Researchers in Australia are working on a way to lower the cost of producing solar thermal energy by as much as 40% with the help of shatterproof rear-view mirrors originally designed for cars.
Category: Energy, Technology
Tags: Solar Thermal, Clean Energy, Renewable Energy, University of South Australia, Australia, Plastics, Mirror
We usually associate friendship with human behavior, considering our exclusive domain. And that’s a fair assumption, as we don't often find animals boasting cooperative relationships beyond their blood relatives. The only complex "friend-like" relationship seen in vertebrates is known as cooperative breeding, in which two individuals assist in raising the young. Yet, for African starlings, the bonds they form go far beyond mere parenting duties.
Tags: Animal science, Animals, Birds, Columbia University, Behavior
San Francisco mobility company Lit Motors has announced a new production plan for its self-balancing, fully-enclosed C-1 electric motorcycle. We got to see a functioning prototype for ourselves, back in 2021.
Category: Motorcycles, Transport
Tags: Self-balancing, Electric Motorcycles, urban transport, 2025 Updates
In the world of motorcycles, there are so many "special edition’" trims it's hard to keep track – especially considering most aren't that different from the stock bikes they are based on. But Triumph is bucking the trend with this Triple Tribute Edition Trident 660, which should appeal to those passionate about Triumph Motorcycles and the storied Isle of Man TT.
Category: Motorcycles, Transport
Tags: Triumph, Isle of Man TT, Racing
Horizon Aircraft just made aviation history, becoming the first eVTOL to achieve a stable wing-borne flight transition using a fan-in-wing design with its "large-scale" Cavorite X7 demonstrator. The best part is that this particular aircraft is meant to be just that, a conventional aircraft – that just happens to be able to take off and land vertically like a helicopter.
Tags: Horizon Aircraft, eVTOL, Air Taxis, Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation
We've been looking closely at the reinvigorated ultralight freestanding backpacking tent segment lately, but it hasn't escaped us that there are much lighter ways of sheltering down in the backwoods. They just tend to offer a little less protection and require a little more set-up finesse. The Hyperlite Bug Bivy is about as light as a full-body shelter gets, designed to pack down to water bottle size and carry easily on the longest of journeys. At camp, it provides full protection from the biting bugs that would otherwise make the entire trip miserable.
Tags: Backpacking, Bikepacking, Shelter, Camping, Outdoors and Camping, Lightweight, Tent
The Bellbird is a compact, single-level tiny house designed for up to two people. Best suited for warmer climates, it encourages indoor/outdoor living via its porch and offers lots of optional upgrades, including off-grid functionality.
Category: Tiny Houses, Lifestyle
Tags: Micro-House, Tiny Footprint, Building and Construction, House, Home
As an American who has been living in Portugal and studying the language sporadically for about 18 months, I'm finally at the point where I can hold a basic conversation – if I know what subject we're focusing on. So at the supermarket checkout counter, or the bank, I'm good. Plop me in the middle of a bus station though, and the conversations swirling around me devolve into a series of shhhzzs and ows from which I have trouble picking out even a single word, let alone an entire sense of meaning.
Category: Mobile Technology, Consumer Tech, Technology
Tags: Headphones, Translation, Translator, University of Washington, Artificial Intelligence, Neural Network
It was just this past week that we told you about the T-Apex, a mobile tennis-ball-serving robot that tracks and assesses players' returns. Well, the Acemate bot goes a step further, by actually rallying back and forth with players to really hone their skills.
Tags: Robots, Tennis, Kickstarter, Training aid, Artificial Intelligence
It looks like the age of the robotic warrior is here. The RAF has revealed that a radar-jamming combat drone called StormShroud will be deployed to support Britain's F-35B Lightning II and Typhoon fighters using lessons learned from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Category: Military, Technology
Tags: drones, Royal Air Force, Electric Aircraft, Fighter
If your hands ever get achy after a hard day's work or just the passage of the years, the Bob & Brad hand massager is designed to provide a professional hand treatment at home. We put one through its paces and recorded the results with our free hand.
Category: Consumer Tech, Technology
When the last Ford Fiesta rolled off the production line in Cologne, Germany, in July 2023, it drastically altered the automobile industry. Now, less than two years later, there'stalk that the Fiesta is making a comeback – with one major change.
Category: Automotive, Transport
Tags: Ford, Volkswagen, Electric Vehicles, Hot hatch, BYD
While many parents extol the virtues of breastfeeding, it can be quite difficult to tell how much milk a breastfeeding infant is consuming. An experimental new wearable device addresses that problem, using an electrical current to gauge milk intake in real time.
Category: Medical Innovations, Body & Mind
Tags: Northwestern University, Baby, Nutrition, wearable electronics
Overland Expo West kicked off in Arizona on Friday, and Jeep hit the ground hard with an all-new concept it calls the Awning and Rooftop Tent concept (ARTT). Okay, it's not exactly a name that gets the butterflies fluttering around your stomach, but the concept excels well beyond its title, showing what a go-anywhere Wrangler pop-top micro-camper could look like, straight from the off-road gurus at Jeep's own performance parts arm. And, not surprisingly, it looks better than the average Wrangler camper, coming complete with an oversized bed and interior access hatch.
Category: Automotive, Transport
Tags: Jeep, Campervan, mini-campervan, roof-top tent, Tent, Camping, Overland Expo, Off-road, Off-grid, Camping, RV, Concept Vehicle
Some folks don't like bicycle helmets because the things wobble around on top of their heads like big, loose, goofy mushroom caps. That's where the multi-impact Echo Pro comes in, as its sides can be squeezed in and locked in place for a firm, sleek fit every time.
Tags: Helmets, Kickstarter, Cycling, Road Safety, Adjustable
In the quiet countryside of Zayas de Báscones, Spain, a subtle architectural form is beginning to take shape. Designed by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos, a new winery is set to become more than a place to make wine. When completed, the Bodegas Dominio d’Echauz winery will serve as an archive, a laboratory, and a sanctuary dedicated to protecting and studying endangered grape varieties.
Category: Architecture, Lifestyle
Tags: Wine, Sustainability, Vineyard, Thermal mass, Hemp
In an effort to reduce the use of precious land to build renewable energy storage facilities, the Fraunhofer Institute has been cooking up a wild but plausible idea: dropping concrete storage spheres down to the depths of our oceans.
Category: Energy, Technology
Tags: Underwater, Battery
A couple of years ago, Yamaha launched a new sub-brand aimed at offering ebike riders a battery swap option. Now ENYRING has partnered with Swobbee to build swapping stations in two European cities.
Tags: Yamaha, ebikes, Battery Technology
A fleet of 100 electric driverless coal-mining trucks has been put into operation in Mongolia, coordinated by AI running on a 5G-A network. The project is expected to grow, bringing new safety and efficiency to China's coal-mining industry.
Category: Automotive, Transport
Tags: Mining, Coal, Truck, Autonomous Vehicles, Electric truck, China
