CyberRunner is a Labyrinth marble game modified to be played by autonomous AI, using two motors as hands, a camera for eyes, and a computer for its brain. It does not have a sense of humor though, and clearly became frustrated when I kept replacing its marble with a piece of chewed gum.
After six hours of model-based reinforcement learning, the robot was able to complete the full maze in just 14.69 seconds — within a second of the human world record. That’s impressive… and with only 6 hours of practice! Imagine what it could do with a full week.
During the robot’s learning, it found several shortcuts it could take to bypass part of the maze, but the humans behind the project stepped in to force the robot to follow the whole path. Me? I always try to jump the ball straight from start to finish in one violent leap.
Winter is by far my favorite season of the year, as the temperature drops, my excitement rises! Chilly nights followed by frosty mornings, cozy naps in bed with blankets wrapped around me, and cups of hot cocoa – it all sounds like heaven to me. As blissful and beautiful as winter can be, it can also be harsh on our bodies and our lifestyles, if we don’t equip ourselves for it. So, we’ve curated a bunch of super interesting and functional tech designs to get you through this winter season…in style! These innovative designs are the ultimate winter essentials for you.
1. Bio Heater
Designed by Unichest for their client Flint Lab, the Bio Heater is an ingenious and novel way to make judicious and good use of cooking oil that is otherwise considered waste after use. This cooking oil is used as fuel for the Bio Heater.
Why is it noteworthy?
Flint Lab utilizes the cooking oil to produce an eco-friendly fuel for the Bio Heater. The heater is equipped with a unique combustion technology under its belly which is used to transfer heat energy, which is then further radiated in the room.
What we like
Neat and minimal design that blends perfectly with modern homes
The rounded top can be used to place things when not in use
What we dislike
Bulky and space-consuming design, not intended for smaller homes
2. Thermaphones
Designed by Kevin Chiam, the Thermaphones are a pair of unique cans designed to alter the temperature to nullify the effect of an extremely hot temperature or the cool chill of winter.
Why is it noteworthy?
The innovative headphones feature a hybrid design, where the temperature-changing earbuds provide unique thermal comfort. The earcups on the headphones are quite compact and comfy.
What we like
Eliminates any chances of vertigo induced by the extreme variation in temperature
It provides you comfort during the winter and summer
What we dislike
It’s a concept, so we don’t know how the final tangible product will turn out to be
3. Harmony Flame Lamp Fireplace
You can now enjoy a beautiful and safe fire indoors with this stunning brass lamp. It utilizes eco-friendly bioethanol to spread illumination and warmth in your home. The fireplace is made using the same technique that is adopted to build musical instruments.
This beautiful brass fireplace is designed to enhance and uplift the mood of all indoor spaces. Both the reflective surfaces and flames play around with light and shadows to create an aesthetically appealing decorative piece that is excellent for your dining table or patio.
What we like
Lets you enjoy and experience a safe and pretty fire inside the comfort of your home
What we dislike
The lamp utilizes bioethanol which is eco-friendly, but will need to be purchased and refilled, creating a fuel dependency
The fuel capacity and compact size of the lamp may not support extended use, which some people need for longer-lasting illumination
4. POCO
Dubbed POCO: Portable capsule coffee machine, this compact and lightweight device can slide easily into your backpack or bag along with coffee pods, making it an exceptional coffee maker on the go for the winter.
Why is it noteworthy?
You can recharge POCO via a USB-C, charging it on the go using your laptop or a portable charger. It is an excellent device for people who are always on the move.
What we like
Equipped with a built-in thermal insulation function
It enables you to enjoy a cup of coffee anytime anywhere
What we dislike
Since it’s a concept we don’t know how functional and credible it will be as an actual product
5. Breez Desktop Hand Warmer
You know how difficult texting in the cold can be, so imagine how tough it is to type on a keyboard in the cold. This is where the Breez desktop hand warmer swoops in!
Why is it noteworthy?
Designed to keep your fingers warm and toasty, the Breez desktop hand warmer lets you clack away on your keyboard without feeling cold. It features a horizontal form that uniformly warms your hand as you type.
What we like
It covers the entire keyboard leaving no cold zones or spots
What we dislike
There aren’t any color options, besides pastel blue, so not a lot of variety
The moment Pantone announced their Color of the Year for 2024, we expected a lot of brands to officially and unofficially carry the Peach Fuzz tones for their respective products. If that is a color that you prefer or if you like that shade, then good for you as all year round you’ll see different brands and products carry the hue. If you’re not a fan, well, you’ll have to endure it and just look for other colors that match your preferences. If you’re the former and you’re looking for a new Android phone, then Motorola is a very good option.
Designer: Motorola
Motorola has come up with a tie-in with Pantone to bring Peach Fuzz versions of two of their newest smartphones, the motorola razr 40 ultra and the motorola edge 40 neo. The only difference between these versions of the smartphones and the original iteration is that they’re carrying the warm and cozy hues of the color of 2024, “highlighting the importance of shared moments” through the combination of Pantone’s “mastery of color” and Motorola’s “legendary design”
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For those who prefer a more hip and modern device, the flippable design of the motorola razr 40 ultra / razr+ with the Peach Fuzz color with the vegan leather finish might appeal more as they’re branding it for the extroverts. It boasts of several camera modules like its 12MP dual cam, the 13MP ultrawide lens, and the 32MP wide selfie camera. Those looking for a more “sophisticated” smartphone can go with the motorola edge 40 neo with its 6.55-inch P-OLED display, 5,000 mAh battery, and camera setup (50MP main, 13MP ultrawide lens, 32MP selfie cam).
Both Motorola and Pantone believe that color deepens our interaction with our devices as they express our individuality and preferences. The Peach Fuzz color in particular was chosen to harness “connection, community, and personal wellbeing”, which is what Motorola also wants to encapsulate in their smartphones.
Believe you me, just the way vinyl made its glorious comeback, CDs too will see a resurrection in popularity… and when they do, the Cp1 CD Player will stand out as the most sophisticated-looking player of our time. Combining age-old technology with a clean, minimalist, design-driven aesthetic, the Cp1 is a wall-mounted compact disc player that doubles as wall art. Its all-white design with clear lines and subtle detailing makes it blend perfectly into modern Japandi-style homes. Dieter Rams and Naoto Fukasawa would be proud.
“Streaming may be all the rage, but it often eclipses the holistic experience of a full album,” says the Cp1’s designer Tatsufumi Funayma. “While artists pour their souls into their albums, streaming emphasizes single tracks. NEW Cp1 nudges you to revisit the magic of entire albums, offering a chance to truly understand an artist’s intent and narrative, all while enjoying the accompanying art.” A billion CDs are still produced annually, yet the only way to buy a CD player today is to search for one at a thrift shop, on eBay, or go garage-sale hunting to grab a second-hand one for dirt cheap. The Cp1 changes that by hat-tipping an existing technology that doesn’t get enough credit, and is heavily due for a nostalgic resurgence.
At first glance, the Cp1’s design is a striking balance of retro and modern aesthetics. Look at it and you’re instantly reminded of a Polaroid film with the way it’s designed. It has a border on all four sides, with a thicker one at the base, like an instant photo. The center is where the magic occurs, where you can either observe the CD playing through a clear window, or slide the CD cover’s artwork in, transforming the player into a large retro-style relic of your eclectic music collection. The minimalist front, dominated by the disc tray and tiny display for track-number, exudes a no-nonsense attitude towards music playback. Look on the top edge and you’ll see the Cp1’s controls – simple self-colored tactile buttons that are easy to understand with zero text or labeling, reinforcing the Cp1’s clean design.
Despite its retro functionality, it’s equipped with modern connectivity options like Bluetooth 5.1. This means it can easily integrate into a variety of audio setups, from traditional home stereo systems to more contemporary multi-room setups. A 3.5mm audio jack encourages you to use wired headsets or speakers (as any audiophile will rightfully suggest), a built-in li-ion battery gives the Cp1 portable playback, and a USB-C port on the base lets you charge your CD player (never thought I’d say those words in 2023!) If you DO choose to mount your Cp1 on a wall, each CD player ships with a wall-mount that lets you attach the device temporarily, removing it whenever you wish like you would a wall-hung photo frame.
The Cp1’s transparent window is suitable for displaying photos and pieces of art too. Whether it’s abstract art you’ve created, images off the web, your own photos, or NFTs you may have regrettably invested in. You can slide a print right into the player, allowing it to serve as a larger-than-life Polaroid that sits on your desk or your wall. The Cp1 comes in white and even black variants, although the former is clearly a personal favorite. Even with its built-in battery, it measures a mere 26mm (1 inch) in thickness, which means it won’t occupy much real estate on your wall. The 1800mAh battery offers 7-8 hours of playback on a full charge – that’s roughly 10 or more albums for you to listen to while you relish the music as well as the art on the front facade of your gorgeous CD player from a minimalist future!
The Crusher Ripple is a newly released all-electric snowboard that can hit speeds up to 31 MPH and has a 9 to 12-mile range. The $2,199 board uses a large treaded tire in the rear to grip the snow, allowing a rider to travel both in the flats and up to 20% graded hills. That’s fantastic news because going uphill is the worst. My calves burn just thinking about trudging up a mountain. Or even a slight hill.
The Ripple is powered by a 3,000-watt motor and features an independent suspension, allowing riders to customize the board to current snow conditions. Me? I like my shocks stiff, so every rock I run over in my car feels like I just jumped a curb.
I never even considered the possibility of flat-ground snowboarding like cross-country skiing, yet here we are. Plus, it looks like it requires far less physical effort than cross-country skiing, which is definitely a plus in my book. I mean, there’s a reason the NordicTrack in the corner of my bedroom is basically a dusty clothes rack now.
It’s frightening to think that it will not be a surprise to all of us if one of these days, we’ll wake up to the fact that our new robot overlords have taken over the planet. We’re seeing advances in robotics that will not make that an impossibility. We’re still far away from robots becoming sentient beings that will enslave us though so for now we can enjoy how these humanoid devices are still being created to help us rather than replace us.
Designer: Tesla
It’s also not a surprise that Elon Musk and Tesla are at the forefront of trying to make these robots better. The latest version of their humanoid robot, the Optimus Gen 2, brings many improvements from their first one, the Bumblebee back in 2022, and the Optimus Gen 1 from just earlier this year. It received a lot of hardware upgrades for this version, specifically the Tesla-designed actuators and sensors that are now more precise and accurate and now has integrated electronics into it. You get articulated toe sections based on human foot geometry so it can walk a bit more naturally.
It now also has a 2-DoF actuated neck so it’s able to move its head in a more human way, which can be amazing or terrifying. Its hands now has 11-DoF and tactile sensing in all of its digits so it will be able to handle eggs and other delicate things without dropping them. It is also now lighter by 10kg and gets a 30% walk speed boost so it can easily move around better than its predecessors, although you can still outrun it if needed. Because of these improvements, it has improved balance and full body control that it can do things like squats.
The Optimus humanoid robot is envisioned to be a helper for humans, taking over some of the monotonous tasks that we would like to escape from. The Gen 2 is still in the prototype phase though and there is no news yet if they will eventually manufacture and sell it. It gives us time to think about whether we will risk an eventual robot uprising just to take away tedious tasks from our every day life.
Although digital music, especially through streaming channels, has become the most common way to listen to music these days, they are hardly the only options available. Vinyl has made a comeback in the past years, and audio CDs haven’t really disappeared despite their lower sales. Physical media such as these still have their advantages, especially when it comes to the jackets and sleeves they are packaged in. These usually have images and art that were carefully chosen to visually complement or represent the collection of music the album contains. For convenience’s sake, these jackets and sleeves are often set aside once the discs start turning, but this rather charming portable CD player gives them a special spot so that you can enjoy the art of both the music as well as the cover wherever you go.
Anyone who has used a music streaming service or media player app will probably be familiar with how these display the album art associated with the currently playing track. In a sense, these have replaced those jackets that come with physical CD cases, though the irony is that there is no physical equivalent to the way they function. Once you pop a CD into a player, the case and the jacket are practically forgotten until it’s time to put away the CD again. While practical, it loses the unique flavor that these CD jackets provide by adding a memorable visual element that can be associated with the music.
This minimalist CD player delivers a rather distinctive listening experience that combines the pleasure of audio with the impact of visual art. Rather than having to set aside the CD jacket or sleeve, you can slip it inside the specially-designed pocket so that you can show it off to anyone in view. It’s like the physical equivalent of displaying digital album art, except you have the opportunity to boast about owning the physical original CD, especially if it’s a rare, limited run.
What makes this unique CD player extra special is its portability. It has a built-in 40mm full-range speaker as well as a woofer unit, ensuring that you can listen to your favorite albums wherever you are or wherever you place it in your room or home. The 1,800mAh rechargeable battery promises 7 to 8 hours of playback before you need to plug it in again. Of course, you can still connect an external speaker via the 3.5mm headphone jack or Bluetooth 5.1, but those would probably be the exception rather than the norm.
Despite the addition of a speaker and a battery, this Portable CD Cover Player retains a simple, minimalist, and thin design at only 27mm thick. Thanks to this and its wireless operation, the player can even serve as a piece of decoration, whether standing on a shelf or hanging from a wall. With this ingenious and elegant portable CD player, you get to enjoy your favorite music not just with your ears but also with your eyes.
With the advent of social media, most of us have found long-lost friends or made new meaningful contacts. This movement in technology has helped shape our personality; in some cases, however, it is threatening the fabric of social interaction with people closer and more physically available, leading to social phobia. The fear of venturing out or being social can have a significant impact on the “occupational” and “educational” attainment of many reclusive, leaving them with fewer friends, a pessimistic viewpoint about self, and a lifestyle confined to the four walls of their living quarters.
Staying inclusive to the pretext, enters Mori: A robotic buddy for the younger generation dealing with social anxiety disorder. Studies on the behavior of seniors – recovering from dementia – with companion robots show that the elderly prefer “soft, furry, interactive animals” as partners. There is a considerable difference in favor of robotic pets that can simulate real-life animal in terms of eye contact and order-obeying ability. To that accord, “Joy for All” or “Paro,” companion bots have fine-tined the relationship between humans and technology. Now Mori, with a gadget-esque, interactive approach wants to help the youth by being that partner they can confide with and catapult out of the anxiety of being socially inactive.
Designers: YeEun Kim, Taewan Kim
Designed to help young adults deal with mental and physical health issues, Mori benefits by assisting them overcome these challenges offering consistent support to reclaim the lost zeal. Whether the person is dealing with lifestyle-related problems or social anxiety, Mori provides a solution with mood-based conversations and designs achievement activities to motivate individuals to venture out.
The robot itself comes in a two-part design. The base comprises a control unit with a speaker and volume rockers and cradles within a spherical device that can crack open in half to convert into over-ear headphones. The user can put on the headset to communicate with the integrated AI assistant that guides through activities to rekindle the person to resume outdoor activities.
The positive motivation would work best in favor of the socially inactive, who are cocooned in the nexus of the virtual world, frame their life’s objectives and routines based on the opinions of online friends and lifestyle of the influencers. Mori embedded with an emotion recognition sensor immediately identifies the mood of the user and initiates conversation to build rapport with positive empathy. Mori as a unit is powered by a rechargeable battery: you dock the headset in the cradle base, which wirelessly charges it, while drawing its power through a USB-C port in its rear.
Here’s a fact you probably didn’t know – In the time it takes to blink, a car traveling at 60 mph will have moved over 50 feet. It’s exactly that much of a moment, a single blink, that is enough to change an entire life or multiple lives… and while your eyes might have missed that moment, a dashcam never blinks. Once a tool for law enforcement, these compact devices have become indispensable for everyday drivers around the globe. With road incidents on the rise and accountability more important than ever, we’re diving into why equipping your vehicle with a dashcam isn’t just smart—it’s essential. Whether it’s a near brush with death, a careless driver/pedestrian flouting traffic rules, or just a vandal trying to cause trouble, having a steady pair of eyes on the road helps keep you safe and also helps prove your point. The folks at 70mai, makers of some of the leading dashcams on the market, are running a 25% discount on their best-selling dashcams. With features such as 4K capture, AI motion detection, built-in GPS, and 24-hour surveillance, 70mai’s dashcams start as low as $66 and fit easily on both the front and the rear of your car, monitoring every corner to keep your car, but also ultimately you and your family, safe.
1. 70mai Omni Dash Cam 360° Vehicle Security Guard
Touted as the world’s first-ever 360° rotating dashcam, the 70mai Omni monitors the front, rear, and even insides of your car. The single-unit camera attaches to your front windshield, with a 140° FoV wide-angle lens that can rotate 360° to surveil every corner of your car and its periphery. The cameras rely on best-in-class OS02K10 sensors which record at FullHD 1080p@60fps in HDR, working even in low light thanks to 70mai’s Night Owl Vision feature. The patented design features a compact display for viewing your feed, and a set of rotating cameras that leave no stone unturned, especially given their AI-powered features that track motion, humans, and collisions. Moreover, the dashcam’s ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) feature helps you stay aware of your surroundings as you drive. 24-hour smart surveillance means your car stays alert even when you’re not in it, and video footage gets recorded locally to an eMMC built-in storage (this offers faster read and write speeds than an SD card), and can also be accessed using 70mai’s app. The camera automatically rolls over older footage if it doesn’t detect any activity, and automatically saves logs of events/detections that don’t get deleted, allowing you to access them at a later date. The Omni comes with voice control, along with a built-in GPS that location-stamps your footage and even tracks your routes for you, making it a remarkably vigilant companion. Currently running on a special 25% discount, the 128G version Omni with hardwire kit bundle starts at just $164.98 which includes the camera unit, mounting accessories, a crowbar for concealing the wiring behind the interior paneling, a power cable, and a car charger to keep your dashcam charged when its 300mAh battery runs out.
If you’re looking for something reliable without breaking the bank, the A810 is a stellar pick. It uses Sony’s best-in-class STARVIS sensor to capture 4K footage from the front while offering 1080P HDR footage from the rear camera of your car. The two-part camera system attaches to your front and rear windshield, with dual-channel HDR recording and 70mai’s Night Owl Vision that gives you a clear picture even in low-light settings. A 150° FoV on the front and 130° on the back gives a reliable wide-angle view of your car with hardly any blind spots, and the dashcam’s display and ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) prove handy when it comes to navigating tight spaces or parking. The A810’s smart features allow it to capture incidents before they even happen. The camera runs on a 24-hour surveillance mode, rolling over older footage with a new video feed. AI-powered software aids in motion detection, human detection, and collision detection, and the dashcam sends alerts to your smartphone through a dedicated app, while also saving a log of any event that it may have captured. The video is also accompanied by GPS metadata that proves incredibly handy in ensuring the validity of legal and insurance claims. The 70mai Dash Cam 4K A810 is available for a special Christmas discounted price of $149.98, which includes the two cameras, mounting gear, a hardwire kit for parking surveillance, a power cord, and a car charger that lets you juice the dashcam’s 500mAh battery.
For $45 less, the 70mai A800S is a compelling budget alternative with a $104.99 price tag. It has all of the A810’s features including dual-channel 4K recording with 70mai Night Owl Vision, built-in ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System), and 3D dynamic noise reduction to give you a clear image in both night and day. The A800S, however, records at a slightly smaller 140° FoV, and at 30fps, using Sony IMX415 sensors on both the front and back. Those minor changes don’t affect the A800S’ performance, given that it still has all the AI-powered motion, human, and collision-detection features. You’ve still got 24-hour surveillance, which lets you keep an eye on your car even when you’re not inside, and events get logged locally on an SD card and can be accessed, along with GPS data, on 70mai’s smartphone app. The A800S is available for a discounted $104.98, which fetches you the dual-camera setup, mounts, a power cable, and a car-charger.
At $65.99, the A500S is 70mai’s best-selling dashcam on sale. With 1944p recording capabilities, the video footage is just above FullHD (2.7K to be precise), thanks to Sony IMX335 sensors on the front and back that offer stellar recording quality even at night (coupled with 70mai’s 3D Dynamic Noise Reduction). A 140° FoV, parking surveillance, ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System), time-lapse recording, built-in GPS, and a companion app give you everything you need if you’re looking for a budget-friendly dashcam for your car. Don’t trust us, how about asking the 500,000 drivers who use it every day?!
While the fear that our robot overlords will eventually take over the planet is still real, we’ve seen advances in robotics that are more helpful for humanity. There are tasks that we would much rather a robot will do for us like carrying heavy things (although that may be one of the reasons why the revolution will start) to avoid injuries. We’re seeing experiments on how to train them to do even more advanced skills so they can eventually take over the world, I mean these heavy, menial tasks.
Designer: Swiss Mile
The ANYmal robot is one such robot experiment that can get around either as a dog-like quadruped or mimic a human when it stands up on its hind legs, hence its name. Last year, it learned to squat back and stand up with its motorized wheels and now they’re experimenting with it to do heavier tasks through something called “curiosity-driven learning”. Basically it gets rewarded when it is able to complete the task it’s given by figuring out how to do it by itself.
In the video they posted showing how the ANYmal robot completed the task of putting a package into a bin, it was able to actually lift the box up and then put it where it’s supposed to go. However, it seemed to just throw it into that bin like how some baggage handlers supposedly do their task if they think no one is looking. The robot is probably thinking, “Hey, they just told me to put the box into the bin, not really to do it carefully and precisely.”
For now, the robot is still a robotics research project for things like Reinforcement Learning and Random Network Distillation. But if they do decide to actually manufacture the robots for industrial and commercial use, it would be interesting to see how the wheeled quadruped with the humanoid form can actually reduce heavy grunt work for humans.
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