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Volkswagen knows what it takes to make a great van, whether we're talking commercial goods-hauler or MPV-cum-weekend camper. Sometimes that means working with the aftermarket to create a versatile van to take on multiple roles with little to no owner conversion necessary, something like the Caddy with flip-up rear bench. VW's latest piece of van kit doesn't even require a flip, permanently dividing the ID. Buzz into a split-personality cargo-MPV that seats a family of five while carrying all means of tools and packages in a discrete compartment. On the downside, it deletes the e-bus' ability to work with readily available aftermarket camper hardware.

One of the smoothest, most curvaceous hunks of sleep-in fiberglass you'll see this year, the all-new Morningstar series from startup Awaken RV looks to "wake up" an age of higher quality American Midwest-built campers. The 23.9-foot (7.3-m) trailer leaves the notoriously shoddy stick-and-tin construction in the past in favor of a seamless double-hulled fiberglass build designed to make rot, corrosion, leaking and denting forgotten remnants of the past.Continue ReadingCategory:

PocketBook’s new InkPad One pairs a 10.3-inch E Ink Mobius display with stylus support, transforming it from a simple e-reader into a tool for annotating PDFs and taking handwritten notes. It’s priced below most premium e-notes, aiming to make large-screen E Ink more accessible for everyday reading and productivity.Continue ReadingCategory: Consumer Tech,

We usually associate Timbercraft Tiny Homes with large luxurious models. However, its Ynez tiny house maintains the firm's trademark attractive rustic styling, but does so in a much smaller and easier-to-tow package.Continue ReadingCategory: Tiny Houses, OutdoorsTags: Building and Construction,

Luna Systems, a Dublin-based startup, has built something that might actually make urban cycling less nerve-wracking: an AI-powered rear-view camera that acts like the collision warning systems already standard in modern cars. The device, called Luna Oculus, watches your back and (metaphorically) screams when danger approaches.Continue ReadingCategory: Bicycles, TransportTags:

With a single invisible shot, Raytheon's Coyote Block 3 UAV zapped swarms of drones out of the sky in a US Army demonstration showing that a reusable drone with electromagnetic weapons is an economical alternative to explosive interceptors.Continue ReadingCategory: Military, TechnologyTags: Raytheon,

We have certainly entered the age of AI robots doing the jobs we formerly relied on humans for. Some are yet to do it as well, but the Pongbot Pace S Pro is the best tennis coach I've had – even if it doesn't criticize my poor two-handed backhand grip.Continue ReadingCategory: Consumer Tech, TechnologyTags: Te

Look up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane, it's ... a 20,000 cubic-meter power-generating airship, floating 6,560 ft (2,000 meters) above the ground. Introducing the S2000 stratospheric airborne wind energy system (SAWES), the world’s first megawatt-level airborne wind power system, according to its developer, Beijing-based Linyi Yunchuan Energy Technology. The system has recently completed a test flight, successfully generating electricity from high-altitude winds without the need for towers or substantial ground infrastructure.

Camping season is approaching fast for many of us, so it’s a good time to start gearing up. Outdoor adventures require quite a bit of planning, especially when it comes to cooking in the backcountry. Carrying heavy gear can make long hiking days feel even longer, so most people try to cut every extra gram when packing. If this sounds familiar, the ultralight and compact TiStove might be worth trying.Continue ReadingCategory: Outdoor Cooking,

With its length of just 7.2 m (23.7 ft), the Tiny Amsterdam is a bite-sized tiny house that suits regular travel or use as a vacation home. Despite its modest size, it has been designed to maximize living space and to keep things simple, meaning it looks surprisingly spacious inside.Continue ReadingCategory: Tiny Houses, OutdoorsTags: