Features of the week
MotorcyclesTransport
World’s first self-balancing electric motorcycle rolls into production
by Utkarsh Sood
You'd think it would be Honda, Yamaha, or BMW Motorrad behind the world's first self-balancing e-motorcycle. Rather, it's a lesser-known Singaporean startup called OMOWAY, which just achieved this feat with its OMO X scooter.
ArchitectureEngineeringTechnology
Under-construction skyscraper looks straight out of a sci-fi movie
by Adam Williams
You could be forgiven for assuming that this pyramidal skyscraper project was a still from a sci-fi TV show, or perhaps another render that's never going to go ahead. But it is indeed real, and it's begun the early stages of construction.
Urban TransportTransport
Mad genius attempts hoverboard build, fails, but lands a floating board
by Omar Kardoudi
Popular inventor Colin Furze recently tried recreating the hoverboard from Back to the Future II. He failed, but what he found along the way floats, steers, and might have more to say about urban transport than any hoverboard ever could.
RoboticsEngineeringTechnology
AI-evolved adaptable robot is almost impossible to destroy
by Etiido Uko
It took nature millions of years to create intelligent, adaptive species. Researchers at Northwestern University are using AI to evolve robots in minutes. The result is a robot that is agile, highly adaptive, and technically indestructible.
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Top Stories: Transport
Radical amphibious camper journeys to wilds other RVs will never find
by C.C. Weiss
The StabiX 250 is a different kind of RV, an amphibian built for land-sea adventures and turning unpeopled islands into private base camps. Part boat, part all-terrain rover and part camper, the innovative 250 supports adventures like no other.
BMW turns April Fool's joke into Nürburgring race car
by Simon Heptinstall
BMW has turned an April Fool’s joke into reality. The M3 Touring 24H race car, once a social media mock-up, is now heading to the Nürburgring 24 Hours with nearly 600 bhp on tap, blending absurd design with serious motorsport intent.
Three-wheeled scooter comes equipped with an airbag
by Utkarsh Sood
Scooters have historically lagged behind even motorcycles in safety tech. Airbags have been integrated into some motorcycles for nearly two decades now, but haven't featured on scooters? Until now, with the launch of the Yamaha Tricity 300.
Triple-speed personal submarine steers nimbly through subaquatic world
by C.C. Weiss
The Super Sub that creator U-Boat Worx calls the fastest, most advanced private sub ever built is about to be delivered to the first customer, giving a fortunate fractional-percenter what's sure to be an addictive, highly immersive new hobby.
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Top Stories: Outdoor
Off-grid micro house fits everything you need into just 215 sq ft
by Adam Williams
This off-grid cabin-style tiny house is seriously small, with a floorspace of just 215 sq ft. However, despite its modest dimensions, it has been expertly designed to provide everything you need for a short stay.
Ingenious pop-up 4x4 micro-camper wagon adventures far beyond van life
by C.C. Weiss
Storyteller takes a break from adventure vans and huge RV trucks to launch an incredibly capable 4x4 micro-RV. Based on the Ineos Grenadier, the Grand Bohemian go-anywhere micro-camper is ready to explore the globe's hardest-to-reach expanses.
Legendary RV brand reinvents everyday carry essential
by Simon Heptinstall
Dometic’s modular Drinkware system combines a range of bottles, lids and accessories into 408 configurations for any liquid carrying use you can think of, from everyday hydration to serious outdoor adventures.
60-sec cube camper rises & slides into much more than meets the eye
by C.C. Weiss
South African camping trailer specialist Invader is developing the Viator as a roomier, more luxurious alternative to its small fold-out trailers. The Viator packs low and rugged for on/off-road travel and expands at camp with an electric-lift roof.
Top Stories: Technology
Watch: Humanoid robot gets surprisingly good at tennis
by Loz Blain
This ain't teleoperation. Chinese researchers have tested a new, much quicker and easier method of teaching robots to play tennis, and the results look like a breakthrough in machine learning and real-world AI.
Wild history of unknown superfood that's now destined for fame
by Bronwyn Thompson
Resembling a grape with thicker and darker skin, the kiwiberry may be one of the least known and most underrated fruits on Earth. It's also old, dating back more than 20 million years. But until recently, we only cared about the plant's aesthetics.
US Navy picks robot sub 'mothership' to unleash underwater drone swarms
by David Szondy
The US Navy has tapped Anduril's Dive-XL autonomous submarine for its Combat Autonomous Maritime Platform (CAMP) project, which aims at rapidly develop a fleet of underwater motherships capable of deploying smaller autonomous vehicles and torpedoes.
Irsay auction recalibrates music memorabilia record books
by Mike Hanlon
The last of Christie’s four auctions of the Jim Irsay Collection has closed, setting 28 new world record prices, most notably the largest memorabilia auction in history (US$94.5 million). It included nine of the top 21 guitars ever sold at auction.
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