~new-atlas-new-techn | Bookmarks (1075)

Scientists have discovered how an Australian jumping spider's semi-hydraulics allows it to speed jump long distances with precision while experiencing g-forces higher than those of fighter pilots. Their insights might help robotics research.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, ScienceTags: Spiders, Biomechanics, Hydraulics, Robotic construction, Macquarie University

What you're looking at is a one-off, mid-engine, hand-built wedge car with an exterior fashioned almost entirely of mirror-polished aluminum. Its exposed-metal design puts a certain Tesla Cybertruck to shame.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, TransportTags: Maserati, Supercar, Tesla Motors, Cybertruck, Custom, McLaren

It was on a purpose-built R 80 G/S that Hubert Auriol won the second-ever Paris-Dakar rally in 1981, which happened to be BMW's inaugural attempt. And now, inspired by that very model, BMW has unveiled its new dirt-focused boxer.Continue ReadingCategory: Motorcycles, TransportTags: BMW, BMW Motorrad, Dakar Rally, Retro, Off-road, Enduro, Triumph

One of the longstanding trailblazers in the American overland scene, Arizona-based AT Overland is back with one of its most promising truck camping solutions yet. The Goldilocks of its Aterra series, the all-new Aterra Slide-In turns any Toyota Tundra or Ford F-150 into an ultra-capable overland explorer with its own hard-sided standing-height shelter. Buy it as a shell and outfit it yourself or pick...

I admit, I held off from covering this peculiar electric motorcycle for fear that people might not take me seriously in the wake of April Fools' Day. But this wind/solar motorcycle is as real as it can get, and is even available for purchase!Continue ReadingCategory: Motorcycles, TransportTags: Renewable Energy, Wind-powered, Solar Powered, Electric Motorcycles, China

If someone is afflicted with heart disease, it's important that their cardiac activity be monitored as frequently and accurately as possible. An experimental new wearable device is designed to make that happen, by copying the body structure of the starfish.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical Devices, Medical Innovations, Body & MindTags: University of Missouri, Heart Disease, Heart Failure, Heart attack, Heart

Though it only had a length of 7.2 m (almost 24 ft) to work with in the Jordy tiny house, Konpak Tiny Homes has employed a clever space-saving layout that includes a novel folding staircase to offer a relatively spacious living area and lots of storage.Continue ReadingCategory: Tiny Houses, LifestyleTags: Building and Construction, House, Micro-House, Tiny Footprint, Home

While we're making progress in phasing out animal testing in the cosmetics industry around the world, there's still a ways to go in terms of regulatory measures (some 35 US states still allow it), international cooperation, and scientific advancements in developing reliable alternatives. 3D-printed 'imitation skin' could be the ticket.Continue ReadingCategory: ScienceTags: cosmetics, Skin, 3D Printing, TU Graz, Hydrogels, Testing

Step aside, golden beaches – now we have stretches of sand glimmering with real pieces of gold. Scientists have captured the first highly detailed photos of the golden precious metal found among the sand along the coastline of New Zealand's South Island.Continue ReadingCategory: Environment, ScienceTags: University of Otago, Gold, New Zealand, Geology, Minerals, History

Engineers at Illinois' Northwestern University have developed the tiniest pacemaker you'll ever see. It's several times smaller than a regular pacemaker, and it's designed for patients several times smaller than the average pacemaker user.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical Innovations, Body & MindTags: Heart Disease, Baby, Pacemaker, Wearable, Northwestern University

It's starting to get a little warmer in the Northern Hemisphere, which means you might be looking to the yard for after-dark movie nights. Many portable projectors still need to be plugged in, but Dangbei's Freedo caters for cable-free watching for up to 2.5 hours.Continue ReadingCategory: Home Entertainment, Consumer Tech, TechnologyTags: HD, Projectors, LED, Portable, Google TV, Battery, Compact, Reviews

In a breakthrough finding, researchers have discovered that immune cells near the spinal cord are triggered by estrogen and progesterone to produce a natural painkiller called enkephalin. The finding could change the way we treat chronic pain.Continue ReadingCategory: Body & MindTags: T-cells, The Immune System, Hormone, estrogen, Opioids, Chronic pain, Painkillers, University of California San Francisco

Oyster mushrooms and repurposed bamboo furniture scraps may be an unlikely combination for a tough building material, but engineers have used this curious mix to create a new biomimicry-inspired tile, featuring bumps and crevices like elephant skin, designed to keep walls cool and withstand the elements.Continue ReadingCategory: Materials, ScienceTags: Nanyang Technological University, Cooling, Construction, Biomimicry, Mushrooms, Bamboo, Tiles

You don't often find crowds of people flocking together to take in the pungent scent of rotting flesh, but that's exactly what happens every time a corpse flower blooms at a public garden. In fact, thousands turned out to get close to the flower of the world's stinkiest plant in January in Australia. It proved such a drawcard that Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens kept...

Amazon is launching 27 satellites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) next week, kicking off its years-in-the-making plan to set up a massive constellation and deliver internet access anywhere on the globe – similar to SpaceX's Starlink service.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: Amazon, Internet, Starlink, United Launch Alliance

At the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida, Epic Aircraft has unveiled its high-performance personal and business aircraft, the E1000 AX, which can land itself at the touch of a button in an emergency. In fact, you don't even need the button.Continue ReadingCategory: Aircraft, TransportTags: Aircraft, Turbine, Autonomous flight

A first-of-its-kind study has found that almost half, 45.6%, of Australian teenagers are living with one or more chronic diseases, including diabetes or asthma, or a developmental condition like ADHD. The study has linked these diseases and conditions to factors such as an unhealthy diet and poor mental health.Continue ReadingCategory: Wellness & Healthy Living, Body & MindTags: Adolescents, Chronic illness, Developmental conditions, University of...

One of the most fascinating aircraft in the eVTOL space has moved into flight testing with a new large-scale prototype. Cyclotech's Blackbird airframe becomes the world's first aircraft to fly with six barrel-shaped "Cyclorotors" for propulsion.Continue ReadingCategory: Aircraft, TransportTags: eVTOL, Electric Aircraft, Cyclorotors, Personal eVTOLs

A landmark clinical trial testing the effect of microdosing LSD on symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) recently delivered its first data readout and the results have been surprising, to say the least, raising questions over the efficacy of this popular trend.Continue ReadingCategory: Psychedelics, Medical Innovations, Body & MindTags: ADHD, Psychedelic Medicine

Hyundai isn't exactly the first name you'd think of when it comes to racecars. But it's exactly that perception that the South Korean manufacturer has sought to change with its Insteroid concept.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, TransportTags: Hyundai, Electric Vehicles, Concept Cars, Racing, Gaming

Consumer drones are all just slight variations on the quadcopter design … right? Well no, not any longer. The Falcon Mini is a two-propeller "bicopter" which is claimed to be nimbler, quieter, and more energy-efficient than its four-prop counterparts.Continue ReadingCategory: Drones, Consumer Tech, TechnologyTags: Indiegogo, Camera drone

One of the things you might not learn about electric vehicles (EV) until you live with one is that they charge slower in cold temperatures, which means you might have to spend longer at a charging station on long winter drives.Continue ReadingCategory: Energy, TechnologyTags: Battery Technology, Battery+Electric+Vehicle, Battery Charger, Electric Vehicles, University of Michigan

The future might be electric, but the present is electrified. That’s Toyota’s stance, and the Crown is one of several models the automaker offers that follow what has been proven a prescient aim.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, TransportTags: Toyota, Hybrid, Sedan, Station Wagon, SUV, Reviews

It wasn't that long ago that the only way to test for Alzheimer's disease was to perform an autopsy on someone who had been suffering from dementia to look for the telltale tangles of tau and amyloid proteins in the brain. While these tangles are not necessarily the cause of Alzheimer's disease, they are certainly its major hallmark; their sticky, clumping action in the...