Skip to main content

If Spider-Man goes skiing, this will be the jacket he brings along

Goldwin Spiber ski jacket
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Sports apparel manufacturer Goldwin and biomaterial research company Spiber are teaming up to deliver a new prototype ski jacket. This garment features Qmonos construction, a protein material that takes inspiration from spider silk, and it is the first of its kind. Produced without the need for petrochemicals, this material could revolutionize the production industry.

Qmonos is still in the testing phase and not ready to go to market. Goldwin and Spiber are burning the midnight oil to bring this new fabric technology to the public, and will be displaying it at the Outdoor Retailer and Snow Show in Denver at the Goldwin booth. The event runs from January 25-28, and a representative from Spiber will be available for discussions.

Recommended Videos

Goldwin Tech LabThe coming together of Goldwin and Spiber follows the time when the former opened its new research and development facility, the Goldwin Tech Lab, in November. Located in Oyabe City, Toyama Prefecture, Japan, the R&D is in full swing and we will soon see the results. Among the Tech Lab’s first objectives was to produce the Qmonos prototype on an actual manufacturing line, thus validating the technology.

The lab houses various facilities, including the Archive Gallery, Quality Inspection Office, Stable Environment Room, Scanner Studio, CAD Room, Prototype Room, Exercise Research Room, Artificial Weather Room/Rain Chamber, and the Meeting and Presentation Space. All together, these rooms showcase the company’s history while contributing to quality control and development of current and future products.

Goldwin’s home is in Oyabe City, where the company was originally formed. It is also the location of the Goldwin Technical Center (GTC), which is where most of the company’s R&D takes place. The Tech Lab will augment the company’s activities and bring further advances.

“At Goldwin Tech Lab, Goldwin will endeavor to develop products that incorporate new and unique values, by taking full advantage of the R&D capabilities Goldwin has fostered in the 67 years since the brand’s establishment, as well as the product development expertise, which combines human insights with advanced intelligence aided by state-of-the-art instruments, and Goldwin’s unique and comprehensive inspection system, which ensures high quality and reliability,” the company wrote in a release.

Albert Khoury
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Al started his career at a downtown Manhattan publisher, and has since worked with digital and print publications. He's…
The best hurricane trackers for Android and iOS in 2024
Best hurricane tracking apps.

The hurricane season instills fear in those who find themselves in the paths of these storms, and in their loved ones who are concerned for their safety. A hurricane app is essential if you’ve stayed up all night worrying about a family member who's alone during a destructive storm.

Many hurricane trackers are available to help you prepare for these dangerous events, monitor their progress, and assist in recovery. We’ve compiled a list of the best apps for tracking storms, predicting their paths, and providing on-the-ground suggetsions for shelters and emergency services. Most of these apps are free to download and supported by ads. Premium versions are available to remove ads and add extra features.

Read more
Best lawn mower deals: Cordless, gas, electric and robotic
A robot lawn mower in a backyard while a family relaxes.

Mowing a lawn can be very therapeutic unless you have an older lawnmower, which makes life difficult and constantly causes you frustration. Luckily, you can snag a new lawnmower for a pretty good price, and even the more budget-oriented options have a lot of quality-of-life features that you wouldn't find on lawnmowers ten or even five years ago. To that end, we've gone about and collected some of our favorite lawnmower deals across the board, including some great robot lawn mowers that are worth checking out.
Litheli Cordless Lawn Mower U20 Handy+ -- $120, was $140

If you want a solid lawn mower, this offering from Litheli has a 13-inch cutting width, which is pretty good for the deal that you're getting. Even better, you get a 30L grass bag so you're not having to clean up after yourself, and you can mow for longer without having to stop. You also get 5 height adjustments so you can hone in the length of your grass to the perfect height, plus you get a 4.0Ah portable battery included.

Read more
Juiced Bikes offers 20% off on all e-bikes amid signs of bankruptcy
Juiced Bikes Scrambler ebike

A “20% off sitewide” banner on top of a company’s website should normally be cause for glee among customers. Except if you’re a fan of that company’s products and its executives remain silent amid mounting signs that said company might be on the brink of bankruptcy.That’s what’s happening with Juiced Bikes, the San Diego-based maker of e-bikes.According to numerous customer reports, Juiced Bikes has completely stopped responding to customer inquiries for some time, while its website is out of stock on all products. There are also numerous testimonies of layoffs at the company.Even more worrying signs are also piling up: The company’s assets, including its existing inventory of products, is appearing as listed for sale on an auction website used by companies that go out of business.In addition, a court case has been filed in New York against parent company Juiced Inc. and Juiced Bike founder Tora Harris, according to Trellis, a state trial court legal research platform.Founded in 2009 by Harris, a U.S. high-jump Olympian, Juiced Bikes was one of the early pioneers of the direct-to-consumer e-bike brands in the U.S. market.The company’s e-bikes developed a loyal fandom through the years. Last year, Digital Trends named the Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 as the best moped-style e-bike for 2023, citing its versatility, rich feature set, and performance.The company has so far stayed silent amid all the reports. But should its bankruptcy be confirmed, it could legitimately be attributed to the post-pandemic whiplash experienced by the e-bike industry over the past few years. The Covid-19 pandemic had led to a huge spike in demand for e-bikes just as supply chains became heavily constrained. This led to a ramp-up of e-bike production to match the high demand. But when consumer demand dropped after the pandemic, e-bike makers were left with large stock surpluses.The good news is that the downturn phase might soon be over just as the industry is experiencing a wave of mergers and acquisitions, according to a report by Houlihan Lokey.This may mean that even if Juiced Bikes is indeed going under, the brand and its products might find a buyer and show up again on streets and trails.

Read more