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'Big Air Package' is billed as the largest indoor sculpture ever created (Photo: Wolfgang ...

Bulgarian-born artist Christo has unveiled his latest work, dubbed “Big Air Package,” which is billed as the largest indoor sculpture created to date. Whether the claim is true or not, the installation is most certainly a significant feat of engineering in its own right. Big Air Package is installed in Germany’s Gasometer Oberhausen, and almost fills the cavernous space of an empty gas tank, the inflated envelope being 90 meters (295 feet) high, and 50 meters (164 feet) in diameter.  Read More

The LEGO bookend safe

Every year a contest called the MocAthalon takes place, in which contestants must come up with the most creative things to build from LEGOs ... and some of them are truly mind-blowing. This year, creator Blake Baer and the Clutch Builders team crafted some sneaky bookends and LEGO books that actually hide a secret compartment.  Read More

The MULTI with all of its bits

The MULTI is a new wallet that aims to pack as many features as possible into a tiny package. To start with, it's a minimalistic wallet made with high-strength aluminum or titanium, depending on the model. However, it also offers a ton of other functions, most of which are things you would never expect to see in a wallet.  Read More

Kidtrack identifies young bus-riders by reading the unique vein patterns of their palms

A lot of parents worry when their kids first start taking the school bus by themselves. What if they’re snatched from the bus stop? What if they get off at the wrong stop? What if the bus is hijacked? Well, while the Kidtrack system can’t keep any of those things from happening, it can at least keep track of which children are on which buses, and where.  Read More

The 3D Forklift Trainer

Workplace safety is a major concern, but training to avoid accidents often involves little more than reading manuals and watching videos before getting behind the controls of a potentially dangerous machine. University of Buffalo spinoff Tactus Technologies’ 3D Forklift Trainer uses gaming technology and software to produce a virtual environment, where beginner forklift drivers can practice without racing about a warehouse in a very heavy vehicle with prongs on it.  Read More

The 'DRM Chair' is rigged with a counter that triggers it to fall to pieces after being sa...

What if the concept of disabling a product after certain conditions are met wasn't just restricted to digital goods? That's the idea that a design team in Switzerland decided to explore with the "DRM Chair," a piece of furniture rigged to fall apart after being sat on eight times.  Read More

The Digitizer scanner uses lasers and cameras to turn objects into digital files

MakerBot founder Bre Pettis kicked off the first day of the South By Southwest Interactive festival (SXSW) running from March 8-17 in Austin, Texas, by introducing a desktop 3D scanner dubbed the MakerBot Digitizer designed to let users scan a physical item and digitize it so it can be replicated using a 3D printer.  Read More

The first Dreambox 3D printing vending machine will be installed at UC Berkeley later this...

Back in November, we hoped that it wouldn't be too long before 3D printing vending machines broke out of university and made their way into the public domain. That day is getting closer, with the arrival of the Dreambox. Currently being readied for its first installation ahead of a wider rollout, users will be able to choose an existing design from an online catalog or upload their own via an online interface, set the machine in motion and then receive a text message when the object is ready for pickup. Upon arrival at the vending machine, a unique unlock code is entered and the 3D-printed object retrieved from a drawer.  Read More

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March 7, 2013
Gizmag is hiring

Gizmag is seeking technology writers based in Singapore to join our team. In particular we're looking for people with expertise in consumer electronics, mobile phones, robotics, electric vehicles and clean-tech.  Read More

Prof. Lou Bloomfield, with a couple of samples of Vistik

Looking for a more effective solution to the all-too-common wobbly table dilemma than a folded up bit of cardboard or piece of rubber under the leg, University of Virginia physicist Lou Bloomfield created a new type of silicone rubber called Vistik – it's malleable enough to take on any shape when pressed, but is still resilient enough to offer support, as it gradually starts to return to its original shape as the pressure is released. The material could have many applications ... beyond just steadying up wobbly tables.  Read More

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