Somewhere in a laboratory, something is squirming. It’s an eel robot, swimming silently through an enormous darkened saltwater tank; its rhythmic, ribbon-like motions echoing those of its natural counterpart. Or is it an octopus-inspired robot, looking like the kind of thing H.P. Lovecraft might have dreamed up had he been born 100 years later and become a roboticist instead of […]
Soft Robots?
Out Of Place For A Little Town?
Planning permission has been granted for Western Europe’s new tallest skyscraper – though it’s not in London or Paris as you might expect. Instead, the destination for the Tower & Village skyscraper, by Dorte Mandrup, is a small rural Danish town called Brande with a population of around 7,000. Assuming it is indeed completed, the Tower & Village skyscraper will […]
Client Specific Face Cream
Like a lot of things, skincare products work best if they’re tailored to individual users. Unfortunately, though, such bespoke items tend to be expensive. German startup Skinmade is out to change that, with kiosks that mix and dispense relatively affordable skin creams that are based on each client’s unique needs. Utilizing technology developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering […]
Bluetooth Metal Detector
Although smartphones can perform many tasks on their own, they’re also able to make devices such as drones, robots and cameras cheaper and/or more capable by acting as their “brains.” One of the latest gadgets to receive such a treatment is the humble – and potentially treasure-finding – metal detector. Presently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the Ukrainian/American-designed Air […]
Modular Furniture
Finnish designers Sanna and Mika Myllylä from Living Spaces, have created a modular furniture concept that can transform in a matter of seconds. Dubbed BiT, the series of upholstered shapes easily join together using magnets, giving the user the freedom to modify the furniture for various uses. The idea was inspired to provide a space-saving solution for small homes, while […]
Volkswagen Retail Pods
When we think of autonomous vehicles, we usually think about fast, cheap personal transport. But Volkswagen wants the self-driving revolution to make shops and services just as mobile as it makes people, and has presented some mockups of how that might work at a retail and services trade show in Hannover. VW calls these self-sufficient pop-up shops “Pods,” and envisages […]
World’s First Thermal Working Battery
South Australia has recently put the world’s biggest lithium battery into operation – but perhaps it should’ve waited. A local startup says it’s built the world’s first working thermal battery, a device with a lifetime of at least 20 years that can store six times more energy than lithium-ion batteries per volume, for 60-80 percent of the price. Climate Change […]
Google Lens To Identify Your Objects Using Smartphone
Google Lens, first introduced at Google I/O 2017, is one of the most exciting Android features for years. Originally an exclusive feature only found on Pixel smartphones, Google Lens is now baked into many Android handsets, and is available as an app in the Play Store. Google Lens combines the power of A.I. with deep machine learning to provide users […]
Exoskeleton Helps Make Walking Easier
When it comes to robotic exoskeletons, many of the rigs on the market put the fact that users are wearing a mobile robot front and center. These are tools like LG’s SuitBot, supportive robot tech that’s as noticeable as having a muscular personal trainer spotting your every exercise in the gym. And why not? If the goal of these exosuits […]
Lidl’s Too Good To Waste Discount Boxes
Picture your grocery store’s produce section. If you shop in a supermarket, there are probably rows and rows of colorful fruits and vegetables, all ripe, shiny, and perfect. Unfortunately, in order to keep shelves fully-stocked, grocery stores often wind up with a surplus of produce, and once fruits and veggies start looking not-so-perfect, most stores simply send them to landfill. […]