Spacecamper has kicked off 2023 with a vengeance. In addition to debuting one of the coolest little ebike micro-RVs out there, the German camper specialist revealed an all-new Volkswagen camper van package at this month's CMT show. The company matches the inherent modular versatility of the new T7 Multivan with its first modular camper kit, allowing customers to select from various a la carte components and packages on their way to building up a camper van with up to seven seats, a double bed, a tailgate kitchen and more. The components quickly remove and rearrange so the van still works as an everyday driver.
Tags: SpaceCamper, camper-in-a-box, Campervan, Volkswagen, RV, Camping, Outdoors, cmt-show-2023
Austrian boat-builder Silent Yachts is already known for its line of solar-powered catamarans. Now, the company has announced its Silent 120 Explorer superyacht, which includes spaces for an eVTOL and a personal submarine.
Tags: Silent Yachts, U-Boat Worx, eVTOL, Electric Boats, Yachts - 49, Catamaran, Luxury
When it comes to the different types of milk containers, you might think that the only reasons to choose one over the other would be factors like convenience. Recent research, however, suggests that container material type can actually affect milk's flavor.
Category: Science
Tags: North Carolina State University, Taste, Shipping Container, Food
Microalgae are widely used in products such as biofuels, nutritional supplements and cosmetics. A newly-described type has been found in a home aquarium – and it could prove to be particularly useful.
Category: Science
Tags: Algae, University of Tokyo, Biofuel
There's no denying that streaming rules the roost for the way we consume our music these days. But if your perfectly good living room hi-fi is feeling very unloved, a little black box from Canada's NAD could help bring your aging setup into the 21st century.
Category: Home Entertainment, Technology
Tags: Music Streaming, Hi-fi, Audiophile, Digital music
Commissioned to design a new factory for luxury fashion house Fendi, Milan studio Piuarch has created a large building that's topped by an impressive green roof, helping it take its place well among the surrounding Italian countryside.
Category: Architecture, Lifestyle
Tags: Building and Construction, Fashion, Italy, Green Roofs
Trek subsidiary Electra has added a new member to its Loft family of ebikes, a lightweight commuter named the Loft Go 7D EQ with torque-sensing pedal assist and a 40-mile battery, plus the option to add a range extender for more miles between charges.
Tags: ebikes, Pedal-assisted
In an effort to find an efficient way to keep buildings cooler in hot weather and warmer in the colder months, researchers at University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) have developed a shape-shifting material that holds copper particles in either a liquid or solid form. Although the material uses a very low electric current to flip between the two states, it's a fraction of the energy it can save through passive heating and cooling.
Category: Environment, Science
Tags: Electrochromic, Building and Construction, University of Chicago, pritzker, Phase change material
Propellers are designed to take a fluid, generally air or water, and use a rotating motion to push that fluid through. They're evolutions, in a sense, from the Archimedes' screw, which was likely used in ancient Egypt thousands of years before it was described by Archimedes in 234 BCE.
Tags: drones, eVTOL, Electric Aircraft, Marine
Taking a break from the mundane, cookie-cutter electric crossovers that have been filling the market, Audi is exploring a more rugged, adventure-ready breed of electric utility vehicle. The Activesphere concept closes out the automaker's "Sphere" EV concept series and shows how electric tech can be molded into a more versatile multipurpose vehicle. The new concept blends the body of a Sportback sedan with the high-riding chassis of a 4x4 and the incomparable utility of a pickup truck.
Category: Automotive, Transport
Tags: Audi, Concept Cars, Crossover, SUV, Pickup, Electric Vehicles, Off-road
New research looking at health records from nearly half a million people has identified 22 different associations between viral infections and neurodegenerative diseases. Influenza, encephalitis and other viral infections all were linked to increased rates of brain diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and MS.
Category: Science
Tags: Virus, Infections, Dementia, Brain, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Neuroscience
A study following nearly 30,000 older adults for more than 10 years has found six key healthy lifestyle factors can significantly reduce memory loss in old age. The findings revealed those adults engaging in between four and six of the healthy lifestyle behaviors could significantly reduce their risk of developing dementia, even when carrying genes that make them more susceptible to Alzheimer's disease.
Category: Health & Wellbeing, Lifestyle
Even the most avid tent camper doesn't enjoy the experience of tossing and turning through a hot, stuffy night or waking up in a pool of sweat as the rising sun beats through the ripstop. That may or may not happen often, depending where and when you camp, but it might not have to happen at all in the future. A researcher at the University of Connecticut is working on a liquid tent-cooling system that delivers A/C levels of temperature drop without the need for electricity, special coolants or anything more complex than a gallon of water.
Tags: Tent, Camping, University of Connecticut
New Zealand Studio Well Architecture is the creator of this quaint tiny cabin, which offers travelers a 100% off-grid holiday experience. Dubbed Kererū Retreat, the home is a great example of a bare-bones tiny build that embraces simplistic design, locally sourced materials and sustainability.
Category: Tiny Houses, Lifestyle
Tags: Tiny Footprint, House, Cabins
It's a sad fact that even though bees are essential to pollinating crops, they're also harmed by the pesticides used on those very same plants. Thanks to a new discovery, however, a bee-friendly pesticide could soon be cheaper and easier to produce.
Category: Science
Tags: Stanford University, John Innes Centre, Bees, Pests, Plants, Crops, Agriculture
It's always good if the use of antibiotics can be avoided, to keep harmful bacteria from developing a resistance to them. A new wound-treatment spray could help, as it kills bacteria using peptides that occur naturally in our bodies – no antibiotics required.
Tags: Hydrogels, Chalmers University of Technology, Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, Treatment, Wound, peptide
IK Multimedia's iRig range has included microphones and audio interfaces in the past, but now the company has launched one device that combines the two, claiming that the iRig Stream Mic Pro is "virtually an entire studio setup in one elegant, compact design that can be easily taken anywhere."
Category: Music, Technology
Tags: IK Multimedia, Interface, Audio, recording, Streaming, Microphone
From feeding cancer cells to triggering depression, there are a host of reasons why a high-fat diet isn't optimal for human health. Now, researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine have added another discovery to the long list of adverse effects from high fat intake: a disruption in brain cells that regulate how rat stomachs fill and empty. In a study using the rodents, after just two weeks of exposure to a high-fat diet, it was found that these cells ceased operating correctly, blocking the pathway that causes a decrease in calorie consumption after the stomach is full.
Category: Science
Tags: Diet, Brain, Obesity, Weight, Weight Loss, Pennsylvania State University
Folks in the Netherlands love to get from A to B by bike, which can lead to problems when it's time to park up. Underground parking garages are one way to go, and the City of Amsterdam has just finished a huge project near the Central Station that puts thousands of parking spots under water.
Renowned architecture firm Snøhetta has joined forces with homeware company Vipp to create a collection of luxurious vacation cabins. Situated above a fjord in rural Norway, the compact dwellings feature generous glazing that's designed to make visitors feel like they're floating on the edge of the cliffside.
Category: Architecture, Lifestyle
Tags: Cabins, Norway, Snøhetta, Building and Construction
NASA and DARPA have agreed to develop and test a nuclear rocket engine in space as soon as 2027. Using a nuclear reactor as its power source, it would outperform chemical rockets and greatly reduce the time for the first crewed Mars mission.
Tags: DARPA, NASA, US Space Force, Nuclear, Rocket
Global power company Cummins is exploring how RVers can ease their reliance on gasoline while still enjoying all the off-grid power they need to run camping equipment and accessories at camp. Its new hybrid concept seamlessly blends battery storage and gas-driven generation to decrease noise and emissions while still offering days of power.
Category: Automotive, Transport
For some time now, a nanomaterial known as MXene has been touted as a faster-charging alternative to the lithium used in batteries. It could soon be an even more viable choice, as scientists have devised a method of making it last much longer.
Tags: RMIT University, Nanomaterials, Batteries, Rust, Sound
If a robot is going to be tiny, then it better have a way of getting around the many obstacles that will block its way. A new type of robot takes a unique approach to doing so, by jumping like a click beetle.
Category: Robotics, Technology
Tags: University of Illinois, Princeton University, Insect, Beetle, Biomimicry
Ordinarily, we think of hand-pulled cargo carts as being one thing, and bicycle trailers as being another. The Mule wagon combines both in one off-road-capable device, which can also be mounted on a car or truck's trailer hitch.
