Features of the week
Around The HomeLifestyle
Professional milling machine for people who don't own forklifts
by Joe Salas
Precision milling used to mean giant, pricey shop machines out of reach for most makers. You could design the "next big thing," but could you actually build it? Now you can.
Tiny HousesOutdoors
Tiny house employs upside-down layout to fit a small family
by Adam Williams
The Tiny Getaway only has a length of 23.7 ft, but sleeps a small family in comfort. To maximize available space, designer Eco Tiny House has employed a novel "upside-down" layout that places the living room upstairs and a bedroom below.
MilitaryTechnology
Microwave weapon downs 49 drones with a single blast
by David Szondy
In a demonstration not so much of marksmanship but more of the advantages of microwaves, an Epirus Leonidas directed energy, high-power microwave (HPM) anti-drone weapon has knocked 49 Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAV) out of the air with one shot.
Camping TrailersAdventure VehiclesOutdoors
Utterly adorable 530-lb micro-camping pod airs up into tiny-tent abode
by C.C. Weiss
The all-new Urbanoid Booba is an impossibly cute, tiny acorn of a trailer designed to provide a stylish, carefree way of instantly escaping the urban grind. The towable clamshell unfolds and inflates into a cozy base camp in a matter of minutes.
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Top Stories: Transport
Steel wheels promise to outlast rubber tires on mining trucks
by Abhimanyu Ghoshal
For nearly a decade, a Phoenix, Arizona-based outfit has been working on a smart replacement for the giant rubber tires that go on heavy mining vehicles. After rigorous testing, GACW's steel wheels are rolling towards a commercial launch this year.
Indian Challenger smashes a 58-year-old Land Speed Record at Bonneville
by Utkarsh Sood
Who said baggers can’t go fast? Indian Motorcycle just showed us a glimpse of its racing DNA by setting a new record with its race-spec Challenger, which achieved close to 200 miles per hour at Bonneville Salt Flats.
Bike kit transforms a regular ride into front-loading cargo hauler
by Paul Ridden
Way back in 2016, we featured a nifty Kickstarter for a kit that converted a regular bicycle into a front-loader cargo hauler in double quick time. Now the company has announced an updated version called the Argo Fy.
Czinger's 3D-printed hypercar breaks 5 Cali track records in 5 days
by Utkarsh Sood
Driving 1,000 miles of public road to set five official production car lap records in five consecutive days is no mean feat. Certainly not for a car that has 3D-printed and machine-designed components. Well, the Czinger's 21C is just built different.
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Top stories: Body & Mind
This area of fat is aging your brain faster than others
by Bronwyn Thompson
We've known for some time that obesity affects the brain, but now scientists have found that it's where you carry it that matters most. Deep visceral fat around organs has the biggest impact on brain aging, affecting a suite of cognitive functions.
First-ever look at just how sports damage the brain
by Bronwyn Thompson
Soccer heading has long been suspected of impacting brain health, but where and how it leaves a mark has been a blind spot. Now, for the first time, scientists have a clear picture of the damage and why repeated impacts can impair cognition over time.
117-year-old woman's remarkable health may also help us live longer
by Bronwyn Thompson
Scientists have taken the most detailed look yet at the biology of a record-breaking woman who lived 117 years and 168 days free of cancer, cardiovascular disease and dementia. And many things they discovered could help us achieve our own longevity.
Low-dose radiation relieves knee osteoarthritis pain, improves function
by Paul McClure
In a clinical trial, six sessions of low-dose radiation significantly eased knee osteoarthritis pain and improved function for months afterwards, hinting at a safe, drug-free alternative for millions living with joint degeneration.
Top Stories: Outdoor
New bidirectional electric jet ski fast-charges in 30 minutes
by C.C. Weiss
Electric powersports marque Taiga gets more ambitious with a larger, more versatile electric adventure PWC that seats up to three people. Despite the extra size, the new Orca WX3 still promises hours' of time on the water per 30-min charge.
Stealthy off-road mini-camper van hails from unexpected US automaker
by C.C. Weiss
Of the Big 3 US automakers, "Chrysler" is the name that doesn't belong in a conversation about overland campers. But it was the one to introduce a new concept camper at Overland Expo Mountain West. Its Grizzly Peak is a ruggedized everyday MPV.
Dual-light adventure phone punches more than 650 ft into the darkness
by Paul Ridden
When a tough case just won't cut the mustard, rugged phones step up as the everyday companion for rough-and ready adventurers. Unihertz sub-brand 8849 has just unveiled what it's calling the "world's first rugged phone with 200-m dual flashlights."
First Drive: 2026 Can-Am Outlander Electric quiets the wilds
by Aaron Turpen
Western Wyoming is beautiful in the fall. With trees beginning to change, sunsets getting more spectacular, and animals beginning to migrate, there’s a lot going on. And I got to glide through it all silently on the back of an electric ATV.
Top Stories: Technology
USA's new tallest timber tower halted mid-build, future uncertain
by Adam Williams
The USA – and world's – new tallest timber skyscraper has been under construction for a few months. However, despite speedy progress, it has run into some issues and the future of the ambitious project is looking uncertain.
GE Aerospace flies hypersonic engine with no moving parts
by David Szondy
What has zero moving parts, yet can blast an aerial vehicle to velocities beyond Mach 5? The answer is the recently flight-tested Atmospheric Test of Launched Airbreathing System (ATLAS) powered by a new solid-fueled ramjet built by GE Aerospace.
Review: Akaso Sight-300 – Night vision for a tenth of the cost
by Joe Salas
I spent a few nights with the Akaso Sight-300 and came away fairly impressed. My previous experiences with night vision have been with very high-end scopes, so I wasn't sure what to expect on something that costs several thousand dollars less.
Spider-like construction robot promises to build a home per day
by Abhimanyu Ghoshal
Construction robots have been around for a while. The new kid on this block is called Charlotte, and it's billed as being autonomously capable of building a 2,150-sq-ft home in a single day – operating at roughly the speed of 100 bricklayers.
Top Stories: Science
Dumped World War munitions and sunken ships serve a wild new purpose
by Bronwyn Thompson
Old Nazi warheads and US warships have been reclaimed by a new army of diverse marine life, as scientists for the first time uncover how nature has made use of the munitions and fleets that ended up dumped in waterways during the two world conflicts.
Mushrooms make the difference in first-of-its-kind super-composting toilet
by Ben Coxworth
Composting toilets are a great idea, but no one likes to think of the waste sitting there and fermenting. A new eco-friendly toilet gets around that problem by using mushrooms to facilitate the composting process, plus it uses no water to do the job.
Ice dissolves iron faster than just plain water
by Michael Franco
New research flips a long-held belief that frozen environments slow down chemical reactions and helps explain why Arctic rivers are turning orange. It turns out that ice is actually better than liquid water at releasing iron from common minerals.
Prehistoric 'road signs' guided ancient humans to rare desert water
by Bronwyn Thompson
Large rock-face murals scattered across the desert represent one of the most ambitious – and perilous – creative feats of ancient humans, with researchers arguing the massive carvings acted as visual beacons, guiding people to crucial water sources.
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