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ENVIRONMENT |
Tesla gearing up for release of batteries for the home |
| The same lithium-ion battery technology that powers Tesla’s electric vehicles will be used to develop a battery for the home, according to a statement by CEO Elon Musk. The batteries would be used by homes and businesses to store excess energy generated from solar panels. read more |
WEARABLE ELECTRONICS |
LG's Watch Urbane LTE gains 4G and mobile payments – but loses Android Wear |
| Life moves quickly in the world of smartwatches. Less than two weeks after announcing the Android Wear-running LG Watch Urbane, LG is back with a variant that drops Wear and adds standalone 4G LTE. read more |
ARCHITECTURE |
Archiblox prefab home uses "a fraction" of the energy it generates |
| Prefab houses can be quick and affordable to build. Now, a prefab house from Australian architects Archiblox promises the additional benefit of generating more energy than it uses. The Archi+ Carbon Positive House has a variety of sustainability features, including a green roof and a solar array. read more |
ARCHITECTURE |
Tiny cabin provides off-grid digs in Norway's mountains |
| The result of a design-build workshop at Bergen School of Architecture headed by OPA Form architects' Espen Folgerø, Tubakuba Mountain Hub is an off-grid tiny cabin that's available to anyone to use, but is especially aimed at instilling kids with a sense of appreciation for nature. read more |
AIRCRAFT |
Thought-controlled drones may be just the first step in aviation revolution |
| In what may be a just a taste of what's possible when you merge robotics and neuroscience, researchers from Portugal's Brainflight project have successfully demonstrated a drone flight piloted by human thought.read more |
ELECTRONICS |
Going small with silicon potentially has big implications for lithium-ion battery capacity |
| Silicon would be an excellent anode material for lithium-ion batteries, if only it did not have the tendency to make the cell explode with use. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside say they have now found a way to get around the problem. read more |
AUTOMOTIVE |
McLaren 675LT will be lightest and most powerful of McLaren's Super Series |
| McLaren is taking its latest and greatest road car, the 675LT, to the track with the intent of racing and winning. It's loaded with enough technology and performance to be a serious contender right off the trailer. read more |
WEARABLE ELECTRONICS |
Dual-personality iFit Duo fitness tracker flips between digital and analog faces |
| IFit has come up with a way of combining the looks of a classic timepiece with the performance of a smartwatch. The Duo watch uses a rotating case to show a digital display on one side and a traditional analog face on the other. read more |
AROUND THE HOME |
Sesame smart lock opens your door with a secret knock |
| If you're looking to smarten up your locks to make your home more secure, you're not exactly short of options. But the makers of Sesame say smart locks could be a little more intuitive, and have developed a solution that, among other things, recognizes secret knocks to open up your door. read more |
MOBILE TECHNOLOGY |
Review: OnePlus One |
| The OnePlus One was the sleeper smartphone of 2014 that very few people were able to get their hands on, which is a shame, because several months later we've found that it's still among the best devices out there despite a few big flaws. read more |
BICYCLES |
Lauf unveils a freaky fork for fatbikes |
| A couple of years ago, Icelandic startup Lauf unveiled its lightweight Trail Racer leaf-style mountain bike suspension fork. Now, the company is introducing a version of the fork designed for bikes that definitely don't need any extra weight – fatbikes. read more |
SCIENCE |
Graphene derivative interferes with seemingly invincible cancer stem cells |
| Graphene oxide is a surprising ally against tumor metatasis, a process where hardy cancer stem cells survive radiation and chemotherapy and cause cancer to spread and grow again. The graphene derivative seems to interfere at the cellular membrane level. read more |
SCIENCE |
Steerable optical nanoantennas light the way for practical lab-on-a-chip devices |
| Researchers at Monash University in Australia claim to have produced nanoscale directional antennas that accurately focus light at the nanoscale and may provide the ultra-narrow beams needed for upcoming nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) and the eventual production of lab-on-a-chip devices. read more |
AIRCRAFT |
Researchers create world's first 3D-printed jet engines |
| Working with colleagues from Deakin University and CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), researchers from Australia's Monash University have created the world's first 3D-printed jet engine. While they were at it, they created the world's second one, too. read more |
BICYCLES |
Velospring bicycle grips hide shock-absorbing tech inside warm, rich walnut wood |
| The Sen Comfort bicycle handlebar grips from Munich's Velospring combine beautiful, ageless aesthetics with innovative technological design. The warm walnut wood cloaks an innovative spring suspension system that eats bumps. read more |
CHILDREN |
Kids Imagination Furniture lets children build their own cardboard desk and chair |
| With Kids Imagination Furniture, The Cardboard Guys are hoping to foster children's creativity, allowing them to build and decorate their own desk and chair set. Made to be strong, easy to build, and recyclable, Kids Imagination Furniture offers a viable alternative to more traditional sets. read more |
AIRCRAFT |
Shift handles the camera work for drone pilots |
| Although camera-equipped drones have opened up all sorts of film-making possibilities, trying to simultaneously control the aircraft and the camera movements can definitely be challenging. That's why Perceptiv Labs developed Shift. read more |
ARCHITECTURE |
Eiffel Tower's green makeover continues with wind turbine addition |
| Last year we reported on the ongoing sustainable makeover of the Eiffel Tower's first-floor. Work continues on turning the iconic landmark green, and as part of this process, Urban Green Energy (UGE) recently installed two large wind turbines in the tower.read more |
AUTOMOTIVE |
Eight teams will compete in Formula E's second season |
| The FIA has announced that a total of eight teams will compete in the second year of Formula E racing, down from the 10 taking part in the first season. The competition is set to heat up during the 2015/2016 race calendar, with teams being allowed to develop the vehicles for the first time. read more |
MOBILE TECHNOLOGY |
Pwr Case offers iPhone battery backup without wires |
| There's no shortage of phone cases with a built-in battery. A new one needs to do something interesting to stand out. In some cases this is done with a more powerful battery, but in the case of PWR Case, the new feature is a different method of keeping the case itself charged. read more |
MOBILE TECHNOLOGY |
Motorola's new Moto E brings LTE and flagship features for just $150 |
| Motorola unveiled its second generation Moto E, a budget Android phone that brings some of the features of the company's flagship phone to a 4G device for a fraction of the cost of other top-flight phones. read more |
MEDICAL |
3D engineered bone marrow-like material produces functioning human platelets |
| Researchers at Tufts University School of Engineering and the University of Pavia (Italy) have developed a three-dimensional tissue made from porous silk, that’s capable of producing platelets for clinical use. The development is expected to have a significant impact on treatment of blood diseases. read more |
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