Project Bloodhound Gets Infusion
Back in October, UK-based Project Bloodhound ran out of money. The project, founded in 2007, set out to break the land speed record, but by late 2018, the company wasn't just out of money, but needed about $33 million dollars to help the team continue with its pursuit of 1,000 MPH. About 800 mph faster than the Bloodhound, a combination of a F1 car, a jet, and a spaceship, had ever gone.
Well, it looks like the Bloodhound supersonic car may have a savior. The car and other project assets have been acquired by a local businessman.
According to the BBC, the supersonic car alone was priced at $319,000. Rather than getting sold off piecemeal in some firesale, Bloodhound's assets are now owned by Ian Warhurst, a mechanical engineer with experience operating automotive engineering businesses.
We don't yet know Warhurst's plans for Bloodhound, but he says that he has been a supporter for many years. For now, the project remains in tact, but we'll see if the new ownership will be more capable of raising the millions of dollars necessary to get Bloodhound back on track, and shattering some speed records.
Noise-Cancelling Dog Kennel
For anyone with a neurotic dog, or those of you who foolishly follow your neighborhood pet pages, you know that loud noises like fireworks, thunder or sporadic gunfire can make pets anxious. The animals need something better than dog-hugging sweaters - because those are garbage.
Roughly 45 percent of dogs are afraid of loud sounds like fireworks, and up to 20 percent of are so crippled by it that their owners look for professional help.
Well, the engineers from Ford Europe have taken their knowledge on noise-canceling and created a soundproof kennel.
Using Ford's active noise control technology, sound proof ventilation and anti-vibration block risers, the kennel detects harmful sounds and cancels them out by emitting opposing frequencies. It's the same tech that is found in the Edge SUV, which uses opposing soundwaves to counteract engine or transmission noise.
Right now, it is just a prototype, but the concept has created quite the stir. If you only look at the number of dog households in America (43.346M), you have at least 8,669,200 potential customers.
Flying Car Prototype CrashesA prototype flying car recently crash-landed at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, MI, a small town just outside of Ann Arbor.
Engineer Sanjay Dhall created Detroit Flying Cars to build a flying car in Detroit. He’s building the WD-1, experimental hybrid vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft that crashed during a test run. Dhall was injured by survived the crash after it accidentally lifted off during a taxi text. How do you accidentally lift off?
The FAA is investigating the incident, but according to Dhall's business partner David Han, the craft had already survived two other test runs. During this one in particular, the front two wheels were supposed to come off the ground, but the entire vehicle accidentally took flight. Feel like that should be in the gauges… don’t fly.
Despite the setback, and the fact that several other flying car prototype pilots have had similar (and much more tragic) accidents in the past, the project will go on and the team plans to make improvements for future iterations and upcoming test flights.
