It's believed that the inmate (of the Salto del Negro prison on the Canary Island of Las Palmas) was to scale the prison wall and speed off in a waiting car.

The arrested men had setup an elaborate surveillance operation of the prison that involved a camouflaged tent, powerful binoculars, telephoto lenses, and motion detection sensors. But authorities caught wind of the plan when they intercepted the inflatable zeppelin as it arrived from the Italian town of Bergamo.

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Holy crap, I almost wish they got away with it. [Telegraph]

Details on the flight itself are scarce, but we do know that 246-foot long airship will be under the command of the world's only female Zeppelin pilot and it will take off somewhere in the Bay area. The band Abney Park will also be on board and rumor has it that might even take a few requests. Currently, there are 8 spots left on the historic flight, and tickets are selling for $785. It's a hefty sum, but remember that price pays for the whole seat—but I am sure that you will only need the edge. Ticket info is available in the following link. [Abney Park and Airship Ventures via Boing Boing]

The new Zeppelin NT—yes, capital Z because it's made by the Zeppelin company—is about 20% larger than a blimp, but it's still small by Zep standards, with just room for 12 passengers and a crew. It's "semi-rigid," meaning that it's got an internal framework but not a totally solid hull like the Zeppelins of old. It's also got a single gas chamber, rather than multiple cells. They also achieve lift with helium, which may make your voice sound funny, but won't go "boom" to the horror of radio announcers everywhere.

NTs have been in action since the 1990s, all over Europe and Japan. Fun fact: When a Japanese firm bought one in 2004, they wanted to re-enact a historic (pre-Axis) flight of the Graf Zeppelin, from Germany to Japan, but Russia said "Ix nay." [The Standard via Slashdot; More great pics from official Zeppelin site]

As for the AirJelly, this remote controlled device can glide through the air using a helium-filled ballonet, a central electric drive and an intelligent, adaptive mechanical system. Apparently, this design offers "fascinating possibilities for "lighter-than-air" aviation." I'm not sure about all of that, but I can at see how the technology behind the AquaJelly could have some practical application on complex underwater projects. Still, practical or not, these robots are pretty damn interesting to watch in action, as the videos below illustrate. Check out the press release for full details.

Bionic Learning Network
Inspired by nature

Nature never ceases to amaze us with its aesthetic beauty. It is no surprise therefore that nature's fascinating creatures also served as inspiration for the new projects of Festo's Bionic Learning Network. The structure and kinematics of AquaJelly and AirJelly are based on their biological model, the jellyfish. The test beds utilize cutting-edge technologies. AquaJelly, for example, is a man-made autonomous jelly fish with an electric drive and an intelligent, adaptive mechanical system. Festo's YoYo product illustrates that fully automatic control is possible with the aid of mechatronics - it also forms a bridge to the company's core competency, automation with air.

AquaJelly
AquaJelly is an artificial autonomous jellyfish with an electric drive and an intelligent, adaptive mechanical system. AquaJelly consists of a translucent hemisphere and eight tentacles used for propulsion. At the centre of the AquaJelly is a watertight, laser-sintered pressure vessel. This comprises a central, electric drive, two lithium-ion-polymer batteries, the charge control device and the servo motors for the swashplate.

The structure of each tentacle uses the Fin Ray Effect® - a construction design derived from the functional anatomy of a fish fin. It moves with the aid of a peristaltic propulsion system, or wave-like contractions, based on the reaction thrust principle used by its biological precursor. The motion of the AquaJelly in three-dimensional environments is controlled by shifting its weight. Two servo motors integrated into the central pressure vessel actuate a swashplate. This swashplate controls a four-arm pendulum which can be steered in the four spatial directions. When a pendulum moves in a certain direction, the centre of gravity of the jellyfish changes in this direction.

AquaJelly is capable of independently controlling its own energy supply, by means of communication between the AquaJelly and a charging station. Whenever the AquaJelly comes to a charger located above the water basin, it is sucked towards it and provided with electricity.

For communication on the water surface, the AquaJelly can use the energy-conserving short-range radio standard ZigBee, which enables it to exchange status details with the charger and signal to other AquaJellies on the surface that the charger is occupied.

The main communication medium under water, however, is light. The AquaJelly has eleven infrared light-emitting diodes with which it can communicate over distances of up to approx. 80 cm. The pulsed infrared signals are sent from inside an almost spherical structure around the AquaJelly. On receiving a position signal from an approaching jellyfish, for example, the AquaJelly can start its evasion manoeuvre in plenty of time. In addition to environment sensors, the AquaJelly also has internal sensors which monitor its energy level, as well as a pressure sensor which allows it to gauge its depth in the basin to within a few millimetres.
Each jellyfish decides autonomously which action to carry out on the basis of its current condition. This central electric drive, combined with an adaptive mechanical system and intelligent autonomous electronics, opens up possible new applications for self-controlling systems. If a large number of AquaJellies were equipped with communicative abilities, these could act like a shoal with the behaviour pattern of a more highly developed system. If one applies this principle to automation, then numerous autonomous or semi-autonomous intelligent systems might be able to work together. In this way, large problems could be solved by small systems working together in harmony.

AirJelly
Air is the element of the AirJelly. Rather than swimming through water like the AquaJelly, it glides through the air with the aid of its central electric drive and an intelligent, adaptive mechanical system. The remote-controlled AirJelly is kept in the air by its helium-filled ballonet.

The AirJelly's only energy source are two lithium-ion-polymer batteries, to which the central electric drive is attached. This transmits its power to a bevel gear and then to eight spur gears, which drive the eight tentacles of the jellyfish via their respective cranks. The structure of each tentacle is based on the Fin Ray Effect®. Using a peristaltic movement to drive a balloon was previously unknown in the history of aviation. The AirJelly is the first indoor flying object to use such a peristaltic propulsion system. The jellyfish glides gently through the air thanks to this new drive concept based on the reaction thrust principle.

The AirJelly steers through three-dimensional environments by shifting its weight. Its two servo motors are located at the "North pole" of the jellyfish and controlled proportionally. If the pendulum moves in one direction, the AirJelly's centre of gravity shifts in this direction - the AirJelly is thus able to swim in any spatial direction. The propulsive force of the drive can be varied by moving the Fin Ray® tentacles more quickly or slowly.

Festo demonstrates with this exhibit that a central electric drive - combined with an intelligent mechanical system - can offer fascinating possibilities for "lighter-than-air" aviation. Festo aims to delight its customers with innovative, fascinating and intelligent solutions in both automation and didactics. It therefore offers a wide range of electric, pneumatic and hybrid drive systems, together with the respective sensors and control possibilities.

Air Genie [via Gadget Lab]

No longer will slow leisurely rides in the sky be the property of the wealthy & contest winners. The Personal Blimp will hold up to two people, max out at a blistering 12 mph, and thankfully use hot air instead of helium since I have no idea where to get that much helium aside from robbing a local party store. Also, the Personal Blimp will be fully collapsible so you can keep it in your garage, now there's a plus.

No word on pricing yet, but I'm putting aside the $2,600 I had saved up for a PS3, on a Personal Blimp down payment instead. See a video of the Personal Blimps first 360 degree turn after the jump.

Skyacht [New Launches]
Personal Blimp [Personal Blimp]

– Ben Longo

Aeros to Develop Peacetime Walrus [via GizMag]

Not only does such an airship need to be unusually light, its battery power has to be more efficient than any in existence today, where it needs to use a quarter of the weight to store the same amount of energy currently possible.

From first-hand experience, we can vouch for how perfectly a blimp functions as a platform in the sky, just sitting up there with very little energy expended. It's the perfect antenna. Thank goodness this particular device will be unmanned, because think of it—oh, the humanity—sitting up there for a year with nothing to do but stare into space. – Charlie White

All-Seeing Blimp On The Rise [DefenseTech]

Designer WATG is no stranger to high style and forward-looking design—the company had a hand in the design of the Venetian Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas among many others, and has forward-looking plans for an undersea hotel, and even a space resort. These are some big ideas, but you won't be able to make a reservation for any of these pie-in-the-sky schemes just yet. And didn't they try this before? Something about New Jersey?

Worldwide Aeros Announces Luxurious Airborne Cruise Ships [Born Rich]