Awesome Tech

Despite its two tragic missions, with 135 launches to its credit, the Space Shuttle was arguably the most successful space program of all time. 3D animator Jared Owen explains how shuttle missions worked, along with an in-depth look at the orbiter, where astronauts spent their time throughout their journeys.

While it’s not as powerful or accurate as Mark Rober’s motorized playing card thrower, Brick Experiment Channel’s version is still pretty sweet, and was built entirely using LEGO components, giving it double the geek cred. Now we want him to build a version that fires cash… or minifigs.

This bit of archival footage that dates back to 1967 envisions a future much like the one we’re living in today. Its ideas of what shopping from a computer and work-from-home video calls might look like are impressively accurate. We also love the retrofuturist aesthetic.

Cadillac’s crossover EV is sleek, modern, and elegant. Powered by GM’s new Ultium battery system, it will come in RWD and AWD variants, with up to 300 miles of range. Tech highlights include a 33″ LED dashboard, and the latest version of Caddy’s Super Cruise. Cadillac plans on putting the LYRIQ into production by 2022.

There are bigger and more powerful laser engravers out there, but if you’re looking for something compact and inexpensive, this model from Chinese outfit Wainlux looks like a good option. Its 3000mW laser can engrave designs onto wood, leather, fabric, plastic, acrylic, or even food items up to 3.14″ x 3.14″.

Artist Rayclay used a combination of 3D modeling software, 3D printing, and hand-finishing to create miniature models of a freediver and a manta ray. He then precisely painted the pieces and submerged them in transparent resin to create the illusion they were swimming beneath the ocean’s surface.

Designed for artists and creators, MSI’s slimline desktop tower PC features a design you won’t want to hide. It offers up to a 10th-gen Core i9 CPU, DDR4 dual-channel RAM, Thunderbolt 3, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), an NVIDIA RTX 2020 Super GPU, and easy upgrades. It looks great alongside the matching Prestige 5K2K display.

While the white and gold the aesthetics of Robbox’s xDrill aren’t our favorite, we’re definitely intrigued by the technology it offers. The 21-volt cordless drill has a built-in digital level, distance and height laser measurements, angle guidance, and the ability to automatically stop when it reaches a set depth or torque.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note20 Ultra has a 6.9″ curved edge 120Hz 3088×1440 display, a 10mp selfie, 12mp ultra-wide, 108mp wide, and 12mp 50x zoom cameras. There’s a new pro video mode, and a much more responsive stylus. The smaller Note20 has a 6.7″ flat 60Hz 2400×1080 display, 64mp wide camera, and 30x max zoom.

Playtime Engineering presents a (slightly) more grown-up version of its easy-to-use Blipblox synthesizer. The After Dark model has over 300 new pre-loaded melodies, more sound filters, a drum machine, and more. In addition to the built-in speaker, it has a 5-pin MIDI input and a 1/4″ stereo output so you can use it in the studio too.

When you’re working on construction projects, you could always use an extra hand. Developed by Createk, Université De Sherbrooke, and Exonetik this waist-mounted robot can do things like use a paint roller, squeegee, a gripper hand, or even a metal fist to break through walls. It’s all a bit silly looking if you ask us.

These unique desk lamps have a pair of magnetic spheres which float in their centers. When placed near enough to each other that they attract, the light turns on. Move them apart, and it turns off. The LED light offers ambient illumination, with six different color temperature settings, and runs on a built-in rechargeable battery.

An ultra-compact 60% keyboard that features top-end features without breaking the bank. It features 63 anti-ghosting mechanical keys with RGB backlighting, and works with either a wired USB or wireless Bluetooth connection. Available in four different key firmnesses.

Electric bicycles are a fast and fun way to get around. However, they have limited range due to their small battery packs. Peter Sripol wanted to see if he could build an eBike that never needs recharging as long as the sun is shining. The downside? The trailer of solar panels he has to drag along. Build starts at 2:20.

You spent big bucks on your laptop, but is your case up to protecting it from shocks or spills? This sleeve from Domiso uses layers of polyurethane, EVA plastic, and sponge rubber to insulate your precious electronic cargo from damage. It comes in sizes ranging from 10″ to 17.3″, so there’s one for every laptop.

The Nintendo Switch is a great gaming system, but Nintendo’s dock isn’t exactly easy to travel with. The Switchblade Hub attaches directly to your Switch, adding Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless headphones, an HDMI output, and a kickstand that you can carry with you. It also adds extra USB-A and USB-C ports, and two hidden SD card slots.

Electronics hobbyist splat238 shows off an awesome mask they built with 104 RGB LEDs layered in front of the fabric, and behind a mesh structure. Working with a Wemos D1 Mini and an Arduino-compatible controller, it’s able to display more than 40 different lighting effects. Check out the full build details on Instructables.

Make the ceiling of your home theater, car, or other space look like a dark night sky with one of these twinkly fiber optic light kits from AMKI. They come in sizes from 400 to 835 points of light, each along with a bright 32-watt LED RGB/W light engine. You’ll need a drop ceiling or a false headliner to poke the fibers through.

Only like the marshmallows from Lucky Charms? Well you could buy a bag without the oat bits, or you could do what these guys from Google did, and build a machine that separates them for you. The Teachable Sorter can actually be used to recognize and sort other objects, and you can get the code, 3D files, and build details here.

Back in the 1950s and 1960s, television cabinets made out of wood were the norm, but modern flat-screen displays are pretty much all encased in plastic. The Q wanted a PC monitor to match his wooden mouse and wooden keyboard, so he built a new case for his display, complete with PHILIPS logo and burnt wood control lettering.

Now that you can use your iPad as a secondary display for your Mac, you need a way to mount it. This clamp from Ten One Design makes it easy to attach just about any tablet side-by-side with your laptop screen. With a gap of only 4mm (0.16″) it’s perfect for working on wide spreadsheets, or opening multiple documents.

Sign up for 2 months of Amazon Music Unlimited ($19.98 total), and get a 3rd-gen Echo Dot Clock (a $59.99 value) for just $9.99. The smart speaker provides access to Alexa voice commands, music playback, and can display the time, outdoor temperature, or timers. (Limited time offer, subscription auto-renews)

Like the Gixie Clock, this tabletop digital clock uses RGB LEDs and sheets of laser-etched acrylic to simulate the look of an old Nixie tube clock, but with multiple colors. It offers a variety of color modes, supports 12/24 hour time formats, and has an alarm function. Requires a Windows PC or Mac for programming.