Erik Spijk spent more than a year transforming a failed 2017 experiment into a functional drone that displays graphics in mid-air. He calls it Zippy, and it’s a small-scale tribute to Las Vegas’ gigantic LED-covered Sphere. A ring of 144 LEDs spins quickly enough to trick the eye into perceiving solid images, writing, or basic animations, while the entire contraption hovers on its own power.
Bentley has just unveiled a Continental GT that elevates its model lineup to new heights. The Supersports brand has returned for the first time in seven years, and this small number has not only lost a lot of weight, but it has also dropped hybrid technology and all-wheel drive. The end result is the sharpest, most engaging Continental in decades, and just 500 lucky customers will have the opportunity to own one, with the first keys changing hands as early as 2027.
Photo credit: Veritasum
There is a quiet little corner of precision engineering where the roar of factories and the rumble of particle accelerators is miles away, a place where a tiny, gleaming silicon sphere sits at the center of all attention – the Avogadro Sphere. Made from a single isotope, silicon-28, it measures just under 4 inches across and weighs a precise 1 kilogram.
Photo credit: Mario Rodriguez | UC Davis College of Engineering
Engineers at UC Davis, led by Jeremy Munday and his super talented PhD student Tristan Deppe, have come up with a way to harness the power of nighttime darkness and turn it into – wait for it – actual motion. They were working with a pretty basic Stirling engine (one of those engines that generates power by using heat to push mechanical parts around) and took it to the next level, basically.
Seven years ago, a team of six Amazon engineers began toying with the idea of satellites that could transmit internet signals to the world’s most remote locations. They called it Project Kuiper, nicknamed after a distant ring system around Neptune. It was a code name that persisted through the early stages of obtaining licenses, signing contracts, and even conducting test flights. However, with over 150 satellites already circling high above, the business has finally given it a name that accurately expresses what it is all about: Leo.
Toast, a YouTuber who turns crazy ideas into real gadgets, decided to master one of the most complex machines in music. He wanted a piano that could be printed at home with a normal 3D printer. No strings or heavy wood frames – just layers of molten plastic that form keys, hammers and resonant tubes. The end result plays actual notes, fits on a desk and doesn’t cost much more than a few rubber bands.
Abxylute’s M4 Snap-On controller is available on Kickstarter today, and it is essentially a little palm rest that attaches to the back of your phone and transforms touchscreen torment into actual pint-sized gaming sessions. Early backers can score one for $39 while the early bird special is still going on – and you’ll get to try it out way ahead of the curve (deliveries start next month).
Shenzhen-based UBTECH Robotics has just shipped hundreds of Walker S2 humanoids to real factories, claiming that this is the world’s first mass delivery of robots intended to appear and move like real humans. They’re not holding back on any details either. Production ramped up in mid-November, and the first batch has now been dispatched to partners that require additional labor on the assembly line.
Wall adapters have been quietly getting the job done for years, stuck in the bottom of a bag or tucked away in some corner. But every now and then one comes along that’s worth taking a longer look at, for reasons that go beyond just being functional. The UGREEN Nexode Uno 30W fast charger, priced at $17.98 (was $29.99), is one of those. It resembles a small robot, with a pop-out socket and an LED display that flashes the charging status in simple little images, which is about as near as you can come to making paying attention to how long something is charging entertaining.
On Thursday afternoon in Florida, a roar echoed over the Atlantic as Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 36. Liftoff was at 3:55 p.m. Eastern, right in the middle of an 88-minute window that had been clear of previous issues. The vehicle, painted white and blue, rose steadily on clouds of fire from its seven BE-4 engines, carrying two small, but mighty, spacecraft from NASA.