NASA has officially revealed its first all-electric X-plane, the X-57 Maxwell, which is currently being prototyped in several phases of operation at the Armstrong Flight Research Center located inside the Edwards Air Force Base. In addition to being NASA’s first piloted X-plane in two decades, this configuration boasts a skinny, high-aspect ratio wing, designed specially to boost efficiency by reducing drag in flight.
The UPS drone delivery subsidiary, UPS Flight Forward (UPSFF), announced that it has partnered with German drone-maker Wingcopter to develop the next generation of package delivery drones for multiple uses. Both of these companies will now step up to earn a regulatory certificate for a Wingcopter unmanned aircraft to make commercial delivery flights in the United States.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles partnered with eClassics to create the “e-BULLI,” based on the T1 Samba Bus. Underneath the unassuming shell, the team swapped out its four-cylinder boxer engine for a new 61 kW electric motor generating 82 horsepower and 156 pound-feet of torque, mated to a one-speed gearbox that enables it to top out at an electronically limited 81 mph.
Apple officially revealed their newest MacBook Air, which offers faster performance, the new Magic Keyboard, twice the storage and a new lower starting price of $999. For starters, it boasts two times faster CPU performance, up to 80 percent faster graphics performance, at least 256GB of storage, and of course a brilliant 13-inch Retina display, along with Touch ID for extra security.
Photo credit: BackYenNew
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe requested that all schools in Japan close for approximately 1-month at the end of February, and due to this closure, many students were not able to hold official graduation ceremonies. So, one group decided to hold a virtual ceremony in Minecraft. Twitter user “BackYenNew” has a son who attended this digital graduation and posted a short video of what exactly happened.