Capturing the complexities of the human hand is a difficult task – just ask any artist or animator. Now, engineers at Cornell University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a new wearable system that uses thermal sensors to accurately predict hand positions, with potential applications in VR, robotics and translating sign language. The device is dubbed FingerTrak, and it’s […]
Thermal Camera Bracelet
Superlite Roof Tent
Since emerging back in 2017, Go Fast Campers has become a leader in the lightweight pickup camper space, offering light, simple and affordable truck camping systems. Much of the focus of its work has been rooted in leisurely activities like overlanding and camping, but the company has always had the fire of off-road racing burning deep in its belly. Now […]
Permanent Fire Escape Ladder Can Be Kept Under Windows
While it’s a good idea for people with upstairs bedrooms to have a collapsible fire escape ladder handy, quickly finding and deploying the thing could be difficult in a smoke-filled home. That’s where the permanently attached Rescue Ready Retrofit is designed to come in. Developed by Virginia-based firefighters/paramedics Brett Russell and Eric Hartsfield, the setup incorporates a ladder that is […]
Razor’s Big Wheel Scooters
The current COVID-19 pandemic is forcing many to rethink how they safely travel to work, meaning an uptick in sales of ebikes and electric scooters. Kickscooter veteran Razor is looking to tap into this trend with a bunch of adult-oriented e-scooters. All of the new e-scooters are rear-wheel drive, with Razor saying that this design improves traction and makes them […]
Earth Passive Home In Japan
This small, shell-shaped villa — made using local wood, rammed earth and traditional techniques — is located in the forest of Nagano Prefecture in the center of Japan. Known as the Shell House, the project request came from a client who wanted a contemporary and unique home that could blend into the surrounding forest with minimal environmental impact. To blend […]
QuenchSea
Newly developed QuenchSea is a low-cost, handheld machine with the potential to become a complete life-saver for water-related emergency situations and humanitarian crises. The device has the capacity to turn about one liter of seawater — and up to three liters in ideal conditions — into drinkable freshwater every hour using a manual system. The desalination device comes from London-based […]
Ikea New Vegan Meatballs
While a plate of Swedish meatballs has long been a standard part of an IKEA visit for omnivores, vegetarians endured the shopping trip on an empty stomach. Now, they hunger no more. IKEA has just announced its new plant ball, which allegedly has all the taste of a meatball but only 4% of the climate footprint. The plant balls will launch across […]
If You Don’t Want To Eat Microplastics, Seabass May Be Your Best Choice
For some time now, there have been concerns that microplastic particles eaten by fish could be passed along to human seafood consumers. According to a new study, though, such may not be the case with sea bass, and possibly not with many other fish. Currently found in both freshwater and marine waterways around the world, microplastic pollution takes the form […]
Github Buries 21 GB Open Source Data In Arctic
While it might seem like the internet is leaving a detailed record of history, the world’s knowledge is all surprisingly vulnerable to being lost in a disaster. To help keep a backup, GitHub has now archived 21 TB of public open source data and buried it in a vault in the Arctic designed to preserve it for a thousand years. […]
Hair Re-growth Could Reverse Age-Related Hearing Loss
A landmark study, led by researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear, presents a novel hypothesis to explain age-related hearing loss, challenging the prevailing view that has dominated over half a century of medical science. The new research offers evidence to suggest age-related hearing loss is primarily caused by accumulated damage to inner ear sensory hair cells, and hair-regeneration technologies may […]