Awesome tech you can’t buy yet: Solar grills, smart pillows, levitating light bulbs
Check out our roundup of the coolest crowdfunding projects and product announcements that hit the Web this week. You can't buy this stuff yet, but it sure is fun to gawk!
Parrot Bebop review
Portable, durable, and incredibly simple to fly; Parrot’s Bebop drone is probably the best quadcopter you can get for under $500.
Interview: Will AI be dangerous or benign? It’s up to us, says Ex Machina director
In the sci-fi thriller Ex Machina, a young coder interacts with the world's first true artificial intelligence. Director Alex Garland talks with Digital Trends about how close humans are to achieving that dream, and whether it's really something we'll want.
Chinese scientists have created the world’s first genetically engineered human embryo
Rumors have been circulating for some time that gene editing in a human embryo had already been accomplished, but prior to now, there was no official scientific documentation to back it up. Today, it's official.
Inspired by a chameleon’s tongue, this robotic gripper can grab almost any object
The gripper uses a soft, fluid-filled silicone bag in lieu of a mechanical claw, which allows it to grab a wide range of different objects by doing little more than changing the volume of fluid inside the tip.
This snazzy LED lamp uses magnetic levitation to hover above its power source
Recently launched on Kickstarter, Flyte is a wirelessly-powered light that hovers in the air by way of magnetic levitation. It is also completely contactless, and draws power wirelessly from the charger block it hovers above.
Hilarious Chrome extension adds a Conchita Wurst beard to all faces in your browser
Once you've the extension switched on in your browser, Wurstify will use facial recognition algorithms to detect all the faces on any webpage you visit. Once it finds a face, it will instantly superimpose a realistic Conchita Wurst beard onto it -- regardless of the image source or the face's orientation.
It’s official: Tesla will unveil a battery for your home on April 30
According to an email Tesla sent out to investors on Tuesday, it plans to show off a pair of new battery technologies designed for use in your home to help store excess solar power.
Record-breaking atomic clock won’t gain or lose a second for 15 billion years
By making a few adjustments to their record-setting optical lattice clock, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) were able to achieve an unprecedented new level of precision.
These shoes expand to accommodate growing feet, so impoverished kids don’t outgrow them
The Shoe That Grows, as it's called, is an adjustable shoe that can expand as the wearer's foot gets bigger. Intended to serve children in developing countries, it can grow five sizes, and is designed to last five years.
To celebrate Earth Day, Philips is offering its new $5 LED bulbs for just $2.50 apiece
As part of a special Earth Day promotion, Philips has teamed up with Home Depot to make the new bulbs available in a 2-for-1 pack for the first 90 days (or while supplies last) -- meaning you can get your hands on these bulbs for under $2.50 apiece if you act fast.
You can build your own BB-8 droid by hacking open a Sphero toy and adding some magnets
Somebody has already created a working version of the spherical little Star Wars BB-8 droid and posted the directions online.
The Detroit Zoo has an ambitious new plan to generate power from animal poop
As part of a larger plan to become waste-free by 2020, the Detroit Zoo has embarked on a project to build a massive biodigester -- a contraption that uses microorganisms to break down organic material and produce methane-rich gas.
This ‘smart pillow’ uses low-frequency sound waves to help you sleep better
When Chrona detects that you're in a deep sleep, it uses a set of small speakers to send out low-frequency sound waves. Apparently, these waves complement and enhance those created by your brain.
Awesome tech you can’t buy yet: A singing birthday card that never stops, and more
Check out our roundup of the coolest crowdfunding projects and product announcements that hit the Web this week. You can't buy this stuff yet, but it sure is fun to gawk!
Japan just crushed the high speed rail record with a 366 MPH maglev train
Back in 2003, Central Japan Railway Company's MLX01 train set the bar at 581 kph (361 mph), and for over a decade that record has remained unbeaten. Until now. The company has broken its own record with a 366 mile per hour test run.
LucidBrake senses when you slow down, lights up like the brake lights on a car
LucidBrake uses an array of accelerometers to determine when you're slowing down, and will automatically light up when you decelerate.
Update: Here’s the full video of SpaceX’s CRS 9 rocket exploding after landing
SpaceX is ready to give its ambitious rocket launch/recovery plan another try today. Launch is scheduled for 4:33 PM ET, and you can watch the whole thing live right here. We've also added a live weather forecast, so you'll know ahead of time what the conditions at Cape Canaveral are like
Flow Beehive sets new funding record on Indiegogo with over $10M in pledges
In an effort to help make beekeeping easier and more accessible, a pair of forward-thinking Australians have invented the Flow Hive, a new kind of beehive that requires minimal maintenance and allows keepers to harvest honey without disturbing the colony.
With a top-mounted camera, the Alta can get shots that other drones only dream of
Designed with aerial cinematographers in mind, the Alta drone is a ready-to-fly hexacopter (six rotor) drone capable of carrying payloads of up to 15 pounds. And its top-mounted camera is unique.
Oh no. Somebody taught a robot how to swordfight. We’re doomed
We had a good run, people, but I'm afraid our reign as the dominant species on the planet will soon be drawing to a close. It's only a matter of time now before they stage a revolt and overthrow us. Prepare to welcome your new robot overlords.
3D Robotics’ new Solo drone can fly itself while you control the camera
Designed specifically for shooting aerial video, the 3D Robitics' new Solo drone can autonomously fly itself along a pre-determined flightpath, allowing you to focus on controlling the pan/tilt/zoom of the camera.
Awesome tech you can’t buy yet: Smart art, weather wearables, and pocket-sized VR
Check out our roundup of the coolest crowdfunding projects and product announcements that hit the Web this week. You can't buy this stuff yet, but it sure is fun to gawk!
How to turn an old washing machine drum into a fire pit
Do you like the idea of having a fire pit in your backyard, but don't like the notion of paying big bucks for one? You can build one yourself.
Super-effective alarm clock only shuts off when you leave the mattress, turns back on if you return
The Chipper Alarm takes a novel approach to getting you out of bed. The clock actually forces you off the mattress. It's equipped with a set of capacitive sensors, so it won’t shut off until you physically get up.
Leaving for a few months? Flatbook will pay your rent while you’re away, at no cost to you
Sounds too good to be true, right? Well it's not. Sign up for the service and Flatbook will legitimately pay your rent for you while you're away. When you return, they'll hand over the keys and give you your apartment back. But there's a bit of a catch...
Like something out of a James Bond flick, these hair extensions can remotely control electronic devices
These unassuming hair extensions can be used as a wireless input device for mobile phones, and can be programmed to open applications, send preset messages, or broadcast a person's location -- all without the user visibly interacting with their phone.
Like Tinder for art, this gesture-sensing frame lets you swipe through images
Not feeling that mural that's in your living room? Meural is like Tinder meets Minority Report, for art connoisseurs.
DJI’s new Phantom 3 drone gets 4K cam, live HD streaming, ‘follow me’ autopilot
DJI, the biggest name in consumer drone technology, has pulled the curtain back on the latest addition to its uber-popular Phantom line: the Phantom 3. Here's everything you need to know about it.
This retrofittable knob transforms your dumb stove into a self-regulating cooktop
Meld is a low-cost smart knob that you can retrofit onto your existing cooktop. Once attached, it gives your stove the ability to intelligently regulate its own temperature and cook foods to perfection autonomously.
Hands on: FluidStance Original Level
Instead of allowing you to stand with bad posture, the board puts you on an uneven surface, which passively forces you to stand perfectly straight and use your core/leg muscles to stay balanced
Sounds crazy, but this liquid body armor is more bulletproof than Kevlar
A Polish company has invented a liquid body armor that, when struck by a high-velocity projectile (like a bullet), becomes solid almost instantaneously.
Humanity’s latest weapon in the fight against deforestation? Autonomous seed-bombing drones
Environmental organizations have been trying (and failing) to stop deforestation for decades, and BioCarbon Engineering thinks it can succeed where others have failed. How? By enlisting a an army of seed-bombing drones to autonomously replant trees faster than ever before.