Technology, Innovation & Outdoor News

New Balance's 3-in-1 hiking boot zips and strips down to camp slippers

July 14, 2026 | C.C. Weiss
Just in time for the heart of summer, New Balance has released one of the most versatile shoes you'll ever see. The new Niobium Concept 1 bridges the huge gap between waterproof boot and cozy slipper ... with another stop along the way.

Fixed-wing drone looks like Baymax from Big Hero 6 and flies 10+ hours

July 13, 2026 | Malcolm Azania
French firm Celeste Ecoflyers’ inflatable dAS10 aims to inspect energy grids, pipelines, and maritime security. As a new class of flat-storage deflatable, long-range aircraft, the vehicle will support logistics at a fraction of legacy aircraft costs.

Titanium modular multitool puts the power in pen form

July 14, 2026 | Ben Coxworth
The humble pen offers a very handy, easy-to-carry form factor for writing, so why not use it for other tasks, too? That's the thinking behind the VeroLite, a modular titanium multitool that's currently on Kickstarter.

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Tiny houses don't come much smaller or simpler than this 48-sq-ft model. Designed by Tiny Tiny Homes, it's conceived as emergency accommodation and provides a basic shelter for people experiencing homelessness.
Two humanoid robots just performed live surgery for the first time in history, hinting at a future where compact, affordable machines bring advanced surgical care to rural hospitals, battlefields, and other resource-strapped settings.
With its substantial size and lack of wheels or trailer, the Evergreen XL isn't a good fit for nomads. It trades portability for a remarkably spacious interior that's closer to an apartment than a traditional tiny house.
Ariel Rider's latest creation is purpose-built for blasting through unforgiving terrain. The Mudd 72V ebike packs enough power to rank it among the fastest ebikes you can buy – and it's got off-road cred to boot.
Volkswagen has been adding small but impactful camper van upgrades the past couple months. Now it turns its attention to its largest camper. Electrical upgrades give the updated Grand California more self-sufficient roaming capability than ever before.
Earlier in 2026, Airstream debuted a trailer it called the lightest, most aerodynamic in its class, the 22-ft World Traveler. Now it's back with an even lighter variant: a 17-footer with the same style of streamlined exterior and pared-back design

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Health and Science news from our sister site: Refractor
A recent study builds on previous findings, discovering that people who had experienced a serious heart attack also had higher levels of MNPs than healthy volunteers and patients with chronic ischemic heart disease.
Daddy longlegs, also called harvestmen, have been documented catching and consuming living frogs larger than themselves in South American rainforests. All without the use of venom.
Ten months on from the huge news that a chlamydia vaccine had been approved for Australia's koalas, a young female has become the first to receive the groundbreaking medicine in a new dose-and-implant format that makes large-scale treatment possible.
About a kilometer deep beneath the ocean surface, where sunlight disappears and food becomes scarce, lives a giant creature that can wait out starvation and survive more than five years without eating.
The ancient marine creature Spriggina floundersi didn’t have hands. It barely had a head. And yet we now know it also had a dominant side of its body – an early sign of the development of behavioral handedness.
Around one in three people worldwide have been infected with a microscopic parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, which can cause toxoplasmosis. After the initial infection, toxo settles into our muscles and brain, where it can remain for life.

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Who could possibly compare to Superman, the Man of Steel? Definitely not a man of plastic! Right? Wrong. Scientists have discovered that unconventionally shaped plastics may rival steel bars as reinforcement materials in construction concrete.
Scientists at KIST have built a working electric motor with metal-free windings, replacing copper entirely. It's much lighter and could reshape the future of EVs, drones, and electric aircraft.
Chinese humanoids are starting to move with extraordinary grace and agility, but Boston Dynamics is the OG in this field, and fresh video of its swivel-jointed Atlas robot running, cartwheeling and breakdancing shows it's still at the bleeding edge.
Electra's aircraft looks conventional enough, but it generates ludicrous amounts of lift, to take off and land at incredibly slow speeds, using almost no runway. With US$9 billion in pre-orders, it's outselling anything from the eVTOL world.
How did a guitar that failed to grab its intended market – the market it was literally named after – end up becoming the instrument of choice across surf-rock, post-punk, new wave, power pop, shoegaze and more?
A new tower is set to make a major impact on the skyline in Toronto, Canada. One Bloor West is nearing completion and has officially surpassed 984 ft, making it the country's first supertall skyscraper. And it's going to get even taller.
Last year, Subaru surpassed Toyota and Lexus to become the most reliable carmaker according to Consumer Reports. This year, Toyota reclaims its crown. And there’s one damning stat: Four out of the top five most reliable car brands this year are Japanese.
Bangkok-based RV and truck accessories builder Carryboy has teamed with Chinese auto badge Farizon to create one of the most compelling electric camper vans the world over. It invites campers in through a wide entry and ensures they live comfy.