Technology, Innovation & Outdoor News

DARPA honors drone teams for light copters that carry heavy loads

August 14, 2026 | Ben Coxworth
Presently, cargo-carrying helicopters and multirotor drones have at best a 1:1 payload-to-body-weight ratio. DARPA's Lift Challenge, however, recently asked teams to design drones with a ratio of 4:1 or better.

World's largest all-electric plane completes maiden flight

August 13, 2026 | David Szondy
Another record falls as the world's largest all-electric airplane makes its maiden flight. On August 12, 2026, Heart Aerospace's 25,000-lb (11,340-kg) X1 demonstrator aircraft took to the skies over Plattsburgh, New York for a 27-minute FAA flight test.

Compact tiny house embraces nomadic off-grid living

August 14, 2026 | Adam Williams
While many tiny homes have been trending steadily larger, this off-grid model takes things in the opposite direction. Created with mobility in mind, it would be a good fit for those wanting a nomadic lifestyle.

Top Stories

Following almost eight years of construction, work is complete on the Gordie Howe International Bridge. It features an impressive main span of 2,798 ft, making the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America.
We wouldn't call the all-new Invento Geo multitool "revolutionary" in the sense of changing the market forever, but it does blend physical revolution into the multitool formula. The result is what could prove a quicker of switching between tools.
Portable solar panels have long been a favorite of the off-grid camping and backpacking community, but they're limited by daytime use. Ventyra is aiming to solve this solar gap with an ultra-portable wind turbine called the R1.
Volkswagen often surprises with its annual Caravan Salon debuts, and this year it's revealing multiple world-first concepts that explore the future of van life. It starts off with a California Beach concept that packs a cabin full of inflatables.
Iris' new solar generator has a handy feature you don't often see on units like these: the ability to follow the sun around the sky. The T1 also a built-in battery to top off your personal gadgets while you're off-grid.
The MegCell Pulse is a 3D-printable robotic system that can fit on any acoustic guitar and play music you feed it in a digital tablature format. With this, you can hear compositions rendered right in front of you, no speakers necessary.

Latest News

Load More
Health and Science news from our sister site: Refractor
Longevity has become a bit of a buzz word, and has become increasingly aligned with the tech industry. But a timely report from Harvard Medical School reminds us that we have a lot of power when it comes to how we age – and it's backed by science.
In somewhat of a surprise announcement, the Food and Drug Administration has approved the first US influenza vaccine engineered from the mRNA technology that gave us one of the most administered COVID-19 shots during the pandemic.
“Remove the plank from your eye before pointing out the speck in another’s,” says a popular proverb. For millions with geographic atrophy, the speck is literal. Relief may now be coming, after a sight-restoring implant received approval for sale in Europe.
An AI present in your consultation promises better notes, less admin and more time for patients, but what exactly is being recorded, where does the data go, and did anyone really ask for your consent?
Hookworms are freeloaders that live at the host’s expense inside their gut, drinking about two drops of blood per day. This parasite could soon pay its way with engineered hookworms serving as living medicine factories.
Sixteen different PFAS compounds have been discovered in the feathers of Antarctic penguins, demonstrating that the insidious spread of "forever chemicals" now reaches the most remote wildlife on Earth.

Latest News

Load More

Editor's Picks

Precision milling used to mean giant, pricey shop machines out of reach for most makers. You could design the "next big thing," but could you actually build it? Now you can.
The Tesla Cybertruck has done what very few modern-day vehicles have been able to achieve – become one of the most recognizable cars on the road. However, Tesla has a major issue on its hands: Its angular electric pickup isn't selling in the numbers it had hoped for.
The new Aviator's Ember from Aerohart applies aerospace-grade materials to an age-old design, providing powerful fire-starting performance that carries lightly in a pocket. Like an engine piston, it compresses air for fast, furious combustion.
While the topical application of minoxidil is one of the most effective and popular ways to combat male pattern baldness, it is poorly absorbed by the skin. Looking to improve its efficacy, researchers have turned to an unlikely but very sweet ally.
It's double-barreled, it uses lasers instead of LEDs, and it's machined from a solid block of 6061 aluminum alloy. Come meet the Lumitwin DL700 flashlight, which belts out two converging beams up to a distance of 2 km (1.24 miles).
There's a new contender for the US Navy's F/A-XX Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter program to replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and it looks like something out of Batman's hangar thanks to a peculiar triple-fuselage design.
"You can either go to Vegas, or you can go to The Hacienda," is what got this world-record-setting idea off the ground and into the air for a couple of months. Yep, I said months.
For nearly a century, a strange band of 5,200 holes carved into a hillside has defied explanation. Stretching for nearly a mile along the edge of the Pisco Valley, Monte Serpe – "serpent mountain" – may have finally revealed its secrets to scientists.