Lifting river waste onto a belt before it reaches the sea
Interceptor Original guides floating river waste to a conveyor for collection. Local operators then move it into the waste-management system on land.
Tech
A sculpture that takes in wind and walks along the beach
Theo Jansen’s Strandbeest walks through linked plastic tubes and joints. Carefully chosen lengths turn rotation into a movement that resembles a creature’s gait.
Making beats on a circuit board that looks like a calculator
The pocket operator places buttons and a display on a small exposed circuit board. PO-33 K.O! can also turn short recordings of nearby sounds into musical material.
Making a Polaroid by photographing a phone screen
Polaroid Lab exposes instant film to light from a phone screen. Lenses and chemical development turn an existing digital photo into a print to hold.
Loving something cute without taking responsibility for an animal’s life
Four small robot ducks joined Jensen Huang onstage. They suggest a different kind of companion for someone who wants a cute presence nearby but cannot care for an animal.
X-59 tests a quieter approach to supersonic flight
NASA’s X-59 aims to reduce the sound of supersonic flight. Its performance in the air and the noise reaching the ground require separate tests.
An electric scooter that folds into its own carrying case
Honda Motocompacto stows its seat and handlebars to form a flat case. Its design considers what a scooter becomes when the ride is over.
Sending music to one seat without filling the room
Two curved ultrasonic beams create audible sound where they meet. Researchers used microphones inside a model head’s ears to measure where the sound could be heard.
Nintendo’s alarm stops when you get out of bed
Alarmo responds to movement with game sounds and stops when its user leaves the bed. Its camera-free sensor tracks movement, while its designers chose to leave morning scores out.
Moisture collected at night in the desert becomes water droplets during the day.
MIT’s window-shaped panel captures airborne moisture at night and releases it with sunlight during the day. Water held in a gel then condenses into droplets on glass.
Wake up your sleeping screen with a pen that doesn’t need to be recharged
Wacom MovinkPad 11 opens a fresh canvas when a pen is held briefly against its sleeping screen. A battery-free pen and a shorter startup process make it easier to begin a sketch.
REON POCKET warms and cools the back of the neck
A small metal plate against the skin provides cooling or warmth. Inside, a semiconductor transfers heat while a separate path carries it away.