Zipline, a company specialising in autonomous drone delivery systems, announced on Friday that it had just completed one million paid commercial drone deliveries to customers. The company, headquartered San Francisco, has developed and operates its own autonomous drones which have now flown more than 70 million commercial...
Under project name Sea Zero, Hurtigruten Norway has unveiled plans for its first zero-emission ship, but we’re not going to be cruising around the fjords on it any time soon. The cruise ferry company, together with a consortium of 12 maritime partners and the research institute SINTEF,...
Twelve days ago, 16 sailors in small yachts set out from les Sables d’Olonne on the French Atlantic coast to race around the world, non-stop and single-handed in the 3rd edition of the Golden Globe Race. There’s nothing particularly unusual about that. There are a number of...
French boat builder, Iguana Yachts, unveiled its latest amphibious boat at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2022 last week. The Iguana Foiler – “A boat that sails, lands and flies” – is an electric version of their previous models… with foils. The Normandy based company says that sustainability...
It’s a serious piece of engineering, can you guess what Blue X is? Blue X is a wave machine, designed by Mocean Energy to generate green energy from the movement of the waves. Essentially, it pivots in the middle, and that’s where the generator is. This 10-kW...
Shanghai-based avtech company, Autoflight, has debuted its autonomous fixed-wing passenger electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) concept at the China Airshow in Zhuhai. The V1500M, which is designed to carry 3-4 passengers at 200 km/h for up to 250 kilometres, is expected to have its maiden...
Environmentally-friendly, remotely-controlled, electric aircraft tugs are taking over the role of ground handling, pushback and hanger movements at airports around the world. Spanish airline, Iberia is the latest to start using remotely controlled Mototok electric tugs for moving their aircraft at Madrid and Barcelona Airports. Their eight...
Edinburgh-based Gravitricity are starting work on a scaled down demonstrator tower to test the response of their design for a gravity driven energy storage system. It’s not exactly a ‘new’ idea – I keep thinking of my dad’s fabulous 18th century grandfather clock – but it is...
Hunter’s Yard runs a rental fleet of traditional wooden sailboats on the Norfolk Broads in Eastern England with a loyal base of customers who share a common appreciation for the historic vessels and their way of life. Sailors on the Broads have traditionally used long poles called...
I didn’t realise restoration videos were a ‘thing’, but our new surreal circumstances act as a catalyst for new discoveries and experiences. Where many have used self-isolation as an enforced opportunity to binge-watch movies and TV series, I have found myself wading through a backlog of Youtube...
SWAROVSKI OPTIK are today launching a revolutionary optical device that pairs with a phone app to identify and catalogue wildlife. Swarovski is well known around the world as a costume jewelry manufacturer, but they also put their glass grinding skills to other uses and the Optik division,...
British Airways are looking at ways that 3D printing technology could improve punctuality and reduce carbon emissions by bypassing the need to fly spare parts out to its fleet around the world. The thinking is that 3D printers located at airports around the world, could be used...
You’ve gotta love it! What a spectacular piece of engineering the Napier Sabre is! At least, what a spectacular engineering concept. Sadly its early iterations at the start of WW2 weren’t always the finest examples of engineering quality control when they went into production. So they weren’t...
Electric safari vehicles are a bit of a no-brainer really. Not only does the pristine bush wilderness and wildlife cry out for a low-to-zero carbon footprint, but silent electric safari vehicles are perfect for sneaking up on, and observing, animals in the wild. Makanyi Lodge in South...
This is a niche blog about technically-minded travel. It reflects my own interests in the mechanical, technical, historical, engineering, transport and military world.
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