The Titanic sails again: Australian tycoon unveils plans for perfect replica of doomed vessel (except with a few more lifeboats)

With a name like Titanic II its launch was never going to be plain sailing.
The sequel to the doomed liner that sank 100 years ago was announced on Tuesday - after its designer claimed it would be the 'most safe cruise ship in the world' with ample lifeboats.
With hubris akin to that of the 1912 original, Markku Kanerva said that 'from a safety perspective' there was no vessel on Earth which compared to the new boat.
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Sequel: An artist's rendering of the proposed cruise ship Titanic II, provided by the Blue Star Line as Australian billionaire Clive Palmer unveiled plans for his dream ship

Original: The Titanic leaving Southampton on her ill-fated maiden voyage on April 10, 1912

He said that it had more than enough lifeboats and that the hull was stronger than the wooden original because it was made from steel composite.
Despite his confidence the mastermind behind the project, brash Australian mining billionaire Clive Palmer, refused say it was 'unsinkable'.

 

He said: 'I think anything will sink if you put a hole in it. I think you'd be very cavalier to say something like that.
'I think people in the past have done that and lived to regret it.'
The blueprint for the Titanic II was unveiled in New York for the first time along with computer generated images of the inside.
They bear a startling resemblance to the 1997 James Cameron film about the ship, which starred Kate Winslet and Leonardo Di Caprio, and show that many of the original features including the famous Grand Staircase will feature in the new boat.

Dining: Proposed designs for the interior of the cruise ship in the Titanic II

Lower class: The third class dining room on the original Titanic

The six-day maiden voyage will take place in late 2016 and will be be from Southampton to New York to 'complete the journey' started all those years ago.
Just like in 1912 there will be three classes of passenger and those with different tickets will not be able to move between the classes, though there will be more toilets for the lower decks than the original.
Everyone on board will however be provided with early-20th-century-style clothes and undergarments in their cabins to get them in the mood.
Whilst there will be air conditioning there will be no TVs and no Internet in a bid to get back to the 'romance' of a bygone age.

Classic: Plans for the swimming pool on the Titanic II incorporates elements from the historic design of the first ship

Splash: The original swimming pool aboard the Titanic

Exercise: Plans for the gym in the updated Titanic look surprisingly dated, to reflect the spirit of the original design

Original: The RMS Titanic Gymnasium in 1912. Pictured is TW McCawley, 'physical educator or trainer' on a rowing machine and Harland & Wolffe, electrician William Parr on a mechanical camel. Both perished when the steamship sank after hitting an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland during it's maiden voyage from Southampton

RMS Titanic vs. Titanic II

Measurements:
RMS Titanic: 882 ft 9 in
Titanic II: 883 ft 
Weight:
RMS Titanic: 53,210 gross tons
Titanic II: 55,800 gross tons
Lifeboat capacity:
RMS Titanic: 1,178 people
Titanic II: 2,700 people
Passengers:
RMS Titanic: 2,223
Titanic II: 2,435
Crew:
RMS Titanic: 885
Titanic II: 900
Maximum speed:
RMS Titanic: 24 knots
Titanic II: 24 knots
Construction timeline:
RMS Titanic: 1909-1912
Titanic II: 2013-2016
Construction cost:
RMS Titanic: $7.5 million (1912)
Titanic II: TBD
Construction company:
RMS Titanic: Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast
Titanic II: CSC Jinling Shipyard in China

Professor Palmer outlined his bold vision in which the Titanic II would be 'carrying the hopes and dreams of people everywhere' and represent 'the reconciliation of man'.
There will be capacity for 2,435 passengers and 900 crew.
There will also be lifeboats that can carry 2,700 and a life rafts with an additional capacity of 800.
The original Titanic had just 16 wooden lifeboats that accommodated 1,178 people, one third of the total capacity.
Some 1,502 people died when it sank on April 15 1912.
It was one of the worst peacetime disasters the world has ever seen.
At the launch of Titanic II, which began with a guitar rendition of Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On', Professor Palmer explained that the ship will be 883ft long, which is three inches longer than the original.
It will have a tonnage of 55,800 tonnes compared to 53,210 of the original.
It will have a maximum speed of 24 knots, the same as the first Titanic.
Other original features which will also appear on Titanic II include the Turkish baths, the Cafe Parisien, the two 'Millioniare Suites', the Chart Room, and the quarters belonging to Titanic Master Captain Edward Smith.
For entertainment guests can enjoy the casino, cinema or shopping area.
The blueprint shows that there will even the same 'Marconi room' where the Titanic sent out its final SOS.
Whereas the original was built by the famous Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, in a sign of how times have changed the Titanic II is being constructed by state-owned Chinese company CSC Jinling Shipyard.
Professor Palmer refused to reveal how much he is paying to build Titanic II but claimed there had already been significant interest, including from celebrities.
He said: '40,000 people had registered for tickets on the ship's website with 16 offering between $750,000 and $1m to be on the opening voyage.'
He added that on the first trip he would be 'in third class twiddling the fiddle like Leonardo Di Caprio did in the film'.
Mr Kanerva, of Finnish boat designers Deltamarin, added: 'I can assure you that from a safety point of view it will be absolutely the most safe cruise ship in the world.'
'We are taking into account all of the possible incidents and accidents and we try to simulate all of those occasions.'
'Collision is the most common accident we are talking about'.
The launch, on the USS Intrepid moored on a pier in Manhattan, was met with a mixed reaction by relatives of those who survived the original sinking.
Helen Benzinger, the great granddaughter of Molly Brown, an American heiress who was on board Titanic, said that she was 'thrilled' at the new design.
The family of the Capt Smith however have said the replica is 'in bad taste'.

Stairway: Plans for the interior of Titanic II include the infamous staircase, that appeared in James Cameron's blockbuster hit Titanic

The one and only: The intricately carved staircase on the RMS Titanic

Legend: The ship will largely recreate the design and decor of the fabled original

Mastermind: Australian mining entrepreneur Clive Palmer unveiled blueprints for Titanic II

Resurrected: The Titanic II will be built 883 feet long ¿ 3 inches longer than the original Titanic¿ and weigh 55,800 gross tons

Dreamliner: The ship, which Australian billionaire Clive Palmer is planning to build in China, is scheduled to sail in 2016

Rich: Stateroom B-58 onboard the Titanic, decorated in Louis XVI style, 1912

Upper class: Cafe Parisien on board RMS Titanic, an extension to the First Class restaurant

Panasonic Dorutsu EW-DL32 electric toothbrush with ultrasonic vibrations!

Panasonic will release its all new Dorutsu EW-DL32 toothbrush with sonic vibrations in the month of May. With three different attachments and teeth stain remover the battery operated electric toothbrush cleans you teeth like never before with 31,000 linear ultrasonic vibrations per minute. To remove stains from your teeth you can use the diamond tip attachment which allows much denser cleansing routine impossible to achieve with normal brush bristles. To clean you tongue there is the tongue cleaner attachment and to keep the gums free from any germs there is the oval brush attachment.

The electric toothbrush can be operated in three different rhythm modes depending on your brushing habits. The charging is done by a non-contact method as you have to simply place the toothbrush on the charger. Measuring 25 x 30 x 210 mm and having total body weight of 90 grams the Dorutsu EW-DL32 toothbrush lasts for 90 minutes on one charge of 17 hours. The battery operated toothbrush comes in three colors; silver, grey and pink at the price of US$194 (18,000 Yen).
Via: Panasonic.Jp

Palm-sized toilet speaker for all your gadgets!

A toilet seat be a very good music player too, apparently it is evident from the newly launched Speaker type toilet (SD Card Player) EEA-YW0703 by Transport Sanyo capable of playing you digital audio content from gadgets, memory cards or anything else that plugs-in with a 3.5 mm jack. The cute little palm-sized toilet speaker delivers high power 3W music for around 2-3 hours of continuous playback on about 2 hours of full charge via the USB port that can be plugged into your PC. The SD card slot and controls for increasing/decreasing or scanning for tracks on board are located on the toilet cistern while the speaker is located inside the toilet bowl to make the sound richer and deep.

 The supported audio playback file format is MP3 only which is a bit of a downside but should cover major chunk of your music collection. You can connect gadgets like iPhone 5, iPad, iPod and game consoles with this palm-sized speaker that will surely beautify your living room. This portable speaker in the shape of western toilet weighs only 110 grams and measures W63xH80xD75mm. Surprisingly this small little speaker can be yours for $13 at the eSupply online shop.

Rrobot restaurant in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China!!

• Twenty robots work at the Robot Restaurant in Harbin
• They can deliver food, cook, usher and entertain diners
• The popular restaurant opened in June last year
• Each robot costs between £20,000-£30,000 each

Service with a smile has turned sci-fi at this restaurant as diners are waited on and cooked for by robots.
At Robot Restaurant 20 robots deliver food to the table, cook dumplings and noodles, usher diners and entertain them in Harbin, Heilongjiang province in China.
When a diner walks in, an usher robot extends their mechanic arm to the side and says 'Earth person hello. Welcome to the Robot Restaurant.'
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Droid delicacies: A robot delivers a dish to hungry diners at Robot Restaurant where 20 robots are used to deliver and cook food as well as usher customers and entertain them

After diners have ordered, robots in the kitchen set to work cooking their meals.
Once the dish is prepared, a robot waiter, which runs along tracks on the floor, carries it from kitchen to table.

Prepared dishes are placed on a suspended conveyor belt and when the plate reaches the right table the mechanical arms lift it off and set it down.
As they eat, a singing robot entertains diners.

Robot ready: A robot prepares dumplings in the restaurant kitchen before the meal is delivered to diners by waiter robots

Serve and deliver: Robot waiters run along tracks on the floor to carry meals from the kitchen to diners

The restaurant has gained international fame and continues to grow in popularity since it opened in June last year.
Chief Engineer Liu Hasheng, said they invested 5 million Yuan (about £500,000) in creating the restaurant, with each robot costing 200,000 to 300,000 Yuan (around £20,000 to £30,000).
The robots can work continuously for five hours after a two-hour charge.
Mr Hasheng said: 'Staff in the computer room can manage the whole robot team.
'After the busy times during the day, the robot will go for a "meal", which is electricity.'

Human hand: Human staff manage the robots from the kitchen, which cost up to £30,000 each

Mechanic masterchef: Customers look on as a robot prepares food at the restaurant which has made international headlines since it opened in June last year

The robots range in height from 4.3 to 5.25ft and can display more than 10 facial expressions and say basic welcoming lines to diners, local media reported.
The restaurant offers a menu with more than 30 dishes and for the average cost for a diner is £4 to £5.
In 2010, another robot restaurant opened in Jinan in northern Shandong province, where robots resembling Star Wars droids circle the room carrying trays of food in a conveyor belt-like system.
More than a dozen robots operate in the restaurant as entertainers, servers, greeters and receptionists.
San Franciso-based company Momentum Machines announced plans for a new fast food restaurant chain where all the cooking is done entirely by robots last year.
Their burger-making machine is capable of making 350 hamburgers per hour.

Meet and greet: A robot that specialises in greeting people tries to entice customers off the street in Harbin

Droid destination: A boy reaches for his food order delivered to him by a waiter robot which can work for five hours continuously after a two hour electric charge

Video: Robots serve food and drinks at restaurant in Harbin China