Ever find yourself stuck walking behind someone that abruptly stopped? The “Pedestrian Horn” Yosef Lerner wants to solve that problem. Simply put, it’s a car steering wheel that you wear across your body like a messenger bag, thanks to a modified seat belt. Unlike a normal bag, this steering wheel has a functional car horn. Read more for a video and additional information.
Drones are already changing the commerce as well as food delivery industries, and soon, we could be seeing them in the world of luxury. How so? Well, a Netherlands-based Dutch insurance company has managed to create a hammock drone of sorts. Simply put, the idea consists of a regulars-sized hammock that not only can move, but can float just about anywhere, thanks to industrial-sized drones. Read more for the video if you missed it the first time around.
Photo credit: University of Rochester/J. Adam Fenster
University of Rochester and the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics, and Physics researchers have figured out how to make unsinkable metals using superhydrophobic (water repelling) materials. To accomplish this, they created structures made up of two treated aluminum surfaces facing each other, connected by a small central pole, designed to trap the maximum amount of air. What they ended up with was a virtually unsinkable metal. Read more for a video and additional information.
Photo credit: University of Richmond
Researchers at the University of Richmond in Virginia taught rats how to drive a miniature car in order to collect food, and surprisingly enough, the animals actually found it relaxing based on their corticosterone, a marker of stress, and dehydroepiandrosterone levels. The vehicle was crafted out of a clear plastic food container and mounted on a battery-powered, four-wheeled platform. Rats used three copper bars, which functioned as a steering wheel, to move forward when they stood on the aluminum floor and gripped the copper bars with their paws to trigger an electrical circuit. Read more for a video demonstration and additional information.
Photo credit: Zoodeparis
A bizarre yellow blob has made its first appearance at the Paris Zoological Park, and it’s unlike any other that you’ve seen before. This yellow unicellular may look like a fungus, but it acts like an animal. In addition to having nearly 720 sexes, it can move without legs, wings or any other visible sign of locomotion, and can even heal itself in two minutes when cut in half. Read more for two videos and additional information.
For those who have never heard of Untitled Goose Game, developed by House House and published by Panic, it’s basically a stealth puzzle video game where players control a goose who bothers the inhabitants of an English village. The player must then use the goose’s abilities to manipulate objects and non-player characters in order to complete specific quests, but what happens if you put this animal in Resident Evil 2? Read more for a short preview of a gamer who did just that.
Just when you thought you’ve seen all the smartphone cases, this bizarre artificial skin case comes along. Developed by Marc Teyssier and his team at Telecom Paris, this is no ordinary case, as the artificial skin is designed to interpret a variety of gestures, like if you tickles the accessory, it types a laughing emoji onto the phone. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information.
The Vatican is probably the last governing body you’d expect to launch a smart gadget, but that’s exactly what they have done with the “Click to Pray eRosary.” Think of it as a fitness tracker, but with added religious functions, complete with six-axis inertial sensing, Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, IP67 water / dust resistance, wireless charging, a 15mAh lithium-ion battery, 10 black agate beads and 11 hematite beads. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information.
The Nyanko Charge cat head phone charger just might be the quirkiest one yet and may just freak out anyone who sees it at first glance. This is a normal power bank, but shaped exactly like a real cat’s head and work with any USB-compatible device. It also comes with a pouch, strap, and an extra cable. Product page. Read more for additional pictures and information.
In the 21st century, the buggy is still used as normal, everyday means of transportation by most of them have not been modernized nor are they suited for normal roads, other than a triangular warning sign with red border and yellow background attached to the rear, that is unless…you’re talking about this custom jet-powered version. One of the owners originally wanted to purchase a turboshaft powerplant that outputs through a shaft, but instead purchased a turbojet that shoots hot gasses out the back to create thrust, and thus this creation was born. Read more for a video and additional information.