Nanoparticles deliver fat-fighting drugs directly to the source

BICYCLES Shimano gives mountain bikers a boost with STePS MTB eBikes might be good for commuters who don't want to arrive at work all sweaty, but the technology can also provide a helping hand to cyclists who want to get down and dirty. Shimano has recognized this with the new STePS MTB, a rugged eBike motor designed for off-road performance. Read more VR VR Comparison Guide There are only a few VR headsets you can buy today – or at least only a few that matter – but now that consumer virtual reality is here, this sounds like a good time to compare your best options (both present and near future). Read on for our first VR Headset Comparison Guide. Read more MUSIC Review: Super-small wireless earbuds pack in big sound and features A new set of wireless earbuds with built-in microphones has just been released on Kickstarter that truly raise the bar in this arena. We tried them out. Read more AROUND THE HOME Best designs from SaloneSatellite 2016 The SaloneSatellite has celebrated its 19th edition, showcasing innovative designs from young designers from around the world, with a special emphasis on new materials. Read more MUSIC Stunning keyboard controller wouldn't look too out of place on the back of a Carrera The 88-key MPiano digital controller was developed in partnership with the Porsche Design Studio and features adjustable keyboard action so that musicians can choose precisely how the device feels to play, from the solid, weighty keys of a concert grand to a light and springy tabletop synth. Read more BICYCLES Lightweight e-bike powers you through short commutes and all-out adventures The e-bike market has been rapidly changing, with a number of companies stepping up and offering lighter, less conspicuous electric bikes. The M2S All-Go is the latest in this growing field, its carbon frame offering both distinct looks and a light ride weight. Read more MARINE GoBoat folds away for space-poor fishermen It can be tough to find space for your own boat if you live in an urban area, and not everyone is able to hitch up a trailer whenever the urge strikes them. GoBoat aims to solve these problems with a stable fishing boat that collapses to save space. Read more ARCHITECTURE Living in a greenhouse: One family's experiment in sustainable living Dutch stylist Helly Scholten is interested in living sustainably so when the chance came to move into an experimental sustainable house designed by Rotterdam University, she jumped at it. The house is, essentially, an oversized greenhouse that aims to explore sustainable methods of living. Read more SPACE Mouthy sea urchin inspires engineers to take a bite out of other planets The sea urchin's mouth has inspired a UC San Diego to create a claw-like manipulator for collecting soil samples by robotic rovers exploring other planets.​Read more AUTOMOTIVE Google to put self-driving car tech in Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan After a long gestation period in faceless bubbles, Google has decided it's time to integrate its sensors and software into passenger cars. It turns out those cars will be hybrid Chrysler Pacificas, which will be specially built to house the hardware required for safe autonomous driving. Read more OUTDOORS 3D-printed surfboard fins shape the future of customized rides With a view to bringing bespoke rides to more surfers, Australian researchers are 3D printing fins that can be tailored to individuals and their local waves. Read more AUTOMOTIVE VW Golf GTI Clubsport S topples front-wheel-drive Nordschleife record ​Volkswagen has swept past Renault, Seat and Honda in the race for Nürburgring bragging rights, having lopped 1.42 seconds off the existing front-drive production Nordschleife record in a Golf GTI Clubsport S. Read more BICYCLES 65-mph recumbent e-trike claims record 300 mile range Odyssey Trikes' Mark 5 Super claims a range of 300 miles (480 km) on a single charge, while also boasting a top speed of 60 mph (96 km/h). Read more AUTOMOTIVE Vikenze II solo camper offers simple but surprisingly well-equipped overnighting The all-new Wheelhome Vikenze II strips camping down to the most singular form, offering seriously space-efficient accommodations for you, and you alone.Read more MEDICAL Nanoparticles deliver fat-fighting drugs directly to the source We’ve seen drugs capable of turning white fat-storing tissue into brown, fat-burning tissue, but a new nanoparticle delivery system could significantly improve how such treatments are delivered, avoiding unwanted side effects often associated with such therapy. Read more AROUND THE HOME Portable decanter deftly preserves wine with airtight insert The Wine Squirrel decanter is designed with an inflatable sealing mechanism that helps to maintain taste and eliminate wasted wine. Read more MEDICAL Robot-driven CT scanner can image standing, conscious horses A project taking place at the University of Pennsylvania is looking to revolutionize how CT scans of large animals are taken, using two robotic arms that move around the horse while it’s upright and conscious. Read more MATERIALS Material that thickens when stretched may lead to better body armor Chemists at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) have just engineered a substance that thickens when stretched. It could lead to better bullet-proof materials or improved running shoes. Read more SCIENCE Study suggests there could be more species on Earth than stars in our galaxy Whereas the Milky Way contains anywhere from 100 to 400 billion stars, our home planet may host as many as one trillion species – the vast majority of which are microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. What's more amazing is that we've discovered only a thousandth of a percent of them all.Read more 3D PRINTING The most popular 3D printing pen gets a makeover – meet the 3Doodler Create It’s been a couple of years since we first tried out the 3Doodler – a pen that lets you draw in three dimensions using molten plastic. Now the company is back with its latest offering – the 3Doodler Create, bringing improved reliability and some cool new design elements. Read more HEALTH & WELLBEING Inflatable pillow lets travelers dive face-first into sleep Trying to find a comfortable position in which to sleep when on a plane can be an exercise in futility. You could try folding your arms and resting on a tray table, but a lack of space may keep you awake. The inflatable Woollip travel pillow breathes new life into these age-old problems. Read more GOOD THINKING Clip-on attachment extends student workspace The laptops, mobile devices and takeaway coffees that students take to class today, though, take up a little more space than lecture chair arms can typically accommodate. Desk Buddy provides a little more real estate to work on. Read more ELECTRONICS ResetPlug handles power switch hitting for you when your Wi-Fi goes down When your Wi-Fi stops working, you can usually plan on spending the next five minutes restaring your broadband modem, router and/or access point and hoping that does the trick. ResetPlug is designed to prevent this irritating procedure by automatically hitting the power reset button for you. Read more DRONES Drones light up Mt Fuji in spellbinding audiovisual display Drawing in visitors from all around the world, Japan's Mt Fuji is an eye-catching enough sight on its own. Add a fleet of LED-equipped drones dancing to traditional Japanese music in the foreground, and you've got yourself an enchanting blend of the old and the new.Read more BICYCLES Double-duty bike lock protects against thieves and drivers ​When you're going out on a recreational bike ride, you don't want to lug a big ol' U-lock along with you. That's where the Hiplok FLX comes in. It's a compact cable lock that doubles as a wearable tail light.​ Read more SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR GIZMAG READERS Master Web Development with 96% off Lifetime Access to 3000+ Tutorials from OSTraining Become a pro web developer with a lifetime of guidance from OSTraining. With instruction from experts in their fields and unlimited access to an enormous library of trainings, you’ll learn to build and launch amazing websites using open source platforms like WordPress with languages like JavaScript, HTML, and more. These platforms allow you to build, launch, and manage professional looking website for pennies on the dollar. And guess what? You don’t even have to know a line of code to get your website up and running, but you’ll learn that too. Read more   BICYCLES Tron-inspired electric bike wheel chucks the hub There are now several choices of motorized front wheels that temporarily turn your regular bike into an e-bike. So, what does a new product have to do to stand out in this market? Well, it helps if has a radically different design than its competitors – and the GeoOrbital Wheel has just that.​ Read more COMPUTERS Head-tracking mouse designed for people with disabilities For those with disabilities who are unable to use a mouse or a touchscreen, mass-produced devices can become more of a hindrance than a help. This is why a Turkish designer says he came up with GlassOuse, which puts the capabilities of a mouse on a pair of glasses. Read more ARCHITECTURE Signature Edition of Floating Seahorse home unveiled When the Floating Seahorse was first unveiled, it had the look of something that might well stay on the drawing board. On the contrary, though, the first one is now in situ at the World in Dubai and, such has been the interest in them, details of a larger Signature Edition have been released. Read more ARCHITECTURE New eco-village hits the (plastic) bottle A new project in Panama is using plastic bottle waste as a basis for an entire village. It's early days yet, but the idea is that the aptly-named Plastic Bottle Village will eventually comprise between 90 to 120 homes, each packed with thousands of plastic bottles. Read more MEDICAL Breathe easy: Over-the-phone lung monitoring is just a 1-800 call away Researchers from the University of Washington have developed a monitoring system that allows patients to call in from anywhere in the world to gauge the health of their lungs over the phone. Read more AUTOMOTIVE Testing proves the worth of Tesla's Bioweapon Defense Mode When Elon Musk announced the Tesla Model X would be fitted with a Bioweapon Defense Mode, we wondered how well the system would work. Tesla's preliminary tests suggest the answer is pretty damn well, which is good news for early-adopting hypochondriacs keen to hum around in an exclusion zone. Read more BICYCLES Trocadero’s unfixed fixie: The bicycle with the twisting frame It looks like a regular pushbike until you pull a pin that unlocks the main frame downtube, allowing the bike to twist in the middle and put the wheels wildly out of alignment with one another. Why? Because it looks absolutely bizarre.​Read more SPACE ExoMars 2018 now ExoMars 2020 after two-year postponement Exomars 2018 is now ExoMars 2020 after the Euro-Russian Mars landing mission was officially postponed for two years. The joint ESA/Roscosmos venture has been beset by delays over the past four years and recent setbacks in mission preparations have placed the 2018 launch window out of reach. Read more MOBILE TECHNOLOGY LG's invisible fingerprint sensor hides beneath the smartphone screen With a view to creating smoother, more minimalist devices, LG has just announced a new fingerprint sensor module that lives underneath the glass. Unless you know what you're looking for, you won't even know it's there. Read more SPACE Three newly discovered exoplanets prime candidates in search for life elsewhere in the Universe A team of astronomers working at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has discovered three planets orbiting a dwarf sun, just 40 light-years from Earth. All three worlds are potentially habitable and may be the best candidates yet in the search for life beyond our solar system. Read more AUTOMOTIVE Mini releases a Convertible with the (John Cooper) Works Last year, Mini launched a car for "fresh air enthusiasts." Unfortunately, though, there was a problem – the Mini Convertible didn't cater for fresh air enthusiasts who want to go fast, forcing the British brand to add more power in the form of the new John Cooper Works Convertible. Read more COMPUTERS Training dogs by computer and "smart harness" ​While it's important that dogs know some basic obedience commands at the very least, training them can be a monotonous and frustrating experience. Well, perhaps before too long, we could have computers doing the job for us. They're already being used to teach dogs to sit. Read more ROBOTICS Robot artists compete for cash To recognize the burgeoning field of robot art, a new contest has been launched by website RobotArt.org, and you can help determine which mechanical painter will win. Read more AUTOMOTIVE Nissan Kicks off with another small SUV Like it or not, the number of SUVs roaming around our city streets is growing at an alarming rate. You can barely cover a block without seeing a Mazda CX-3 or Honda HR-V, so it's no surprise Nissan is keen to get a bigger slice of the pie with the brand-new Kicks.Read more MEDICAL Diagnostic blood test shows promise in early detection of Parkinson's A team of researchers at La Trobe University is developing a blood test for earlier detection of Parkinson's disease. The team estimates that it could be available within the next five years. Read more AROUND THE HOME SeeNote drags the sticky note into the digital age The SeeNote is a compact, front-lit ePaper display to replace your sticky notes, and gives you reminders based on live traffic information, provides access to a range of smart-home features and, of course, lets you leave notes for your housemates. Read more AUTOMOTIVE Volkswagen turns up the refinement in updated Amarok ​Volkswagen has updated its Amarok, but rather than focusing on what makes it rugged and tough, the changes are all about refinement. With a more powerful V6 diesel engine, more precise steering and shiny exterior highlights, the updated truck should offer a more car-like drive. Read more SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR GIZMAG READERS FIXD Monitors Your Car for Faults and Sends Reports to Your Phone, Now 20% off Fact: this compact sensor could save you thousands of dollars in car repairs. Just plug it into your car and connect to your phone via Bluetooth to get started. FIXD does everything from deciphering a “check engine” light to determining whether a problem is drivable or needs immediate attention. Even set it up with multiple cars, so no vehicle goes unprotected. Read more AIRCRAFT Franky Zapata zooms past farthest hoverboard flight record

Franky Zapata has secured a new Guinness World Record for the longest flight by hoverboard. Standing atop his Flyboard Air, he traveled an awe-inspiring 2,252.4 meters before making a safe landing at the port of Sausset-les-Pins today. Read more

3D PRINTING 3D printing goes to war
	From the bow to the bunker buster to the the hydrogen bomb, new technologies have changed the face of warfare, and 3D printing looks set to be just as revolutionary. Read more

WEARABLES This hoodie (yes, hoodie) delivered a great massage
	The AiraWear packs the power of a massage chair into a hoodie. We at Gizmag got our tired backs on one to see just how well it works. Read more

HOME ENTERTAINMENT Amazon Tap review: Take Alexa with you anywhere
	We've spent a few weeks with the battery-powered version of the original Alexa device, the Echo, and have this review. Read more

AIRCRAFT Phoenix bound: Solar Impulse 2 begins 10th leg of round-the-world flight
	A little over a week after pilot Bertrand Piccard touched down at Moffett Airfield in Mountain View, California, Solar Impulse 2 has taken off again. This time the aircraft has André Borschberg in command and will head toward Phoenix Goodyear in Arizona. Read more

ENVIRONMENT How infecting carp with herpes can help save dying river systems
	The Australian government is moving to tackle its biggest freshwater pest, working toward the controlled release of specific herpes virus which it says is capable of killing individual carp within 24 hours. Read more

AUTOMOTIVE Review: 2016 Hyundai Tucson drives like a Euro sedan
	Hyundai completely revamped the Tucson for the 2016 model year and improvements have been made at every point. With a new engine, a new dual-clutch transmission, and a much-improved interior experience, the 2016 Hyundai Tucson is more like a Euro sedan than it is a crossover. Read more

TINY HOUSES Tiny House Village lets you try out small living for size
	Those looking to dip a toe into the small living movement and see if it's for them will soon have a new option in the Pacific Northwest region. A tiny house vacation village near Portland, Oregon, is about to open and the homes will set you back from US$129 per night. Read more

OUTDOORS Wearable climbing tracker elevates your alpine performance
	The Whipper climbing tracker monitors users' performance as they ascend gym walls and mountain peaks, offering stats and coaching feedback to help take their technique to new heights. ​​ Read more

AUTOMOTIVE Better battery capacity gives BMW i3 110 km range boost
	Thanks to improvements in battery technology, the BMW i3 range has grown to include a 33 kWh hour model offering 58 percent more range than the current car. Read more

SPACE British astronaut pilots earthbound rover from aboard ISS
	Deep space exploration has taken one small step (or roll) forward with the successful test of space-based control of a robot rover from aboard the International Space Station​. Read more

SCIENCE Inexpensive 3D-printed lens gives terahertz imaging a boost
	Researchers have developed a lens that operates at terahertz frequencies that are not only simple and inexpensive, but are claimed to produce near-flawless images which could vastly improve biomedical imaging as well as biological and explosive security scanning. Read more

AUTOMOTIVE Kahn Design unleashes fury on and off road
	Afzal Kahn is one busy man and has been spending much of the year adding flash to auto shows. He's now preparing to liven up next week's London Motor Show with a trio of reworked British legends, including an angry Aston Martin and a six-wheeled Land Rover pickup.Read more

SCIENCE Weasel takes down Large Hadron Collider
	The Large Hadron Collider was knocked out of commission when a weasel stepped on the bare connections of a 66,000 volt transformer. Read more

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY Camera chassis converts iPhones into mobile journalism rigs
	The Helium Core case is designed to offer a pro-level photography experience by allowing users to customize iPhones with industry standard 1/4"-20​ mountable accessories and 37 mm threaded lenses. Read more

MEDICAL Prematurely born lambs kept alive in artificial external placenta – human babies could be next
	A new artificial placenta that mimics conditions in the womb has kept five extremely premature lambs alive for a week. Read more

MEDICAL Screening existing drugs to uncover new weapons against antibiotic-resistant bacteria
	Bacteria that are resistant to standard antibiotics represent one of the biggest threats to global health today. Help might just be at hand though, with researchers using a screening method to identify existing drugs that might well prove effective against the dangerous bacteria.Read more

MEDICAL Discovery points to a reason for neuron death in stroke victims
	It’s well known that strokes, seizures and traumatic brain injuries cause increased acidity around neurons in the brain, but scientists have struggled to understand exactly why this occurs. Now, researchers may have pinpointed why this occurs, finding that an elusive receptor might play a big role. Read more

AUTOMOTIVE Porsche Cayenne Diesel, E-Hybrid get the Platinum treatment
	Porsche is offering a new Platinum Edition for the Cayenne Diesel and Cayenne S E-Hybrid models. This package adds several appearance upgrades, interior comfort additions, and safety technologies. The package will be globally available. Read more

ELECTRONICS Adding silicon-sulfur into 3D graphene makes for game-changing battery potential
	Researchers in China believe they’re cracked the code on the elusive lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery. Using three-dimensional (3D) graphene, the Beihang University researchers structured Li-S in such a way that they show high, real-world potential on both the cathode and anode sides. Read more

ELECTRONICS 4K multitouch coffee table supports “tangible” objects
	We’ve seen plenty of multitouch tables from Ideum, but its latest effort has a lot going for it, with a full UHD resolution and capable internals. It’s also designed to recognize real-world objects, opening up a whole lot of potential functionality.Read more

AUTOMOTIVE Hacked Tesla pulled out of garage using Amazon Echo
	A California developer hacked together a way to command his Tesla Model S to pull itself out of his garage using an Amazon Echo. Read more

SPACE SpaceX Falcon rockets get payload capacity boost
	It seems the SpaceX project was a bit conservative with its payload predictions for the Falcon spacecraft. Updates to the capabilities of the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy published online have revealed the rockets will be able to carry much larger payloads than first thought. Read more

AUTOMOTIVE Study shows that the more you like your car's personality, the more likely you are to wreck it
	Researchers in a collaborative study found that the more a person identifies with the voice guidance in their vehicle, the more likely they are to get into an accident. The research involved a driving simulator, questionnaires, and a little trickery. Read more

AUTOMOTIVE McLaren offers up sub-3,000-mile, Concours-condition F1
	The McLaren F1 was the most exciting supercar of its time, and not many cars since have had its level of panache. And now it could be yours (or somebody's, anyway). McLaren Special Operations Heritage division is selling one of the last F1s ever built. Read more

GOOD THINKING Homebuilt crossbow shoots BBs, not bolts
	​BB guns and crossbows are two different things … right? Well, not if you're German weapons-tinkerer Patrick Priebe. Drawing on the design of his previously-made DIY airsoft rifle, he has now created a crossbow that shoots BBs. Read more

SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR GIZMAG READERS LuminAID PackLite Charges on Sunlight to Provide 30 Hours of Light — 11% off
	Whether you’re looking for an in-case-of-a-blackout light or a durable camping light to throw in your pack, LuminAID will go above and beyond the call of duty. LuminAID charges in the sun and provides up to 30 hours of light for up to 125 square feet of space. Just clip it on your bag or throw it in your first-aid kit, and never worry about electricity again.Read more