New Atlas

GOOD THINKING Here's what you're not getting for Christmas The gift-giving season is upon us, so it's time for our annual look at the most ludicrously luxurious wares that have crossed our desk this year. Here's what you're not getting for Christmas in 2016.   Read more SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR NEW ATLAS READERS Win $2,000 of Apple or Android gear The Apple vs Android debate. We're not here to take a side. We're here to let you pick yours. To that end we'll be giving one lucky winner $2k in credit to purchase whatever they want in either Apple or Android products. Best of luck.   Read more VR HTC Vive review: It hasn’t changed, but the competition has Eight months after launch, we look at how the HTC Vive stacks up in a changed virtual reality landscape.   Read more SCIENCE Starfish swirls, stretchy protozoa dazzle in video competition ​Every year science and art collide in the Nikon Small World in Motion Photomicrography Competition. This year's top three winners include hypnotic water patterns made by an eight-week-old starfish larva, a predatory ciliate stretching its rubbery neck to gobble up prey, and a blooming fungus.   Read more DIGITAL CAMERAS The best APS-C DSLR cameras 2016 Not all DSLR shooters need, or want, full frame sensors in their camera. For many, a crop sensor is plenty, and the latest generation of APS-C DSLRs offer enough power and performance to keep enthusiast and professional photographers happy. Here New Atlas looks at the best APS-C DSLRs of 2016.   Read more ARCHITECTURE Chasm-spanning bridges designed to reflect natural beauty Those with a head for heights and an eye for breathtaking scenery may wish to go to Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China. Home to the world's longest glass bridge, the area is also due to receive a number of reflective bridges and pavilions offering the experience of floating in mid-air.   Read more AIRCRAFT Jetstream becomes "flying testbed" for autonomous systems BAE Systems has refitted a Jetstream 31 test aircraft previously used in autonomous flight research as a testbed for a series of trials aimed at proving the safety and reliability of satellite-communications based autonomous aircraft technologies.   Read more GOOD THINKING Futuristic supermarket feeds the need for product info Would you change the food you bought if you knew more about it? The Supermarket of the Future, the new flagship store of Coop Italia, has been built on the principle that you would, with interactive tables, smart shelves and real time data visualizations providing food, deals and cooking info.   Read more AUTOMOTIVE Mercedes rounds out E-Class stable with sporty two-door The current gen Mercedes E-Class was only launched in January, but the model range has already expanded to include a regular Estate and a high-riding All-Terrain, along with two separate AMG variants. As if that wasn't enough choice, there's now a slinky two-door coupe wearing the E-Class badge.   Read more MILITARY US Marine Corps receives first Amphibious Combat Vehicle I.I prototype BAE Systems has unveiled the first of 16 Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) 1.1​ prototypes it is developing for the US Marine Corps. The vehicle is a fully amphibious, ship-launchable and ship-recoverable 8x8 wheeled armored troop carrier.   Read more AUTOMOTIVE Everyday driver: The best production cars of 2016 This year has seen plenty of production cars launched that, although not staggeringly beautiful or scarily fast, represent huge steps forward – both for their manufacturers and the people who buy them. Here's our pick of the best regular cars launched this year.  Read more 3D PRINTING Multi-material 3D printer squirts out homemade electronic circuits German startup Next Dynamics has unveiled the NexD1, a multi-color, multi-material 3D printer for the home that can use a conductive resin to create custom electronic circuit boards.   Read more MILITARY ACTUV unmanned sub-hunter begins operational trials Main contractor Leidos has announced that it is starting operational trials of the Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) robotic sub-hunter it's building for DARPA.   Read more MOBILE TECHNOLOGY 2016 Apple MacBook Comparison Guide Thinking about making an end-of-year MacBook purchase? We've got you covered. In this comparison, we look at the 12-inch MacBook, the MacBook Air, the 13-inch MacBook Pro (with and without the Touch Bar) and the 15-inch MacBook Pro.   Read more SPACE First manned flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft postponed until 2018 SpaceX has suffered another setback with the first manned flight of its Crew Dragon spacecraft being delayed until 2018. According to NASA, the SpaceX Demonstration Mission 2 will not fly until May 2018 instead of in the second quarter of 2017 as previously planned.   Read more ROBOTICS Robo-rescue-excavator is made to dig through debris ​Currently, when the rubble at disaster sites is being moved, construction equipment is used. Scientists at several Japanese universities, however, have created a remote-control excavator, that is said to offer "drastically improved operability and mobility."   Read more 3D PRINTING Adidas launches its first 3D-printed shoes Adidas has been exploring the possibilities of 3D printing when it comes to footwear for a little while, now culminating in the launch of its first 3D-printed trainer for the public, the 3D Runner. ​   Read more SPACE Brightest supernova ever discovered? Or a big mistake? New research suggests that the brightest supernova ever discovered may not have been a supernova at all, but instead the light signature of a fast-spinning black hole turning a star into spaghetti.   Read more MOTORCYCLES Sena employs mesh networking for seamless inter-motorcycle comms Built on the foundations of the 20S, the 30K introduces a new model family of motorcycle Bluetooth communication systems. With the addition of adaptive mesh networking technology, Sena’s new flagship model opts for uninterrupted group connections even when any number of members falls out of range.   Read more AUTOMOTIVE Lasers check tire wear on-the-fly How worn are your tires? Perhaps you check them by hand regularly, but if you don't, Nokian has developed an alternative. The Finnish tire manufacturer recently announced its SnapSkan service, which uses a 3D scanner to check users' tires as the car is on the road and in motion.​  Read more ARCHITECTURE BIG plans unveiled for LA's Arts District Prolific Danish firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has returned stateside with a newly unveiled proposal for Los Angeles' Arts District. Dubbed 670 Mesquit, the project features a couple of large mixed-use stepped concrete buildings that include office space, residential units, and hotels.   Read more MUSIC Traditional Vietnamese lute infused with Makey Makey magic ​Since its launch 4 years ago, Makey Makey has been used to turn bananas into piano keyboards and make potted plants talk when handled. Now Dr. Liza Seigido of the Psyche Electro-Acoustic Opera company has used the board to bring a broken Ðàn ty bà back to life as a MIDI music maker.  Read more GOOD THINKING Two teams close in on Star Trek tricorder-like device Two teams will compete in the final stage of the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, which has seen competitors developing portable medical diagnostic devices inspired by the Star Trek tricorder. Devices from Dynamical Biomarkers Group and Final Frontier Medical Devices will now undergo consumer testing.  Read more WEARABLES Sensor-packed smartsuit takes motion capture out of the studio The cumbersome, expensive process of motion capture might soon be a thing of the past. Danish startup Rokoko has developed the Smartsuit Pro, a mocap suit that works without wires or cameras, and instead relies on sensors and a Wi-Fi network to record or stream motion to a character in real time.  Read more AUTOMOTIVE Limited-run targa celebrates Ferrari half century in Japan Sometimes the designers at Ferrari decide to go beyond the call of duty and release a limited edition destined for the garage of wealthy collectors. Based on the 488 GTB Spider, the J50 is the latest special edition to roll forth from the Ferrari stable.​   Read more AUTOMOTIVE Toyota pins world rally hopes on wild, winged beast A set of new regulations means World Rally Championship cars will be faster, produce more downforce and look meaner than before. After announcing its return to rallying last year, Toyota has released the car it will be using to take on the WRC in 2017, the Gazoo Racing WRC Yaris. ​​   Read more AUTOMOTIVE Hello Waymo: Google spins off self-driving car project into new company Google's self-driving cars have logged more than 2 million miles over the last seven years. Now the project has entered a new phase with the announcement that the self-driving car venture has been spun off into Waymo, a new company that aims to commercialize the technology more widely.  Read more BICYCLES Bike tire lever has an inflated sense of purpose ​Instead of bothering with a hand pump for refilling flat tires, many cyclists instead just use a compressed air cartridge. That said, they still need a set of tire levers. With that in mind, Bar Fly has created a lever that doubles as a CO2 inflator.   Read more SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR NEW ATLAS READERS "This Ultra-Portable Smartphone Tripod Fits in Your Wallet — and Steve Wozniak’s a Fan" The best tripod for your smartphone fits in your pocket. The Pocket Tripod PRO has been cleverly engineered to be the most practical smartphone stand ever. Portrait, landscape, upside-down - any type of photography works because the Pocket Tripod fits your smartphone in any orientation. Leave your tripod at home on your next trip, this one fits in your wallet, and has all the functionality you need.   Read more