A drill that knows when the going is too tough and a different bit is needed could be probing Mars by 2013. NASA researchers are testing a prototype of the rig, called Drilling Automation for Mars Exploration, in the Canadian Arctic. It uses algorithms to detect drill vibrations and speed changes that indicate it has hit a problem, and can penetrate up to 7 metres into frozen dirt and rock.
An unmanned aircraft made from 鈥減rinted鈥� parts has been unveiled. Developed at Lockheed Martin鈥檚 Skunk Works research facility in Palmdale, California, the Polecat is a 28-metre flying wing weighing 4 tonnes. About 90 per cent of the Polecat鈥檚 parts are made of composite materials, with most made by a 鈥�3D printing鈥� process in which a laser fuses together particles of polymer to form complex 3D shapes.
