Weekend Newsletter: A super-compact engine, butt-friendly bike seat and a big bridge

[New Atlas logo]( Welcome to our weekly wrap of the best stories to grace the pages of New Atlas over the last seven days. Sit back, relax and enjoy the Weekend Edition. Transport [Super-compact internally rotating combustion engine packs a solid punch]( [Avadi MA-250 engine cutaway side view]( An innovative new combustion engine eliminates half the guts of a traditional engine, and uses a fascinating internally rotating piston and sleeve arrangement, making it lighter, simpler and more efficient while still making strong power and torque. [Read more]( Bicycles [Butt-friendly bike seat moves with your legs]( [The vabsRider is claimed to be "the world's first virtual axis bicycle seat"]( If you don't want a part of your body to get sore, then that part shouldn't be pushing against something that doesn't move with it. That's the thinking behind the vabsRider bicycle saddle, the two sides of which pivot in time with your pedaling. [Read more]( Architecture [North America's longest cable-stayed bridge links USA and Canada]( [Once complete, the Gordie Howe International Bridge's main span will have a length of 853 m (almost 2,800 ft)]( Supported by 216 high-tension cables and two large towers, and with a main span of half a mile, the massive Gordie Howe International Bridge is North America's longest cable-stayed bridge, providing a new connection between the USA and Canada. [Read more]( Automotive [Solid-state battery from US cell maker hits new milestone]( [Factorial's 100-Ah-plus battery cell]( Factorial has been working on lithium-metal quasi-solid-state technology for over a decade, aiming to create an energy-dense battery that costs the equivalent of lithium-ion units. This month, it's sent out its first B-samples to Mercedes-Benz. [Read more]( Energy [Bill Gates breaks ground on first Gen-IV nuclear plant in the US]( [The Generation IV nuclear test reactor planned for Kemmerer, Wyoming]( Bill Gates has helped break ground to mark the construction of the first next-generation nuclear reactor in the United States. The joint project by TerraPower and the Department of Energy plans to build a sodium test reactor in Kemmerer, Wyoming by 2030. [Read more]( Marine [Supmaran is your choice of two standup paddleboards or one catamaran]( [The Supmaran is presently on Kickstarter]( There are times when you wanna go paddleboarding, and times when you wanna go boating. The Supraman allows you to do either, as it's a modular kit that combines both types of watercraft. [Read more]( Urban Transport [Car/ebike hybrid designed to keep you dry in a downpour]( [The Karbikes e-vehicle merges aspects of a micro-car and ebike, and benefits from greater visibility in traffic than a velomobile]( Electric micro-cars make a lot of sense for quietly and cleanly navigating packed inner-city environs. As do ebikes or velomobiles. A French startup has combined all three for the Karbikes pedal-assist quadricycle. [Read more]( Materials [AI discovers new rare-earth-free magnet at 200 times the speed of man]( [Materials Nexus and the University of Sheffield team to create the AI-identified MagNex material]( As some entities identify new sources to meet the demand for rare earth materials, others are looking to new tools. Materials Nexus has designed a new rare-earth-free permanent magnet help from its AI platform – at record pace. [Read more]( Home Entertainment [Philips aims for wall or desk with portable UST projector]( [Philips Projection's first portable UST tri-laser projector is funding on Indiegogo]( Following successful crowdfunding campaigns for the U4 and U5 laser projectors, Philips Projection has returned to Indiegogo for the launch of its first portable UST triple-laser projector – the Screeneo UL5 Smart. [Read more]( Energy [Mesmerizing vertical turbine wall to enter customer trials this year]( [Pre-production Airiva units are expected to start customer pilots in the second half of this year, a head of initial orders from 2025]( Since revealing an wind turbine wall concept back in 2021, Joe Doucet has been working on bringing the idea to life. That time is here with the launch of Airiva, a modular rotary wind turbine wall destined for installation on city infrastructure. [Read more]( Architecture [Extraordinary winged museum prepares for flight in Abu Dhabi]( [The Zayed National Museum's main building takes the form of a 30-m (98-ft)-tall "mound" that's inspired by the topography of the UAE]( Work is nearing completion on an extraordinary new project by Foster + Partners. The Zayed National Museum is defined by five sculpted "wings" designed for more than just their looks – they will actually help keep the interior cool naturally. [Read more]( Biology [Our brain matter is stuck at a phase transition, says new study]( [The brain is in a perfectly balanced state that keeps it from transitioning to a gas or liquid says new research (Image generated using AI tools)]( Based on fractal patterns in neurons, researchers believe our brains exist at or near a state called criticality where they're extremely close to shifting from one state of matter to another. They also admit they don't know what either state is. [Read more]( Science [Superman’s X-ray vision goes handheld]( [A miniaturized imager chip inspired by Superman's X-ray vision can see objects through cardboard]( Researchers have created a tiny chip that can take images of objects through cardboard. The technology, designed to fit inside a smartphone, brings us a step closer to wielding Superman’s X-ray vision abilities (without the X-rays). [Read more]( Space [Video: "Impossible" frost found on Martian mountains]( [Frost on Olympus Mons]( Sometimes the impossible turns out to be not so impossible. From satellite data, scientists have discovered frost forming on top of the tallest volcanic mountains in the solar system on Mars. The snag is that it shouldn't be there at all. [Read more]( Automotive [World's gnarliest 4x4 mega-MPV gets gnarlier]( [Torsus motors forward with the Praetorian TG3]( The trail-breaking Torsus Praetorian 4x4 bus is already one of the world's most capable large off-roaders. The newly upgraded Praetorian TG3 furthers that capability with an air suspension, improved chassis-to-body mounting, and creature comforts. [Read more]( Health & Wellbeing [Blood sugar goes low and stays low with exercise at this time of day]( [When it comes to controlling blood sugar levels, exercise is important, but so is when you exercise, says new study (Image generated using AI tools)]( It's no surprise that regular exercise can improve a variety of health metrics. But a new study shows that when you work out is as important as exercise itself, especially when it comes to controlling your blood sugar levels. [Read more]( Environment [Autonomous marine trash gobbler takes on invasive weeds too]( [The Class 3 Clearbot features an 8-hour battery plus solar panels, 500 kg on onboard trash storage and a specialized cutter for clipping and extracting invasive weeds]( Clear Robotics is expanding its fleet of autonomous marine trash collectors. Its Class 3 vessel boasts more onboard storage capacity plus towed barge potential for extended cleanup operations, and has also been designed to tackle invasive weeds. [Read more]( Physics [Satellites spot strange sky glow that only comes out after midnight]( [An all-sky digital camera photo captured a new auroral phenomenon, seen here as a purple streak]( If you’re planning to see the aurora soon, keep an eye out for a brand new type of sky glow that’s just been discovered. This short-lived phenomenon only appears after midnight and seems to be the inverse of something just spotted a few years ago. [Read more]( Space [SpaceX scales up Starfactory, aiming to build a Starship a day]( [Starship sitting atop the launch pad]( Starbase, located in Boca Chica, TX is getting a new upgrade called Starfactory – with a 100-million-dollar price tag and some incredibly ambitious goals – that's expected to be online this summer. [Read more]( Technology [GPT-4 autonomously hacks zero-day security flaws with 53% success rate]( [An unattended laptop, rendered using AI tools, quietly works away autonomously]( Researchers were able to successfully hack into more than half their test websites using autonomous teams of GPT-4 bots, co-ordinating their efforts and spawning new bots at will. And this was using previously-unknown, real-world 'zero day' exploits. [Read more]( Outdoors [200-lb pop-up cube camper is the truck version of a backpacking tent]( [Ovrlnd Bivy based on a Toyota Tacoma midsize pickup; Ovrlnd also offers the new pop-topper in full-size truck variants]( Ovrlnd Campers has developed a pop-up pickup camping topper nearly as light as a basic truck shell. Its new Bivy weighs as little as 205 lb while offering a pop-up interior that can be made into a cozy camper. It's truly a bivy sack for your truck. [Read more]( Drones [Seed-like 'monocopter' changes its wingspan for agility and efficiency]( [The FROW-P with its wing fully retracted]( Multirotor drones may get all the glory, but fully rotating "monocopters" are much more energy-efficient. A new one distinguishes itself further, as it can squeeze through narrow spaces or drop like a falcon by reducing its wingspan while in flight. [Read more]( You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter at [newatlas.com]( (or [gizmag.com]( before August 2016). [Update profile]( | [Unsubscribe]( Copyright New Atlas © 2022