Icebergs Floated as Solution for World's Water Woes

CREDIT: Dassault Systemes/Georges Mougin View full size image

"Iceberg, dead ahead!"

The cry that heralded the Titanic's doom may now signal hope for thirsty people around the world, if glaciologists and engineers can somehow harness flotillas of icebergs at the frozen corners of the Earth. Such a dream took a step forward recently when a French team simulated how to tow an iceberg from the Arctic to countries that need fresh drinking water.

Ambitions for making icebergs into the world's drinking fountains began with Saudi Prince Mohammed al Faisal in the 1970s. Al Faisal, nephew of Saudi Arabia's King Khalid, teamed up with French engineer Georges Mougin to create an ill-fated company based on tapping iceberg water. Since 2003, Mougin has resurrected the idea with the help of computer modeling from the French company Dassault Systemes.

The recent simulations stood as virtual trial runs for Mougin's $11.5 million (

Video

Rydis Robot Smartly Filters The Air In Every Room | Video

Air filters are effective at cleaning the air, but only in one room. The Rydis moves around your home, detecting air quality and filtering the air in each room before moving on to the next, while smartly avoiding obstacles along the way.