World's First

Of all the different types of bicycles, downhill mountain bikes have to take the most abuse. That's why Colorado-based Revel Bikes decided to 3D-print one of things out of carbon fiber, as a test of the technology – the result is the one-off Rodeo.

Italian startup iSpace2o has announced it's starting production on the first hull for its Deepseaker DS1 submersible hydrofoil. This machine will rise out of the water to hydrofoil at up to 23 knots, or dive as deep as 50 m for underwater shenanigans.

Along with eating fish and seals, killer whales (aka orcas) are also known to hunt some types of whales. For the first time ever, however, there has now been a documented case of them killing the largest animal in the world – an adult blue whale.

While robotic laparoscopic surgical systems do make certain procedures safer and less invasive, those systems are still operated by human surgeons. Now, however, a surgical robot has performed a delicate operation entirely on its own.

Despite ongoing advances in the field of underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), the devices have remained tethered to the surface via communications cables. Such is not the case with the ExRay, however, which uses light instead.

December 19 marks the 60th anniversary of the first-ever voice transmission relayed from space. The Christmas address was given by then-president Dwight D. Eisenhower, via a top-secret satellite launched atop a converted Atlas intercontinental missile.

​Last May we heard about the Yara Birkeland, which is planned to be the world's first all-electric and autonomous container ship. When it enters full autonomous control in 2020, it will likely be under the auspices of the just-announced world's first autonomous shipping company, Massterly.

Offshore wind farms can tap into the higher average wind speeds over the ocean, but can only be built in relatively shallow water. Floating turbines can help harvest wind energy from above deeper waters, and now the world’s first floating wind farm has just fired up off the coast of Scotland.

While Amazon and other companies are busy navigating through the red tape required to get drones buzzing through the urban skies with their pizza payloads, the Icelandic city of Reykjavik has become the first in the world to be served by commercial delivery flights.

Australian company Euclideon has built a working prototype of what it calls the world's first true multi-user hologram table. Up to four people can walk around a holographic image and interact with it wearing only a pair of glasses - a far cry from bulky AR headgear. It's set to go on sale in 2018.

​We've seen those propeller LED displays make their way from shop windows to bicycle wheels, but now Japan's mobile phone operator, NTT Docomo has utilized the technology in a vehicle of the aerial kind. The result is a what the company believes is the world's first flying spherical drone display.

3D-printing technology could revolutionize architecture in the coming years, allowing designers to literally click-and-print buildings. A step forward in the field comes via Dubai, where what's hailed as the world's first 3D-printed office was recently completed.