New Atlas

Medical Audio available

Inflatable weight-loss capsule is activated by a magnet

Ben Coxworth April 24, 2019

For several years now, obese people have been able to lose weight by swallowing capsules that inflate within the stomach, providing a sense of fullness. While such capsules have had to be inflated via a catheter fed down the throat, scientists have now created one that's activated magnetically.

Prof. Louis Phee (left) and Prof. Lawrence Ho, with the prototype EndoPil

Automotive

Tair inflatable roof rack uses bike tubes to secure skis, boards and other gear

Nick Lavars February 10, 2019

Attaching regular roof racks to your car is an investment. Lately we're seeing cheaper and more flexible solutions emerge, the latest of which uses bicycle inner tubes to support sports gear en-route and keep your paintwork scratch-free.

The Tair roof racks with a surfboard attached

Outdoors

Packable travel bag offers inflatable camera protection

Paul Ridden February 7, 2019

The folks over at Wandrd have launched a Kickstarter campaign for a travel bag that has an inflatable back panel for custom comfort and support, and can be had with inflatable protection for your camera.

The Veer 18L Pack has an inflatable back panel for comfort and an inflatable cube to ...

Bicycles

Airbag-equipped cycling vest instantly inflates when accidents happen

Ben Coxworth January 15, 2019

According to French firm Helite, approximately 40 percent of serious bicycle-accident injuries involve the thorax, and 25 percent involve the spinal area. With that in mind, the airbag tech company has developed B'Safe, which is a cycling vest that inflates when the cyclist wipes out.

The B'Safe cycling vest, in its regular and inflated states

Outdoors

Tentsile's inflatable treehouse doubles as a ground tent or floating cabana

C.C. Weiss July 26, 2018

Tentsile has been bringing camping to the air with an ever-growing lineup of suspended tree tents. Now it's coming back down to earth ... and water. The new Universe is a multifunctional, five-person shelter that can pitch in the trees or on the ground, before going to work as a day raft.

Unlike the typical Tentsile tent, the new Universe is also a raft

Good Thinking

Travel device blows up in your suitcase

Ben Coxworth July 4, 2018

When you ship something, you typically put bubble wrap or newspaper around it, to provide impact protection and to keep it from rattling around inside the box. Well, PaQ is a self-inflating gadget that does the same thing for the precious contents of your suitcase.

PaQ consists of a main device (lower left, in suitcase) that's attached to an inflatable bladder

Outdoors

Inflatable roof-top tent camps on your car or in the water

C.C. Weiss June 25, 2018

An interesting novelty from last year's Düsseldorf Caravan Salon, the GT Roof from GentleTent is billed as the world's first inflatable roof-top tent (RTT). It combines the convenience of a car-top tent with the ease and lightness of inflatable design – and it even doubles as a sheltered raft.

Thanks to its inflatable design, the GT Roof floats

Outdoors

B-Turtle inflatable bicycle camper makes long two-wheel journeys more comfortable

C.C. Weiss June 11, 2018

Austrian inflatable tent specialist GentleTent is slowly adapting its air-filled tent technology from ground camping to vehicular camping. Its B-Turtle pop-up bike camper hauls gear, then inflates to create a cozy two-person shelter.

Setting up the B-Turtle to grab some rest

3D Printing

BMW and MIT create the first 3D-printed inflatable material

Dario Borghino June 7, 2018

A collaboration between BMW and MIT's Self-Assembly Laboratory has produced a 3D-printed inflatable material that can change its shape and stiffness on command. It could be used in designing highly customizable and multifunctional car interiors.

Liquid-printed pneumatics could allow the car of the future to sport morphing interiors with tunable shape ...

Outdoors

"World's thinnest" life jacket might not bug you

Ben Coxworth April 19, 2018

A lot of people don't like wearing life jackets, as they find the things to be bulky and cumbersome. If you're such a person, then you might be interested in the Wingman, as it's claimed to be the world's thinnest.