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Audi Autonomous TTS – Driverless Sports Car

November 19th, 2009 at 7:19 am » Comments (0)

Audi Autonomous TTS
Audi is working hard on a car that doesn’t require the driver to anything except sit there and watch the scenery go by. It’s called the “Autonomous Audi TTS,” not the catchiest of names, and it’s “intended to explore the best capabilities of current and future driver assistance technologies.” (Pics and video)
 



Crazy Camera Van

November 16th, 2009 at 9:45 am » Comments (0)

Captured on film

Obsessed with cameras much?  While you can probably deny it, the owner of this vehicle – the Camera Van – can’t.  Literally decked in thousands of cameras, it’s what the Google Street View cars would have looked like if their designers had some panache.  Or were clinically insane.  Either will do.
First created by [...]



Tom Wright’s Street-Legal Bumper Cars

November 15th, 2009 at 10:47 am » Comments (0)

 

Don’t go bumping these cars!

Here’s an interesting up-cycling story about some boy toys that have found legal ground and even more fun from a bumped up perspective.
“Bumper cars were crazy fun when I was a kid. Even as an adult today, they still look immensely entertaining and I’d probably be on one every weekend if only [...]



High Voltage Line Robot

November 15th, 2009 at 10:30 am » Comments (0)

Go Go Gadget High Voltage Robot!

Fiddling with high-voltage power lines is certainly a dangerous job, especially for humans. With that in mind, a Tokyo-based company, HiBot, is working with western Japan’s Kansai Electric Power Co. to test a new robot next year that can inspect several power cables at once, and we’re fairly sure that [...]



Vans Shoes With R. Crumb Artwork

November 15th, 2009 at 10:23 am » Comments (0)

Counter Culture Icon Fritz the Cat now available on Vans

Vans slip-ons have been a popular and fashionable shoe option for many years now. In recent years, Vans has made shoes featuring designs from pioneering underground artists we really dig like Robt. Williams and Rick Griffin. We were thrilled to find out that they recently added a series of [...]



Get Rid Of Your Gross Gas Lawn Mower… Get A Goat Instead!

November 13th, 2009 at 8:45 am » Comments (0)

Make a goat happy. Let ‘em eat your lawn!

Forget gas-guzzlin’, smoke-belchin’ lawnmowers. The eco-friendly way to mow grass and get rid of unwanted vegetation is to … rent some goats!
The city of Andover, Massachusetts has some unwanted guests: invasive species like the European buckthorn tree and the strangling bittersweet vine from Asia are shouldering out [...]



Study Finds Hybrid Cars Hit More Pedestrians and Bikers Than Regular Cars

November 12th, 2009 at 7:20 am » Comments (0)

Honda Hybrid hits pedestrians
Hybrid vehicles, which creep along almost silently at low speeds on electric power, are more likely to hit pedestrians or bicycles than regular cars, a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finds.
 



LightSail-1: Sunlight-Propelled Spacecraft to Launch in 2010

November 10th, 2009 at 12:32 pm » Comments (0)

The first Solar Sail spacecraft met an untimely end, crashing into the ocean instead of making it into orbit. But now, in 2010, a new, improved version of that craft–an entire spaceship that’s propelled only by the sun’s rays–is set to launch. And scientists will be see if this unique spaceship will become the prototype [...]



Toyota Tundra Midnight Rider Tailgater

November 8th, 2009 at 7:32 pm » Comments (0)

You WILL be the life of the party!

Want to have a really awesome outdoor entertainment vehicle? Well, the Midnight Rider Tundra Tailgater by Brooks & Dunn, designed in partnership with Toyota, certain hits the mark. This vehicle packs a BBQ grill, beer tap, ice chest, 42-inch HDTV and Kicker sound system, perfect for you to [...]



Super-Minimal City Bike By jruiter + studio

November 5th, 2009 at 8:33 am » Comments (0)

It is the jruiter + studio’s latest bike design, a minimal City Bike, it was aimed at people who live and work in an inner city environment with minimal space.

We re-thought everything two-wheeled, with simplicity in mind,” says Joey Ruiter of jruiter + studio, a Michigan-based design firm. “This is as stripped as you can get.”
Ruiter’s referring to [...]



Aluminum-Ice Could Power Future Space Travel

November 4th, 2009 at 3:56 pm » Comments (0)

Scientists from Purdue University have prepared a new solid propellant with explosive results. The fuel, a combination of nanoaluminum and ice, is a new kind of environmentally friendly solid rocket fuel that could someday be used in missions to outer space. With the motive to minimize fuel consumption onboard, the fuel has been successfully field-tested [...]



Energy Harvesting Rocking Chair

November 4th, 2009 at 2:05 pm » Comments (0)

Power that literally ROCKS!

Rochus Jacob designed and built the Murakami Chair. As the user rocks back and forth during the day, the chair charges a battery that powers the lamp. Jacob writes: I was looking for opportunities to generate energy through activities we naturally do. The final result is a rocking chair that enables the [...]



Carbon Zero Road Block System

November 4th, 2009 at 9:18 am » Comments (0)

Want to have a method that your car can generate power as it drives along the road? Well, check out the Carbon Zero road block system. This concept uses blocks on the road, and as you drive over these blocks, the pressure from your car pushes the blocks down, creating kinetic energy. N-type silicon and [...]



Air Board Adventures

October 30th, 2009 at 8:43 am » Comments (0)

WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!
 
For $14,000, you can have a personal hovercraft toy, the Air Board. It can transport you at 15 mph over concrete, asphalt, grass or shallow wet areas, but you cannot drive it over water like a real Hovercraft! Speed and braking are controlled through two levers located on the steering bar, by using varying degrees of [...]



Ultracapacitors Could Offer The Greenest Way Of Powering City Buses

October 25th, 2009 at 10:05 am » Comments (0)

A U.S.-Chinese venture is out to prove the benefits of quick-charge buses.
Municipal transit agencies have tried to reduce the carbon footprint of their bus fleets using a range of options over the years, from biofuels and hydrogen to batteries and hybrid-electric diesel. Now a Chinese company and its U.S. partner say that ultracapacitors could offer [...]



Gyrowheel: Revolutionary Way To Learn To Ride A Bicycle

October 21st, 2009 at 10:45 am » Comments (0)

Gyrowheel
A new device called the Gyrowheel could soon revolutionize the way children learn to ride bicycles, and they will be able to learn on their own, without training wheels, and in as little as half an hour. (Videos)
 



The Power Of The Powerizer

October 18th, 2009 at 2:30 pm » Comments (0)

Humans have long and hard strived to be run faster and jump higher. Now that can be achieved for a little over $300! Welcome the Powerizers:

Strap Powerizers on and you will be able to jump 2m (7ft) in the air, leap 3m (10ft) for every stride and run at speeds of 20mph. Powerizers work like [...]



Audi Calamaro Flying Car

October 18th, 2009 at 11:02 am » Comments (0)

The Audi Calamaro Concept was developed by a designer Tibor for a design competition, organized by Porsche Hungary. This futuristic flying concept car looks like a cross between a speed boat and a plane.   According to the designer, the shape is inspired by “the bone of the cuttlefish”.
 
 



iREV, The Family Bumper Boat With a Built-In Grill

October 16th, 2009 at 7:36 am » Comments (0)

 
There’s no rational reason why I should want an iREV. A real boat would be way faster and much more versatile. But the iREV is a floating picnic table with a grill. Now that’s cool.
On top of the low-fire charcoal grill and Kumbaya-friendly seating arrangement, there’s an optional 500 watt speaker system complete with satellite [...]



Funride: Unique Car Sharing Service That Uses Alternative Fuel Vehicles

October 9th, 2009 at 7:19 am » Comments (0)

Featured at the Colorado Inventor Showcase 2009
FunRide is a unique car sharing service that uses alternative fuel vehicles, offering members and visitors the opportunity to reduce their transportation costs.
 



E-Tron Electric Concept Car By Audi

October 4th, 2009 at 2:46 pm » Comments (0)

E-Tron concept electric car
Audi has unveiled its new electric car concept, the Audi e-tron at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany.  The all electric car is basically a modified Audi R8 sports car, but slightly smaller in all dimensions. The car delivers a massive 4500 Nm (3,319 lb-ft) of torque and 233 kW (313 horsepower), [...]



Seabreacher: Unique Submersible Dolphin-Like Vessel

September 30th, 2009 at 8:58 am » Comments (0)

Seabreacher
Three years ago this amazing dolphin-like watercraft, the Seabreacher – a unique submersible vessel – was just a prototype. Now, you can own your own, make like Flipper, and dive, roll and jump while staying warm and dry in the comfort of the sealed cockpit. Oh, that is, if you have a cool USD$50,000 burning [...]



Future of Travel: Magnetically Levitating ‘Sky Pods’

September 27th, 2009 at 7:56 am » Comments (0)

Sky Pod
As a society, we are increasingly interested in finding new ways of transportation that are cleaner for the environment. New concepts in mass transit seem to be one of the main ways to move toward this future. However, many people (especially in the U.S.) don’t want to give up the privacy of individual travel. [...]



Fewer People Flying, But Fees Fatten Airline Revenue By $3.8 Billion

September 25th, 2009 at 2:00 pm » Comments (0)

U.S. airlines are raking in more money this year from extra fees, although fewer people are flying.In the first six months of this year, the airlines collected $3.8 billion for checking bags, canceling or rebooking flights, carrying pets and assigning seats, the latest data from the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics show. That’s [...]



Put a Satellite Into Orbit For $8,000

September 24th, 2009 at 9:46 pm » Comments (0)

Go Go Gadget Satellite!

R.U. Sirius interviewed Randa Milliron, CEO of Interorbital Systems, “a ‘rocket and spacecraft manufacturing company’ that locates itself at the Mojave Airport and Spaceport in Mojave, California. They recently announced that they were offering to send people’s personal satellites into low-earth orbit on a NEPTUNE 30 rocket for the low low low [...]