The tiny torture device that is a honey bee’s barbed sting could be among the most sophisticated of venom-delivery systems in the natural world. Continue Reading **Category:** Biology, Science **Tags:** Bees, Venom Evil, Pump, Insect

Lockheed Martin's PAC-3 interceptor missile family has stepped up a major notch with its PAC-3 Edge variant. Boasting an improved rocket motor for extended range, the new interceptor is built to engage hypersonic glide vehicles and advanced aerial threats. Continue Reading **Category:** Military, Engineering **Tags:** Hypersonic, Missile Defense, Lockheed Martin

stompbox (noun) A little box of knobs, switches, and dark magic that musicians stomp on to summon everything from angelic shimmer to utter filth. Continue Reading **Category:** Technology **Tags:** Digital music, GPT, Open AI, Sound, Raspberry Pi

That old phone gathering dust in a drawer could have a second life far more entertaining than being a paperweight. UCLA researchers have created PhoneBot, a little humanoid that puts your smartphone to work as the brains of a walking robot companion. Continue Reading **Category:** Robotics, Engineering **Tags:** UCLA, Android, smartphones, Recycling

Backpacking gear startup FLFQ-Aloner broke into the game in late 2025 year with an inflatable hammock-tent built for fast setup and serious weather. This time around, it's deflating its tent construction into an ultralight, modestly priced solo tent that shrinks down as small as possible. The company aims to create the absolute sweet spot in terms of an affordable, featherlight, roomy and convenient solo tent for rigorous backpacking, kayak camping, bikepacking and more. Continue Reading **Category:** Tents, Gear, Outdoors **Tags:** Tent, Camping, Backpacking, Bikepacking, Outdoors and Camping, Lightweight, Kickstarter

One of motor history’s most revered icons was radically reborn this week… as a minimalist EV. Continue Reading **Category:** Automotive, Transport **Tags:** Paris Motor Show 2026, Citroen, Electric Vehicles, Concept Cars, Compact, Lightweight, stellantis

Good insulation plays a crucial part in many industries, from space exploration and energy systems to electronics and cookware. The basic idea is simple: you want a material that can slow down the movement of heat, and prevent it from spreading from one area to another. Continue Reading **Category:** Materials, Engineering **Tags:** North Carolina State University, Insulation, Heating

We've become increasingly aware of how important sleep is to our health – and the newest wellness "hack" is ways to get the most out of our restorative and restful time in bed. However, this may actually be making things worse. Sleep researchers have some advice for those trying to "optimize" their shuteye – and it doesn't involve any effort at all. Continue Reading **Category:** Wellness and Healthy Living, Body and Mind **Tags:** Macquarie University, Sleeping, Insomnia, Sleep, Social media, Well-being, Health

It’s tricky business to upgrade a car nowadays. In the SUV space alone, you’ve got micro SUVs, subcompact SUVs, compact SUVs, midsize SUVs, and full-size SUVs. And now, there are electric and hybrid segments to add to the clutter as well. Continue Reading **Category:** Automotive, Transport **Tags:** Hyundai, SUV, Compact, Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid

A new mine detector technology has been tested in Brisbane, Australia, that puts a new spin on hunting things that go boom. The MineReader RDX uses a new principle for mine detection that emphasises seeking the explosive instead of the mine. Continue Reading **Category:** Military, Engineering **Tags:** Land Mines

Biomimicry involves borrowing ideas from nature to solve engineering problems. This is what one of the research teams at New York University's Tandon School of Engineering specializes in. We recently covered their fish-inspired robot, so exploring water bodies seems to be taken care of. Continue Reading **Category:** Robotics, Engineering **Tags:** New York University, Biomimicry, locomotion

Gaming hardware brand Abxylute has come up with two products to enhance your mobile gaming sessions wherever you find time to play. Its new M5 and M6 controllers are designed to offer proper-sized buttons and joysticks, while attaching securely to your phone and fitting in your pocket. Continue Reading **Category:** Consumer Tech, Technology **Tags:** Gaming, Portable Gaming, Controller, Motion Controller, Kickstarter

Google Japan seems to have found a solution to a problem none of us knew we had: the fact that keyboards expect our fingers to come to them. Its latest annual Gboard experiment flips this dynamic on its head with moving keys that eventually roll into position right under your finger. Continue Reading **Category:** Technology **Tags:** google-japan, Keyboard, concept, Oddball

If you've already designed a soft-bodied robot, it kind of defeats the purpose if you just go and stick a rigid motor inside of it. That's why Swiss scientists have created a motor that takes the form of a thin, flexible fiber. Continue Reading **Category:** Robotics, Engineering **Tags:** EPFL, Soft Robotics, Artificial Muscles

Disaster zones are terrible places to follow a preplanned route. Maps can be incomplete, debris can move, and the next hazard may arrive from any direction at any time. MIT’s new navigation system builds a safe flight corridor around the possible future movements of hazards, helping a drone avoid collisions even without a prior map. Continue Reading **Category:** Drones, Consumer Tech, Technology **Tags:** Robotics, Disasters, Mathematics, MIT, Mapping, Collision

Despite its humble origins, the sheer versatility of the shipping container continues to impress us, and they are used for everything from tiny houses to sports stadiums. This example of container living is a lot more comfortable than most and involved transforming three of the metal boxes into a surprisingly spacious home complete with a rooftop terrace and even a sauna. Continue Reading **Category:** Architecture, Engineering **Tags:** House, Home, shipping containers, Building and Construction, Airbnb

The folded rear seats of a vehicle can make a very comfortable place to camp the night. But a big cooler is one guest that can really crash and burn the party – a hard, bulky nuisance that's uncomfortable on or near the bed and unsecure outside the vehicle. This remains true even if you have an elevated bed system like Hele Outdoors' camper-in-a-duffel Box. Recognizing the issue, Hele presents a creative solution: a dual-zone cooler that's slimmed and flattened enough to slide neatly under the bed. Continue Reading **Category:** Gear, Outdoors **Tags:** Coolers, Camping, Outdoors and Camping, camper-in-a-box, Kickstarter, tailgating, Picnic

I was set to hate it. I felt I had to. It was made in China, and while I think CFMoto, on general principles, makes pretty good bikes, what business does it have attempting an in-line four? That engine configuration is the stuff of legend. The Chinese want to splash in that pond, they wanna bring their A-game. Continue Reading **Category:** Motorcycles, Transport **Tags:** CFMoto, Motorcycle, China

We’ve already seen robots that can swim like fish, stick to walls like geckos, and grab objects like elephants. Now, engineers at the University of Washington are building a new type of robot inspired by … the flea. Continue Reading **Category:** Robotics, Engineering **Tags:** University of Washington, locomotion, Biomimicry

Motorcycles are a tricky business. Sometimes, companies spend years pouring money into R&D on a shiny new model, only for the market to turn on it the moment it launches and dismiss it as a desperate attempt at salvation. Other times, a bike maker can slap on a new paint job, a different set of wheels and a cushier seat, and somehow end up with a bike that sells like hotcakes. Continue Reading **Category:** Motorcycles, Transport **Tags:** Triumph, Retro, Bonneville, India

Combining the popular weight-loss medication tirzepatide with another hormone mimic may boost the drug’s effectiveness, according to the results of a recent clinical trial. Continue Reading **Category:** Obesity, Illnesses and conditions, Body and Mind **Tags:** Weight Loss, GLP-1 receptor agonists, Diabetes, Eli Lilly

This year, more than 10,000 entries from 112 countries were judged in one of the most enjoyable photo competitions on the calendar. And here we present a snapshot of the 40 images that made the shortlist across a diverse range of categories, including ones that highlight amphibians and insects. Continue Reading **Category:** Photography, Consumer Tech, Technology **Tags:** Wildlife, Photo, Nikon, Awards, Art

For decades, the original Honda NSX has stolen hearts and captured the imagination of sportscar enthusiasts worldwide. More than 35 years since its debut, the iconic two-door is making a comeback – but only for a lucky (and loaded) few. Continue Reading **Category:** Automotive, Transport **Tags:** Honda, nsx, Sports Cars, Pininfarina, Retro, Luxury

Amid cranes on top of new skyscrapers and the blinding sunlight reflecting off the glass windows of those already standing tall, Shanghai has one of the most remarkable buildings you may ever experience – and it was built in 1933 by the British architectural firm Balfours to steer cattle to their deaths. Continue Reading **Category:** Architecture, Engineering **Tags:** Shanghai, China, Concept Architecture, Concrete, Cows, Industrial design, History

Weather balloons are wasteful, and not very eco-friendly – they burst upon reaching high altitudes, then fall back to the earth as trash that rarely gets recovered. That's why there's now a reusable multicopter weather drone that can fly to the edge of the stratosphere. Continue Reading **Category:** Drones, Consumer Tech, Technology **Tags:** Weather, High Altitude, Quadcopter

MINI unveiled its new Countryman Untamed Edition on the shores of Lake Tahoe this last week. It’s an attempt to turn the familiar suburban crossover into a serious trail plugger – and comes ahead of MINI’s entry in the grueling women-only Rebelle Rally. Continue Reading **Category:** Automotive, Transport **Tags:** BMW, MINI, Countryman, Crossover, Rugged, SUV

Once the hallmark of bikers, sailors, and general riff-raff, tattoos have become far more mainstream, decorating the bodies of everyone from teachers to lawyers to world-class surgeons. Continue Reading **Category:** Technology **Tags:** Tattoo, Inks, UV light, University of Colorado

This not-so-tiny house is designed for a comfortable full-time life on wheels. It features a single-level layout for two and includes a well-equipped kitchen, an open living area, and not just one but two porches. Continue Reading **Category:** Tiny Houses, Outdoors **Tags:** Building and Construction, Tiny Footprint, Micro-House, House, Home

In a landmark study, scientists have uncovered that an abundant and vibrant reef animal has had hundreds of its genes change in activity due to life in urbanized areas – and most are linked to inflammation and immune responses. They're naming it the "junk-food effect," where this reef fish is choosing convenience over its own health. Continue Reading **Category:** Biology, Science **Tags:** Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Fish, Inflammation, Human, Great Barrier Reef, Marine Biology, Animal science

Germany is taking wind power to new heights with a turbine almost as tall as Berlin’s iconic television tower at Alexanderplatz. Standing 365 m (1,198 ft) in Schipkau, the new world’s tallest wind turbine aims to tap stronger, steadier winds and test whether existing wind farms could gain a second story. Continue Reading **Category:** Energy, Engineering **Tags:** Wind, Energy, Engineering, Wind turbine, World's Tallest

The new Pickupmate Trunk from Chinese car camping specialist Wild Land is an impressive piece of truck camping kit that fuses several different products into one. It's not quite a rooftop tent, not quite a pickup camping topper and not quite a basic truck cap. Instead, it's all three in one, delivering a remote controlled dual-level camping experience like no other. Continue Reading **Category:** Pickup Campers, Adventure Vehicles, Outdoors **Tags:** Pickup, Truck, roof-top tent, Tent, Camping, Outdoors and Camping, Off-road

The incredibly ambitious Jeddah Tower is currently under construction in Saudi Arabia. Due to be the world's new tallest building once complete, it has already made it into the top 15 tallest buildings worldwide – and it's still less than halfway to its final height. Continue Reading **Category:** Architecture, Engineering **Tags:** Building and Construction, Skyscrapers, World's Tallest, Saudi Arabia

Microsoft has just unveiled the most powerful laptop in its Surface range, and it's set to take on Apple's popular MacBook Pro for demanding work applications. If you're in the market for a higher-end machine, there's a couple of things in this premium option worth learning about – including a brand new processor that no other laptop on the market has yet. Continue Reading **Category:** Consumer Tech, Technology **Tags:** Laptop, Microsoft, Microsoft Surface, NVIDIA, Artificial Intelligence

The Aviator's Ember proved one of the more unexpected pieces of outdoor kit we looked at in 2025. Based on timeless, inalterable concepts of physics, the portable little piston allows users to start a fire with nothing more than tinder, air and a quick smack of the hand, relying on the immediate compression of air to deliver the heat that fires up the tinder. After taking in compliments and criticisms about the original design, Aerohart is back a year later with V2.0. Continue Reading **Category:** Gear, Outdoors **Tags:** Fire, Survival, Outdoors and Camping, Camping, Hiking, Backpacking, Kickstarter

In the not-too-distant future, a building's emergency lighting, fire alarms, sensors and other features could be powered not by fuel-burning generators or bulky battery packs, but by the actual material that the structure is already made of. That's because scientists have developed an experimental cement-based supercapacitor. Continue Reading **Category:** Energy, Engineering **Tags:** Harbin Institute of Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, American Chemical Society, Cement, Supercapacitor

However extraordinary the tech of the new Jaguar Type 01, this week’s launch was all about style and impact. Continue Reading **Category:** Automotive, Transport **Tags:** Jaguar, Luxury, Electric Vehicles

Neurable One hides 12 EEG sensors inside premium ANC headphones to track focus and fatigue, turning brain activity into real-time biofeedback while still working as an everyday pair of wireless headphones. Continue Reading **Category:** Consumer Tech, Technology **Tags:** Brain activity, Headphones, Monitoring, EEG, Noise-Canceling, Well-being

Researchers have developed a paper-thin foot membrane that lets crawling microrobots harvest electricity directly from the ground beneath them, ditching heavy onboard batteries by turning metal and silicon surfaces into an active power source. Continue Reading **Category:** Robotics, Engineering **Tags:** Robotics, Skin, Energy, Batteries

Researchers have found that vanillin, the compound found in vanilla pods, is not only an aromatic flavoring agent for foods and perfumes, but it can also help treat chronic wounds. Continue Reading **Category:** Body and Mind **Tags:** wound-healing, Wound, Diabetes, Flinders University

Blue Origin has unveiled its Power Tower for future Moon bases, which will be carried by the company's Mark 1 lunar lander. After touchdown, the spacecraft will deploy a 20-m (66-ft)-tall solar array for around-the-clock electrical power. Continue Reading **Category:** Space Systems, Engineering **Tags:** artemis, Blue Origin, Solar Powered, Moon

After debuting its entry-level F 450 GS adventure bike last year, BMW's following that up with a roadster to round out its lineup. The new F 450 R features its sibling's powertrain and tech in a light naked frame that should make for exceptional maneuverability as you tear through city streets. Continue Reading **Category:** Motorcycles, Transport **Tags:** BMW Motorrad, Naked bike

Ford has established itself as a leading badge in plug-in hybrid camper vans, both in-house and via third-party conversions, but it hasn't shown the same level of juice in all-electric campers, despite having a very solid base van for the purpose. Polish conversion shop Wavecamper looks to change that with the Flex E-Line, a convincing battery-driven mini-camper with over 200 miles of range built into Ford's E-Transit Custom. Will it take a big bite out of Kia's electric camper van success? Continue Reading **Category:** Campervans, Adventure Vehicles, Outdoors **Tags:** Ford, electric-camper, Campervan, mini-campervan, RV, Camping, Outdoors and Camping, dusseldorf-caravan-salon-2026

Automobile tires are made to take a lot of abuse for a long time, so breaking them down for recycling has always been quite a challenge. Spanish scientists are developing a solution to that problem, with a modular tire that has a removable silicone tread. Continue Reading **Category:** Automotive, Transport **Tags:** Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Tires, Recyclable, Environmentally-friendly, Modular, silicone, Microplastic

Virtual reality can take you anywhere, but strap on a headset for long enough and your sore neck brings you back to actual reality. A Kyushu University researcher wants to change that, and his idea is a chair that offers a new way of experiencing virtual worlds. Continue Reading **Category:** Virtual Reality, Consumer Tech, Technology **Tags:** VR, Immersive Media, Kyushu University, Chair, Imaging, Optics

These newly launched headphones feature a novel hybrid design that I can't say I've seen before. You can use them on your noggin as normal for private listening, or twist the headband so the cups combine to form a speaker for others to hear. Continue Reading **Category:** Consumer Tech, Technology **Tags:** Audio, Headphones, Speaker, Bluetooth Speakers, Portable Audio

It takes some serious guts to go out and change just about everything on your best-selling car. The eighth generation of the 3 Series is here, and BMW has done just that. Continue Reading **Category:** Automotive, Transport **Tags:** BMW, Sedan, Performance

For the 14% of us living with tinnitus, the persistent ringing inside our heads is impossible for anybody else to hear. Or measure. A new study suggests a blood test for an inner-ear protein could provide a sign of the condition that anybody can detect and then act on. Continue Reading **Category:** Imaging & Diagnostics, Medical Innovations, Body and Mind **Tags:** tinnitus, Blood, Test, Diagnostic tools

Berlin-based ebike startup Lemmo has been shaking up the European market with a small selection of handsome mid-range models since 2022. It's now got something in the works for families and more adventurous riders with a versatile SUV ebike that promises to take you places while delivering an exceptionally comfortable ride. Continue Reading **Category:** Bicycles, Transport **Tags:** ebikes, urban transport, Pedal-assisted, cargo bike, Solid-state, Suspension

Canadian motorhome builder Leisure Travel Vans is always trying to squeeze more usable space out of its shuttle bus-sized Class C motorhomes. The last time we looked, it was designing a floor plan around a wide, cavernous double-door garage for loading up all kinds of gear and extras. Months later and now it's introducing a new Ford Transit motorhome that combines a slide-out wall with a split-recliner Murphy lounge that folds its way into a super-queen-size bed. The new 2027 Wonder FX makes sure you'll barely miss home when out on the road. Continue Reading **Category:** RVs and Motorhomes, Adventure Vehicles, Outdoors **Tags:** Motorhomes, Motorhome, RV, Leisure Travel Vans, Ford, Camping, Outdoors and Camping

How many tools can you pack into a ruler without turning it into an overloaded multitool and losing its main purpose? Apparently, still quite a few. Continue Reading **Category:** Knives and Multitools, Gear, Outdoors **Tags:** Multitools, EDC, xxKickbooster, Kickstarter, Titanium