Good Thinking

Although Tasers are an effective alternative to the use of lethal force by police officers, getting shot by one is still quite a painful experience. That's where the BolaWrap 100 comes in – when fired at a "difficult" suspect, it simply ties them up.

Not only do bed nets help protect people against mosquitoes, but if those nets are treated with an insecticide, they also kill insects that touch them. A simple new technology could make such nets more lethal to mosquitoes, yet also safer for humans.

Scientists at the University of Utah are looking at how bears and other mammals hibernate in an effort to find genetic clues for combating disease. They hope to identify similar regions in the human genome – especially those related to obesity.

Military personnel are often exposed to loud noises, such as when they're in helicopters. And while human soldiers wear hearing protection, the same can't be said for their "working" dogs. A new garment has been designed to address that problem.

It was four years ago that Brooklyn-based metal sculptor Adrian Landon presented us with a life-size Mechanical Horse that actually galloped on the spot. He's now taken things a lot further, with a giant flying horse that spouts flames as it runs.

Increasingly often, when mass shootings occur, bystanders are recording videos on their smartphones. Thanks to a new system, such footage could soon be used to determine the killer's whereabouts.

A new assortment of eco-conscious products are helping us chip away at our plastic pollution problem. The Unocup is a simple yet clever example, using a paper folding design to give coffee drinkers a takeout option without the need for a plastic lid.

The Global Grad Show is the world’s largest annual gathering of university design graduates, showing off their most innovative projects. New Atlas was at this year’s show to offer a glimpse at the most inventive ideas from the planet’s top students.

A team of scientists at Florida State University's High-Performance Materials Institute is using advanced nanomaterials to produce lightweight heat shields that can stand up to the impact of hypersonic speeds.

Air travel can be difficult for the mobility-challenged … they have to get a wheelchair at the airport, or make sure that theirs gets stowed. Engineer Richard Williams has developed an alternative: a folding wheelchair that doubles as a carry-on bag.

Have you ever browsed through crowdfunding campaign pages online and wished you could try before you pledge? That's the idea behind Woondering, a pop-up shop coming to London's Brick Lane next month.

Under a DARPA contract, Raytheon is using synthetic biology techniques to produce two new strains of bacteria – one to seek out hidden explosives below ground and another on the surface that glows when they're found.