Polaroid Now

In an age where instant photography means whipping out a smartphone and immediately sharing the digital image with friends online, a boxy camera that produces self-developing prints seems like a huge backward step. But that’s exactly what instant film cameras provide, and a revamped Polaroid has announced a new model called the Now. The Polaroid Corporation was founded by Edwin […]

Wyze Band Tracks Your Fitness

Wearables continue to get smaller, cheaper, and more capable, and the latest to enter the fray is the Wyze Band. For a mere US$25 you get just about everything you could want from a compact fitness tracker. Wyze is currently known for its affordable smart home gear, including cameras, bulbs and plugs. The Wyze Band is able to control them […]

Rubbery Electrodes For Better Reading Of Brain

Brain-implanted electrodes have numerous uses, ranging from the controlling of prosthetic arms to the monitoring of neural activity. They could soon be more effective than ever, as scientists have now developed ones that are soft and squishy. Ordinarily, electrodes are made mainly of rigid metal. As a result, when they’re implanted in soft brain tissue, inflammation and the buildup of […]

Sony Aims To “Cut Out The World”

Sony has some new wireless additions to its headphone range. First up is a pair of over-ear noise cancellation cans with dual noise sensors, all day playback and a mode that lets in the sounds of the outside world when needed. Then there are some true wireless in-ear headphones for lovers of low end punch. Sony’s noise cancellation technology has […]

Rescue Biner

Remember back when carabiners were designed solely for hanging one thing from another? Nope, us neither. Now, a new multi-purpose ‘biner is claimed to help users get out of crashed vehicles. Called the RescueBiner, the aluminum-alloy device was created by Kentucky-based wilderness first responders Matt Able and Kelly Moore. The two of them figured that both drivers and emergency response […]

Robotic Sea Turtle 

Marine aquaculture pens have to be regularly checked for holes, plus the fish need to be inspected for disease or parasites. And although the job is typically performed by human divers, it turns out that a robotic sea turtle may be a better choice for the task. Unfortunately, when a big, ungainly human scuba diver swims in among farmed fish […]

“Polyionic” Material Makes Better Braille Displays

Blind readers will likely be familiar with refreshable braille displays, in which raised dots electronically rise and fall from a flat surface in order to temporarily form braille characters. A new material, however, could make such displays cheaper and more useful than ever before. Currently, most refreshable braille displays utilize a piezoelectric effect. This involves applying voltage to a small […]

Seaside Canopy Tilt To Block Waves

Although seawalls certainly do protect coastal communities from storm surge waves, those walls can be unsightly, plus they restrict access to the water. A proposed new system gets around those problems, by doubling as a canopy when not serving storm duty. The concept is being developed by Prof. Maria Garlock, Assoc. Prof. Branko Gliši? and PhD student Shengzhe Wang, all […]

MVRDV’s Green Roof Provides Respite

With its mixed-use Shenzhen Terraces development, influential Dutch firm MVRDV aims to offer a pleasant escape from the bustle of urban life in skyscraper-filled megacity Shenzhen, China. The project will also integrate sustainable design, including solar power and rainwater collection. Though we’ve no word yet on when it’s expected to be built, Shenzhen Terraces (also referred to as the Shimao […]