SUPERLICE, COMING TO A SCALP NEAR YOU

As if lice weren’t bad enough, a growing number are now resis- tant to over-the-counter (OTC) treatment. Scary, yes, but not surprising since doctors have re- lied on a single compound to kill the bugs for decades, says John Clark, a University of Massa- chusetts Amherst toxicologist.

WHAT USED TO WORK
OTC treatments kill lice with neurotoxins called pyrethrins (or the synthetic permethrin). When repeatedly exposed to the drug, bugs evolve a genetic mutation that desensitizes their nervous systems to its effects.
WHY THAT’S A PROBLEM
Populations of lice develop additional defenses until they become completely immune, as is now the case in Argentina and Israel. In March, Clark reported that 99.6 percent of head lice in the U.S. already have the genetic mutation and are en route to achieving superlice status.
WHAT TO DO NOW

A few single-treatment prescrip- tion medications exist. Removing lice with heat treatment or those annoyingly tiny combs also works. You just need the patience of a saint (or a school nurse). “I’d recommend a pro- fessional,” Clark says. 

A Pipe-Bot to Seek Leaks

In March, what started as
a negligible leak in a gas
pipe caused an explosion
that leveled two apartment buildings and killed eight people in New York City. Leaky pipes can pose a real danger, but there isn’t an oil, natural gas, or water network in the world that doesn’t have them.
“No matter what type of pipe system you have, leaks go undetected for a long time,” says Kamal Youcef-Toumi, a mechanical engineer at MIT. Existing acoustic sensors aim to detect leaks from above- ground, but to catch smaller leaks sooner, Youcef-Toumi’s team is designing an auto- nomous robot to patrol pipes from within. The two-liter- bottle-size prototype cruises through pipes at up to 3 miles per hour in search of subtle pressure differences that indi- cate a loss of fluids. Then the pipe-bot sends an alert with GPS coordinates to a techni- cian who can locate and repair the leak. ALEXANDRA OSSOLA

THE PARTS
A
A polyurethane membrane detects pressure changes and protects the drum.
B
A 3-D–printed plastic drum moves in re- sponse to flow differ- ences from a leak.
C
Force sensors record how much the drum moves to gauge the size of a leak.
D
An onboard computer drives the bot and communicates wire- lessly with operators.
E
Rubber-coated wheels provide traction within most pipes. 

SHOES THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE... GUARANTEED!

The Ultimate Shock Absorbing Footwear
As featured in hundreds of magazines, on radio and
TV nationwide, Gravity Defyer® shoes are changing lives every day. They
have become a comfort phenomenon, and are being used and recommended by professionals in hospitals, the food service industry, board rooms across the country and more.

Stay more active on your feet and experience unparalleled comfort and performance.
Feel Weightless

Standing, walking, and running are easier as the VersoShock® system’s energy return makes you feel lighter, like you’re walking on clouds. 

A BEACH-STORMING BEHEMOTH THAT LEAVES NO TRACE

When U.S. Marines landed at
I nchon during the Korean War, they had to abandon their amphibious vehicles and cross tidal mud flats on foot. Today, the Navy uses the more versatile Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) to move troops and supplies from ship to shore. But these hovercraft canêt carry much cargo or crawl over obsta- cles. So the logistics of water-to- land transfers continue to bedevil planners and put lives at risk.
Since 2008, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) has been working with ship-design company Navatek to develop an entirely new kind
of beach stormer called the Ultra Heavy-Lift Amphibious Connector (UHAC). The vehicle is unique for 

two reasons. First, itês massive. UHAC should be able to haul three U.S. Abrams main battle tanks at a time, compared to just one on an LCAC. Second, itês light. Air-filled foam treads give the fully loaded vehicle a ground pressure of just a few pounds per square inchÑ lighter than an adult humanês foot- step. çI n places where a person would sink into the mud, UHAC would walk right over,ésays Frank Leban, deputy UHAC program manager at ONR.
The beast of a vehicle should
be able to power up steep slopes, climb over 12-foot seawalls, and traverse just about any terrain: mud, sand, and even ice. The ONR most recently tested a half-size prototype in July, but it has yet to announce a release date for the full-size vehicle. Once it arrives, the amphibious craft could support military or disaster relief opera- tions on almost any coastline in the world.JEREMY HSU