NASA Develops Hedgehog Robot for Asteroid Exploration
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has come up with a concept for a hedgehog-inspired robot to traverse the unusual terrain of asteroids and other small bodies in our solar system.
The Hedgehog, as it's officially named, is designed for "hopping, tumbling and flipping over," instead of more traditional modes of locomotion such as rolling along on wheels.
"It is shaped like a cube and can operate no matter which side it lands on," said Issa Nesnas, who's leading the team of researchers at the JPL.
According to NASA, the Hedgehog will be a basic cube with spikes sticking out of it that moves by "spinning and braking internal flywheels." The spikes could also be used to measure surface temperatures, or could house any number of other scientific instruments. However, it is a well known fact that spikes cause loss, rather than the acquisition, of golden rings, so they presumably couldn't be used for that purpose.
Game of Thrones: Meryn Trant Actor on THAT Scene with Arya
Warning: Game of Thrones: Season 5 spoilers follow...
In celebration of Game of Thrones: The Complete Fifth Season recently arriving on Digital HD, IGN's own Joshua Yehl got to speak with actor Ian Beattie -- aka Ser Meryn Trant -- about his character's gruesome death this past season, as well as his thoughts on what really happened to Syrio the Swordmaster in Season 1...
IGN TV: So this is Season 5 coming out, and Season 5 was your final season on the show. What was it like to end on the show in such a gruesome way?
Ian Beattie: Well, funny,
have said this once before -- and not without a touch of style -- that when it's your turn
Netflix Reportedly Producing New Black Mirror Episodes
Netflix, having already aired the first two seasons of the U.K.'s Black Mirror here in the U.S., appears to be taking their support of the dystopian anthology series one step further.
According to the RadioTimes, Netflix has agreed to terms with Black Mirror creator/writer Charlie Brooker and his production company House of Tomorrow to produce "multiple episodes” of the show - which could either result in spaced apart chapters like the show's Christmas special (featuring Jon Hamm, Rafe Spall, Janet Montgomery, and Oona Chaplin) or an official Season 3.
Halloween Returns Director Wants Gillian Jacobs to Star
Halloween Returns director and co-writer Marcus Dunstan is hoping Community's Gillian Jacobs will star in the horror film.
Speaking with The Myers Fan (via Halloween Daily News), Dunstan expressed his enthusiasm for Jacobs joining Halloween Returns. "I really like this actress Gillian Jacobs," he said. "She's known for all this comedy on Community, and yet I didn't know her from Community first, I knew her from a movie called Gardens of the Night, which is one of the most wrenching dramas, and she's excellent.
Elite: Dangerous Xbox One Release Date Revealed
Frontier Developments has revealed a release date for Elite: Dangerous on Xbox One.
Speaking in a Reddit AMA, Frontier Developments CEO David Braben said the full release of Elite: Dangerous is coming on October 6. The space adventure and combat simulator has been a part of the Xbox One Game Preview announced back at E3 2015.
Braben also mentioned that Xbox One users who participated in the preview of Elite: Dangerous will receive some form of exclusive reward when the full version launches but don’t expect to keep your ships and modules. Those will not carry over, however, reportedly the cash value of those items will.
Entourage Star May Direct Travolta in Gotti Biopic
The once-scrapped biopic of the late Mafioso John Gotti is reportedly back on with John Travolta once again set to star as the Dapper Don and Entourage star-turned-director Kevin Connolly aboard to helm.
According to Deadline, Connolly -- who played Eric "E." Murphy on HBO's Entourage -- "grew up on Long Island reading about Gotti on the front pages of the Post and Daily News." The site claims production will begin in January.
Kevin Connolly in Entourage.
Red Wolf Is the Jason Bourne of the Marvel Universe
For the first time in almost 40 years, Native American superhero Red Wolf will be starring in his own solo comic. Marvel announced the new series via Mashable today, which will star the same version of Red Wolf currently seen in the Secret Wars tie-in 1872. Unlike 1872, however, this book is billed as a "gritty, brutal crime series."
Red Wolf will be written by Nathan Edmondson (Black Widow) and drawn by Dalibor Talajic (Master of Kung Fu). Artist Jeffrey Veregge will provide cover art as well as "design and consulting" for the series. Veregge. According to Mashable, Veregge is a member of the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe in Kingston, Washington and will be helping to guide the series and its portrayal of Native American culture.
Jamie Foxx May Team Up With Edgar Wright
Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx is in talks to star in Edgar Wright's Baby Driver.
Deadline reports Foxx is poised to join Baby Driver alongside Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars, Insurgent) and Lily James (Cinderella, Downton Abbey).
Wright is set to write and direct the film, which tells the story of a young and talented getaway driver who is coerced into working for a crime boss.
Foxx was most recently seen in last year's Annie remake, and he's currently shooting Baran Bo Odar’s Sleepless Nights.
Cross-Platform Play Coming to Minecraft Windows 10 Edition Beta
The latest update to Minecraft Windows 10 Edition Beta will enable local-area network play with Minecraft-- Pocket Edition.
Up to five players will be able to cooperate or compete with one another over a local network on PC, iOS, Android, or Windows Phone. In addition to the cross-platform local area play included in the update, the Minecraft Windows 10 Edition Beta update allows "five friends play together over Xbox Live," according to Microsoft.
Also coming to Pocket Edition in its latest update are new touch controls, the addition of controller support, and a controller mapping screen. The update also includes "the same enhanced weather effects" found in Windows 10 Edition Beta, "including snow accumulation and directional rain." Golems, ocelots, and new brewable potions are also coming to Pocket Edition, along with exploration of The Nether, Mineraft's lava-soaked hellscape.
Out This Week: Super Mario Maker, Gotham: Season 1
With so many new games and movies coming out, it can be hard to keep up. Lucky for you, IGN is here to help with a weekly round-up of the biggest releases each and every week. Check out the latest releases for this week, and be sure to come back next Monday for a new update.
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