Awesome Prototypes

A group of Stanford mechanical engineers modded a 1981 DMC-12 to study autonomous driving systems that can adjust to extreme situations, particularly ones that require counter intuitive driving. So far they’ve taught their electric DeLorean to drift donuts on its own.

Damjan Stankovic and Marko Pavlovic’s Rhei works a lot like the Ferrolic Clock, except it uses mechanically operated magnets instead of electromagnets to control the ferrofluid. Its animation is a lot simpler, but none of the shapes produced are exactly alike.

Mercedes-Benz’ newest show car, the Concept IAA (“Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile”) is packed with futuristic tech, the most notable of which is its ability to adjust its body and wheels to take on a more aerodynamic form when it reaches 50mph.

Currently in development, ScopeAR’s Remote AR is an augmented reality app that will let experts solve problems remotely. Sketches or icons can be placed in real time over the user’s point of view to make instructions clearer.

Lexus claims it has developed an honest-to-goodness hoverboard. The Slide is equipped with a liquid nitrogen reserve and magnets to attain frictionless movement. Don’t play with our hearts Lexus. Let this be legit.

The Scalevo is a prototype design for a wheelchair with an impressive capability – it can climb stairs thanks to a tank-like set of treads and a hydraulic mechanism to keep its rider upright as they ascend or descend.

Aeroe’s GolfPod is a durable golf bag that eliminates the need to get a separate travel case. It has a hardshell cover, built-in travel wheels and TSA-approved locks. It also has an accessory that lets you mount it to car roof racks.

Lenovo’s Smart Cast is a proof-of-concept smartphone that has a built-in laser projector. When used with the phone’s infrared sensor, the projection becomes interactive, similar to a laser keyboard.

Each of Yeair’s four rotors is powered by a 600W motor and a 1kW two-stroke engine. Yep, gas engines. This hybrid configuration allows it to fly at up to 62mph, carry loads up to 11lb. and fly for up to 1 hour. Not sure the FAA will like this.

Gleamfire is a car wash bucket that needs just 1.5gal of water to clean an entire car. Its hand pump and filters strip dirt off of microfiber mitts. It missed its crowdfunding goal, but we hope it will someday be produced.

OSVehicles is working on Tabby EVO, an open source electric vehicle. It has a 15kW drivetrain, a range of 87mi and a top speed of 80mph. You can procure prototypes and download its design files here. More on Make:.

Carbon 3D’s innovative take on Digital Light Processing allows its 3D printer to print up to 40″ per hour. That’s 25 to 100 times faster than other 3D printers. The process also makes it possible to print elastic objects.

nanoFlowcell hypes up its flow battery technology with two new cars. The Quant F gets a total of 1090hp from its electric motors and has a crazy 497mi range. The Quantino on the other hand has 186hp and a table-flipping 620mi range.

The latest prototype of Sony’s PS4 virtual reality headset has a 5.7″ 1080p RGB OLED, can refresh at 120Hz, and is lighter than the previous model. It also has better head tracking. The production version will be released in 2016. More here.

Clothes made of glass-coated fabric. If someone takes a picture of you with a flash when you’re wearing any of these, the glass will reflect the flash back at the camera, obscuring your face in the process. If only they worked without a flash.

Industrial designer Jolene Carlier says, “most popcorn machines are very dull though the simple process of making popcorn is exciting.” So she conceived of Popcorn Monsoon, a hot air popcorn machine that’s both fun and functional.

The military version of Amazon Prime Air. The Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System is a US Navy program that aims to convert helicopters into drones, which can the be summoned for supply drops via a user-friendly mobile app.

We’ve featured a handful of one-of-a-kind all-terrain vehicles, but none of them are as crazy as Howe & Howe’s Mini Ripsaw. It’s based on an ’09 Polaris Sportsman 850XP and fitted with Howe & Howe’s huge-ass Ripsaw treads.

An impressive demo video of the flying car’s third prototype. Supposedly “very close to the final product”, the Aeromobil 3.0 goes up to 100mph on land and 124mph on air, and has a range of 540mi on land and 430mi in the air.

Rinspeed’s amphibious sports car, the sQuba can dive up to 10m (33ft.) and move at up to 2 knots (2.3mph) underwater. It has three electric motors – one for land, two for water – two jet ski motors and two oxygen tanks for passengers.

Nixie is a concept for a small and flexible camera-equipped quadcopter. The idea is that you’ll wear it as a bracelet, then when you want it to take a picture it’ll fly off your wrist, snap a shot and then come back to you.

Jesse Herzog must think that April Fools is in September. He’s on Betabrand gathering votes for his idea – a business suit onesie – a zip-up shirt with a jacket and a pair of pants stitched to it. Even his dog can’t decide how it feels about this.

Have you ever tried doodling on carpets and other furry surfaces? Professor Yuta Sugiura and his colleagues tried harder. They came up with three devices that let you draw, stamp or automatically print on furry surfaces.