Awesome Tech

This portable gadget uses its battery’s energy to help keep your hands warm. Its body is designed to fit comfortably in the hand and can generate warmth for up to 9 hours. It has six heat settings up to 120ºF, and its 5200 mAh battery pack can charge phones and other devices via its USB port.

The term “chatbot” is typically associated with those frustrating customer service AI gatekeepers before chatting with a real human. But in the case of this Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot, the chatbot has four legs and can walk. Engineers from the robotics company used ChatGPT and other AI models to enable Spot to answer questions and act as a tour guide.

This palm-size printer makes quick work of labeling cables, circuit breakers, parts drawers, and more. It uses thermal printing, so it never needs ink and can print text, QR codes, and bar codes on dozens of different label styles, including transparent ones. Its labels are waterproof and peel off without leaving a mess.

The fastest car we’ve ever experienced was a dragster that launched from 0 to 60 mph in about two seconds. Tom Scott got behind the wheel of AMZ Racing’s Mythen, an electric vehicle that holds the world record for EV acceleration – 0 to 100 km/h in a mindblowing 0.956 seconds. Tom didn’t quite hit that number, but he still accelerated insanely fast.

Proving you must crawl before you walk or run, AI Warehouse tasked a group of five AI agents with completing a 100-meter dash. Each was trained using Deep Reinforcement Learning to reward them for correct behaviors and punish them for incorrect ones. Eventually, they get their boxy butts off the line and wobble their way through the course.

This beast of a Bluetooth speaker kicks out monster sound via a pair of 72-watt continuous Class-D amplifiers. It can achieve volume levels up to 121 dB and runs for up to 10 hours at max volume and 40 hours at medium volume. Its 10″ woofer produces room-shaking bass in concert with its Bass Enhancer function.

This small round table is a great spot for drinks or a lantern while camping or tailgating, and you can use it at home, too. It’s got folding legs and a carrying handle, along with a built-in wireless charging pad, stereo Bluetooth speakers, ambient lighting, and a 20000 mAh battery pack so you can use it without plugging in.

Divoom’s funky-looking Times Gate gadget puts five tiny, programmable displays on your desktop. Each 128×128 resolution screen can display widgets like news, stock information, social media follower counts, and pixel art animations. It also offers a multi-screen digital clock.

Dissatisfied with the bass response of his off-the-shelf subwoofer, maker BigWR got to work retrofitting its speaker and amplifier into a new cabinet. He extended its acoustic chamber using angled sections of PVC drain pipe and assembled them inside of an acrylic cube. We’re not sure it sounds better because of the distortion, but it sure looks amazing.

The MSG Sphere in Las Vegas has quickly become one of the world’s most talked-about attractions. Inspired by its enormous LED display surface, DrZzs & GrZzs thought making a replica of the digital wonder would be fun. Their 8-foot diameter backyard mini-sphere has 20,028 RGB LED pixels and is driven by a Kulp 32 controller and xLights software.

The makers of the HyperCube infinity light are back with two new conversation pieces. The app-controlled HyperHedra and HyperPyramid are triangular mirrored structures illuminated with hundreds of colorful LEDs inside. Thanks to their angled frames, the 11″ tetrahedron and 15″ pyramid produce even more kaleidoscopic patterns than the cubes.

During MAX 2023, Adobe showed off Project Primrose, a groundbreaking technology for fashion and interior design. Researcher Christine Dierk modeled an awe-inspiring dress that can change patterns instantly. Based on her research paper with TJ Rhodes and Gavin Miller, it use LCD reflective, non-emissive light-diffuser modules to change state electronically.

This pocket-sized musical instrument from MicroKits is an analog synthesizer shaped like a cassette tape. It has a touch-sensitive 13-key keypad, which you can connect to other objects (like bananas) to turn them into keys. It’s got a built-in 1-watt speaker, a headphone jack, and controls for pitch, volume, octave shift, and a vibrato effect.

The Songbook MAX is a jumbo-sized take on Tivoli Audio’s iconic audio system. It features a mid-century modern design and cranks out big sound with a 50-watt amp, 4″ subwoofer, 4″ midrange, and .75″ tweeter. In addition to Bluetooth connectivity, it has a 3.5mm aux input, and a built-in DAB/DAB+/FM radio tuner. Its battery runs for 10 hours per charge.

While an all-terrain personal mobility device sounds like a good idea, we’re not sure that boots that drive like tanks are the best way to get around. Joel Creates shows off his design for a wearable off-road vehicle that’s totally impractical yet extraordinarily cool to see in action. They’d balance way better if they had longer tracks.

Most battery electric vehicles require substantial energy, making solar charging pretty impractical. Drew Builds Stuff shows how, with a light and efficient design, it’s possible to create an EV that can recharge itself with the sun. His speedy little 4-wheeler can go about 100 km (62 miles) per charge and can nearly double that range on a sunny day.

After a failed attempt to do a backflip in real life, animator Nikita Diakur thought it would be safer to have a digital stand-in perform the maneuver. With the help of engineer Maximilian Schneider and machine learning tech based on the paper Deep Mimic, he attempted to nudge his avatar in the right direction to achieve his gymnastic goal.

Recently, engineer James Bruton put together a self-balancing vehicle using a hoverboard and omni-wheels. Now, he’s transformed that strange-looking machine into something that vaguely resembles a Star Wars speeder bike. It’s easier to steer now and can travel forward, but it’s not exactly something you’d fly between the trees on Endor.

Ascento’s agile robot has a pair of articulated legs that roll on bicycle wheels. This design allows it to ride on uneven surfaces, up and down hills, and even climb stairs with ease. It can autonomously drive at speeds up to 12 km/h and 8 hours per charge. Ascento has created a version designed specifically for autonomous security patrolling.

This fascinating factory machine sits along a conveyor belt as it waits for individual items to arrive on the scene. It then lowers a series of suction-powered grippers to grab each one, and then shuffles them along to the next stage in the packing process. It uses VMECA’s Magic Gripper technology to work its magic.

This desktop accessory provides the perfect spot for storing memory cards. It looks like a circuit board, but it’s just a wooden storage tray. It’s got slots for SD cards, Micro SD cards, USB flash drives, and more. Be sure to select the “SD card” option when ordering. It looks great alongside the EleksMaker USB hub.

Before digital synthesizers and drum machines, instruments like the Mellotron used pre-recorded tape loops to play short sound samples. Musician Hainbach got his hands on a Bandmaster Powerhouse, a 1970s analog drum machine that used custom 8-track tapes to play drum loops. Its now well-worn tape cartridges produce some fantastic lo-fi sounds.

Using lasers to clean metal can be very satisfying to watch. But with a powerful enough laser and a dirty enough surface, it can also be a feast for the ears. This short video shows how a fiber laser not only removes dirt from a rusty hunk of metal, but it sounds awesome doing it. Be sure to turn your volume up for maximum enjoyment.