Lightweight

The new Audi A4 is light, economical and practical, but that won't be enough for some people. Enter the A5 Coupe, which drops the back doors and cranks up the style on Audi's midsize stalwart. There's no doubting it's a handsome car, but there's more to this coupe than a pretty face.

Exploring the great outdoors doesn't mean you can't enjoy high-quality design and fittings. At least that's the view of Timberleaf. With an insulated cabin, anodized aluminum exterior and beautifully wrought kitchen, the trailer combines rugged capability with an eye for detail.

As automakers battle to reduce emissions, we're seeing more cars with one, two and occasionally three turbochargers. No-one besides Bugatti had been crazy enough to strap four turbos to the one engine, but BMW's 750d will change that with its quad-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six.

Caterham Cars has lasted over six decades by delivering a series of lightweight sports cars. By sometime next year, buyers of the company's iconic Caterham Seven may have the option of an even lighter-weight model incorporating the butted tube technology used in bicycles.​

MIT Researchers have created solar cells one-fiftieth the thickness of a human hair, so light that they can be supported on the surface of a soap bubble without breaking it, yet capable of producing up to 6 watts of power per gram

U-locks are heavy, and cable locks can be cut easily. That's why Prof. Neil Barron, a former aeronautical engineer, has created the Litelok. It's light and flexible like a cable lock, but reportedly stands up to over five minutes of attack from tools such as bolt cutters, jacks and hack saws.

The latest integrated assault rifle developed by Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) and Colt Canada is packed with some very smart weapons technology, including a secondary grenade launcher or shotgun and electronic accessories like electro-optical sights and position sensors.

A material that has the strength and the lightness of titanium alloy and made from an amalgam of steel, aluminum, carbon, manganese, and nickel, has been developed that may see lightweight steel replace aluminum in lightweight, fuel-efficient automobiles and aircraft.

Researchers at Northeastern University’s College of Engineering believe that fish scales could hold the key to creating armor that's both impervious and lightweight. They eventually aim to combine the properties of fish, snake and butterfly scales into a single protective armor system.

Canadian tiny home aficionado Laird Herbert is back with his latest Leaf House creation, a new and improved tiny home that's designed to take temperatures of -50 °C (-58 °F) in its stride.

Industrial robot arms are usually heavy and have high inertia. The alternative, delta arms, are lighter and faster but don't have the same degree of movement. To build a better mechanism, one inventor has created a robot that combines the lightness of one with the reach and flexibility of the other.

If you spend your workday in a busy office, you'll know how difficult it can be to switch off and take a proper break. With this in mind, designer Eden Lew has conceived a wearable isolation pod called the Nutshell that aims to improve the quality of break times.