Weekend Edition: Laser downs drones, SR-71 speed record challenger and USA’s new tallest building?

[New Atlas logo]( Military [Britain's Dragonfire laser weapon engages first aerial targets]( [Dragonfire engaging target]( Britain has fired its Dragonfire high-powered laser weapon at aerial targets for the first time. The test of the Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) on the Ministry of Defence's Hebrides Range was designed to demonstrate its power and accuracy. [Read more]( Aircraft [Quarterhorse Mk 0 takes first steps toward breaking SR-71 speed record]( [The Quarterhorse Mark 0]( In a bid to outdo the world speed record of the famous Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird spyplane, aerospace technology company Hermeus has completed ground testing of its first fully-integrated prototype vehicle called Quarterhorse Mark 0. [Read more]( Architecture [Oklahoma skyscraper gets redesign to become USA's new tallest building]( [Assuming all goes to plan, the Legends Tower will reach a height of 1,907 ft (581 m)]( Oklahoma's Boardwalk at Bricktown was recently revealed as the upcoming second-tallest skyscraper in the USA. Designer AO is now aiming for even greater heights though, and has created an ambitious redesign to make it the country's new tallest tower. [Read more]( Technology [Google unveils phenomenal new Lumiere video creation AI]( [Google's Lumiere AI video generation tool: next level]( We've come a long way from Will Smith eating spaghetti in the last 10 months. AI-generated video is advancing at a jaw-dropping rate – and Google's extraordinary new space-time diffusion model Lumiere shifts the goalposts yet again. [Read more]( Outdoors [New Rocket RV concept looks to power past VW as ultimate surf camper]( [Rocket's Surf 'n' Sail concept makes a splash at the Düsseldorf Boat Show ... quite different from the average vehicle or concept on the floor]( Rocket Camper is ready to shoulder VW out of the way and assume control of the surf van throne. Designed for water sports lovers, its Surf 'n' Sail concept has separate "wet" and "dry" zones with features like a Murphy bed and waterproof tub floor. [Read more]( Health & Wellbeing [FDA clearance of first prescription wearable to treat low bone density]( [Osteoboost, a wearable device that delivers vibration therapy to the hips and spine, has become the first medical device for low bone density to receive FDA approval]( The FDA has granted clearance to a novel, wearable belt that delivers targeted vibrations to the spine and hips to treat low bone density, the precursor to osteoporosis, making it the first non-drug prescription medical device to treat the condition. [Read more]( Marine [Searider launches a dual-motor electric crotch rocket for the water]( [Searider debuts its aggressive little Searacer water bike at the 2024 Düsseldorf Boat Show]( Searider looks to combine the sharp, nimble handling of a motorbike with the instant acceleration of an all-electric jet ski. Weighing a fraction of the lightest ICE-driven PWC, its Searacer is a sleek electro-machine capable of flirting with 50 mph. [Read more]( Space [Most distant black hole discovered, but it's "impossibly massive"]( [Artist's impression of a supermassive black hole surrounded by an accretion disc]( Astronomers have discovered the most distant – and therefore earliest – known black hole. Hiding in a galaxy called GN-z11, this black hole is bigger than should be possible given the age of the universe. [Read more]( Aircraft [Kawasaki's supercharged 1,000cc Ninja-copter drone lifts 440 pounds]( [The K-Racer X2: the second generation of Kawasaki's supercharged cargo drone]( Armed with a 300-horsepower, supercharged engine from Kawasaki's fearsome H2R hyperbike, the K-Racer X1 unmanned helicopter is an absolute beast of a cargo drone, the size of a small car. Watch it lifting a national-record weight in this new video. [Read more]( Automotive [Hyundai's "Active Air Skirts" reduce highway drag by 2.8%]( [The Active Air Skirt system deploys at highway speeds to reduce drag and add downforce and stability]( Hyundai has developed a new active aerodynamics system for electric vehicles, in the form of "active air skirts" ahead of the front wheels that can increase downforce and stability, while reducing drag and improving highway range. [Read more]( Outdoors [Tiny Cube camper uses trap door to get "mega" with micro-caravanning]( [The new Sportcaravan Cube 1 is a small, lightweight trailer meant for all-season adventure]( Sportcaravan has launched the Cube 1, an innovative teardrop-size box trailer that weighs just over 700 lb and fits in a garage. The trailer sleeps 4 by expanding into an impressive base camp with camper-van like hatch between cabin and rooftop tent. [Read more]( Computers [British spy agency releases previously secret images of Colossus computer]( [One of the Colossus machines]( Britain's hush hush Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) intelligence and security organization has released new images never before made public of Colossus, the world's first digital electronic computer, to mark its 80th anniversary. [Read more]( Telecommunications [Lightweight woven antenna could replace field-deployed dishes]( [Co-creator Asst. Prof. Maria Sakovsky with the bi-stable deployable quadrifilar helix antenna]( Ordinarily, in order to establish communications at disaster sites, rescuers have to transport and set up relatively bulky, costly satellite dishes. Soon, however, a simple tubular antenna made of woven strips of material may get the job done. [Read more]( Architecture [Chinese shopping mall topped by world's largest indoor ski center]( [Huafa Snow World is located in Qianhai Bay, in northwest Shenzhen]( 10 Design is creating a huge new mixed-use shopping mall in China. The building will allow visitors to hit the slopes when they're done shopping, using what the firm calls the world's largest indoor ski center. [Read more]( Motorcycles [Post-apocalyptic dream ride made real in the striking Akira electric moto]( [Bel&Bel work under commission, and plan to build a limited series of all-electric Kaneda bike replicas during 2024]( Since 2022, Barcelona-based upcycler and art studio Bel&Bel has been building a hybrid electric replica of an iconic motorcycle featured in a dystopian manga classic. Now a fully electric model is in the works, and it's being made available to fans. [Read more]( Space [Neutron star discovered orbiting mysterious object that shouldn't exist]( [An artist's impression of the mysterious binary system]( Astronomers have discovered a neutron star orbiting a mysterious object that, by all accounts, shouldn’t be able to exist. Seemingly invisible in light, and too small to be a black hole, the object defies explanation. [Read more]( Biology [We finally know just how tardigrades are all but invincible under stress]( [Scientists finally find out how these water bears withstand extreme stress]( For the first time, scientists have uncovered the precise molecular mechanism that gives the tardigrade, one of the toughest organisms on the planet, its ability to switch on a near-invincibility cloak when faced with life-threatening conditions. [Read more]( Aircraft [Regent to debut its hydrofoiling ground-effect Seagliders in Hawai'i]( [Hawai'i will be one of the first markets for Regent's innovative Seaglider, a hydrofoiling wing-in-ground effect vehicle – if the red tape can all be sorted out]( The remarkable Seaglider promises a clean revolution in coastal transport; the convenience of an electric boat meets the speed and comfort of an aircraft, at unparalleled efficiency and range thanks to hydrofoils and the wing-in-ground effect. [Read more]( Medical [Study gives digital prostate exams the finger as cancer screening tool]( [A study has found that digital prostate exams are not as effective at detecting cancer as thought]( A study has found that a rectal exam alone or in combination with a blood test doesn't improve prostate cancer detection, suggesting the exams could be omitted from prostate cancer screening in men who don’t have clinical signs and symptoms. [Read more]( Automotive [Westfalia reworks new Ford Transit Custom into Nugget-size mini-camper]( [Westfalia adds to its lineup of Ford Transit Custom camper vans with the all-new Club Joker Urban]( While Westfalia Americas was busy this week with a US relaunch, the brand's German HQ was showing its own new products. The Club Joker Urban camper arrives as a small, versatile Ford Nugget alternative ready to escape into the open-skied yonder. [Read more]( Outdoors [Rolling tent hitches a ride and inflates into above-ground abode]( [Urang presents a different style of vehicle-based camping]( The vehicle hitch tent always struck us as an idea that was DOA, but perhaps it just needed some refinement. U-rang presents the latest spin with the Hitch Home, an inflatable hitch tent that rolls to and from the vehicle in its own storage box. [Read more]( Automotive [Eriba Car camper van taps into fun and flair of vintage VW camping bus]( [The most subdued color option: Metallic Indium Grey with Metallic Reflex Silver]( Hymer is diving into nostalgia to lay the foundation of a new camper van future. The all-new Eriba Car brings back some timeless style and flash of the classic VW camper bus but on a modern VW Crafter van filled out with a warm, homey ambiance. [Read more]( You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter at [newatlas.com]( (or [gizmag.com]( before August 2016). [Update profile]( | [Unsubscribe]( Copyright New Atlas © 2022