News

Solar power isn't just a great hope for world governments hoping to cut carbon emissions; the technology also promises convenience and savings to the individual. Whilst solar powered calculators have been with us since the 1970s, the sun will be able to charge many more of our personal gadgets in future as solar PV cell technology becomes...

In a bid to cram as many people as possible on board their planes, airlines may soon remove seats and place passengers on rows of bicycle saddles. As described in a recent patent application by Airbus, passengers would sit on fold-down saddles, four of which would fit in the space occupied by three conventional economy class seats.

With over 15,000 passenger vehicles every day crossing the channel to France by ferry and Euro Tunnel at this time of the year, and a similar number of drivers bracing themselves for squabbling passengers, endless loo stops and the ever-present chorus of “are we there yet?”, an end to such Autoroute Angst may soon be at hand for drivers of...

The Housetrike is a cargo bike-based dwelling intended for use by the homeless, refugees and urban nomads. Its designer hopes the tricycle will give its users an independent, healthy, safe and above all dignified life by addressing the challenges of shelter, income and mobility. The cargo box transforms quickly and easily into a warm and...

Not content with stealing from the Boeing 747 the title of world’s largest airliner, the Airbus 380 of the near future may be revolutionary for entirely new reasons; it’s pilots will no longer use windows. Pilots already have the option to fly using only their instruments at night and in poor weather, and fully autonomous landings are...

It's hard to know how best to deal with drivers who overtake too fast and too close, but Backtracker believes the answer lies with its high-tech bicycle rear light that can monitor approaching traffic and warn of vehicles approaching at speed. The device can detect vehicles at distances up to 150 metres and speeds of up to 100 mph....

A resourceful Russian DIYer has devised a simple way to transform dicarded drinks bottles into lengths of plastic string that have many uses, including bicycle handlebar wrap or cable clamps. Once the plastic string is in place, the application of heat shrinks and seals it in place, strengthening it in the process. The main component is a...

The sound of a traditional bicycle bell is inherently friendly and impossible to ring angrily in the way that car horns are blared, so to help cyclists make heard above the din of city streets, MYBELL is a new design of bicycle speaker that plays any sound you choose at over 100 dB. [quote type="cycle_insurance"] According to the makers of...

The use of airbags has greatly improved road safety for car occupants and the technology has now spread from steering wheels to almost every part of a car’s interior – including the glove compartment. A series of crashes in the early 1950s that resulted in gruesome injuries caused by glove compartment doors led to the removal of sharp...

Drivers in the near future will be able to see obstacles around blind corners. British engineers have developed a camera that scatters laser light 4,000 times a second and collects the tiny amount of reflected light to build an image of its subject. The camera can see around corners by bouncing its light off walls, the ground and other...