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USA Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Choose your own adventure: A D.C. museum's journey through U.S. history
Choose your own adventure: A D.C. museum's journey through U.S. history The National Archives Museum will unveil a new, 10,000-square-foot exhibit as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary. Show Caption Hide Caption National Archives Museum overhauled 20 years after last update National Archives Foundation project director walks through the vision of the new museum renovation that is set to open to the public in October. WASHINGTON – Want to see declassified records of UFO sightings? What about George Washington's annoted copy of the Constitution, or footage capturing the Wright Brothers' first test flight? Visitors to the nation's capital will soon be able to peruse these artifacts, along with more than 2 million other items, in an interactive, choose-your-own adventure journey through American history. The National Archives Museum is preparing to unveil a new, 10,000-square-foot permanent exhibit this fall, dubbed 'The American Story,' designed to give museumgoers a peek at the the archive's vast trove of more than 13 billion records. With the help of artificial intelligence systems, visitors will be able to pick and choose the content they most want to see from different parts of U.S. history, from the country's founding to the moon landing, said Franck Cordes, the capital campaign project director at the National Archives Foundation. More: Can you read cursive? It's a superpower the National Archives is looking for. "We can't show everything, so we felt that 2 million was a good start,' Cordes told USA TODAY during a media preview of the galleries on June 4. Soon, the barren walls and blue-taped squares on the floor of the galleries will feature interactive display cases and media stations, allowing visitors to explore some of the country's most prized relics. A new type of glass on some document cases will act as a transparent television screen, Cordes said. As visitors approach, they'll see the document inside, but as soon as they're above it, a touchable, moveable animation will play. One room in the exhibit, called the 'Spirit of Innovation,' will be designed to look like the surface of the moon. Another, 'Your Archives in Action,' will give visitors a chance to simulate research and see how the archives collection aided in the making of movies and books, like "Apollo 11" and "Killers of the Flower Moon." Several others will ask guests to put themselves in the shoes of historical figures and navigate historical scenarios based on the records. At the start of the exhibit, visitors will be asked to scan a QR Code and choose three topics that most interest them, from food to sailing. As they walk through the gallery, AI systems will choose documents related to their interests and add them to their virtual folder. If, for instance, you were at an interactive station related to the Louisiana Purchase and you selected food as an interest, you'd be delivered documents having to do with food and the Louisiana Purchase, Cordes said. The goal of the new permanent gallery is to connect people to the old, yellowed documents that aren't always "exciting visually for people," Cordes said. The new museum design opens the door for visitors to "do a deep dive into records and start making those connecting points to other records and unraveling the stories that are there." 'These records are the evidence of who we are as a nation,' Cordes said. 'Everybody has an entry point to that." The exhibit will open Thursday, Oct. 23. Admission is free.
Boston Globe
06-03-2025
- Science
- Boston Globe
MIT's itty-bitty moon robot has something to prove
Ekblaw's team built a multitude of the cheap and tiny robots. They developed software and radio links that can enable them to act as a swarm, with multitudes of robots teaming up to carry out complex tasks like spaceship repairs. Advertisement Next came tests on board an aircraft operated by Florida-based Now one of the robots is traveling aboard the The AstroAnt mission is being aided by an unexpected collaborator— Castrol, a British company best known for motor oil. But Nicola Buck, chief marketing officer of Castrol's parent company BP, said her company has long specialized in aerospace products, like the oil inside the Wright Brothers' engine at Kitty Hawk and specialized lubricants for the Apollo moon missions. Advertisement 'We lubricate pieces and parts of almost anything that moves,' said Buck, including the wheels of the AstroAnt. which will use compounds unaffected by the temperature extremes of outer space. The A stroAnt is riding atop a different kind of roving robot carried inside the Athena and built by the Colorado company When the rover emerges from Athena, it will shoot high-definition 3-D images of the moon using a camera developed at MIT. Meanwhile the AstroAnt robot will simply drive around on top of the rover, while using a heat sensor to monitor the vehicle's temperature. Its readings will be transmitted to the rover and back to earth. A horde of intelligent machines will be visiting the moon this year. Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander, launched on a SpaceX rocketin January, touched down over the weekend. NASA's Lunar Trailblazer, which flew on the same rocket as AstroAnt, will go into orbit around the moon later this year, to search for signs of water. And Japan's ispace has launched a lander that's supposed to arrive this spring. Hiawatha Bray can be reached at
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
World's first flying car hops over vehicle in public test
A US startup has demonstrated an airborne vehicle that it claims to be the world's first flying car. Alef Aeronautics released a video of its Model Zero prototype flying over a parked car on a public road in California, marking the first real-world test of the design concept. 'This drive and flight test represents an important proof of technology in a real-world city environment,' said Alef Aeronautics chief executive Jim Dukhovny. 'We hope it will be a moment similar to the Wright Brothers' Kitty Hawk video, proving to humanity that new transportation is possible.' Most 'flying car' startups use a similar design to quadcopter drones, with external rotor blades setting them apart from current road-going cars. Others have adopted fold-down wings, which require a lot of space to take off. The Alef Model Zero has a more conventional automotive design, which hides the rotor blades within the chassis of the car. The startup said its 100 per cent electric car has a driving range of 320 kilometres and a flight range of around 160km. Founded in 2015 – the same year flying cars were envisioned in the 1989 sci-fi film Back to the Future Part II – Alef Aeronautics hopes to eventually produce a vehicle that is 'affordable for most people, not just the rich'. The company has already secured more than 3,300 pre-orders for its Model A vehicle, which is expected to enter production later this year. A manufacturing agreement to fulfil these orders has already been reached with PUCARA Aero and MYC, a joint venture that has produced aviation-grade parts for Airbus and Boeing. Prices for Alef's Model A start at around $300,000 (£237,000), though a second flying car dubbed the Model Z is expected to cost around $35,000. 'Designed to drive on the street, take off vertically when needed and fly overhead above traffic, we're building the solution to the issues of modern congestion,' the company's website states. 'It fits into a regular driving lane and conforms to all traffic regulatory conditions. Alef flying car fits into a regular parking space and inside a regular-sized garage.' Sign in to access your portfolio
Express Tribune
24-02-2025
- Automotive
- Express Tribune
Groundbreaking flying car takes off vertically in California
Listen to article Alef Aeronautics has made a monumental step in transportation technology, unveiling the first-ever footage of a flying car in action. The test vehicle, a 100% electric prototype, began by driving along a road in California before lifting off vertically and soaring over another car marking a breakthrough in automotive and aeronautical engineering. The vehicle uses distributed electric propulsion and a mesh layer covering its propeller blades to facilitate flight. According to Alef CEO Jim Dukhovny, this test is as significant as the Wright Brothers' first flight in 1903, showcasing the potential of vertical take-off vehicles in urban environments. The prototype shown in the footage is an ultralight version of Alef's Model Zero. For commercial release, Alef will introduce the Model A, a two-seater flying car with a 110-mile flying range and a 200-mile driving range. The Model A will be equipped with autopilot capabilities and eight independent rotors, allowing for versatile flight. While the car has impressive flying abilities, its driving capabilities currently limit its speed to 25 mph, making it suitable for urban environments rather than high-speed highways. The Model A will retail for approximately $300,000, with pre-orders available starting at a $150 deposit. So far, Alef has secured 3,300 pre-orders.
