This elevated take on a cabin in the woods was influenced by such disparate sources as children’s book regulars the Moomins, A-frame lodges, and electricity towers. Located in a forest in Norway, it’s currently available for rent. The Pan Treetop Cabins project was conceived in 2016 by Kristian Rostad and Christine Mowinckel, who commissioned architect Espen Surnevik, and was completed […]
Triangular Cabins Reaches New Heights
“Portable” Double Bass For Travelling
String pickers on the road often can’t take their guitars of choice on their travels – due to size or safety concerns – so might carry a more portable flavor to help keep calluses from going soft. We’ve seen many variations on the theme, including a folder from Fender, a strange Strat from Travelerand a novel cross-shaped plank. But what […]
Emergency Floating Shelter
Istanbul-based architecture firm SO? says that its city would be lacking in land suitable for emergency housing in the event of a major earthquake. In response, the firm has conceived a prototype floating shelter that has an interesting folding design. Fold&Float is constructed out of steel and comprises two main parts: a lower pontoon base and an upper A-frame structure […]
Bringing Nature Into The Workplace
Vincent Callebaut Architectures (VCA) brings a taste of the outdoors into the workplace with its proposal for a new headquarters for French company Soprema. Named Semaphore, it will boast sustainable technology, including solar power and greywater recycling, and have a massive amount of greenery, with around 10,000 plants, shrubs and trees. Semaphore is envisioned as a showcase for Soprema’s range […]
Preventing Food Theft For Pets?
If you own multiple dogs and/or cats, then you may be familiar with the problem of one animal “stealing” food from another’s bowl. Italian artificial intelligence firm Volta has set out to keep that from happening, with its pet-recognizing Mookkie. Currently being showcased at CES 2019, Mookkie features a removable magnetically-mounted bowl, along with a front-facing wide-angle camera. As long […]
Measuring Skin’s PH Levels
It was just a couple of months ago that L’Oréal announced My Skin Track UV, a wearable battery-free device that measures its user’s ultraviolet light exposure. Well, the company has now unveiled My Skin Track pH, a wearable that monitors the pH levels of its user’s skin. According to L’Oréal, pH imbalances in the skin can produce inflammatory responses, which […]
Clean Drinking Water From The Car?
If you get thirsty while driving, you may soon be able to drink water generated by a system that’s built right into your car. The technology could reportedly also provide water for the onsite rinsing of dirty work equipment, or for keeping automotive sensors and engine parts clean. Announced this week at CES 2019, the Watergen Automotive AWG system starts […]
Tomato “Scent” Can Protect Crops
Tomatoes are certainly hardy plants – this is partly due to a compound which they emit, known as hexenyl butyrate (HB). Spanish scientists have now found that a spray of synthetic HB helps various crop plants to withstand both drought and bacterial infections. In a natural process called transpiration, water within a plant evaporates through tiny pores known as stomata, […]
Smart Pet Treadmill
Most dogs are lucky enough to get a regular walk in the great outdoors, but cats are usually left at home. Looking like a giant hamster wheel, the Little Cat is an app-driven machine designed to give our feline friends some much-needed exercise – although whether they’d actually use it remains to be seen. The Little Cat is far from […]
Wireless Blood Flow Sensor
When someone has had blood vessel surgery, it’s important for doctors to check that the vessel doesn’t become blocked as it heals. Such blockages could someday be detected earlier and more easily than ever, thanks to an experimental new biodegradable blood flow sensor. Developed at California’s Stanford University, the implantable device takes the form of a capacitive strip that’s wrapped […]