Technology, Innovation & Outdoor News

Octopus-like robo-arm thinks with its suckers to explore the ocean floor

June 13, 2026 | Omar Kardoudi
Italian researchers built a soft robotic arm modeled on octopus neurology. With touch sensors in each sucker and no cameras or central computer, it autonomously detects, grabs, and manipulates underwater objects.

VW T7 camper van is a California-style rig with a toilet and a twist

June 10, 2026 | C.C. Weiss
Trakka has a long history of turning Volkswagen's various vans into Outback-ready expedition machines. Now it focuses attention on turning VW's newest van into a more versatile, rugged, comfortable camper with an options sheet that trumps VW's own.

Pegasus: The next-gen lunar rover that will leave Apollo buggy in its dust

June 13, 2026 | Chris Young
NASA is racing to build a permanent settlement on the Moon. It claims its lunar base will cover “hundreds of square miles,” so mobility will be key. Enter Pegasus, one of two LTVs chosen by NASA to fly to the Moon with the first Artemis astronauts.

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In a historic first, two US Army crew members from an AH-64 Apache helicopter forced down near the coast of Oman were rescued within two hours by a US Navy Saronic Corsair drone boat operated by the 5th Fleet's Task Force 59.
The Berenstein Bear is an extra-wide tiny house that's firmly focused on maximizing comfort. It provides a spacious interior that includes a large living area, a generous kitchen, ground-floor master bedroom, and even a bathtub.
Airstream expands its most affordable camper van series with the new 21PL. The newest member of the Rangeline family features a floor plan that's every bit as capable and comfortable for 4 people as it is for 2, without any need for a pop-up roof.
A crewed aircraft named the Helios Horizon has flown on solid-state batteries for the first time, logging a 60% energy density leap over lithium-ion that could finally make commercial electric aviation a reality.
Lightship became one of the first self-powered trailer pioneers to market last summer. Now it's launching a different type of self-driving electric trailer, one that could have an even bigger impact on how the world tows than the original AE.1.
Just when most of us thought the era of two strokes was over, Japanese bikemaker Kawasaki has released its first big two-strokers in more than two decades – the KX327 motocrosser and the cross-country-focused KX327X.

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Health and Science news from our sister site: Refractor
One of the world's oldest turds has been given the royal science treatment, with ancient Arctic ground squirrel droppings offering a smorgasbord of DNA from other animals and plants dating back up to 700,000 years.
Mental health content has not just risen in volume, it's changed significantly in just a few years. Some conditions have increasingly attracted the spotlight, while others have receded from view, and the relationships among them have also changed.
In a breakthrough study, researchers have found that the world's most common type of arthritis – osteoarthritis (OA) – actually has a single core driver with clean-cut molecular pathways. It paves the way for much better treatment.
Grabbing that late-night kebab or pizza slice after a few drinks may not be a sign of poor willpower, but a biological drive that once would have seen us seek protein but now leads us straight into the comforting arms of savory ultra-processed foods.
The marsupial may be a rare find in the wild these days, but they've nearly been wiped off the planet before. This study rewrites our understanding of the genetic history of koalas – and overturns the theories about what caused their ancient decline.
For the first time, researchers have linked a gene thought to be responsible for ulcerative colitis with a mechanism of attack, opening the way to new diagnostic tools and opportunities for more targeted treatment.

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Editor's Picks

This month marks 80 years since one of the most influential yet underrated inventions burst onto the market in New York on October 29, 1945. The Biro may seem unremarkable, but it fast became part of our everyday lives and revolutionized communications.
A team of Australian bodyboarding ratbags has managed to capture staggering footage of an extraordinary oceanic phenomenon: a place where four 12-ft (3.7-m) waves regularly converge into an oval dip, with explosive results.
Almost a century and a half after construction began on La Sagrada Familia, the exterior structure of the tallest church in the world was finally completed last Friday in Barcelona, Spain. Its tallest tower has reached its maximum height of 566 ft.
A novel study testing the effects of caffeine on the human brain found daily consumption can significantly reduce the volume of one's gray matter. Whether this is a good or bad thing is unclear but that daily cup of coffee is certainly doing something.
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.
Known best for trailers, Aliner is introducing its first pickup camper in decades: the Switchback. The clever pod rides as a ridiculously lightweight, compact box and in about 30 seconds unfurls into a fully hard-sided A-frame for two.
What does US$21,000 get you in automotive terms? Kia Soul, Chevrolet Trax, Nissan Versa, Hyundai Venue … You see a trend there, right? None of those cars is electric, and none of them are flagships by any stretch. The bZ7 is all that and more!
It may surprise some to learn that Polaris has a serious research, development, and testing facility. I got a full tour of the place, along with a dedicated test track that I got to use later.