Photo credit: Lets Go Digital
Another day, another Samsung rumor, but this time, it’s about the company’s next-generation Galaxy S22 smartphone. There are reports on several social media services that state Samsung is set to announce a formal partnership with Japanese photography brand Olympus. While it may sound farfetched, this sensor for a S22 Ultra would be a logical upgrade to the 108-megapixel one found on the current Galaxy S21 Ultra. Read more for additional pictures and information.
Motorola’s G7 Plus is a great budget smartphone or backup, and you can get one for $119.99 shipped, today only, originally $249.99. Featuring a 6.2″ Full HD+ display with a 19:9 aspect ratio covered in refined 3D glass, Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, microSD expansion, 16MP rear camera, 12MP front-facing selfie camera, and a 3,000mAh battery with 27W TurboPower charging. Product page. Read more for a hands-on video review and additional information.
Photo credit: Alex Fliker Photography via Peta Pixel
Photographer Alexandru Barbovschi just so happened to be in the right place and time during the most recent full Mineral Moon at the end of March – the term essentially refers to our Moon, but edited with colors on its surface to reveal the mineral deposits. Why? He captured the International Space Station (ISS) transiting in front of this event, and he had to perfectly time his camera to capture the event, which happened in a flash, literally. Read more for the short video and additional information.
Yuto Kuroki, a mechanical engineer at Meiji University in Tokyo, Japan, and a team of researchers managed to modify a 3D printer head system to transform it into a 3-axis robotic manipulator. This gives the machine the ability to assemble various items, like toy cars and sandwiches, but unfortunately, there isn’t yet an extruder for condiments, so you’ll have to still add those manually. They first customized a low-cost fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer that can attach/detach printed end-effectors capable of changing the function of the 3D printer head (e.g. grab, break, and rotate printed objects).
The Hamyak (Russian for hamster) is an all terrain vehicle like you’ve probably never seen before, powered by a 150cc scooter engine. Its mono-tracked design is perfect for snow, sand, mud as well as other rugged terrain, but attempting to maneuver it on pavement could be trouble since you need to pin the throttle and transfer your weight to side for grip. At 187-pounds, it can easily be stored in the back of a pickup truck and can hit a top speed of 27 mph.
Photo credit: Virginia Tech Daily
Virginia Tech’s impact labs wanted to see exactly what would happen when a drone crashes into a car windshield. This lab has already conducted several controlled collisions that have been pivotal to producing safer cars, football helmets, and even toys, so this was an important test to say the least. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulation restricted commercial drone use in urban and suburban areas by prohibiting flying over moving vehicles due to their concern that a drone hitting the windshield of a moving car could obstruct the driver’s view of the road or injure the occupants.
Photo credit: Hoonigan via Car Scoops
Formula Drift champion Chris Forsberg is no stranger to fast vehicles, but his custom Nissan Altima is most certainly one of the fastest 4-seaters yet. Called the Altimaniac, it’s powered by a twin-turbocharged VR38DETT V6 engine that had its displacement increased from 3.8L to 4.1L capable of generating 1,300-horsepower on a normal tune or 2,000-horsepower on a more aggressive one. Other modifications include upgraded a billet aluminum crankshaft, connecting rods, main caps, and girdles.
At just 55-pounds, Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot dog is capable of much more than just being a house pet. That’s right, it’s most suited for unstructured environments and is fully capable of climbing stairs, traversing rough terrain, helping the French Army, as well as dispensing beer, but not in a particularly useful way. Michael Reeves has taught this robot to actually pee bear, which required quite a few lines of code to help it identify cups on the floor, position itself properly over them, and then release a stream of liquid using plastic tubing.
Amazon’s Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) and Ring A19 Smart LED Bulb aim to make life at home easier, all for $199.99 shipped for the bundle, today only, originally $249.99. This all-new Echo device features a 10.1″ HD screen that’s designed to move with you, so video calls, recipes, and more, are always in view. The built-in speakers deliver premium, directional sound, while the integrated 13MP lets you remotely monitor your home anytime with the Alexa app or other Echo Show devices. Product page. Read more for a hands-on video review of the Echo Show 10 and A19.
Photo credit: Leyang Bai via Car Scoops
Many already know that the current-generation Corvette C8 is the first production model to have a rear mid-engine configuration and also GM’s first rear mid-engine production car since the 1984 Pontiac Fiero. It draws power from a 6.2 liter naturally aspirated LT2 V8 generating 495 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque when equipped with the Z51 performance package, but what if the next model went back to the front-engine configuration? Meet the Neovette. Read more for additional pictures and information.