This weekend, we'll join the geekosphere for panels for X-Files: I Want to Believe, Indiana Jones, The Incredible Hulk, The Spirit and more. So check back early and often for the latest comic gossip and on-the-floor happenings.
PM is on the floor of Atlanta's Georgia Dome for championship weekend of this year's FIRST Robotics competition, Dean Kaman's action-packed tournament to inspire science education. Come back all weekend for updates, team profiles and more!
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake
rocked Illinois on Friday in the big snap of the Midwest's New Madrid Fault that PM predicted as one of five big natural disasters destined for the U.S. We take a look back.
Offering their opinions on clean diesel, ultracapacitors, American buying habits and the future of the internal-combustion engine, Tom and Ray Magliozzi sat down with PM to discuss driving green on the eve of their new PBS special.
As a field mechanic for military contractor Force Protection, Chris Mieras has spent two years in Iraq doing maintenance and troop training for IED- and mine-clearing vehicles called Buffaloes. His damage reports have led to improvements in the machinery.
In the midst of violence, a quieter online conflict has come into focus, with Tibetan rights groups saying they face mounting digital attacks, some of which security consultants say involve computer servers in China already used to target U.S. military contractors.
The world's biggest, highest-intensity laser system is at the heart of the National Ignition Facility's test chamber, currently undergoing live-fire testing before beginning operations next year, and we got our hands on these images of the NIF chamber in use.
Google owns search for now, but as PM's senior tech editor explains in his biweekly column, the evolving nature of how we use the Internet has left an uncertain future for search鈥攁nd it's all the fault of you and your friends.
The A4 Avant has always been one of our favorite small wagons, and this all-new one鈥攍oaded with fresh tech and higher levels of refinement鈥攐nly reinforces the sentiment. Let's hope Audi makes the right call on bringing a diesel version to the States.
While some carriers determine a 911 caller's location by triangulation, Sprint and Verizon rely on real GPS chips in their phones. If you think this raises privacy concerns, just consider the nature of mobile phones, which are continually connecting to towers.
We discover at an NSF summit that Minnesota's new I-35W bridge may just as illustrative of good as its predecessor was of bad. Plus, proposing a micro-generator plug-in car, pitting in-flight Wi-Fi vs. cellphones and parachuting beyond Point Break.
What you really want is a camera that sees at least as well as you do, and some brand-new cameras are bringing us closer. In a way, the comparison is unfair, but the differences and similarities show how far digital cameras have come and where they're going.
What began as a straightforward update about the state of the SWORDS system was repurposed and sensationalized as breaking news about the sudden withdrawal of those three armed robots deployed in Iraq. But it's not Popular Mechanics stoking the fire.
An all-new version of Honda's boxy ride doesn't stray too far from the current model鈥攎ore stylistic evolution than revolution.
We put four new models to the test, loading each with a fresh blade and slicing through nail-embedded lumber and the PM House Sandwich, which combines every material you could ever encounter on a demo job.
In his biweekly Mechanic's Diary, PM's senior automotive editor takes a hint from his hippie days in a VW Microbus to imagine a mass-market electric vehicle that can get you can get to work and back on a single charge鈥攖he engine never starts, and you burn no gas.
Next-gen spy tech will go into effect in American skies and streets as soon as possible,
reports said this weekend. Proponents say computer-controlled spy cameras will keep us safe, but at what cost?
PM's resident roboticist imagines new tech that will transform our lives, from OnStar for your kids to cords that won't get tangled鈥攅ven a life simulator. Now all we need is someone to invent it.
For typical homeowners, it makes sense to fire up one of today鈥檚 powerful and convenient chippers and process the branches into nutrient-releasing scraps that can hold in moisture and block weeds. Here's where the chips fell after three days of tests.
Imagine a conventional BMW X5 morphed into a hatchback coupe with a 400-hp twin-turbo V8 and a bleeding edge all-wheel drive system thrown in for good measure. Some might find the look a bit odd, we think it鈥檚 positively dripping with machismo.
Troops in remote areas of Afghanistan have been receiving supplies from new smart parachutes that could alter the future of military logistics. The Joint Precision Airdrop System steers cargo to specific GPS points in the same way that some smart bombs locate targets.
Even with European carriers implementing new in-flight cellphone laws, the FAA and FCC say they remain uninterested in letting you take your iPhone into American skies. Sooner or later, though, they might just have to give in to demand.
The RMP-400 Mecanum can essentially glide across the floor sideways and diagonally, and rotate in place. It can haul up to 400 pounds, allowing it to serve as a courier, with packages loaded onto its back, or as a more functional employee鈥攚ith arms.
From heat-sensing UAVs to fire-predicting software, here are five bleeding-edge technologies coming soon to a fire department near you.
