Mack DeGeurin

New York

Freelance tech policy reporter, with work in Gizmodo, PopSci, The Guardian, and more. Host of The Future is Ow podcast. Hit me up at [email protected]

Articles

도로에서 하늘로 날아오르는 ‘에어카’, 2026년 출시 예고

6 days ago | popsci.co.kr | Mack DeGeurin

자동차로 도로를 주행하다 막히면 비행기로 변신해 하늘을 나는 ‘플라잉 카’가 현실에 한 걸음 더 다가섰다. 슬로바키아의 스타트업 클라인 비전(Klein Vision)이 30여 년간의 개발 끝에 도로 주행과 비행이 모두 가능한 차량 ‘에어카(AirCar)’의 새로운 프로토타입을 8일(현지 시간) 공개했다. 2026년 고객 인도를 목표로 하고 있다. 과거 클라인 비전의 초기 모델이 실제 감항 인증까지 획득했던 이력이 있어 기대를 모으지만, 여전히 높은 가격과 운용상의 제약, 규제 문제 등 상용화를 위한 난제는 산적해 있다는 지적도 제기된다. 클라인 비전은 지난 30년간 에어카 개발에 몰두해왔다. 그동안 비행 실험 170시간 이상, 착륙 실험을 500회 이상 성공적으로 마쳤다. 2022년에는 초기 버전 에어카가 70시간의 비행 테스트를 완료하고 슬로바키아 교통 당국으로부터 감항 인증을 획득했다. 이는 동종 차량 중 최초로 공식적으로 비행 가능성을 인정받은 사례다.
This $1M flying car can reach speeds of 155 mph

1 week ago | popsci.com | Mack DeGeurin

The flying car prototype can switch between form factors in less than two minutes and reach a top aerial speed of around 155 mph in the sky. Screenshot: Klein Vision/YouTube A Slovakian startup working to make the age-old dream of flying cars a reality says it has a new prototype that could ship as early as 2026.
This $1M flying car can reach speeds of 155 mph

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Mack DeGeurin

A Slovakian startup working to make the age-old dream of flying cars a reality says it has a new prototype that could ship as early as 2026. Klein Vision, which has spent the past three decades developing its “AirCar,” has already completed over 170 flight hours and more than 500 takeoffs and landings. It also became one of the first vehicles of its kind to receive a certificate of airworthiness back in 2022. Now, the company says it’s ready to shift out of the testing phase and into production.
This man was killed four years ago. His AI clone just spoke in court.

1 week ago | popsci.com | Mack DeGeurin

Chris Pelkey's family fed past video footage of him into an AI model that created a new deepfake clone used to present a victim's impact statement.
What happens if Amtrak gets privatized?

1 week ago | popsci.com | Mack DeGeurin

The privatization of Amtrak could do more harm than good. Image: Scott Olson/Getty Images The world today is unpredictable, but a few things remain certain: death, taxes, and renewed calls to privatize U.S. passenger rail.
Why are airline seats so small? It all started in 1978.

2 weeks ago | popsci.com | Mack DeGeurin

It’s not your imagination, airplane seats are getting smaller. Image: enviromantic / Getty Images Earlier this year, while boarding a flight out of Houston, Texas, I noticed my slightly overfilled, bulging backpack wouldn’t quite fit in the space between my feet.
Why are airline seats so small? It all started in 1978.

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Mack DeGeurin

Earlier this year, while boarding a flight out of Houston, Texas, I noticed my slightly overfilled, bulging backpack wouldn’t quite fit in the space between my feet. I bent down, trying to smoosh it into place—only to realize I couldn’t actually reach the cabin floor without my face slamming into the seat in front of me. For a brief, heart-racing moment, I was stuck, looking like a MythBusters crash dummy bracing for impact. Were airline seats always this cramped?
Scientists warn deepfakes are about to become undetectable

2 weeks ago | popsci.com | Mack DeGeurin

Can you tell who is real and who is fake? Image: Popular Science composite. Getty Images, Peter Eisert AI-generated deepfake videos depicting humans are getting more advanced, and more common, by the day. The most sophisticated tools can now produce manipulated content that is indistinguishable to the average human observer.
Scientists warn deepfakes are about to become undetectable

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Mack DeGeurin

AI-generated deepfake videos depicting humans are getting more advanced, and more common, by the day. The most sophisticated tools can now produce manipulated content that is indistinguishable to the average human observer. Deepfake detectors, which use their own AI models to analyze video clips, attempt to bypass this deception by searching for hidden tells. One of those is the presence of a human pulse.
Scientists warn deepfakes are about to become undetectable

2 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Mack DeGeurin

9 hours agoAs with all developments in the world of AI, not everyone is happy about the changes. AI continues to expand its reach into our lives, and language learning is next on the list. This week brought big developments from both Google and Duolingo on that front. On Google's end, the search giant launched …