Is Lockheed's nuclear fusion breaking new ground?

The magnetic coils inside of the compact fusion (CF) experiment are critical to plasma containment. Picture / Lockheed Martin.

Imagine a generator small enough to sit on the back of a truck, but producing enough juice to power 80,000 homes - with no globe-warming emissions. That's what US defence contractor Lockheed Martin plans to deliver within a decade as it ramps up R&D efforts on a compact nuclear fusion reaction.

Unlike nuclear fission, the better-known power source which sparked disaster at Chernobyl and Fukushima, nuclear fusion is safe and clean but incredibly difficult to produce. Work on fusion power has been under way for decades but hasn't worked outside the lab. But Lockheed claims its prototype will take the technology mainstream, starting with power generation for navy ships and planes and then for power plants and factories, replacing dirty coal, gas and nuclear-power for good.

Planetary Resources is attempting to launch Arkyd, a low-cost version of the Hubble Telescope. Picture / Supplied.

DIY satellites

With Space X founder Elon Musk recently unveiling plans to launch a fleet of 700 microsatellites to supply wireless internet access globally, the private space race is about to ramp up a gear. Now we even have crowd-funded DIY efforts to put satellites in orbit.

Planetary Resources is attempting to launch Arkyd, a low-cost version of the Hubble Telescope, featuring sophisticated cameras that can take high-resolution images of space and Earth. The founders say it can be controlled by "three people in their pyjamas and an iPad", with financial backers able to book time on Arkyd to undertake their own stargazing.

Arkyd picked up US$1.5 million in a Kickstarter funding campaign last year and was scheduled to be in orbit last month. However, the rocket taking it to space exploded on lift-off, vaporising Arkyd. So it's back to the drawing board for the Planetary Resources boys, who already have Arkyd II in the works.

Robotic strength

Tawhiri Crosby (11) tries out the Rex Bionics robotic leg at the Digital Nationz technology show at Vector Arena. Picture / Jason Oxenham.

Auckland-based Rex Bionics has already won worldwide acclaim for its exoskeletons, which allow paralysed people to get upright and moving again. Now the Titan Arm, designed by four mechanical engineering students at the University of Pennsylvania, could offer "augmented strength" technology to anyone whose job involves a lot of heavy lifting.

The powered, upper body exoskeleton uses sensors to detect body motion and the weight of an object, increasing a user's strength to carry up to 20 additional kilograms, while bracing the back. The robotic arm won't cost the earth either - its creators aim to have it on the market for around $3000.

Hovering around

Prototype, Hendo Hoverboard by creator Californian Greg Henderson. Picture / Supplied.

It doesn't get more Back to the Future than this - the Hendo Hoverboard, a type of skateboard that does away with the wheels. Instead, the Hendo features four 'engines', which emit magnetic fields pushing against each other and allowing the board and its rider to levitate off the ground. Currently the hoverboard only works over metal surfaces, allowing a smooth glide an inch off the ground.

Its creator, Californian Greg Henderson, is not planning a great big metal hover park to allow people to test ride the Hendo; his ultimate aim is to develop the hoverboard to work over any surface, including water, and he has secured millions in funding to work on the prototypes with the aim of having hoverboards on the market late next year.

Folding stuff

Plastic Logic's PaperTab flexible screens. Picture / Plastic Logic.

Some iPhone 6 users were shocked in September to find the screen of their fancy new smartphone could flex and bend - something Apple's designers certainly didn't intend. But we are on the verge of having truly flexible screens on our gadgets and Plastic Logic's PaperTab screens may well be the first large screen devices to market.

The 27cm PaperTab can literally be folded up like a newspaper, its full-colour screen no worse off for it. The computer processor and other essential innards are contained at one end of the tablet. Purposely curved phones like the Samsung Round and the LG G Flex have set the theme for next year, when we may well see the first smartphone that you can roll up.