AI-Generated Band Gets Over 1Million Spotify Listeners in Just Two Weeks

AI-generated Psych-rock band The Velvet Sundown didn’t exist two weeks ago, but today they boast over half a million listeners on Spotify and are getting to put out their third album.

The Velvet Sundown is either the hardest-working and most inspired rock group ever, or they are simply playing by different rules. The psych-rock band appeared out of nowhere two weeks ago, but managed to put out to albums and has already announced that the third will be released on Spotify soon. They already boast a respectable 500,000 monthly listeners on the popular music streaming platform and show no signs of slowing down. But the overnight success and record-breaking album release schedule drew attention to the band this week, with many accusing The Velvet Sundown of being an AI-generated gimmick. And, truth be told, all the signs point to that being the case.

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Italian Mechanic Turns Old Fiat into the World’s Narrowest Drivable Car

Italian mechanic and YouTuber Andrea Marazzi recently made international news headlines for turning a 1993 Fiat Panda into the world’s “skinniest” drivable car.

The so-called Flat Fiat looks like something made with AI, but it’s the very real creation of a young car mechanic who wanted to build the world’s narrowest drivable car. Although it retains most of the parts of the 1993 Fiat Panda, Andrea Marazzi’s special model is only 50 centimeters wide, enough space for just a driver, and a single headlight to help the driver see at night. Marazzi spent 12 months hand-building the Flat Fiat using ‘99 percent of the original parts’ of the 1993 Fiat Panda it is based on, even retaining the four wheels, despite its’ ultra-skinny frame.

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Chinese Scientists Unveil Mosquito-Sized Surveillance Drone

Scientists at a robotics laboratory at the National University of Defence Technology (NUDT) in central China’s Hunan province recently unveiled a tiny insect-like drone suitable for surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

Revealed to the general public on CCTV 7 (China Central Television’s military channel), the tiny drone featured flapping wings and hair-thin legs, making it almost indistinguishable from real insects. They have the potential to revolutionise various industries and applications thanks to their tiny size, which allows them to access virtually any space and blend into all sorts of environments undetected. Although marketed primarily as a perfect candidate for military reconnaissance missions, many believe that it could be used by the Chinese government for surveillance purposes.

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Morphing Drone Can Seamlessy Switch Between Flying and Driving Mode

Engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a transformer-like drone that can easily switch from aerial to ground driving mode in midair.

Dubbed ATMO (aerially transforming morphobot), the innovative drone developed by Mory Gharib and Ioannis Mandralis of Caltech is capable of something that the aerospace industry has been struggling to deal with for probably more than 50 years – midair transformation. Using a single motor to move a central joint that alters the orientation of its four thrusters, ATMO can seamlessly transition from a flying drone to a Rover-like vehicle before it touches the ground. This midair transformation is critical because rough and unpredictable terrain can cause the transformation system to malfunction. Interestingly, the round shrouds that protect the drone’s four thrusters also act as wheels when the gadget is in drive mode.

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These Metal Slab Robots Could Be the Future of Automated Parking

South Korean car manufacturing giant Hyundai has developed an intriguing parking robot that can park your car better than any human valet ever could.

Car companies have invested billions of dollars into advanced automated parking solutions to relieve human drivers of the stress of parallel parking or backing up into tight spaces. Some systems have turned out better than others, but unless you’re willing to pay a fair bit extra for such an advanced system, you’re stuck with your own human parking skills. But what if there was a way to have your old or cheap car parked automatically without even having to keep the engine running? South Korean company Hyundai has developed an ingenious parking robot that can glide under virtually any kind of car, lift its wheels, and then park it perfectly in a designated parking spot.

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Lab-Grown T-Rex Leather Handbag Created Using Protein Found in Fossils

In a bid to build a sustainable and ethical future for the luxury materials industry, three companies have joined forces to create the world’s first T-Rex leather handbag.

Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years, but thanks to cutting-edge technology and genetic research, humankind has apparently become able to use T-Rex DNA to create synthetic, lab-grown dinosaur leather. In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Creative agency VML has joined forces with genomic engineering startup The Organoid Company and biotechnology innovators Lab-Grown Leather Ltd. to produce a high-quality alternative to traditional leather that is both cruelty-free and sustainable. Using a protein found in a Tyrannosaurus fossil from about 80 million years ago as inspiration, The Organoid Company and Lab-Grown Leather have been able to synthesize a next-generation material that features the durability and repairability of T-Rex skin.

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AI-Powered Shampooing Machines Take Over Chinese Hair Salons

A number of hair salons in China have introduced AI-powered shampooing machines that can reportedly wash and rinse clients’ hair in just 13 minutes.

The AI revolution is just starting, but it seems the hair care industry is already using artificial intelligence to automate the hair-washing process in hair salons. According to several Chinese news outlets, AI-powered hair-washing devices have been spotted at hair salons in various districts of China’s Guangzhou Province, with some referring to their growing popularity as an “AI-shampooing craze”. The innovative machines reportedly rely on infrared sensors to detect the user’s scalp and then select the right shampoo and shampooing method based on the person’s hair type.

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New Antiviral Chewing Gum Could Help Prevent Flu and Herpes Infections

Scientists from Finland and the United States have developed a special type of chewing gum that can ‘trap’ and neutralize some influenza and herpes viruses.

When asked to think about the best thing to fight the flu and herpes with, most people probably wouldn’t say ‘chewing gum’, but according to a new study published in the Molecular Therapy journal, the humble chewing gum could prove extremely effective at fighting off certain viruses. A medical-grade gum made primarily from lablab bean powder ground from the seeds of the Lablab purpureus species, which contain a natural viral trap protein called FRIL, has shown great potential for neutralizing certain types of viruses, including influenza and herpes-causing viruses, in lab tests.

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Finally! Company Creates World’s First Self-Cooling Beverage Can

A London-based startup has come up with an innovative self-cooling beverage can technology that could soon make drink refrigerators obsolete.

There are few things better than a cold drink on a hot summer day, but with energy costs and refrigeration-related carbon emissions increasing every year, it’s high time humanity came up with a better, more eco-friendly way of chilling beverages. Enter Delta H Innovations, a London-based startup that claims to have developed the world’s first self-cooling aluminum can. Codenamed ‘Cool Can’, this intriguing invention combines clever design with simple chemistry to make magic happen at the press of a button. The company claims that the Cool Can can lower the temperature of its liquid contents to about 6-7 degrees Celsius (42.8 – 44.6 Fahrenheit) and keep them cool for up to 45 minutes.

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Monster of the Seas – World’s Largest Vehicle Carrier Can Hold Over 9,000 Cars

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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Synthetic Human Features 1,000 Artificial Muscles, Sweat-Like Cooling System

Developed by the American-Polish company Clone Robotics, Protoclone is a unique humanoid robot that features a skeleton based on 206 human bones, 1,000 artificial muscles, and a water-based cooling system.

Clone Robotics first attracted attention online back in 2021, when it released a series of videos showcasing its artificial muscle system based on the McKibben pneumatic muscle. Back then, the company only had a functional robotic arm capable of grabbing and handling various objects, but it recently released footage of its first humanoid robot, dubbed Protoclone. The twitching, human-like figure suspended in mid-air is a far cry from the uncanny valley, in fact, it doesn’t even look capable of standing on its own two feet, but its muscle and skeletal are certainly intriguing. The metallic skeleton replicates 206 human bones, and the so-called “Myofiber” muscle system features 1,000 artificial muscles.

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Black Panther – Chinese Researchers Build World’s Fastest Quadruped Robot

Scientists at China’s Zhejiang University recently announced that their Black Panther robot has achieved a constant speed of 10 meters per second, a world record for quadruped robots.

Black Panther has been in development at Zhejiang University’s Hangzhou International Science and Technology Innovation Center since 2018, but over the first six years, scientists struggled to exceed the speed of 6 meters per second. In early experiments, once the robot went over this speed threshold, it suffered severe damage, such as ruptured “calves” and in some cases, the entire torso disintegrated. However, after numerous trials and attempts to mimic the joint and muscle structures of various animals and even humans, researchers managed to make important modifications, such as adding springs between the leg joints to cushion impact, and earlier this year Black Panther reached a record speed of 10m/s.

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Engineer Turns Old Yamaha Motorcycle into the World’s Fastest Penny-Farthing

An English engineer spent almost 750 hours turning an old Yamaha R6 motorcycle and several hundred pounds of spare steel into the world’s fastest penny-farthing bike.

Popular during the 1870s and 1880s, the penny-farthing bicycle is considered a symbol of the late Victorian period and the ancestor of the modern bicycle. Its odd name was inspired by the size difference between its front and rear wheels, with the British penny coin being considerably larger than the farthing. The iconic bicycle was only in style for about a decade, until the invention of the modern bike, which proved much safer, more comfortable, and easier to ride, but there’s just something about the odd look of the penny-farthing that still fascinates people. Case in point, this young engineer from Swindon, England, who spent hundreds of hours converting a 20-year-old motorcycle into the world’s fastest penny-farthing.

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The World’s Largest CRT TV Set Ever Made Weighs Over 400 Pounds

The Sony PVM-4300 is an ultra-rare television set that achieved legendary status for being the largest Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) TV ever sold.

Announced in late 1988 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Sony’s Trinitron brand, the PVM-4300 was an incredibly expensive, made-to-order device that most people could only dream of buying. It went on sale in Japan at a retail price of 2,430,000 Japanese yen ( about $17,500 by the 1988 exchange rate) and featured advanced technology designed to reduce eye-straining flicker and improve image clarity on large-size screens and a 108cm picture tube, the largest of its kind ever made. The world’s largest CRT TV was so heavy that it had a special, forkliftable casing, as well as handles that bolt onto the sides of the monitor for improved grip. According to Sony’s installation manual, at least six people were required to lift the TV set safely.

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Company Sells Bags of Popcorn as Edible Cushioning Material

A Japanese company came up with the genius idea of selling plastic bags of popcorn as an edible alternative to conventional cushioning materials like styrofoam pellets and cardboard.

Azechi Foods, a popcorn manufacturer and delicacy wholesaler in Japan’s Kochi City, has become famous for using and selling popcorn not just as a snack but as a cushioning material. The company’s manager, Shihoko Wada, had been struggling to promote popcorn on the Azechi Foods online store where people mainly bought delicacies when she was inspired by a laptop repair technician at a management seminar. The man used Umaibo sticks (cylindrical puffed corn snacks) as a cushioning material, and while some in attendance found it funny, for Wada it was a revelation. Not only could the popcorn be used as an actual snack after use, but it was also an incredible opportunity to attract attention.

“If Umaibo can be used as a cushioning material, then I thought the popcorn that our company makes could also be used as a cushioning material,” Shihoko Wada told Gendai Magazine. “Once it’s finished serving its purpose as a cushioning material, it can be eaten, so it doesn’t become useless garbage. Above all, I thought that the customers who received it would be happy with the surprise, they would get a sense of value, and it would also help improve the company’s image.”

Wada’s idea was to package the popcorn in a transparent plastic bag that had “not edible” printed on it, only with the ‘not’ crossed out, and then use the bags as cushioning material in the packages they sent all over the country. People loved the idea and before long, photos of the bags started going viral on Japanese social media.

Azechi Foods filed for a trademark registration and soon started receiving orders from all sorts of businesses, like a company that sells used video games, a greengrocer, a wine seller. etc. As photos of its unique cushioning material went viral online, the number of orders increased and they even got requests for coverage from national TV outlets.

Although the bags of popcorn are more expensive than conventional cushioning materials like styrofoam or cardboard, they also come with a few definite advantages: they can be eaten, and thus eliminate the risk of waste, which can’t really be said about other cushioning or filler materials, most of which end up in the trash after one use.

Azechi Foods currently offers two package sizes – 40g and 13g – but Azechi Foods hopes to start offering it in other sizes, as well as other styles of packaging to keep customers entertained.