ago, scientists used Wi-Fi-equipped ground-based robots to obtain 2D images of objects hidden behind brick walls. Now, using aerial drones, they've obtained 3D images of similarly-hidden objects. [Read more]( [BIOLOGY]( [Scientists finally figure out how temperature causes sex swap in reptiles]( Unlike humans, the gender of reptiles such as crocodiles is determined by the temperature during the incubation process. When the mercury rises, their eggs hatch as females. Now, scientists in Australia think they might have finally cracked the code of this decades-long mystery. [Read more]( [HEALTH & WELLBEING]( [Life-saving app gets civilians restarting hearts]( ​When someone has a cardiac arrest, their chance of survival decreases by 10 percent for every minute that passes before they receive treatment. That's why an app has been created, that finds civilians who are trained in CPR and gets them to the location of cardiac arrest victims. [Read more]( [SPACE]( [Kepler spots 219 new exoplanet candidates, 10 near Earth-size]( ​NASA's Kepler Space Telescope has discovered more than two thousand exoplanets since launching seven years ago, and a newly compiled catalogue of candidates could soon give this tally a sizeable boost. [Read more]( [AUTOMOTIVE]( ["Virtual bubble" for autonomous cars would mean goodbye traffic lights]( ​Autonomous vehicles not only stand to make our lives safer, but could make them a whole lot more convenient as well. One example of this is a system that would see autonomous cars adapt their speed to cross intersections inside a safe "virtual bubble," without ever needing to come to a stop. [Read more]( You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter at [newatlas.com]( (or [gizmag.com]( before August 2016). 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