🤯 Objects that know if they're being used incorrectly

Headliner

These 3D-printed objects know if you’re using them properly

by Malcolm Azania

ShiftLens products use optomechanical shifting to change color and pattern. Requiring neither electronics nor a power source, they're more resilient against getting soaked or being dropped than any device needing electricity or a monitor.

Where Quantitative Thinkers Compete, Learn and Grow

The International Quant Championship (IQC) is one of the world's largest quantitative research competitions, bringing together 156,000+ participants globally.

Participants have the opportunity to develop quantitative research skills, challenge themselves alongside peers from around the world and connect with a global community of quantitative thinkers.

Build skills on WorldQuant BRAIN®

Become a newsletter sponsor

Highlights

Tiny HousesOutdoors

Park model tiny house finds room to sleep six people inside

by Adam Williams

Sleeping six people in a tiny house usually means somebody gets stuck on a sofa bed. The Cascade Park Model Home takes a different approach and has two downstairs bedrooms and a spacious sleeping loft.

MotorcyclesTransport

Famous Spanish motorcycle brand stages a comeback

by Utkarsh Sood

Some bikemakers die. Others refuse to stay dead. Bultaco belongs firmly in the latter camp. The Spanish marque disappeared from the industry decades ago, but now, after years of fits, false starts and attempts to resurrect the badge, it's back!

This $50 AI music tool takes songs from prompt to Spotify

Need original music without learning audio production? MusicMagic turns prompts or your own lyrics into downloadable tracks, with cover art, commercial rights, and unlimited distribution included for $49.99 (reg. $499).

Technology

ESPHome Starter Kit review: From blinking lights to building a smart home

by Howard Armitage

ESPHome’s first official hardware kit makes a fiddly corner of DIY smart homes remarkably approachable, and it’s built to remain genuinely useful long after the lessons are over.

MilitaryEngineering

UK military tests powered paragliders for covert troop insertion

by David Szondy

The British Ministry of Defence is looking into a novel way to drop troops behind enemy lines, with a £6-million (US$8.1-million) study to evaluate the use of foot-launched powered paragliders as transports for reconnaissance and troop insertion.

3D PrintingManufacturingEngineering

LightMake L4 puts four independent print heads on one desktop

by Monica J. White

LightMake’s L4 Kickstarter desktop 3D printer pairs four independent toolheads with beltless linear motors, promising faster batch printing, near-zero purge waste, 16-color expansion, and speeds of up to 500 mm/s.

RVs and MotorhomesAdventure VehiclesOutdoors

6x4 Ford Ranger Super Duty camper is pure excess, but not for America

by C.C. Weiss

"American excess" is a simple term that points out the US tendency toward conspicuous overconsumption. Despite its big Ford badge, though, the new Kerkamm Ranger Super Duty RV isn't American excess at all. It's German excess ... and it's glorious.

AutomotiveTransport

China is cloning the West's favorite rugged SUVs

by Utkarsh Sood

China has spent the last decade proving it can build some wild cars. But of late, there’s a new trend that’s popped up: China really likes the look of a rugged Western SUV. If anything, the recent Chengdu Auto Show is all the proof you’ll need.

10x the context. Half the time.

Speak your prompts into ChatGPT or Claude and get detailed, paste-ready input that actually gives you useful output. Wispr Flow captures what you'd cut when typing. Free on Mac, Windows, and iPhone.

Try Wispr Flow free

Mobile TechnologyConsumer TechTechnology

Xiaomi’s new mid-rangers pack batteries up to 10,000-mAh

by Monica J. White

Xiaomi’s REDMI Note 17 lineup brings 7,700- to 10,000-mAh batteries to four mid-range phones, led by a Pro Max promising three-day endurance, 100W charging and up to six years of battery health for longer ownership.

Urban TransportTransport

Will your next robotaxi ride be in a Tesla Cybercab?

by Abhimanyu Ghoshal

Tesla quietly rolled out its Cybercabs in Austin, Texas yesterday. That's the company finally making good on its plan bring these vehicles on to public roads about two years after they were first revealed. Will you be able to ride one soon?

Elsewhere

F1 racing champion Max Verstappen will face off against 100 amateurs in go-karts – with a serious handicap. Watch the trailer, then tune in live on September 16.

Get your next issue ad-free – and support our work: join New Atlas Plus!