odd look at news on the web
World's smallest autonomous robots could one day save your life
24 December 2025 @ 1:47 pm
Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and the University of Michigan have created the world's smallest autonomous and programmable robots. Each measuring about 200 micrometers wide – roughly twice the width of a human hair – these machines can perceive their surroundings, "think," and act independently without external instructions. According to their developers, such technology could one day monitor the health of individual cells in our bodies or deliver medication to specific locations to treat diseases.Continue ReadingIs Trump's Golden Fleet the Great White Fleet of the 21st century?
24 December 2025 @ 12:03 pm
The Trump administration has announced that it wants to build a new class of battleships. But this is just one element of the Golden Fleet –a larger program of naval reform aimed at a major transformation of the US Navy and its strategy.Continue ReadingCategory: Military, TechnologyTags: US Navy, Ships, First GLP-1 weight-loss pill on sale in the US within weeks for $149 a month
24 December 2025 @ 12:33 am
The next transformative phase of weight-loss medication is upon us, with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approving Novo Nordisk's highly anticipated oral GLP-1 drug – with a starting dose available in early January for US$149.Continue ReadingCategory: Obesity, Illnesses and conditions, Body and MindTags: Novo Nordisk, 1-minute instant glamping tent strips open huge immersive views
23 December 2025 @ 11:36 pm
The Mouflon Tent from Belgian-American company CanvasCamp pulls together a rugged canvas build, instant-pitching integrated hub frame, and massive windows on all four sides like no other tent we've seen. Whether you're leisurely camping at a local park or overlanding through harsh, storm-battered backlands, this three-person A-frame is ready to provide the exact level of protection you need, in as little as a minute after arrival.Continue ReadingCategory: Tents, 'Stingraybot' uses microbubble muscles controlled by ultrasound
23 December 2025 @ 7:45 pm
While it might sound like a weapon of oceanic destruction in the hands of Aquaman’s arch enemies, the new “stingraybot” from a team at ETH Zurich (the Federal Institute of Technology of Switzerland) offers enormous promise for surgery, medical care, wildlife biology, robotics, and more, thanks to muscular membranes of microbubbles.Continue ReadingCategory: Robotics, TechnologyTags: Video: Engineering the turbulence out of long, thin jet wings
23 December 2025 @ 6:15 pm
Making the wings on passenger jets thinner and longer can go a long way toward reducing drag and making them more efficient, but they vibrate like crazy. Engineers at NASA and Boeing are now tackling the problem.Continue ReadingCategory: Aircraft, TransportTags: Jets, Wings, Watch: T800 humanoid kung fu kicks its way to mass production
23 December 2025 @ 4:38 pm
It's hard not to think of 'T800' without "The Terminator" and "Skynet" coming to mind. However, EngineAI has created a robot with that exact name. This isn’t Hollywood science fiction; it’s an acrobatic, combat-ready machine that will soon be mass-produced for industrial applications, and is backed by a billion yuan in financing.Continue ReadingCategory: AI and Humanoids, TechnologyTags:AI-powered 'glasses' help the blind go places – safely
23 December 2025 @ 2:33 pm
An upcoming wearable device for the legally blind could help them navigate public and outdoor spaces independently, acting as 'glasses' that guide them through their surroundings.Continue ReadingCategory: Wearables, Consumer Tech, Record-breaking drilling expedition solves massive earthquake mystery
23 December 2025 @ 12:44 pm
Since 2011, scientists have been puzzled about the force resulting from a gigantic earthquake and tsunami that destroyed, among other things, Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Plant. Now, a Guinness World Record drilling expedition has solved the puzzle.Continue ReadingCategory: Environment, ScienceTags: Earthquake, Seismic, Triumph builds on small-bike success with Thruxton and Tracker 400
23 December 2025 @ 9:17 am
When Triumph released its first-ever 400cc motorcycles last year – the Speed 400 and Scram 400 – very few people would have foreseen the success that followed. Many at the time termed them as the most value-for-money motorcycles on the market, and it seems like the bikemaker has taken note of that success.Continue ReadingCategory: Motorcycles, TransportTags: