If the aesthetic qualities of a speaker were more important than sound, the Japanese-made Solid Acoustics SIKKIM would be one of the most sought after speaker systems in the world. As it is, they sell for US$3150 a pair (including a sound equalizer, tabletop stand, and cables), so they’ll never set sales records but they are extraordinary to look at and unique in many ways. Each dodecahedron (12 sided) Sikkim speaker is created by casting aluminium and then mounting an extremely high quality 5cm speaker on each face. This enables the Sikkims to radiate sound through a full 360 degrees and produce “room-filling sound” that emanates from a single point. As each speaker within the 100w Sikkim has an opposing twin on the same axis, the units also have very low vibration, making them ideal for apartments with paper-thin walls and floors. Similarly, because the units radiate sound, they make good use of acoustically imperfect locations and give a much better result than traditional speaker systems.  Read More

If the human body can be regarded as a machine, the motor would be the heart. Given the mission-critical nature of the human body, and the expense and inconvenience of down-time, the latest offering from Polar Electro is worth a look - it's a weight and health management system based around a wrist receiver, a transmitter belt and ongoing access to an interactive website.The only solution for permanently successful weight management is to take in less energy than you expend and Polar Electro's new personalised guidance system looks to be the most logical development in an industry renowned for reducing intake but doing little about output.  Read More

The old saying, "birds of a feather, flock together," can now be applied to a couple of small uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs) flown in a NASA research experiment using principles derived from studies of fish and bird motions to simultaneously guide them around obstacles. Engineers and technicians from NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., and Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., recently conducted flight tests over a 'virtual' forest fire to evaluate new flight-control software that will allow UAVs the ability to autonomously react to obstacles as they fly pre-programmed missions. The tests were conducted over a remote area of Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to investigate cooperative flight strategies for airborne monitoring and surveillance of natural disasters and for atmospheric sampling.  Read More

Cadillac has been getting a lot of press for its limousines of late, but in our mind, the jewel in the crown is not American President George W. Bush’s “missile-proof” 2006 Cadillac DTS Presidential Limousine or even the Cadillac DTS Executive Limousine that real estate magnate Donald Trump accepted at the New York Motor Show. We like the Cadillac Escalade ESVe (for executive) limousine. With a 40-inch wheelbase extension, the Escalade ESVe limousine is a mobile board room and entertainment suite on wheels. It is equipped with opulent amenities and seating for four passengers in the rear cabin.  Read More

Dodge showed the 2006 Dodge Charger SRT8 for the first time at the New York Auto Show this week and performance-car aficionados were delighted with the infusion of Street and Racing Technology (SRT) DNA. The all-new 2006 Dodge Charger SRT8 provides performance enthusiasts with a thoroughly modern American muscle sedan: more power, world-class ride and handling, benchmark braking and a race-inspired interior.  Read More

One of the stars of the 21st International Electric Vehicles Symposium (EVS21) to be held in Monte Carlo next week will be the world’s most exclusive electric car – the Venturi Fetish. Assembled by hand in Monaco and made to order, the Fetish has an asking price of 450,000 Euro (US$583,000) - not bad for a vehicle which can legitimately claim the title of being the first production electric sports car in history.  Read More

The Cambridge-MIT Institute has begun a fascinating initiative that brings together leading academics from Cambridge University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with leaders in the civil aerospace and aviation industry to develop the design for a plane that is radically quieter than current passenger aircraft. CMI’s ‘Silent Aircraft’ project has a bold aim: to discover ways to reduce aircraft noise dramatically, to the point where it would be virtually unnoticeable to people outside the airport perimeter. This initiative is bringing together leading academics from Cambridge University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with representatives from all parts of the civil aerospace/aviation industry. This unique community will be working together, sharing knowledge and developing the design for an aircraft whose noise emissions would barely be heard above the background noise level in a typical built-up area.  Read More

One of the most radical water toys ever invented, the PowerSkiJetBoard is an engineering masterpiece - the inventors have taken the form factor of a surfboard and built in an ingenuously small and flat 45 horsepower motor capable of propelling it to 40 mph. With the rear thrust, rail and the three fins beneath, the JetBoard carves better than anything else on water, tarmac or snow, generating G-forces up to 6G and enabling the rider to get almost horizontal (check the pics inside). The JetBoard never cavitates or slides out, enabling a standing rider to perform continuous, stable, high speed turns with slight shifts in weight.  Read More

The Intellifit System is an ingenious new invention that could revolutionise the global clothing market. Intellifit is a body scanning solution that uses radio waves to safely and accurately capture consumer measurements directly through clothing within ten seconds and gives the consumer a print-out of their exact body measurements. The Levi's brand is currently testing the Intellifit electronic body scanner in five of its major US stores. When a fully-clothed person steps into the cylindrical glass booth, the system scans the person and prints out recommended sizes and styles of Levi's jeans cross referenced with his or her measurements.  Read More