New Atlas

OUTDOORS Exploring the best camping trailers of 2016 Over the course of 2016, we witnessed an explosion of interesting new camping trailers. From ruggedized, off-road adventure trailers to super-chic museum pieces, the year brought new caravans for campers and travelers of all types and income brackets.​   Read more WEARABLES Bose "Hearphones" selectively change the volume of real-world noises What if you could turn the volume of environmental noise up and down selectively? You would be able to hear conversations in noisy places, listen to real-world media at exactly the setting you’d like, and eliminate intrusive background noise. New Bose “Hearphones” could make this a reality.   Read more AUTOMOTIVE Aston Martin ensures "Continuation" of sought after DB4 GT Classic cars have a certain romance about them, but owning one isn't all sunshine and roses. One possible way around common problems is to rebuild a classic car today, sticking to the original blueprints to ensure authenticity. That's the approach Aston Martin has taken with the DB4 GT Continuation.   Read more ARCHITECTURE City block skyscraper planned for New York's Hudson Yards What is claimed will be the fourth largest commercial office tower in New York is to be built in the city's developing Hudson Yards neighborhood. Covering 850,000 sq ft, 50 Hudson Yards will fill an entire city block and rise up to 985-ft high.   Read more ARCHITECTURE Tiny office on wheels lets you park up and work Those interested in the small living movement don't have to settle on just living in a tiny house, they can also get married in one, have a drink in one​, and now go to work in one too. The Minim Workspace offers a tiny towable office that can optionally run off-the-grid.   Read more GAMES Compact clip brings a little more realism to living room golf Golf club memberships are expensive, and people in areas where it gets really cold are unable to play for a huge chunk of the year. One way to get around the problem could be simple simulations like R-Motion, which relies on a small clip attached to the shaft of the club.   Read more SPACE Self-healing nano-spacecraft could reach Alpha Centauri in 20 years A nano-spacecraft made from a silicon chip could make the journey to Alpha Centauri in just 20 years. The problem is, such a "space-chip" wouldn’t survive the intense radiation and temperature of space, so a NASA and KAIST team is developing a method for helping the chip heal itself on the fly.   Read more SPORTS motusQB give quarterbacks' performance a shot in the arm Practice makes perfect, and Motus is looking to make throwing practice perfect with its motusQB. The device records the biomechanical data of throws in football, tracking the workloads on a quarterback’s throwing arm through a range of metrics to help prevent injury and improve their game.   Read more COLLECTIBLES On the block: Principia Mathematica, penicillin mold and a $3 million baseball card Upcoming auctions include a first edition of Newton's Principia and The North American Indian. Sales last week included an autograph manuscript of Mahler's Second Symphony, Description de l'Égypte, a $3 million baseball card, a 4000 year-old model boat and an Alexander Fleming penicillin culture.​   Read more ROBOTICS Dobot lends a robotic hand to small businesses Running a small business is hard enough without trying to compete with a factory full of robotic arms. Now a startup has unveiled the Dobot M1, a consumer-level programmable robotic arm with swappable tool heads and kits for soldering, sorting, engraving, cutting, 3D printing and manufacturing.   Read more SCIENCE "Invisible" images created with off-the-shelf inkjet printers Researchers at the University of Utah have devised a method to create invisible images embedded within normal-looking images using cheap inkjet printers. The data hidden in these images can then only be revealed using sub-millimeter electromagnetic radiation   Read more MATERIALS Jets stir up stronger aluminum, reduce casting waste MIT researchers Antoine Allanore and Samuel R. Wagstaff have been studying how aluminum alloys harden and have come up with a way to use jets to produce more even distributions of copper and manganese in castings.   Read more ENERGY Thermoelectric paint generates electricity from almost any heat source Scientists at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology have created a thermoelectric coating that can be directly painted onto almost any surface to capture waste heat and turn it directly into electricity.  Read more AUTOMOTIVE Renault boosts Kangoo Z.E. driving range by 50 percent As Mercedes and VW have announced their pushes into mainstream electric cars, Renault is updating its existing range with ​bigger batteries for even better range. It started with the Zoe in Paris, and now extends to the Kangoo Z.E. ​​   Read more SPACE Japanese cargo ship en route to space station A Japanese space freighter is on its way to the International Space Station (ISS). Carrying 4.5 tons (4.1 tonnes) of supplies, it's scheduled to rendezvous with the station on Tuesday.   Read more WEARABLES The best wearables of 2016 "Wearable technology" can denote a wide variety of gadgets, from smartwatches and fitness trackers​ to full virtual reality systems​. We spent plenty of time with all of the above in 2016: These are our picks for the best.   Read more ELECTRONICS Turning the potential of electronic printables into a real breakthrough Researchers at MIT have invented a printing process that could turn a lot of potential breakthroughs, such as electricity-generating clothing and smart sutures, into an inexpensive reality.   Read more OUTDOORS App-controlled insoles bring the heat We tried out a pair of ThermaCELL heated insoles a few years ago, and while we generally liked them, we were disappointed that they couldn't fit inside a pair of cycling shoes. Well, perhaps we might have better luck with the new ultrathin +Winter insoles.  Read more BIOLOGY Running pounds down knee inflammation, says new study While running is sometimes pointed to as a damaging exercise for knees, a new study out of Brigham Young University, shows that the exercise can actually ratchet down knee inflammation.​​   Read more MOBILE TECHNOLOGY 2016 E-Reader Comparison Guide Voracious readers – especially those with an appreciation for light bags and uncluttered bookselves – should appreciate this spec-by-spec comparison of top e-readers.   Read more ENVIRONMENT Probe into mysterious avalanche points finger at climate change Researchers analyzing a freak avalanche in Tibet that killed nine people have published findings that suggest meltwater at the base of the glacier lubricated the ice on its path of destruction, meltwater that probably wouldn't have been there were it not for rising temperatures in the region.   Read more MATERIALS Silly Putty smartens up, with a dash of graphene ​Graphene could certainly be described as a wonder material. Silly Putty, on the other hand … well, it's an old-school kids' toy. Scientists recently combined the one with the other, however, to create sensors capable of unprecedented sensitivity.​  Read more AUTOMOTIVE Rand McNally's OverDryve tablet makes any car smarter Rand McNally's tablet-based OverDryve system adds voice-controlled navigation, connectivity, a dash cam and more to any dashboard.​   Read more AUTOMOTIVE Is mid-life Maserati refresh enough to make BMW nervous? Designed to compete with the BMW 5 Series, the Maserati Ghibli hasn't quite hit the mark, with critics noting its unrefined diesel engine and uninspiring cabin. This refresh aims to address those criticisms, with new luxurious trim lines and a fresh infotainment system.   Read more AIRCRAFT New "Kangaroo route" will be world's longest non-stop 787-9 Dreamliner flight Qantas is to become the first commercial carrier to offer regular non-stop flights directly from Australia to Europe, using the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The 14,498 km trip will take around 17 hours, and be the longest direct flight service for a Dreamliner anywhere in the world   Read more COMPUTERS Legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki calls AI generated animation "an insult to life itself" Legendary Studio Ghibli animator Hayao Miyazaki was recently scree​ned a demo of AI generated animation after which he vehemently responded, "I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all.​"   Read more ELECTRONICS Piccadilly Circus' famous adverts are being replaced by Europe's largest LED screen Piccadilly Circus' famous wall of light-up adverts will be switched off by site owner Land Securities in January so they can be replaced by a single high-resolution LED screen that will be the biggest in Europe.  Read more ARCHITECTURE Colorful light to illuminate London's river bridges Artist Leo Villareal and his team have been chosen to develop a series of installations that will light up the bridges along the River Thames in London, UK. Their contest-winning proposal, "Current," envisages colorful lighting installed on the 17 bridges from Tower Bridge to Albert Bridge.   Read more SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR NEW ATLAS READERS Price Drop Special: We’re Slashing $90 Off the Price of a Rosetta Stone Language Learning Box Set If your dream is to master a foreign language, there's not better teacher than Rosetta Stone. With its intuitive, immersive method, Rosetta Stone will have you reading, writing, and speaking like a natural in no time. You'll start by matching words with images just like when you learned your native language as a child. Then you'll move onto interactive lessons where speech recognition technology works to evaluate and improve your accent with instant feedback. The reviews don't lie, Rosetta Stone is the best way to master a second, third, or fourth language from home.   Read more