Origami Cave puts a stylish spin on emergency shelter

Origami Cave puts a stylish spin on emergency shelter
Australian architecture firm LAVA exhibited its inhabitable "Origami Cave" as part of The Emergency Shelter exhibition, which was held in Sydney earlier this month.

Owl 360 serves as a third eye for cyclists

Owl 360 serves as a third eye for cyclists
What do cars have that bicycles don't? Lots and lots of things, actually, but one of those is a rearview mirror. While both cyclists and drivers have to shoulder check when changing lanes, cyclists additionally have to twist all the way around in order to see what's directly behind them.

PlayStation Vita to arrive on December 17

PlayStation Vita to arrive on December 17
Sony has used this week's Tokyo Game Show 2011 exhibition to outline more details of its next handheld gaming console, the PS Vita. The announcement included a lineup of titles and accessories to be available at the launch date, which is set for December 17 in Japan.

Microsoft releases Windows 8 Developer Preview

Microsoft releases Windows 8 Developer Preview
Microsoft previewed the next version of its Windows OS in June at D9 and a few more details leaked out shortly after that, but the biggest reveal came this week with Microsoft giving a preview of Windows 8 to kick off its Build conference, followed by the Developer Preview hitting Microsoft servers for anyone to download.

Oshkosh L-ATV put forward as Humvee replacement

Oshkosh L-ATV put forward as Humvee replacement
First of all, the L-ATV is well-armored. Its passenger capsule is scalable, and can accept multiple armor configurations, depending on the situation. The capsule's modular design also allows for compatibility with future technological upgrades.

Dot panoramic lens shoots 360-degree iPhone videos

Dot panoramic lens shoots 360-degree iPhone videos: "Not long ago, we reported on the GoPano micro panoramic lens, that allows users to shoot interactive 360-degree videos on their iPhones. Well, perhaps not surprisingly, it's got some competition"

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Panasonic to launch first Android-powered Toughbook tablet

Panasonic to launch first Android-powered Toughbook tablet: "Panasonic will introduce a ruggedized Toughbook tablet running Android OS in Q4 2011. Aimed at enterprise users, the Android Toughbook tablet will offer a sunlight-friendly matte screen, a 10.1'' XGA (1024 x 768) multi-touch display, "full-shift" battery life, GPS connectivity and an optional 3G/4G embedded modem."

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Flying-high in 2050: The Airbus Concept Cabin

Flying-high in 2050: The Airbus Concept Cabin: "Airbus engineers have outlined their vision of what passengers could expect from air travel circa 2050 - and it sounds like a lot more fun than today's cattle class experience. The Airbus Concept Cabin focuses on high levels of customization tailored to suit individual needs including auto-morphing seats and personalized entertainment."

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PolyZion project developing zinc-plastic battery

PolyZion project developing zinc-plastic battery: "While today's lithium-ion, lead acid, and nickel metal hydride batteries may offer far better performance than their predecessors, they are still not perfect - they're heavy, expensive, and have been known to short circuit and catch fire."

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China building world’s biggest radio telescope

China building world’s biggest radio telescope: "Since its completion in 1963, the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, with a diameter of 305 m (1,000 ft) and a collecting area of 73,000 square meters (790,000 sq ft), has been the largest single-aperture radio telescope ever constructed."

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New polymer gel for cheaper, flexible lithium ion batteries

New polymer gel for cheaper, flexible lithium ion batteries
Lithium-ion batteries have certainly been a boon to electronic devices, offering much longer run times than their alkaline counterparts. There is still room for improvement, however. Existing lithium batteries can short circuit, they don't stand up to damage, and they can only be made in a limited variety of shapes.

Volkswagen's sporty Beetle R Concept

Volkswagen's sporty Beetle R Concept
If you're one of the people who bemoan how Volkswagen's "new" Beetle has strayed from the original's simple, utilitarian nature ... well, you might want to stop reading now. The German automaker is debuting its high-performance Beetle R Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week.