Lifestyle
The latest news on health, home innovation, design, architecture and outdoor living.
$2K Ikea-like camper kit turns Tesla Model X or RAV4 into a micro RV
August 15, 2023
The Van Lab SUV Kit makes functional camping rigs out of popular SUVs and crossovers, from the Tesla Model X and Y to the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Inspired by Ikea furniture, the kits are shipped flat and assembled into form by the buyer.
Health & Wellbeing
-
Earbud-integrated sensors analyze both brain waves and sweat
September 28, 2023Earlier this year we heard about the ear-EEG, a special earbud that reads electrical activity in the brain. Well, scientists have now developed add-on sensors that allow regular earbuds to do so, and to analyze sweat to boot. -
National food prescriptions would save US lives & billions of dollars
September 26, 2023A new report suggests that implementing medically tailored meals and produce prescriptions nationally in the US would not only improve health and be highly cost-effective but would also save healthcare costs by addressing diet-related chronic illness. -
South Australian seaweed found to have anti-skin-aging properties
September 25, 2023Bioactive compounds in brown seaweed were found to have more effective anti-skin-aging properties than commercially available anti-aging agents. The finding paves the way for more effective, natural health and skincare products.
Load More
Outdoors
-
Packout camper's T-track frame delivers maximum gear-loading flex
October 02, 2023Finding existing pickup toppers lacking in modular versatility, Packout Campers has created a pop-up topper framed out by T-track for quick, easy mounting of accessories and gear. It's like a 3-dimensional roof rack and pop-up camper all in one. -
Victorinox brings Swiss Army multitool magic to fixed-blade knife
September 29, 2023Victorinox uses its unparalleled multitool mastery to add some multifunctional capability to the new Venture Pro knife. It maintains a clean knife design while adding a few functions that could save your life ... or just help you play Man vs. Wild. -
Lawk One AR Glasses give cyclists and others a double eyeful of info
September 29, 2023Some cyclists (or other outdoorsy types) like having access to a lot of information, which is often spread out between different devices. The Lawk One AR Glasses, however, put everything together in one place.
Load More
Tiny Houses
-
Ecocapsule hatches next generation egg-shaped tiny house
October 02, 2023Having delivered on its initial promise of an egg-shaped off-grid tiny house, Ecocapsule now plans a new and improved model. Named the Ecocapsule NextGen, the dwelling will maintain the same novel egg-like form but in a more spacious shell. -
Nomad 30 tiny house is ready for off-grid all-weather adventuring
September 19, 2023Minimaliste's Nomad was originally conceived as an all-weather model in a smaller and easier-to-tow package. The firm has now iterated on that tiny house with the Nomad 30, which offers a new interior layout and an adventure-ready off-grid design. -
Remarkable tiny cabin isn't built to last
September 08, 2023Overtreders W has taken an unusual approach to creating its Stable Stack tiny cabin/hotel room. The structure was built using borrowed materials and is secured together with straps, meaning it can eventually be dismantled and the materials returned.
Load More
Architecture
-
Curving cultural center's layered roofs form "sails in a sea breeze"
September 29, 2023ZHA has unveiled plans for a new cultural district in China, with a cultural center at its heart that showcases the firm's trademark style, and is defined by a series of eye-catching layered roofs that are likened to sails in a sea breeze by the firm. -
Algae-based blocks could make for a more sustainable building
September 28, 2023Concrete is a huge contributor to worldwide CO2 emissions, and cinder blocks make up a significant part of this. However, a new project by SOM, in collaboration with Prometheus Materials, showcases an alternative block made from algae. -
Sleep like an ogre in Airbnb's Shrek Swamp
September 28, 2023If you've ever wanted to stay in a hovel that's home to an antisocial green ogre – and, let's face it, who hasn't? – now might finally be your chance. Airbnb has recreated the swampy home from the Shrek movies in the Scottish Highlands.
Load More
Around the Home
-
Perfecta grill uses AI to custom-cook steaks in under three minutes
October 03, 2023While some people really enjoy barbecuing, others simply want grilled meat that isn't burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. The Perfecta grill should appeal to the latter group, as it uses AI to "perfectly" cook meat in three minutes or less. -
PlanetCare closes the loop on microplastic pollution from washing machines
October 02, 2023Years before Samsung and others started tackling microplastic from machine washes escaping into the environment, there was Slovenia-based PlanetCare. Now the company has announced its second-generation external filter. -
Scandinavian design meets automated growing in the Auk indoor garden
September 27, 2023After attracting more than 15,000 growers across 10 countries since its 2021 launch, the Auk indoor garden is now on its way to the US for the promise of year-round herbs, greens and tomatoes direct from the kitchen countertop.
Load More
Good Thinking
-
Wacky Japanese sleeping pod lets office workers nap while standing up
October 03, 2023The Japanese have a history of producing outside-the-box ideas to help people grab a few z's, but even for that part of the world the Giraffenap is an oddity. It allows office workers to literally sleep on the job in an upright standing position. -
The ingenious cardboard bed
September 29, 2023Humanitaria has created a cardboard bed for the critical first 24 hours of a humanitarian emergency. The beds can be manufactured at 1,000 units per hour for a 10th of the cost, assembled 200 times quicker, and landed where needed 100 times faster. -
Folding-wheel carry-on Revolve Air wheelchair is now available for purchase
September 28, 2023When it comes to air travel, wheelchair users definitely face some challenges. That's where the Revolve Air wheelchair comes in, as it can be folded up – wheels and all – to qualify as carry-on baggage.
Load More
Children
-
Review: Turing Tumble lets kids build complex marble-powered computers
November 14, 2022Minnesota company Upper Story has sent us its Turing Tumble, a fascinating educational toy that quietly tricks kids into inventing binary logic computers using nothing more than tiny marbles dropping through a series of clicky-clacky plastic pieces. -
Shark Wheel proves it's cool to be square with mini electric cars for kids
June 28, 2022Back in 2013, California-based startup Shark Wheel hit Kickstarter with a very odd-looking cube-shaped skateboard wheel. Now the company has supersized the design for a pair of funky electric cars for kids – the Shark SUV and the Shark UTV. -
Infalurt warns drivers of babies forgotten in cars
March 18, 2022If a driver is preoccupied, or if there's a disruption to their routine, they can forget and leave their baby in their car – if that car then gets too hot, the result can be lethal. The Infalurt Child Safety System is designed to keep such scenarios from unfolding.
Load More
Remarkable People
-
High-tech entrepreneur Brett Adcock on Figure, Archer, and early success
October 02, 2023Brett Adcock has co-founded two companies on the bleeding edges of innovation in emerging markets: Archer Aviation, in the world of eVTOL aircraft, and Figure, in humanoid robots. We look into his background, and the startup that launched it all. -
SR-71 pilot, photographer and storyteller Brian Shul dies at 75
May 21, 2023The aviation world has lost one of its brightest luminaries. Major Brian Shul was an incredible survivor and a top gun pilot – but also a gifted photographer and storyteller, whose stories about the extraordinary SR-71 Blackbird will live forever. -
Soggy professor breaks underwater-living record in sea habitat
May 16, 2023An adventurous professor from the University of South Florida has broken the world record for living in an underwater habitat. Joseph Dituri has called the submurged Jules’ Undersea Lodge home since March 1, and intends to remain there until June 9.
Load More
Pets
-
Rubicon Dog is a pooch-holding canine booster seat
August 11, 2023Many people seatbelt their dog on car rides, but they don't want the critter messing up the seats. The Rubicon Dog is designed with just such folks in mind, as it safely secures pooches while containing their loose fur and dirty paws. -
StayrAI performs automatic water-changes so aquarists don't have to
July 10, 2023Regular water-changes are essential to the wellbeing of aquarium fish, but the task sometimes gets missed, plus it can be hard to determine how much water should be replaced, and how often. That's where the automated StayrAI Rein system comes in. -
Dog personality determined by much more than breed, study finds
May 30, 2023Often, the decision to get a Rottweiler over a Chihuahua is made based on personality. A new study has found that while the breed is an important factor, a dog’s personality is determined by a complex interaction between genetics and environment.
Load More
Holiday Destinations
-
"Hologram zoo" opens in Australia
July 26, 2023Axiom Holographics has opened a unique family attraction in Brisbane, Australia, a kind of augmented reality zoo built around a much larger version of Euclideon's multi-viewpoint 3D display tables and Unlimited Detail graphics engine. -
111 Resources, ideas & opportunities for people who can "work from anywhere"
March 23, 2023The collective mindset change that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have begun a societal revolution that may well return us to our nomadic origins. We've collected a list of resources available for those who can work-from-anywhere. -
Airbnb lets visitors haunt the halls of the Phantom of the Opera's home
February 21, 2023Airbnb regularly offers the chance to stay in one-of-a-kind places, and has now teamed up with Palais Garnier, the Paris opera house which inspired the Phantom of the Opera novel, to offer a night of luxury and a rare look behind the scenes.
Load More