Features of the week
RoboticsEngineering
Teleoperated humanoid robots complete first-ever live surgery
by Omar Kardoudi
Two humanoid robots just performed live surgery for the first time in history, hinting at a future where compact, affordable machines bring advanced surgical care to rural hospitals, battlefields, and other resource-strapped settings.
ArchitectureEngineering
Ground-diving hydraulic house becomes its own survival bunker
by Maryna Holovnova
With a changing climate, wildfires are becoming more frequent and destructive. Engineers from California have developed a house that can temporarily disappear underground until the danger has passed.
MilitaryEngineering
Shipborne catapult launches strike-capable drone toward hybrid combat
by David Szondy
On July 3, the Royal Navy applied lessons learned from Ukraine as it successfully launched a strike-capable drone from a vessel underway. Part of Exercise Neptune Reach, the XV Patrick Blackett catapulted a Nyan drone off the south coast of England.
MotorcyclesTransport
"I'd be appalled if it wasn't brilliant" – 2026 Yamaha R7 review
by Boris Mihailovic
Yamaha has found a massively popular niche with its YZF-R7, which looks and rides like half a superbike that's been taught some table manners and told not to frighten the children. Here's Boris's impressions on road and track.
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TacticalGeek’s VX2 is a futuristic heavy-duty EDC folder with a hand-finished M390 blade, a Starry Ti handle, and a solid frame lock design built for daily carry with added capability for harder outdoor use.
Top Stories: Transport
$1.3M gravity-flouting hypercar is ready to terrorize a track near you
by Utkarsh Sood
McMurtry Automotive has debuted the production version of its record-breaking, single-seat electric super track concept. Dubbed the Spéirling Pure, the car delivers near-F1-level performance thanks to its four-figure horsepower.
World's fastest RC car is a sleek missile that outpaces F1 race cars
by Omar Kardoudi
British engineer Stephen Wallis has just shattered a speed barrier with his radio-controlled car, called Mach Reaper. His RC car passed 250 mph twice, breaking his own record within a two-week span and becoming the fastest on Earth.
Torquey ebike makes 8,000 WATTS for off-road tomfoolery over 65 mph
by Abhimanyu Ghoshal
Ariel Rider's latest creation is purpose-built for blasting through unforgiving terrain. The Mudd 72V ebike packs enough power to rank it among the fastest ebikes you can buy – and it's got off-road cred to boot.
Review: 2026 Jeep Cherokee leaps forward ... with big help from Toyota
by Aaron Turpen
After disappearing from the lineup in 2023, the Jeep Cherokee returns for 2026. Rather than trying to be everything to everyone, the new Cherokee embraces everyday practicality with enough Jeep DNA to make weekend adventures more than just marketing copy.
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Top stories: Body & Mind
'Gas station heroin' sparks emergency drug crackdown in the US
by Bronwyn Thompson
The US Drug Enforcement Administration will temporarily classify an over-the-counter supplement likened to heroin as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act, in an effort to counter an emerging health crisis across the country.
Trial identifies first effective way to tackle common childhood eating issue
by Kerry Taylor-Smith
Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder is often misunderstood as extreme picky eating. But for millions of children, it’s a serious condition with real consequences for growth, nutrition and daily life. A new study shows how ARFID can be treated.
Leafy greens linked to 16% lower rate of COPD and better lung health
by Paul McClure
Eating more leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale, and broccoli may help keep the lungs working better with age, according to a large new study linking higher vitamin K1 intake to a lower risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Microplastics in our blood could put us at greater risk of a heart attack
by Mike McRae
A recent study builds on previous findings, discovering that people who had experienced a serious heart attack also had higher levels of MNPs than healthy volunteers and patients with chronic ischemic heart disease.
Top Stories: Outdoor
48-sq-ft tiny house is about as small and simple as they come
by Adam Williams
Tiny houses don't come much smaller or simpler than this 48-sq-ft model. Designed by Tiny Tiny Homes, it's conceived as emergency accommodation and provides a basic shelter for people experiencing homelessness.
Tiny Kia EDC camper van is amazingly simple but brilliantly versatile
by C.C. Weiss
Vantrack is developing the Lightcamp package for the Kia PV5 Passenger, turning the tiny van into a mini-camper with in/outdoor kitchen and sleeping space for 4 people. Light, fast-moving equipment makes for easy conversion back to an everyday e-MPV.
Underwater SUP lamp illuminates subaquatic world with 90,000 lumens
by Ben Coxworth
One of the appeals of paddlesports isn't just being able to look across the water, it's being able to look below its surface. With that in mind, an inventor has made an underwater lamp that lets him observe the seabed while paddleboarding at night.
Floating capsule auto-disinfects water without chemicals or battery
by Simon Heptinstall
Scientists have created a portable water purifier that works simply by shaking it for three seconds and setting it to float in water. It could be a breakthrough device for emergency situations, and it’s estimated to cost less than $25 to produce.
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Top Stories: Technology
Fixed-wing drone looks like Baymax from Big Hero 6 and flies 10+ hours
by Malcolm Azania
French firm Celeste Ecoflyers’ inflatable dAS10 aims to inspect energy grids, pipelines, and maritime security. As a new class of flat-storage deflatable, long-range aircraft, the vehicle will support logistics at a fraction of legacy aircraft costs.
Pint-sized 4K touch camera puts a trio of lenses in your pocket
by Monica J. White
The PocketTrio is a pocket-sized camera currently on Kickstarter, pairing triple-lens optics with 4K video, 64-MP stills, and a smartphone-style touchscreen, all aimed at Gen Z creators riding the point-and-shoot revival.
Tenacious tiny bot speeds, leaps and climbs stairs to capture footage
by Abhimanyu Ghoshal
Beni looks like just another cute little toy robot, but it's actually a roving camera – raring to follow you around and capture fun times. Oh, and it can jump. It's currently raising eyebrows – and funds – on Kickstarter.
Questionable life choices: Airseekers Tron review
by Joe Salas
The Airseekers Tron ... it's an odd one, for sure. There are a few things that I find irritating, but then it'll go and surprise me with some stuff it can do really well, where even "better" or "more expensive" robomowers tend to struggle.
Top Stories: Science
'Black hole energy machine' successfully tested in the lab
by Mike McRae
If you happen to have an uncharged black hole handy, you may be able to power your house with it. Just set it spinning. But since most of us won't, it’s a little hard to test. That is, until these researchers found a way to do it in the lab.
Ovaries take on a surprising new job after menopause, study reveals
by Pranjal Malewar
Instead of fading into silence, the post-reproductive ovary undergoes a dramatic shift, taking on an immune identity that may influence how the body ages.
Daddy longlegs seen catching and eating frogs in astonishing first
by Jay Kakade
Daddy longlegs, also called harvestmen, have been documented catching and consuming living frogs larger than themselves in South American rainforests. All without the use of venom.
Mystery deepens over why only some people hear 'The Hum'
by Pranjal Malewar
Between 2 and 4% of the world's population report hearing a mysterious buzzing or vibration. It's called The Hum, and for decades, scientists, engineers, and ordinary people have been trying to figure out what it is.
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