Created by Japanese manufacturer Shimadzu Corp, the Aether Clock OC 020 is a strontium optical lattice clock advertised as the most accurate clock in the world and sold for over $3 million.

The world’s most accurate clock looks less like you’d imagine and more like a small refrigerator. Its rectangular case is around three feet tall and has a volume of 250 liters. Frankly, it doesn’t look like much, but this contraption is so precise that it would take about 10 billion years for it to deviate by a single second, according to Kyoto-based manufacturer Shimadzu Corp. The Aether Clock OC 020 is reportedly 100 times more accurate than cesium atomic clocks, which set the standard for the current definition of a second. Although optical lattice clocks have been around for a while, the Aether Clock OC 020 is the world’s first commercially available model.

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The CL1 is an innovative biological computer that combines living cultured human brain cells with silicon hardware in an advanced computer case that also acts as life-support for the cells.

Australian biotech company Cortical Labs recently made international news headlines by announcing what it calls “the world’s first code deployable biological computer.” The innovation behind the CL1 consists of placing brain nerve cells cultured from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) on a silicon chip. These cells respond to electrical signals, forming networks that process information similarly to a living brain. These responses are recorded and analyzed by AI software allowing it to learn faster than traditional artificial intelligence systems. Cortical Labs believes that integrating biological elements like neuron-based systems can improve efficiency in tasks that traditional AI struggles with, such as decision-making in unpredictable environments and situations.

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Norwegian robotics company 1X recently announced the NEO Gamma, an AI-powered bipedal humanoid robot that can perform multiple household chores, such as carrying laundry, cleaning windows, and vacuuming.

We’ve seen some important breakthroughs in robotics over the last few months, including STAR1, the world’s fastest bipedal robot, or SE01, a bipedal robot famous for its smooth walking, but in terms of day-to-day utility, the offerings have been lacking. But that is all about to change according to Norwegian Robotics company 1X and its most advanced creation yet, the NEO Gamma, a humanoid butler capable of performing various household chores like cleaning vacuuming, and even serving tea. To make it seem more human, the company teamed up with Shima Seiki, a Japanese manufacturer of knitting machines, to create a soft and smooth suit that conceals the robot’s metallic body.

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With a holding capacity of up to 9,100 vehicles (conventional or electric), the Höegh Aurora holds the title of “world’s largest vehicle carrier”.

Operated by Norway’s Höegh Autoliners, the Aurora was built by China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) in Jiangsu, China, and made its maiden voyage last year. Measuring about 37.5 meters wide and 199.9 meters long, it is considered the world’s largest Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) vessel for transporting various types of vehicles, and thanks to strengthened decks and enhanced internal ramp systems, it can carry heavier electric vehicles on all 14 decks, making it future-proof. With a cargo capacity of 9,100 vehicles, the first Höegh Aurora class carrier beats the previous world’s largest vehicle carrier by 600 vehicles.

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Japanese coastal containership operator Imoto Lines operates a number of feeder vessels with a unique look inspired by the nose of large passenger airplanes.

In 2015, the Kyokuyo shipyard in Yamaguchi, Japan, completed the first SSS-feeder (Semi-Spherically Shaped-feeder) commissioned by Imoto Lines. It was one of the largest feeder vessels ever built in Japan, but what really separated it from other ships in its class was the unusual design. The 600-TEU Natori featured a hemispherical bow that looked very similar to the nose of a large Airbus passenger jet that no one had dared implement before. But this wasn’t just a design option to make the vessel stand out, it had functional aspects that won the Natori the title of “Ship of the Year” from the Japan Society of Naval Architects and Oceanographers as well as numerous other awards in the small cargo vessel category.

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Chinese robotics startup Engine AI recently launched a new humanoid robot that stunned everyone with its natural human-like gait which many attributed to CGI.

Major robotic companies around the world have been trying to replicate the smooth human gait in their humanoid robots for decades, with relatively modest results, but last October, Chinese company Engine AI unveiled the SE01, its most advanced humanoid robot yet. Featuring an advanced end-to-end neural network system, the SE01 robot learns to walk like a human in a simulation, getting feedback for how well it does and constantly improving over time. It is powered by dual processors from Nvidia and Intel and features three stereo cameras that help it navigate and interact with complex environments.

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Designed to power giant container ships, the 14-cylinder Wärtsilä-Sulzer RTA96-C two-stroke turbocharged diesel engine is the world’s largest combustion engine.

Measuring thirteen meters high, twenty-six meters long, and weighing a whopping 2,300 tons, the 14-cylinder Wärtsilä-Sulzer RTA96-C is a metal monstrosity worthy of the title of ‘largest combustion engine ever built’. The giant crankshaft alone weighs 300 tons, while each of the 14 pistons weighs 5 tons. At 102 rpm, it has a power output of 108,920 bhp (80,080 kW) and burns through about 250 tons of heavy fuel oil per day. Even at its most efficient setting, the enormous Wärtsilä-Sulzer RTA96-C consumes 1,660 gallons of heavy fuel oil per hour.

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The ThinKing by Russian watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin is only 1.65 mm thick, making it the world’s thinnest mechanical wristwatch.

The “arms race” for the world’s thinnest wristwatch has been in full swing for a few years now, with some of the most prestigious watch brands on Earth trying to one-up each other with ingenious designs. The latest to claim the coveted title is independent watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin with its ThinKing prototype, a 1.65-thick masterpiece that is so incredibly thin it needs a special wristband. The ThinKing’s case is so delicate that the simple pressure from being worn is enough to damage it, so the special strap made of alligator leather and elastic inserts with titanium has to absorb some of the shocks, twisting and bending.

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The Arc’tryx MO/GO Hiking Pants come with a built-in exoskeleton powered by powerful motors that can increase the wearer’s leg strength by 40 percent and make them feel 30 pounds lighter.

Motor-powered exoskeletons have been a reality for years, especially in the medical field, but not so much in the leisure department. That is about to change, as outdoor brand Arc’teryx and Google spinoff Skip recently teamed up to create the “world’s first powered pants”. Called MO/GO (short for ‘mountain goat’), the innovative garment is more than a piece of clothing; it comes with bespoke carbon fiber support structures that feed power from integrated AI-controlled motors at the knees to the wearer’s leg muscles during ascents and decreasing pressure on their knees during descents. Marketed as a mobility device, MO/GO pants are designed to make hiking more accessible to people who may not have the endurance for it.

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The aptly named IMALENT MS32 Brightest Flashlight is capable of outputting up to 200,000 lumens of light, more than any other commercially available flashlight.

Imagine having the ability to turn night into day in the palm of yourself and you kind of get a sense of what using the world’s brightest flashlight feels and looks like. The Imalent MS32 is so incredibly powerful that the only other flashlight you can even compare it to is the Imalent MS18, the previous holder of the title of ‘world’s brightest flashlight’. And that one was virtually half as powerful as the MS32, with a peak brightness of “just” 100,000 lumens. The LED-powered light beam of the Imalent MS32 can reach as far as 1,618 meters and is the equivalent of 100 car lights in terms of brightness.

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Japanese tech company Kirin Holdings recently unveiled the commercial version of its taste-enhancing spoon, dubbed Elecispoon, which improves taste buds’ perception of salt, thus making food taste better.

We originally covered Kirin’s taste-enhancing technology a couple of years ago. The company’s researchers had teamed up with scientists at Meiji University to develop a line of smart kitchenware that used electricity to make food taste saltier and tastier than it actually was. Back then, they were testing a smart spoon and bowl which worked in tandem to make foods about 1.5 times saltier than they were, but it seems that only the spoon made it to market. Kirin Technology recently announced its newest product, Elecispoon, a smart spoon designed to improve people’s health by helping them cut salt from their food.

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Switzerland’s road maintenance authority has developed an ingenious mobile bridge that allows the paving of public roads without the need to stop traffic on the affected lanes.

Traffic jams are a necessary evil when it comes to road maintenance, and despite experts’ best efforts to come up with a solution to this logistic problem, motorists still have to deal with them whenever road work is required. However, Switzerland’s Federal Roads Office may have come up with an ingenious-enough solution to revolutionize road paving. Earlier this year, it unveiled the Astra Bridge, a 257-meter-long mobile bridge that allows traffic to pass over sections of road while infrastructure is being repaired below. It’s such a simple concept that it almost makes you wonder why engineers took so long to invent it, but there is a reason why the Astra Bridge is the first of its kind – it’s not as simple as it sounds.

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Ohio-based flamethrower manufacturer Throwflame recently unveiled the Thermonator, a remote-controlled robot dog with a functional flamethrower mounted on its back.

Robot dogs have been getting more and more popular in recent years, with news reports from China suggesting that they are replacing real dogs because they require less attention and maintenance. However, one American company is using the robotic quadruped as a platform for its flamethrowers. The Thermonator is an advanced flamethrowing dog equipped with Throwflame’s ARC flamethrower which has a firing range of 30 feet and can be used for a variety of tasks, including wildfire management, agricultural burns, snow and ice removal, and special effects. And you can buy yours for just $9,420.

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Roughly the size of a studio apartment, the world’s largest passenger elevator weighs a whopping 16 tons, is supported by 9 steel cables, and can accommodate up to 235 people at a time.

In 2022, Finnish elevator company KONE installed the world’s largest passenger elevator inside the Jio World Center building in Mumbai, India. Designed to cater to large groups of people attending weddings or exhibitions at the state-of-the-art convention center, this marvel of design and engineering measures 25.78 square meters and offers all-round scenic views of the complex and its beautiful gardens. Due to its enormous size, the world’s largest passenger elevator relies on an innovative pulley beam system that consists of 18 large pulleys, 9 steel cables, and rails fixed over steel columns.

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An artificial intelligence model developed by an international team of researchers has demonstrated the ability to predict future events in people’s lives, including the time of their death.

Life2vec, a so-called transformer model trained on a massive volume of data to predict various aspects of a person’s life, was created by scientists in Denmark and the United States. After being fed data from Danish health and demographic records for six million people, like time of birth, schooling, education, salary, housing, and health, the AI model was trained to predict what would come next. According to its creators, Life2vec demonstrated an eerie ability to predict when people would die based on data analysis. For example, when tested on a group of people between the ages of 35 and 65, half of whom died between 2016 and 2020, it was able to predict who would die and who would live, with 78% accuracy.

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