Imagine slipping on a pair of shorts that could make walking feel like a breeze, almost as if you've instantly shed 20 pounds. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, get ready to have your mind blown! Scientists at the Technical University of Munich have cooked up something that might just change the game for anyone who's ever wished walking was a little easier.

They call it the WalkON system, a pair of high-tech shorts that's not your average gym wear. These bad boys can cut down the energy you need for a stroll or jog by up to 18%! Whether you're a spring chicken or in your golden years, these shorts could be a game-changer, especially if stairs have become your nemesis or long walks leave you winded.

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The WalkON system combines sensors, artificial tendons and smart motors to enhance your natural walking motion. It starts with advanced sensors embedded in the shorts that continuously monitor the stress on your tendons. These sensors are incredibly precise, picking up on subtle changes in your movement, including how fast you’re walking and the angle of your hips.

Connected to these sensors are two thin artificial tendons that extend from your thighs to a specially designed waist belt. These tendons play a crucial role in how the system assists you. When you start to walk, the shorts analyze your gait pattern and can even detect the moment you transition from standing to walking. As each leg enters the "swing phase," the system knows exactly when to kick in.

At just the right moment, small but powerful motors activate and gently pull on the artificial tendons. This action helps lift your thigh, reducing the effort needed by your hip flexor muscles, making it feel much easier to move. What’s really impressive is how adaptable WalkON is; whether you prefer a slow stroll or a brisk jog, the system adjusts its level of assistance based on your speed and leg weight. All of this happens seamlessly, so you experience a natural enhancement to your movement rather than feeling like you’re being pushed or pulled by a machine.

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EXOSKELETON HELPS PARALYZED PEOPLE REGAIN INDEPENDENCE

The WalkON system significantly reduces energy expenditure by 18% for young people walking uphill. For older individuals walking on level ground, it decreases energy expenditure by 10%. This reduction in energy expenditure is equivalent to the feeling of instantly losing 22 pounds or 13 pounds, respectively. The system allows you to walk slowly or jog, providing versatility in movement. Participants in tests reported high satisfaction with the device, giving it a mean rating of 6 out of 7 for its ability to assist while maintaining a sense of control.

COULD THESE EXOSKELETON 'POWER PANTS' MAKE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES EASIER IN THE FUTURE?

The WalkON system can benefit anyone seeking to increase their mobility; however, it shows particular promise for older adults who may experience declining physical capabilities. Additionally, individuals weakened by illness can find significant advantages in using WalkON to enhance their mobility and independence. Furthermore, the device is designed for those looking to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle, making it a versatile solution for a wide range of users.

WEARABLE EXOSKELETON CAN TURN YOU INTO A SUPERHUMAN ATHLETE

Unlike traditional rigid exoskeletons, WalkON's soft, flexible design offers several advantages over its more cumbersome counterparts. Conventional exoskeletons often feature rigid frames that can be difficult and time-consuming to put on, limiting their practicality for daily use.

In contrast, WalkON's soft robotic shorts can be put on quickly and easily, similar to regular clothing, and are more than a mechanical device. Professor Lorenzia Masia, the lead researcher, aptly compares WalkON to an electric bike for walking. This analogy highlights the system's ability to enhance natural movement without overpowering it, making mobility more accessible and appealing to a wider range of users. The lightweight, tendon-driven design of WalkON allows for a more natural range of motion, adapting to the user's movements rather than constraining them.

Furthermore, WalkON's compact and unobtrusive nature addresses a common concern with exoskeletons: social acceptance. Its design allows it to be worn discreetly under regular clothing, potentially increasing user comfort in social situations. This feature, combined with its efficiency in reducing metabolic cost, positions WalkON as a more practical solution for everyday use compared to bulkier exoskeleton systems.

Given the current stage of development and testing, it's likely that WalkON could be available to you within the next three to five years, pending further research and regulatory approvals.

While no exact price point is yet available, we can compare it to other assistive technologies. Current exoskeletons can cost anywhere from $40,000 to $100,000-plus. However, given WalkON's simpler design and intended widespread use, it's possible that it could be priced more affordably, perhaps in the range of $5,000 to $15,000 when it first hits the market. As with many technologies, the price could decrease over time as production scales up.

The WalkON system's potential to enhance mobility for people of all ages, particularly older adults and those with health challenges, is immense. By making movement easier and more efficient, WalkON could encourage more active lifestyles, potentially improving overall health and quality of life for many individuals. While questions about availability and cost remain, the development of WalkON is a promising sign that we're moving towards more accessible and user-friendly mobility assistance solutions.

If you could design your own mobility assistance device, what features or capabilities would you include and why? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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In the remote reaches of Siberia, a colossal scar on the Earth's surface is expanding at a breathtaking pace, swallowing up the frozen landscape and potentially unleashing ancient threats. The Batagaika crater, aptly nicknamed the "Gateway to Hell," is not just a geological curiosity, it's a stark reminder of the rapid changes our planet is undergoing.

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Imagine a gash in the Earth so large you could fit several football stadiums inside it. That's the Batagaika crater for you. This massive thermokarst depression – a fancy term for a giant permafrost-thaw sinkhole – is growing at an astonishing rate of 35 million cubic feet each year. To put that into perspective, it's like carving out a small town's worth of earth annually. Currently stretching about 0.6 miles long and 0.5 miles wide at its widest point, this behemoth shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, it's speeding up, driven by a vicious cycle of warming temperatures and melting ice. This study was published in the journal Geomorphology.

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Despite its name, permafrost isn't actually permanent. It's ground that's remained at or below freezing for at least two years. When this frozen soil thaws, it can't support the weight above it, leading to collapse and the formation of these massive "slumps." The Batagaika crater is a prime example of this process in overdrive. As the permafrost melts, it exposes more soil to sunlight, which then melts more permafrost. It's a feedback loop that's difficult to break, especially in our warming world.

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While the sheer size of the Batagaika crater is impressive, what's truly mind-boggling is its depth, both physical and temporal. The steep walls of this mega-slump reveal permafrost layers estimated to be 650,000 years old. That's older than our species. But with ancient ice comes ancient dangers. Scientists have already revived a 48,500-year-old "zombie virus" from Arctic permafrost, and there's concern about what other long-dormant pathogens might be awakening. It's not just a plot from some sci-fi movie anymore. It's a real consideration for modern science and medicine.

CALIFORNIA'S FIRST ELECTRIC TRAIN COULD BE WHAT'S COMING TO YOUR CITY

The Batagaika crater isn't just releasing potential pathogens. It's also unleashing a significant amount of carbon into the atmosphere. According to recent studies, this single mega-slump is responsible for releasing 4,000 to 5,000 tons of organic carbon every year. That's equivalent to the annual emissions of about 1,000 cars. This release of carbon, previously locked away in the frozen ground, further contributes to global warming, potentially accelerating the very process that created the crater in the first place.

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The Batagaika crater, while extreme, is not unique. It represents a process happening across the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. As our planet continues to warm, more of these massive permafrost thaw features are likely to appear. While some might see the crater as a tourist attraction – and indeed it has become one – it's crucial to recognize it as a warning sign. The "Gateway to Hell" is more than just a catchy nickname; it's a portal into a possible future where rapid environmental changes reshape our world in ways we're only beginning to understand. The question remains: Will we heed the warning signs and take action, or will we continue to watch as more gateways open across our warming world?

What are your thoughts on the potential impacts of ancient pathogens being released from melting permafrost, and how do you think we should address the challenges posed by climate change? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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Planet Earth is parting company with an asteroid that’s been tagging along as a "mini moon" for the past two months.

The harmless space rock will peel away on Monday, overcome by the stronger tug of the sun’s gravity. But it will zip closer for a quick visit in January.

NASA will use a radar antenna to observe the 33-foot asteroid then. That should deepen scientists’ understanding of the object known as 2024 PT5, quite possibly a boulder that was blasted off the moon by an impacting, crater-forming asteroid.

SCIENTISTS DISCOVER MASSIVE CAVE ON MOON THAT COULD BE USED TO SHELTER ASTRONAUTS

While not technically a moon — NASA stresses it was never captured by Earth’s gravity and fully in orbit — it’s "an interesting object" worthy of study.

The astrophysicist brothers who identified the asteroid’s "mini moon behavior," Raul and Carlos de la Fuente Marcos of Complutense University of Madrid, have collaborated with telescopes in the Canary Islands for hundreds of observations so far.

Currently more than 2 million miles away, the object is too small and faint to see without a powerful telescope. It will pass as close as 1.1 million miles of Earth in January, maintaining a safe distance before it zooms farther into the solar system while orbiting the sun, not to return until 2055. That’s almost five times farther than the moon.

First spotted in August, the asteroid began its semi jog around Earth in late September, after coming under the grips of Earth’s gravity and following a horseshoe-shaped path. 

By the time it returns next year, it will be moving too fast — more than double its speed from September — to hang around, said Raul de la Fuente Marcos.

NASA will track the asteroid for more than a week in January using the Goldstone solar system radar antenna in California’s Mojave Desert, part of the Deep Space Network.

Current data suggest that during its 2055 visit, the sun-circling asteroid will once again make a temporary and partial lap around Earth.

A NASA spacecraft is ready to set sail for Jupiter and its moon Europa, one of the best bets for finding life beyond Earth.

Europa Clipper will peer beneath the moon’s icy crust where an ocean is thought to be sloshing fairly close to the surface. It won’t search for life, but rather determine whether conditions there could support it. Another mission would be needed to flush out any microorganisms lurking there.

"It’s a chance for us to explore not a world that might have been habitable billions of years ago, but a world that might be habitable today — right now," said program scientist Curt Niebur.

NASA RELEASES CLEAREST VIEW OF MARS, BLUE ROCKS SEEN ON LANDSCAPE

Its massive solar panels make Clipper the biggest craft built by NASA to investigate another planet. It will take 5 1/2 years to reach Jupiter and will sneak within 16 miles of Europa's surface — considerably closer than any other spacecraft.

Liftoff is targeted for this month aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Mission cost: $5.2 billion.

One of Jupiter’s 95 known moons, Europa is almost the size of our own moon. It's encased in an ice sheet estimated to be 10 miles to 15 miles or more thick. Scientists believe this frozen crust hides an ocean that could be 80 miles or more deep. The Hubble Space Telescope has spotted what appear to be geysers erupting from the surface. Discovered by Galileo in 1610, Europa is one of the four so-called Galilean moons of Jupiter, along with Ganymede, Io and Callisto.

What type of life might Europa harbor? Besides water, organic compounds are needed for life as we know it, plus an energy source. In Europa’s case that could be thermal vents on the ocean floor. Deputy project scientist Bonnie Buratti imagines any life would be primitive like the bacterial life that originated in Earth’s deep ocean vents. "We will not know from this mission because we can’t see that deep," she said. Unlike missions to Mars where habitability is one of many questions, Clipper’s sole job is to establish whether the moon could support life in its ocean or possibly in any pockets of water in the ice.

When its solar wings and antennas are unfurled, Clipper is about the size of a basketball court — more than 100 feet end to end — and weighs nearly 13,000 pounds. The supersized solar panels are needed because of Jupiter’s distance from the sun. The main body — about the size of a camper — is packed with nine science instruments, including radar that will penetrate the ice, cameras that will map virtually the entire moon and tools to tease out the contents of Europa’s surface and tenuous atmosphere. The name hearkens to the swift sailing ships of centuries past.

The roundabout trip to Jupiter will span 1.8 billion miles. For extra oomph, the spacecraft will swing past Mars early next year and then Earth in late 2026. It arrives at Jupiter in 2030 and begins science work the next year. While orbiting Jupiter, it will cross paths with Europa 49 times. The mission ends in 2034 with a planned crash into Ganymede — Jupiter’s biggest moon and the solar system's too.

There’s more radiation around Jupiter than anywhere else in our solar system, besides the sun. Europa passes through Jupiter’s bands of radiation as it orbits the gas giant, making it especially menacing for spacecraft. That’s why Clipper’s electronics are inside a vault with dense aluminum and zinc walls. All this radiation would nix any life on Europa’s surface. But it could break down water molecules and, perhaps, release oxygen all the way down into the ocean that could possibly fuel sea life.

Earlier this year, NASA was in a panic that the spacecraft's many transistors might not withstand the intense radiation. But after months of analysis, engineers concluded the mission could proceed as planned.

NASA’s twin Pioneer spacecraft and then two Voyagers swept past Jupiter in the 1970s. The Voyagers provided the first detailed photos of Europa but from quite a distance. NASA’s Galileo spacecraft had repeated flybys of the moon during the 1990s, passing as close as 124 miles. Still in action around Jupiter, NASA’s Juno spacecraft has added to Europa’s photo album. Arriving at Jupiter a year after Clipper will be the European Space Agency’s Juice spacecraft, launched last year.

Like Europa, Jupiter’s jumbo moon Ganymede is thought to host an underground ocean. But its frozen shell is much thicker — possibly 100 miles thick — making it tougher to probe the environment below. Callisto’s ice sheet may be even thicker, possibly hiding an ocean. Saturn’s moon Enceladus has geysers shooting up, but it’s much farther than Jupiter. Ditto for Saturn’s moon Titan, also suspected of having a subterranean sea. While no ocean worlds have been confirmed beyond our solar system, scientists believe they’re out there — and may even be relatively common.

Like many robotic explorers before it, Clipper bears messages from Earth. Attached to the electronics vault is a triangular metal plate. On one side is a design labeled "water words" with representations of the word for water in 104 languages. On the opposite side: a poem about the moon by U.S. poet laureate Ada Limon and a silicon chip containing the names of 2.6 million people who signed up to vicariously ride along.

The Earth is expected to experience a geomagnetic storm this week following the autumnal equinox.

A sunspot erupted on Sunday, generating a coronal mass ejection (CME) on a trajectory toward Earth.

The solar plasma, propelled toward the planet at 650,000 mph, is expected to glance off the magnetosphere on Wednesday, according to Space.com.

GEOMAGNETIC STORM HITS EARTH CREATING NORTHERN LIGHTS, DISRUPTING RADIO COMMUNICATIONS

The CME could create a geomagnetic storm in part of the world due to its occurrence near the autumnal equinox, which passed on Sept. 22. 

During the spring and fall equinoxes, the Earth's magnetic poles are aligned with the sun's, making geomagnetic storms more likely.

NORTHERN LIGHTS MAY BE SEEN ACROSS SOME PORTIONS OF US THIS WEEK AFTER 'STRONG SOLAR ACTIVITY'

The geomagnetic storm can sometimes cause disruption in communications or electrical blackouts.

The phenomenon can also cause the "Northern Lights" effect at high altitudes, illuminating the night sky with brilliant colors.

Earlier this summer, the dancing lights of the aurora borealis were seen across the U.S. and even in some of the southern states, after the strongest geomagnetic storm in 20 years took place.

Fox News Digital's Sydney Borchers contributed to this report.

Scientists investigating the asteroid that wiped out dinosaurs after slamming into the Earth 66 million years ago have released a new study suggesting that it formed "beyond the orbit of Jupiter." 

The findings published in Science on Thursday say that the researchers made their determination after examining the geological remains of the impact in modern day Chicxulub, Mexico. 

The team, led by Mario Fischer-Gödde of the University of Cologne in Germany, "measured ruthenium isotopes in the impact deposits and compared them with multiple classes of meteorites, which represent potential impactor compositions," according to a summary of the study. 

"They found that the Chicxulub impactor was a carbonaceous asteroid that formed in the outer Solar System," it continued. "Additional measurements of five other impacts showed that those were due to silicate asteroids that formed in the inner Solar System." 

NEWLY DISCOVERED DINOSAUR SPECIES IS ONLY GREEN FOSSIL EVER GOUND, TO BE DISPLAYED IN LOS ANGELES 

An abstract of the study also said that the impact of the asteroid at Chicxulub produced "a global stratigraphic layer that marks the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene eras." 

"That layer contains elevated concentrations of platinum-group elements, including ruthenium," it continued, adding that the scientists’ data indicates the asteroid that struck Mexico had "formed beyond the orbit of Jupiter." 

FLASHBACK: STUDY SAYS ASTEROID THAT KILLED THE DINOSAURS ALSO CAUSED A GLOBAL TSUNAMI 

"So far, Chicxulub... seems to be a unique and rare case of a carbonaceous-type asteroid hitting Earth," Fischer-Gödde told The New York Times, which reports that previous research has suggested similar findings regarding the asteroid’s true origin. 

"Without this impact, what would our Earth look like today?" Fischer-Gödde added. "We should probably value, a bit more, that we are around and this is maybe a lucky coincidence that everything came to place like it is today."