The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics torch, dubbed “Essential,” is a quiet game changer in an object that has been passing the flame around the world for decades. Carlo Ratti, the architect, approached the project with a question in mind: how does an object transmit emotion? His instruction was to pare down to the bare essentials and let the flame do the talking.
On January 26, 2026, an astronaut on the International Space Station looked earthward and captured a view of the Grand Canyon that few people have ever seen. A fresh layer of snow from a few days of flurries clings to the canyon’s rim, framing the huge abyss in stark white against the deep red-brown rock below. The Colorado Plateau looks like a flat canvas sprinkled with dust, while the canyon itself, carved out by the Colorado River over millions of years, plunges into darkness.
This project takes regular door sensors and amps them up a few notches, providing a brilliant way to keep your smart house smart without having a single gadget attached to the frame. Dillan Stock of The Stock Pot got his hands on those cheap Aqara T1 touch sensors and decided to rebuild their housings from scratch, effectively stuffing everything inside the door and frame.
Amazon’s latest Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, priced at $29.99 (was $49.99), is tiny, smaller than a pack of gum, but it packs a powerful punch, allowing you to stream 4K movies in super-sharp clarity and play console-quality games without the need for a large box under your TV. The new edition is the result of years of fine-tuning to provide you with a simple method to view your favorite shows or play games on virtually any screen with an HDMI connector.
NASA’s Perseverance rover rolled across the rim of Jezero Crater for 700 feet on December 8, 2025, and another 800 feet a few days later, but these were no ordinary journeys. In fact, this was the first time on another planet that artificial intelligence handled route planning on its own, selecting safe courses without the assistance of human specialists on Earth.
A display that uses air power to transform our perceptions of screens is a novel concept. Maker Soiboi Soft set out to create one using only 3D printing, a small amount of soft silicone, and the difference in air pressure between normal and vacuum. The end result is a 4×4 grid of pixels that light up various patterns and games, letters, numbers, and even a rudimentary snake game animation, all without the use of electricity.
SpaceX has made a significant step toward making science fiction a reality. They’ve put in a request to the FCC to launch up to one million satellites to host data centers in orbit. This proposal was submitted to the FCC on January 30, 2026, and it was accepted for file just a few days later, opening the public comment period.
Sergii Gordieiev, the engineer behind “The Q,” is the mastermind behind some incredibly unique innovations, such as transforming regular bicycles into something entirely different. His new project involves disassembling a basic bike, removing the chain and derailleur, and replacing them with a chain composed of 3D printed gears. The end result is a stripped-down single-speeder that delivers power directly from the crank to the wheel, with no sign of chain slap or rattling worn chains.
The 2026 Loki Prevost H3-45, a 45-foot diesel coach, arrives on the scene and completely upends all we thought we understood about what a motorhome should be. Built on the Prevost H3-45 VIP chassis, this beast boasts a 550 horsepower Volvo D13 engine mated with a huge 1,850 pound-feet of torque, resulting in a seriously smooth and confident drive that doesn’t go all dramatic. That chassis, of course, includes all of the bells and whistles, such as self-leveling suspension, electronic stability systems, and driving aids that make long trips a breeze rather than a grind.
Autoflight’s Matrix, which is a game changer in the eVTOL category of the aviation world, is the first of its kind to exceed the 5-ton class, with a maximum takeoff weight of 5,700kg (about 12,566lbs). While the plane’s wingspan of 20 meters, length of 17.1 meters, and short stature of only 3.3 meters may suggest that it is a large craft, once inside, you’ll notice that the cabin itself is surprisingly roomy with its 5.25-meter length, 1.8-meter width, and 1.85-meter height, giving you a comfortable 13.9 cubic meters in which to spread out.