Weekend Edition: Cheaper wind energy, memory-boosting wasabi, and a rocket-launcher-toting robot dog

[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 our Weekend Edition. Darren Quick Editor-in-Chief Energy [Bill Gates backs novel device promising wind energy at 1/3 the cost]( [An oval-shaped track supports a series of vertical wings, which harvest wind energy to pull themselves around in a loop]( It looks nothing like a typical "fan on a stick" wind turbine, but this oval track with evenly spaced wing blades could be an enormously disruptive addition to the renewable energy mix, since it slashes the cost of wind power to unprecedented lows. [Read more]( Science [Wasabi offers a memory-boosting kick to an aging brain]( [It sure feels like wasabi can clear your mind, and research suggests there is some truth to that]( Love it or hate it, this punchy Japanese condiment has many scientists very interested in its cognitive health-boosting abilities. A new study of 60-80-year-olds supports the growing evidence – and you don't even need to taste it to reap the benefits. [Read more]( Military [US Marines put rocket launcher on robot dog because, why not?]( [The robot dog armed and ready]( If you think robot dogs with flamethrowers are cool, what about a robot dog with an anti-tank rocket launcher on its back? Built as a research concept, one was tested at the US Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in California last September. [Read more]( Medical [Hell-no Kitty: Cat parasite linked to speeding up age-related frailty]( [The danger zone: Take extra care around your cat's litter]( More than 40 million Americans carry this feline-host bug. Now, a new study has linked our immune response to the infection with accelerated physical and cognitive decline. Fortunately, you don't have to throw the cat out with the cat litter just yet. [Read more]( Outdoors [MultiMighty bracelet sticks a fist full of tools on your wrist]( [The MultiMighty Paracord Survival Bracelet is presently on Kickstarter]( Even the best multitool isn't going to do you much good if you don't have it with you. The 13-tool MultiMighty Paracord Survival Bracelet is the latest device (there have been others) to address that problem by simply going around your wrist. [Read more]( Robotics [Prehistoric sea creature gets reborn as a soft-bodied robot]( [The robotic pleurocystitid, which was designed with input from paleontologists in Spain and Poland]( Pleurocystitid was a marine organism that existed almost 450 million years ago, long before the first dinosaurs. Scientists have now built a soft-bodied robotic replica of it, which could inspire new methods of locomotion for future robots. [Read more]( Space [Move over TRAPPIST-1: New planetary system of 7 Super-Earths discovered]( [An artist's impression of some of the planets in the Kepler-385 system]( Move over TRAPPIST-1 – there’s an exciting new planetary system in town. Meet Kepler-385, home to seven Super-Earths that were just discovered in existing data. [Read more]( Automotive [PlugVan rolling RV kit is a complete VW mini-camper on caster wheels]( [PlugVan shrinks its plug-and-play camper box down to small and midsize van form]( Since making a 2019 debut, PlugVan has been growing a full product lineup of plug-and-play van modules for both work and play. Its latest is a smaller camper kit that instantly converts small and midsize vans like the Volkswagen T6.1 and Caddy. [Read more]( Materials [Lasers allow fine-tuning of 3D-printed metals without "heating & beating"]( [A 3D-printed object being removed from the printer]( A team of researchers led by the University of Cambridge has developed a new technique that uses high-energy lasers to fine tune the properties of 3D-printed metal without compromising the complex shapes it forms. [Read more]( Bicycles [Shift Drive is an ebike belt drivetrain that can shift gears]( [Veer's (currently ) two-speed Shift Drive system is compatible with traditional wheel hubs and frames]( For vehicles like ebikes, belt drives offer a smoother, zero-maintenance alternative to chain drives. The Shift Drive system takes the technology further, by allowing riders to shift between two gears – plus it works on unmodified bicycle frames. [Read more]( Architecture [3D-printed apartment building provides affordable housing in Germany]( [The 3D-printed apartment building is described as Germany's first 3D-printed social housing]( 3D-printed construction continues to grow in popularity, and the latest example is an ambitious apartment building in Germany. The project will incorporate cutting-edge 3D printing tech and timber, and will host affordable social housing. [Read more]( Good Thinking [Ingenious titanium ring aims to replace your tape measure]( [While small in size, the Tiroler can measure pretty much any distance in any configuration]( While everyday carry multitools are great at many things, they can fall short in the measuring department. The new titanium Tiroler ring fixes that by adding the ability to take measurements to your EDC kit, with a smart portable design. [Read more]( Materials [Impressive new plastic self-heals, can be recycled and feeds marine life]( [A sample of the new VPR plastic, which has returned to its origami crane shape after being flattened then heated]( Japanese scientists have developed a new type of plastic that can easily break down on demand into its base components. In seawater it starts to break down into food for marine life, and just to top it off, it can self-heal and remember past shapes. [Read more]( Biology [Scientists spot viruses attaching to other viruses for first time]( [A transmission electron microscope image of a satellite virus attached to a helper virus, a phenomenon which has never been seen before]( Scientists have discovered that viruses can latch onto other viruses to insert their genes into host cells. Lab results with apparent contamination led the team to directly see the strange interaction for the first time. [Read more]( Space [Sierra Space's first spaceplane capable of visiting the ISS rolls out]( [Dream Chaser Tenacity will be shipped to Ohio for environmental testing]( Sierra Space has rolled out its first Dream Chaser spaceplane, called "Tenacity," that will be used to ferry cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS) after it is shipped to NASA’s Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility for environmental testing. [Read more]( Outdoors [Two innovative RVs unify into go-anywhere Multicamp expander trailer]( [With its military-derived bones and collapsible living space, the Multicamp trailer rides to its destination as a compact, ultra-rugged towable]( After developing several sizes of its flip-out pickup camper, Skinny Guy is bringing the camper out of the truck entirely. It's teamed with Schutt Industries to create the rugged Multicamp trailer with military bones and comfy expandable living. [Read more]( Bicycles [The Veolo is a high-performance ... bike trailer?]( [The Veolo is presently on Kickstarter]( If you pride yourself on having a sleek, fast, snazzy-looking bike, you might not want to hook it up to a dumpy, heavy bicycle trailer. That's where the German-made Veolo comes in – it's kind of like the Porsche of bike trailers. [Read more]( Bicycles [All-terrain fat-tire cargo ebike rides with triple batteries for 400 km]( [The Titan is available with a single battery for up to 135 km of per-charge adventures, or with three batteries for extended trips]( After a somewhat troublesome 2022, Hong Kong's Fiido has released an all-terrain fat-tire cargo ebike called the Titan that can ride with three batteries for a tasty per-charge range of up to 400 km. [Read more]( Motorcycles [Ye gods, the new Ducati 698 Mono does wheelies and powerslides for you]( [Um, he's doing that... AND looking at the camera.]( Ducati has a new motorbike, and it's celebrating this fact with a series of photos and videos so flagrantly ribald and saucy they'd be pixelated out in Japan. I mean, look at them. In fact, forget the bike, can I buy some of this guy's talent? [Read more]( Outdoors [Hard-sided pickup camper hauls gear like a truck, camps like a cabin]( [The wide-popping hatches on all three sides of the rooftop sleeper area provide scenic views and serious on-demand ventilation, closing and locking easily from inside]( AntiShanty has previously launched some unique toy hauler camping trailers and a hard-walled rooftop tent. It's now added a four-season hard-sided truck camping shell designed to brave conditions from grizzly bear country to deep-winter snowscape. [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