An independent team of well respected [scientists, including physicists and chemists] from Italy and Sweden have released the results of extensive tests they made of the LENR (Low Energy Nuclear Reaction) systems developed by Andrea Rossi in partnership with Prof.  Sergio Focardi at the University of Bologna. The team found that the excess energy produced by the systems to be at least an “order of magnitude greater than conventional energy sources”.

• 3rd party report shows anomalous heat production – The Rossi Effect
• [1305.3913] Indication of anomalous heat energy production in a reactor device – arxiv.org

Rossi previously did demonstrations and some tests with outside scientists but his direct involvement was held by some to bias the results. These new tests were done without Rossi’s presence and the team had access to the “E-Cat” systems for long periods and could set up the tests as they saw fit.

Here is the abstract of their report:

An experimental investigation of possible anomalous heat production in a special type of reactor tube named E-Cat HT is carried out. The reactor tube is charged with a small amount of hydrogen loaded nickel powder plus some additives. The reaction is primarily initiated by heat from resistor coils inside the reactor tube. Measurement of the produced heat was performed with high-resolution thermal imaging cameras, recording data every second from the hot reactor tube. The measurements of electrical power input were performed with a large bandwidth three-phase power analyzer. Data were collected in two experimental runs lasting 96 and 116 hours, respectively. An anomalous heat production was indicated in both experiments. The 116-hour experiment also included a calibration of the experimental set-up without the active charge present in the E-Cat HT. In this case, no extra heat was generated beyond the expected heat from the electric input. Computed volumetric and gravimetric energy densities were found to be far above those of any known chemical source. Even by the most conservative assumptions as to the errors in the measurements, the result is still one order of magnitude greater than conventional energy sources.

Update: Here are a couple of items from Mats Lewan of the Swedish tech magazine NyTeknik. He has been reporting on the Rossi system for the past couple of years:

• Two 100 hour scientific tests confirm anomalous heat production in Rossi’s E-Cat – Mats Lewan: The biggest shift ever.
• Uppsala researchers are testing Rossi’s E-cat – Nyteknik.se – Google Translate

Update 2: More response and info about the tests:

• Finally! Independent Testing Of Rossi’s E-Cat Cold Fusion Device: Maybe The World Will Change After All – Forbes
• Levi Hot Cat paper is a gem – Jed Rothwell/Vortex-l
• ECAT HT Validated by Top Physicists – Ecat.com

Helion Energy is a spinoff firm from research led by Dr. John Slough  at the University of Washington that is seeking to build a practical nuclear fusion power system. Their fusion engine is based on colliding and compressing packets of plasma. They believe with about $35 in R&D funding they can reach the point where they can build a pilot plant with an additional $200M. Here are more details about the company:

• Helion energy fusion project had another $2 million in funds and Made Research Progress – NextBigFuture – May.13.13
• The nearness of fusion: The materials and coolant challenges facing one fusion company mirror fission – The Weinberg Foundation – Apri.30.13

The packets of plasma, which will contain ionized deuterium and tritium, are held together with magnetic fields using what is called the field-reversed configuration or FRC. Another company pursuing the FRC collision approach is the secretive Tri-Alpha Energy, which is a spinoff from fusion research at the University of California at Irvine. They have gotten significant funding from a number of sources including Paul Allen and continue to attract investors:

• Hollywood, Silicon Valley and Russia Join Forces on Nuclear Fusion – Forbes – Mar.11.13
• Tri-Alpha structures in 12C, Henry R. Weller, Duke University and Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (pdf)

Here’s a video of the amazingly complex flying techniques of a robotic dragonfly called the BionicOpter developed by the company Festo (link via ralph.ewig):

Just like its model in nature, this ultralight flying object can fly in all directions, hover in mid-air and glide without beating its wings.

The company Terrafugia has been developing the Transition® roadable airplane for several years and has flown a prototype. It should finally go to market within a year or so.  Today the company announced plans for a second generation personal flying vehicle called the TF-X™, which will take-off and land vertically and still be drivable on roads.

• Terrafugia Shares TF-X™ Vision – Terrafugia – May.6.13
• Terrafugia Unveils New TF-X Project, Talks Future of Flying Cars | Xconomy

Here’s a video of the design: