Lifestyle
The latest news on health, home innovation, design, architecture and outdoor living.
$2K Ikea-like camper kit turns Tesla Model X or RAV4 into a micro RV
August 15, 2023
The Van Lab SUV Kit makes functional camping rigs out of popular SUVs and crossovers, from the Tesla Model X and Y to the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Inspired by Ikea furniture, the kits are shipped flat and assembled into form by the buyer.
Health & Wellbeing
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Adjustable-angle Bedvee makes any bed electric
October 18, 2023Sleeping in an inclined position may help with problems such as poor circulation, back pain and heartburn, but electric adjustable-angle beds can be expensive. That's where the Bedvee comes in, as it brings such functionality to users' existing beds. -
Downing non-alcoholic beverages leads to a drop in excessive drinking
October 16, 2023A new study has found, for the first time, that consuming beverages that taste like beer or cocktails but contain no alcohol can significantly reduce alcohol intake, which may be an effective strategy for helping excessive drinkers cut back. -
Mild long-term lack of sleep can increase women’s heart disease risk
October 15, 2023A new study has found that healthy women risk future cardiovascular disease by reducing their sleep time by as little as one-and-a-half hours a night over the long term. The finding reinforces an important message: make sure you get enough sleep.
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Outdoors
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Diminutive 01 Pump is also a lantern, vacuum and more
October 20, 2023We've seen some pretty tiny electric air pumps lately, but most of them … well, they just pump. The compact 01 Pump brings a bit more to the table, in that it also serves as a lantern, power bank and camping-mattress-flattening vacuum. -
Pebble semi-autonomous electric RV rings in the future of camping
October 19, 2023Pebble looks to jumpstart a more convenient era of RV camping with the sleek, powerful all-electric Flow. The new caravan comes loaded with self-propulsion, app-controlled parking, automated setup and a week's worth of off-grid battery power. -
Expandable pickup camper canopy spreads its wings to sleep the family
October 18, 2023Nearly every pickup camping topper out there expands upward for more interior space. Far Out Camping has flipped that idea on its side, designing an aluminum topper that expands out to the sides of the truck, doubling sleeping capacity.
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Tiny Houses
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Eucalyptus keeps things on the level with space-saving layout
October 12, 2023The Eucalyptus forgoes the loft bedrooms we've come to expect from a compact French tiny house and is instead arranged on one level. This improves accessibility, but also means that designer Baluchon had to get creative with the layout. -
Estonian treehouse turns tiny trends on their head
October 11, 2023This nine-meter-high cabin offers a unique living space designed to blend with the natural surroundings. Dubbed Piil Treehouse, the home stands as a masterpiece of tiny house architecture that breaks the mold for tiny living and design. -
Huge True North Retreat makes space for big families and BBQ enthusiasts
October 09, 2023Canada's Acorn Tiny Homes has unveiled a new model that once again pushes the boundaries of small living. The True North Retreat will sleep up to seven people, at a squeeze, and will also feature a dedicated barbecue area accessible from the outside.
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Architecture
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Subtle and sensitive children's home wins 2023 Stephen Lawrence Prize
October 20, 2023Alongside the 2023 Stirling Prize, RIBA has also revealed the winner of this year's Stephen Lawrence Prize. The Lighthouse Children's Home, by Conrad Koslowsky Architects, has got the nod for its subtle and sensitive design of a children's home. -
Seniors' day care center wins UK's top architecture award
October 20, 2023The Royal Institute of British Architects has announced the recipient of the 2023 Stirling Prize, the most prestigious award in UK architecture. Mæ has won for its superb work designing the John Morden Centre, a day care center for elderly people. -
Earthquake-resistant house 3D printed in just 26 hours
October 19, 2023Cement company Progreso has completed Guatemala's first 3D-printed building. It's designed to withstand local seismic activity and combines modern 3D-printing construction techniques with traditional local craftsmanship in the form of a thatched roof.
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Around the Home
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Ultra-quiet leaf blower uses electric aircraft technology
October 20, 2023Whisper Aero wants to revolutionize electric aviation with propulsion systems 100x quieter and 20% more efficient than anything else on the market. While it's working on that, it's thrown together a quiet, powerful, efficient leaf blower as a demo. -
Modular app-controlled vertical garden stacks greens indoors or out
October 16, 2023Hexagro has launched a new vertical garden designed to bring a splash of green to the home. Designed for folks with limited space, the Clovy is made using recycled or upcycled materials, and offers growers the choice of hydroponics or aeroponics. -
Perfecta grill uses AI to custom-cook steaks in under three minutes
October 03, 2023While some people really enjoy barbecuing, others simply want grilled meat that isn't burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. The Perfecta grill should appeal to the latter group, as it uses AI to "perfectly" cook meat in three minutes or less.
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Good Thinking
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Dual-purpose Strollug is the lovechild of a stroller and a suitcase
October 18, 2023If you're traveling with a small child, you typically have to bring both a folding stroller and a suitcase. The Strollug is designed to simplify matters by transforming from a stroller into luggage and back again, as needed. -
S1 Boost screwdriver's fold-out lever triples rotational force
October 17, 2023Interchangeable-bit screwdrivers may be convenient but they don't always provide enough leverage, depending on the task at hand. Symtik's S1 Boost addresses that shortcoming with a power-boosting lever that can be utilized as needed. -
Inexpensive student-designed prosthesis replaces amputees' missing fingers
October 17, 2023Prostheses that replace fingers are typically complex, expensive devices, the cost of which often isn't covered by medical insurance. The student-designed Lunet, on the other hand (no pun intended) is simple and can be made from open-source plans.
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Children
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Review: Turing Tumble lets kids build complex marble-powered computers
November 14, 2022Minnesota company Upper Story has sent us its Turing Tumble, a fascinating educational toy that quietly tricks kids into inventing binary logic computers using nothing more than tiny marbles dropping through a series of clicky-clacky plastic pieces. -
Shark Wheel proves it's cool to be square with mini electric cars for kids
June 28, 2022Back in 2013, California-based startup Shark Wheel hit Kickstarter with a very odd-looking cube-shaped skateboard wheel. Now the company has supersized the design for a pair of funky electric cars for kids – the Shark SUV and the Shark UTV. -
Infalurt warns drivers of babies forgotten in cars
March 18, 2022If a driver is preoccupied, or if there's a disruption to their routine, they can forget and leave their baby in their car – if that car then gets too hot, the result can be lethal. The Infalurt Child Safety System is designed to keep such scenarios from unfolding.
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Remarkable People
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High-tech entrepreneur Brett Adcock on Figure, Archer, and early success
October 02, 2023Brett Adcock has co-founded two companies on the bleeding edges of innovation in emerging markets: Archer Aviation, in the world of eVTOL aircraft, and Figure, in humanoid robots. We look into his background, and the startup that launched it all. -
SR-71 pilot, photographer and storyteller Brian Shul dies at 75
May 21, 2023The aviation world has lost one of its brightest luminaries. Major Brian Shul was an incredible survivor and a top gun pilot – but also a gifted photographer and storyteller, whose stories about the extraordinary SR-71 Blackbird will live forever. -
Soggy professor breaks underwater-living record in sea habitat
May 16, 2023An adventurous professor from the University of South Florida has broken the world record for living in an underwater habitat. Joseph Dituri has called the submurged Jules’ Undersea Lodge home since March 1, and intends to remain there until June 9.
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Pets
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Rubicon Dog is a pooch-holding canine booster seat
August 11, 2023Many people seatbelt their dog on car rides, but they don't want the critter messing up the seats. The Rubicon Dog is designed with just such folks in mind, as it safely secures pooches while containing their loose fur and dirty paws. -
StayrAI performs automatic water-changes so aquarists don't have to
July 10, 2023Regular water-changes are essential to the wellbeing of aquarium fish, but the task sometimes gets missed, plus it can be hard to determine how much water should be replaced, and how often. That's where the automated StayrAI Rein system comes in. -
Dog personality determined by much more than breed, study finds
May 30, 2023Often, the decision to get a Rottweiler over a Chihuahua is made based on personality. A new study has found that while the breed is an important factor, a dog’s personality is determined by a complex interaction between genetics and environment.
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Holiday Destinations
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"Hologram zoo" opens in Australia
July 26, 2023Axiom Holographics has opened a unique family attraction in Brisbane, Australia, a kind of augmented reality zoo built around a much larger version of Euclideon's multi-viewpoint 3D display tables and Unlimited Detail graphics engine. -
111 Resources, ideas & opportunities for people who can "work from anywhere"
March 23, 2023The collective mindset change that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have begun a societal revolution that may well return us to our nomadic origins. We've collected a list of resources available for those who can work-from-anywhere. -
Airbnb lets visitors haunt the halls of the Phantom of the Opera's home
February 21, 2023Airbnb regularly offers the chance to stay in one-of-a-kind places, and has now teamed up with Palais Garnier, the Paris opera house which inspired the Phantom of the Opera novel, to offer a night of luxury and a rare look behind the scenes.
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