We've all done it: you toss a piece of trash at a
nearby waste basket only to have it ricochet off the edge, forcing you
to make that shameful walk to go pick it up and drop it in carefully.
You only have your own hand-eye coordination skills to blame, but if you
think about it, shouldn't catching trash be the garbage can's job? That
certainly seems to be the thought process that led one Japanese
inventor to construct a smart trash can that tracks garbage tossed in
its general direction and then moves across the floor to catch it. Read More
Geigerrig produces a line of pressurized
hydration packs that deliver a stream of water by using pressure to
eliminate the need to suck. The pressure also allows the water stream to
serve as a spray for cleaning off your body and gear. The company's
latest pack is called the Guardian and uses hard plastic panels to
provide new functions. Read More
Body armor is a blessing and a curse for
soldiers. Modern tactical armor has saved thousands of lives from
bullets and bombs, but it can also be a major problem if it doesn’t fit
properly. That’s what the women who make up 14 percent of the U.S. Army
face on a regular basis. Now, according to the Army News Service, the
Army is preparing to test a new armor that is tailored to the female
form to replace the standard men's armor that the women now use. Working
on data collected in studies overseas and at stateside army bases, the
Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier has identified several problem
areas and has developed a new armor that will be tested in 2013. Read More
As a number of riders in this year’s
Tour de France can attest, getting a flat after hitting a tack or nail
on the road not only causes delays, but can also be downright dangerous.
Last year, Hutchison released its airless Serenity tire that is 100
percent flat-proof, but cyclist Steve Boehmke found they were fairly
difficult to install and only fitted a very specific sized rim. To
overcome this, he’s built wheelsets with the tires pre-mounted that are
designed to take the hassle out of getting them on your bike. Read More 
Telepresence robots
are definitely a neat idea – they allow users not only to interact with
people in remote locations, but they also (in some cases) let those
users wander around those locations from “within” the robot, its camera
and microphone acting as their eyes and ears. While such robots have so
far been relatively expensive, California-based inventor Claire Delaunay
wants to change that. She hopes to sell her tiny Botiful telepresence
robot for just US$299. Read More
It’s good for the environment when
manufacturers can find ways of using less fossil fuels, while consumers –
along with the environment – benefit when products last longer. Now,
thanks to the humble soybean, both parties may be able to get what they
need. Researchers from the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company have
discovered that soybean oil can help reduce the amount of petroleum used
in tires, while also extending those tires’ tread life. Read More 
No matter how thin and titanium-y you make a pot
for camping, it's still going to take up some room in your backpack. The
Energia Hexa Pot, on the other hand, folds flat. When pulled out of its
packaging, it blossoms into a full-sized cooking pot. Read More
With the Olympics just days away, one of the more
intriguing structures of London 2012 has come into focus. BMW has fully
revealed its Olympic Park Pavilion. We took our first look at the BMW's pavilion
earlier this month, and now the German automaker with strong British
ties (BMW brands include MINI and Rolls Royce) has provided a full tour.
Read More
Like it or not, we're now living in a digital
world, with physical media of all types being superseded by new formats.
This inevitably leads to us all being left with a physical legacy, and
transferring the content that makes up this legacy to digital formats is
often a tiresome chore. One possible quick and easy solution to
transforming photos from physical to digital is iPICS2GO, a new device
from ION Audio that literally turns your iPhone into a scanner. Read More
The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) has
become the world’s first police or security force to make use of the
International MXT Armoured Personnel Carrier. Navistar Defense Canada
announced yesterday that it has delivered on a US$14 million contract
from the Government of Canada, to supply 18 of its vehicles to the RCMP.
The police force stated that the MXT APCs “will enhance the safety of
officers involved in critical incidents" – these could reportedly
include hostage takings, armed standoffs, barricaded persons and search
and rescue operations. Read More
While an upstairs balcony is a nice
feature for any home, adding one to an existing house can be pretty
involved, and thus pricey. Now, there’s a simpler solution – a window
that converts into a balcony ... of sorts. Read More
We recently took a look at the InaTrap
insect trap that lures insects into its designer-inspired form to
quietly and efficiently send them to an early grave. But if you’re
looking for something slightly more badass that provides a greater sense
of satisfaction when taking out those pesky bugs then it’s hard to go
past the Bug-A-Salt. The brainchild of Santa Monica-based artist Lorenzo
Maggiore, the Bug-A-Salt is a pump action gun that takes out pests in a
blast of non-toxic table salt. Read More
A collaborative project involving ECOmove, Insero E-Mobility and Serenergy is aiming to produce a fuel cell range extender for battery electric vehicles
(BEVs) that should boost the distance between charges to at least 497
miles (800 km). The first vehicle to receive the new bio-methanol-based
Modular Energy Carrier concept (MECc) cells will be the QBEAK car we featured yesterday. Read More
Honda has long championed the
continuously variable transmission (CVT) and while this has in the past
been largely a technology suited to small cars and even scooters, the Japanese car giant is now thinking bigger. Read More
Many people enjoy having a few
drinks after work or on the weekend. Only a subset of them actually
enjoy the taste of whatever cocktail or malt beverage they're sipping
on. Others would prefer to get the buzz and inhibition release without
actually choking down liquor or beer. Whether it's that earthy
pine-tree-in-a-bottle flavor of gin or the harsh burn of cheap whiskey,
alcohol can be downright painful. Air, "the first water with alcohol,"
provides an alternative with a light flavor profile purported to be
closer to club soda than beer or spirits. Read More
Because of the increased visibility
that they offer, “third brake lights” have become standard on
automobiles. Now, it's possible to buy kits
that let you add such lights to the back of motorcycle helmets,
although they typically have to be installed permanently. The Signal
helmet light, however, can simply be strapped on. Read More
As someone of a certain age, as a
young child I was taught how to read the time using an analogue dial on a
clock or watch. I suspect things are a little different now, with kids
more used to digital displays on computers and smartphones. But I have
some not-so-fond memories of trying to grasp the concept of the minute
and second hands on an analogue display. How different my childhood
could have been had someone, somewhere designed a watch with one hand
rather than two. Read More
Sometime in the future, perhaps sometime soon, the robotic jellyfish, octopi and fish cruising the world’s oceans may have to make way for one other companion – the robotic ray. A team led by University of Virginia
engineering professor Hilary Bart-Smith has created such a “creature,”
in hopes that its autonomously-operated descendants may someday help us
humans explore and study the sea, or possibly perform surveillance for
the military. Read More
Skydiver "Fearless Felix" Baumgartner has done it
again - successfully carrying out an 18.3 mile (29.5 km) skydive from
the Red Bull Stratos balloon high above Roswell, NM. His top speed was 536 mph (865 km/h). At that altitude, the speed of sound is about 673 mph (1083 km/h), so Baumgartner's top speed was Mach 0.80! Read More
You know what one of the neat things about
electric bicycles is? It’s the fact that because riders don’t have to
rely solely on their own physical strength to propel the things,
manufacturers have the freedom to explore designs that aren’t centered
around keeping the weight down. Case in the point is the M-1 ebike from
Anaheim-based Marrs Cycles – it probably has more in common with a custom Harley Davidson than with anything put out by Specialized or Trek. Read More
While an upstairs balcony is a nice
feature for any home, adding one to an existing house can be pretty
involved, and thus pricey. Now, there’s a simpler solution – a window
that converts into a balcony ... of sorts. Read More
Today Apple unleashed OS X Mountain Lion, the latest iteration of the Mac computer operating system. Those who own a Mac which meets the required minimum specifications can head over to the Mac App Store and upgrade for just US$19.99. With improved iCloud integration, enhanced security
and the inclusion of some iOS apps like Notes and Reminders, Mountain
Lion sees OS X move further toward the so-called “iOS-ification” which
Apple first introduced in Lion. The result is a much less disjointed user experience and a stronger operating system overall. Read More
Over the last few years, electric cars have become more mainstream with the launch of successful models such as the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf.
Now, Danish developer and manufacturer ECOmove hopes to enter the
expanding e-car market with its QBEAK model, which is slated to hit the
road in 2012. Read More
Based on a design originally created to keep
workers' keys on their persons, T-Reign gear tethers keep your most
essential outdoor gear handy while preventing you from losing or
breaking it. Its latest product adds an extra layer of protection for
electronics in the form of a protective case with retracting cable. It
protects portable electronics from the dings, cracks, chips and outright
loss that daily life can dole out. Read More
Five Norwegian engineering students from the
University of Life Sciences in Oslo have come together to design and
build an electric motorcycle that's a little different from the rest of
the field. Rather than construct the vehicle around a steel or aluminum
frame (like the Brutus
we covered last year, for instance), the Roskva bike features a carbon
fiber monocoque frame that reportedly weighs less than 25 kg (55
pounds). Carbon fiber is also the material of choice for the wheels,
single-sided swingarm and enclosed driveshaft. Read More
We recently took a look at the InaTrap
insect trap that lures insects into its designer-inspired form to
quietly and efficiently send them to an early grave. But if you’re
looking for something slightly more badass that provides a greater sense
of satisfaction when taking out those pesky bugs then it’s hard to go
past the Bug-A-Salt. The brainchild of Santa Monica-based artist Lorenzo
Maggiore, the Bug-A-Salt is a pump action gun that takes out pests in a
blast of non-toxic table salt. Read More
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology
and Atlanta's Emory University have developed microneedles less than a
millimeter in length that can deliver drug molecules and particles to
the region in the back of eye. The new technology provides an
alternative to current methods which are either invasive, with drugs
being injected into the center of the eye, or based on eyedrops, which
are limited in their effectiveness. Read More
A collaborative project involving ECOmove, Insero E-Mobility and Serenergy is aiming to produce a fuel cell range extender for battery electric vehicles
(BEVs) that should boost the distance between charges to at least 497
miles (800 km). The first vehicle to receive the new bio-methanol-based
Modular Energy Carrier concept (MECc) cells will be the QBEAK car we featured yesterday. Read More
Maybe its their height. Maybe it's because
they're round. But clearly there's something about abandoned water
towers that makes people want to transform them into residential
accommodation. Tower House in West London's desirable North Kensington
neighborhood (though admittedly, not the plushest part) appears to be
the latest addition to an ever-growing set; a set that includes the
converted World War II tower, Chateau D'eau. Read More
Honda has long championed the
continuously variable transmission (CVT) and while this has in the past
been largely a technology suited to small cars and even scooters, the Japanese car giant is now thinking bigger. Read More
Researchers have discovered a chemical that makes
cells in the retinas of blind mice sensitive to light, temporarily
restoring some vision. They are working on an improved compound that
they hope could one day be used to restore sight in human patients
suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, the most common form of inherited
blindness, and macular degeneration, the most common cause of acquired blindness in the developed world. Read More
This week, a team of three drivers will set out
to tackle a 23,000 km (14,291 mile) drive from Melbourne, Australia to
its sister city of St
Petersburg in Russia. The Challenge4 crew will be attempting to set a
world record time of 16 days by driving their Volkswagen Touareg TDI in
five-hour shifts for 24 hours a day. Carrying enough provisions for the
entire trip, the only time the vehicle will be at standstill will be
when refueling or when being transported across water. Read More
No matter how many bamboo bicycles we see - and we have seen a few
- they continue to astound with their otherworldly looks. Zuri is a
German operation that hand builds bicycles in Africa out of locally
sourced bamboo. It's multi-hued bamboo-framed bikes are designed for
both city commuting and mountain biking. Read More
Russian media magnate Dmitry Itskov is heading
"Avatar," a tremendously ambitious and far-reaching multidisciplinary
research project that aims to achieve immortality in humans within the
next three decades. He plans to do it by housing human brains in
progressively more disembodied vehicles, first transplanting them into
robots and then, by the year 2045, by reverse-engineering the human
brain and effectively "downloading" human consciousness onto a computer
chip. Read More
The current US space suit used by NASA is a
dinosaur. Designed in 1992, it was only ever intended to be used by
crews aboard the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. That
may have been good enough in the days of 14 kps modems, but with eyes
turning increasingly toward missions to the Moon, Mars and the
asteroids, space explorers need something better. That’s why NASA is
designing its first new suit in twenty years. Developed by NASA’s
Advanced Exploration Systems (AES), the Z-1 prototype space suit
currently undergoing vacuum testing at the Johnson Space Center is a
wearable laboratory of new technology. And it’s a hatchback. Read More
A UCLA team has developed a new type of solar
cell that is nearly 70 percent transparent to the naked eye. The plastic
cells, which use infrared instead of visible light, are also more
economical than other types of cells because they are made by an
inexpensive polymer solution process and nanowire technology,
potentially paving the way for cheaper solar windows. Read More
As anticipated,
the Solar Impulse HB-SIA experimental solar-powered aircraft completed
the first ever solar-powered intercontinental roundtrip journey between
Europe and Africa today. The roughly 6,000 km (3,728 mile) trip
commenced on May 24 and consisted of a total of eight legs averaging 800
km (497 miles) before reaching its conclusion with a landing back where
it all began in Payerne, Switzerland at 8:30 pm on July 24, local time.
Read More
With the increasing availability of things like GPS tracking systems,
we’re hearing more and more about regular people using weather balloons
to launch items into the sky’s upper reaches - examples have included a
video camera, a miniature airplane, and even spacesuit-wearing teddy bears.
While such efforts might get you interested in sending something of
your own into almost-outer-space, the hassle involved in getting hold of
all the necessary equipment could likely keep you from actually doing
it. If you can fit your cargo into a ping pong ball, however, the folks at JP Aerospace will send it up for you. Read More
Many people enjoy having a few
drinks after work or on the weekend. Only a subset of them actually
enjoy the taste of whatever cocktail or malt beverage they're sipping
on. Others would prefer to get the buzz and inhibition release without
actually choking down liquor or beer. Whether it's that earthy
pine-tree-in-a-bottle flavor of gin or the harsh burn of cheap whiskey,
alcohol can be downright painful. Air, "the first water with alcohol,"
provides an alternative with a light flavor profile purported to be
closer to club soda than beer or spirits. Read More
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Cameras which make it easy to share photos via WiFi are nothing new. Kodak started the ball rolling back in 2005, and most recently we've seen the NX Series from Samsung and the Nikon D3200
consumer DSLR get in on the action. Fujifilm, however, is taking a
slightly different approach with the launch of the new FinePix F800EXR -
it shares images with iOS and Android phones or tablets via an app.
Read More
Because of the increased visibility
that they offer, “third brake lights” have become standard on
automobiles. Now, it's possible to buy kits
that let you add such lights to the back of motorcycle helmets,
although they typically have to be installed permanently. The Signal
helmet light, however, can simply be strapped on. Read More
Lista Office has been awarded a prestigious Red Dot design award for its Mindport interior furnishing system. Designed to counteract the tedium and tyranny of the typical open-plan office cubicle
system these colorful "pods" come in a range of designs for different
office functions - providing an antidote to the massed ranks of
identical work-stations. Lista Office also picked up an award for its
“LO One” cabinet system. Read More
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With its Re-Barn concept, architectural planning
consultancy autotroph has come up with a strategy to preserve not just
one building, but a whole family: the endangered tobacco barn of
Southern Maryland. The Re-Barn idea would see tobacco burns renovated
into family homes, while maintaining their potential to run a working
farm. Read More
Harnessing the power of hydrogen gas presents one
of the most promising options available for obtaining a large-scale
sustainable energy solution. However, there are numerous and significant
challenges present in the production of pure hydrogen, one of the most
prominent of which is the high costs associated with the use of rare and
expensive chemical elements such as platinum. Accordingly, the team at
the Brookhaven National Laboratory set out to create a catalyst with
high activity and low costs, that could facilitate the production of
hydrogen as a high-density, clean energy source. Read More
If you were to listen to the critics of modern
action shooters one of the most regular, and valid, criticisms of the
genre is that these games have no moral compass. When you think of how
some games become little more than glorified shooting galleries you
might be inclined to agree. For example check our review of Max Payne 3 last month and you’ll see where we are coming from. Spec Ops: The Line takes this criticism to heart and makes sure you account for the impact you are having on those around you. Read More
General Motors is working to expand upon its vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V)
communication systems that are being developed to allow information to
be shared between vehicles and infrastructure to provide advance warning
of potential road hazards, such as stalled vehicles, slippery roads,
road works, intersections, stop signs and the like. The automaker is now
looking to add pedestrians and cyclists to the mix so a car can detect
them in low visibility conditions before the driver does. Read More
As someone of a certain age, as a
young child I was taught how to read the time using an analogue dial on a
clock or watch. I suspect things are a little different now, with kids
more used to digital displays on computers and smartphones. But I have
some not-so-fond memories of trying to grasp the concept of the minute
and second hands on an analogue display. How different my childhood
could have been had someone, somewhere designed a watch with one hand
rather than two. Read More 
Great post....thanks for this information.
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