Transparent toaster concept: pounce when it's perfect

Okay, it's probably worth mentioning at this point that the transparent toaster concept doesn't actually work yet - while the prototypes might be able to gently warm a slice of bread, further research investment is needed to get the glass to heat up enough to actually toast it.

Inventables is an ideas incubator that's working on some very interesting concepts and prototypes at the moment, including fold-out e-paper screens for portable devices, mega-fast mag-lev waterslides, and cartons of milk that change color when the milk goes off.

Stiletto Experimental ship with carbon fiber M-hull design tops 50 knots (60mph)

he M80 Stiletto Experimental Vessel was launched this week offering a sneak peak at the next generation of military vessels. The Stiletto is an operational experiment by the Pentagon’s Office of Force Transformation (OFT) and its revolutionary carbon fibre structure and hull enable it to operate in shallow water, with 50 knot speeds, stability and great stealth as part of its armoury. Costing US$12.5 million to develop and build, the 88ft vessel is capable of carrying 37 tonnes at speed over a range of 500 nautical miles. The patented M-hull design transitions automatically and efficiently through hydrostatic, hydrodynamic and aerostatic lift modes with increasing speeds effectively creating a cushion of air and providing a comfortable high speed ride with great stability, and has enormous promise for a wide range of nautical applications for boats from 8 through 200 feet (see these stunning concepts). The Stiletto is powered by four 1,650-horsepower Caterpillar engines, and can cruise comfortably near its top speed of more than 50 knots (60 miles per hour). With a shallow draft of less than 3 feet, Stiletto has a three man crew, and will carry a complement of 12 US Navy Sea, Air and Land (SEAL) commandos, an11 metre rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) and either Manta and Silver Wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)

Universal Hovercrafts go anywhere in style

Over land, water, ice or snow - the hovercraft offers a cost-effective, multi-purpose vehicle for recreation and transportation with the thrill of travelling on air. And now Universal Hovercraft has marketed a range of affordable hovercraft kits to house up to ten people in this dynamic mode of travelling, including the striking Hoverwing XR with retractable wings.

Universal Hovercraft has been producing hovercraft technology since 1967 and has grown to become the world's largest supplier of hovercraft plans, kits, and parts. They have dozens of hovercraft, Wing in Ground Effect (WIG) and scale model kits available and their crafts can host single passengers all the way up to groups of ten plus people.

The SeaLegs Anaconda Amphibious Concept

With the vast majority of the world’s population living very close to the water, amphibious vehicles make loads of sense – which means we love amphibious vehicles at Gizmag, having previously reported on the original launch of Sealegs, the Gibbs Aquada Sportcar, the Gibbs Humdinga 4WD amphibian, the Platypus 4WD amphibian, the Rinspeed Splash, the Phibicat,the world’s only mass production amphibian, the Amphicar. More recently, we’ve written about the Sealegs rugged aluminium amphibious craft which which halved Sir Richard Branson's English Channel record set in an Aquada in June. Interestingly, the country where most amphibious innovation is occuring is New Zealand, home of both Gibbs and SeaLegs and one of the most interesting tertiary courses in the world – Massey University’s Bachelor of Design in Transport Design. Our latest amphibian is a concept craft created by a graduate of Massey Designs Marine Transport Course, Matt Gibson. This year Matt’s final year project was sponsored by Sealegs International and the aim was to develop a futuristic amphibious craft, which eventually took shape as the “Anaconda” pictured here.

The TRIX human-powered carving trike

A brief look through our powered three-wheeler portfolio shows we love trikes and the carving concept of steering in particular. The TRIX uses rack and pinion steering to offer a carving-like experience to human-powered trikes, removing the utilitarian feel of the flat turning arc of a rigid frame and replacing it with pure fun without removing the intrinsic cargo-carrying benefit of the three-wheeler. The steering also means a tighter turning circle and significantly improved manoeuvrability as it can slalom between obstacles and lean into curves like a motorcycle. As it is ideally suited to negotiate narrow, or congested streets, TRIX is ideal for city centre life and can be adapted to transport goods or become a space-age rickshaw with a single, front-seated passenger.

3D BOOKS

The computer and real world are seamlessly merged to provide a surreal experience with the 3D Story Book. The technology, called augmented reality, can be used in a multitude of applications, including gaming. But developers at Hitlab in New Zealand have focused on education and in particular kids. This amazing and fun technology that has produced pop-up books that move and solar systems that float in front your eyes. Reading to the kids will never be the same again.

WHEELSURFER

The Wheelsurf is a motorised monocycle powered by a chainsaw engine. Designed by Brazilian engineer Tito Lucas Ott, the rider sits inside the turning wheel, and steers by leaning the whole machine into corners – hence ‘surfing’. The wheelsurfer takes practice to master and you need to be relatively well coordinated. Weight distribution, body balancing and throttle all play a part in a successful ride.

The Quadski

Quadski is capable of travelling up to 50 mph (72 kph) on land and water and makes the transition at the flick of a switch.

Humdinga

The humdinga is concept vehicle with a full time four wheel drive powered by 350 BHP engine, the 5-seater humdinga is capable of traveling on land at 100mph and on water at 40mph

The Humdinga transforms from land to water mode at a touch of a button. The wheels retract, the power train switches from the wheels to a jet propulsion system and the vehicle is in amphibious mode. In just a few seconds the driver is planing at a speed of forty miles per hour.

AQUADA

“Aquada” is the next generation amphibian. Neither a boat nor a car, the Aquada is as sleek in the water as it is on land, combining the best principles of on-road design with streamlined, aquatic performance. Test drives the Aquada, discovers the difficulties that were overcome in developing High Speed Amphibious technology, and tells us just how close we are to owning one. We also sneak a preview of the Aquada’s off-road variant, the Humdinger!

PM: the personal mobility vehicle

The PM is a personal mobility vehicle that "fits like a glove" to create a feeling of unity between the driver and the vehicle. Cutting-edge vehicle-to-vehicle communications technologies are employed under the concept of "meeting, linking and hanging out together".

THE SELF-CHILLING BEER CAN

Inventor Dr. Cullen Sabin, has developed a self-cooling beer can that will undergo consumer testing this Summer and should be on supermarket shelves soon. Dr. Cullen says that the temperature of the drink drops by a minimum of 30° Fahrenheit (16.7° C) in four minutes and stays cold for up to an hour. The can acts like a miniature refrigerator, drawing heat from the top of the can where the beer is, and dumping it in a heat sink at the bottom of the can. It’s a simple and effective way to solve the great science question – how to get a ‘coldie’ at the beach!

http://www.tempratech.com

3D COLOUR PRINTER

If you think your office printer is pretty flash, then wait ‘till you see the 3D colour printer. It can print any 3d object, simply by scanning, and then rebuilding it in full colour. It is fast, realistic, and not much more expensive than a regular printer. It is a ‘must have’ for designers who want to see their creations come to life, but is finding a significant market in surgery, where doctors can scan a bone or an organ like the heart, and reproduce it in 3d. This allows them to conduct mock operations, or design accurate fitting prosthetics like hip and knee joints.

A380 AIRBUS

The A380 Airbus is the world’s largest passenger plane and it’s about to hit the runways of the world. The first test flight of the twin-deck aircraft has taken place, and scheduled flights will begin operating in 2007. Qantas is among 11 passenger airlines that have placed orders for the A380. The new aircraft boasts a length-of-plane upper deck, and state of the art technology in its steel and carbon fibre construction. It is expected most arlines will configure their A380 to hold 550 passengers, ‘though it could hold more than 800 if configured for all economy flights.

The A380 is cheaper to operate, more luxurious, produces half the noise of its chief rival, the 747, and is more environmentally friendly. Matt visits the Airbus headquarters in France and learns what it’s like on the flightdeck of the world’s biggest passenger aircraft

BIONIC ARM

There is new hope for amputees around the world in the form of Jesse Sullivan, proud owner of one of the three “bionic arms,” in the world, operated solely by thought. Jesse had lost both arms in 2001 working for a power company, when he touched a live wire that caused irreversible tissue damage. The new surgical procedure carried out at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago transplanted the viable nerves from his left shoulder into his left pectoral muscle. Signals from the transplanted nerves operate electrodes on the arm mechanism, which in turn instruct it to operate in the same way our brains operate real arms. Beyond Tomorrow meets Jesse and witnesses his amazing bionic arm.

SHARK SHIELD

Shark Shield is an electronic shark deterrent being developed for surfers. Based on technology currently available for divers and fishermen, the device creates a unique protective electrical field around the user. We follow the testing procedure on real sharks, starting with a small Mako, and ending with a giant 4 metre Great White.

http://www.sharkshield.com