The concept of a car that drives itself without our input is a scary prospect to some. Anyone who has been in a collision that they feel they couldn’t have avoided knows that even split-second human reactions are often not enough to prevent an accident. While there will be those who are extremely trusting of the technology, others may not even consider it as an option when they do come out. Some note that computers are not as smart as humans when it comes to real-life input. The set of commands necessary to teach are robot how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a standard kitchen is so long that…

With the demise of its Space Shuttle program, NASA is turning to Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, as well as other private companies, to send engineers, scientists, and equipment to space. The US space agency has signed two-year contracts worth a combined $10 million with Virgin Galactic, XCOR, and five other companies. The partnerships are needed for NASA to execute a variety of experiments in low-gravity environments. “The government’s ability to open the suborbital research frontier to a broad community of innovators will enable maturation of the new technologies and capabilities…

The Segway was going to revolutionize the way we travel medium distances. It didn’t. Now, there is a new personal mobility device that wants to pick up where the Segway left off. Karen Day at CoolHunting reports that the Solowheel will be available in the US in March. A “self-balancing electric unicycle,” the Solowheel uses gyroscopic technology. Its 1000-watt rechargeable lithium-ion battery powers lasts two hours and can recaptures energy when going downhill. The portability of the device gives it a leg-up on the Segway, which many avoided because of the whole issue with “where do I park this…

Soon, you may have an entirely new scapegoat for not attending all manner of functions: a printer jam. 3D printing gurus Stratasys took engineering company Kor Ecologic out to a couple fancy dinners, one thing led to another, and now we have the Urbee, the world’s first 3D-printed car. I guess I missed the memo; I had no idea 3D printing was coming along as blindingly fast as it is. For serious, the Urbee is a fully-functioning automobile, the parts of which are entirely fabricated via 3D printer, windows and everything. It’s only a two-seater, but it’s not the size of the 3D-printed car – it’s that…

California must really be strapped for cash. In a move to generate some revenue, the state is considering a bill to allow electronic advertisements to be placed on vehicle license plates. Before your ass gets too puckered, I hear you – what about driver safety, right? Apparently, the ads will only play if a vehicle idles for more than four seconds, or is stopped entirely. The plate number would be visible perpetually in one form or another. That’s… slightly better, I guess. “The idea is not to turn a motorist’s vehicle into a mobile billboard,” said Senator Curren Price, the guy behind the idea,…

Anyone here a fan of the Final Fantasy franchise? Isn’t it cool, how they’re always travelling the globe in those big, grandiose airships? Doesn’t it just bleed ‘epic’? Ever since that Hindenburg incident, we’ve kind of let airship tech go, haven’t we? But Seymourpowell is working on bringing airships back, and frankly they’re looking better than ever. Much has changed in the last half-century, and by the amount of research SP is doing into materials and technologies, we could see these hydrogen-powered obelisks in our skies sooner than later. Which would. Be. Awesome. Here’s a quick peek at…

There are some things in architecture that really just have to make you think wow. Most of these things are over-the-top one-time designs that are extremely unique and are unlikely to be seen elsewhere. But this architectural beauty is one that could be applied elsewhere in the future. It’s a multi-level car park, but one that we have never seen the likes of before. The 1111 Lincoln Rd. building is a 300-car parking with many levels that offer 11 shops, 3 restaurants, a shop on the 5th floor and a restaurant on the roof. Wait a minute… I thought this thing was a car park? Well, it is! It just…

Cycling: good for you, good for the environment – and good for making your butt look toned and hot. Right? Yes – until it rains. Or gets cold. Or gets windy. Then it can suck. Turn to cars, then? Sure. But they’re expensive to buy and run, often not great for the planet and let’s be honest – your butt needs the exercise. So what if someone combined the best of both modes of transportation ? Well, that’s what TrikE is about (though, no, we don’t know what the funny capitalization is for). TrikE is what’s known as an electric-assist HPV – no, not the virus, but a Human Powered Vehicle – and aims to provide the all-weather…

Yuji Fujimura has got to get out of my head. Sometimes, I’ll be rearranging the contents of my wallet and pause for a moment, sensually caressing my credit card’s smooth plastic, and thinking: ‘Gee. I wish I could ride this thing. Y’know, like a bike.’ Enter Fujimura, who has almost suspiciously answered my cries with his Electric Bike Concept v2. A hybrid electric/pedal bike, the v2 uses a lithium ion battery, and folds into what basically amounts to a plastic rectangle…but then again, it looks like one when unfolded, as well. Possibly the saving grace of the design is that there’s a special compartment…

I seem to focus on concept vehicles a lot, both produced and still on paper – but who can blame me? There’s no shortage of mondo rides being designed, and each one is generally even cooler than the last. Besides, I think some sort of new phone or something is being released tomorrow; someone’s gotta post something fresh, and bring balance to the frenzy. May as well be me. …Pun intended. Antonio Sunjerga is a designer who clearly has seen Star Wars: A New Hope a few too many times. Looking an awful lot like Luke Skywalker’s land speeder, the gyroscopic ‘TAA’ concept makes you ponder exactly…