Weekend Edition: Campers from Westfalia and … LG, and a super-tall skyscraper for Oklahoma

[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 Automotive [Wave 6-sleeper camper van marks Westfalia's big return to US RV market]( [Westfalia is back]( Westfalia announced a US return last year and is now preparing to reveal its first new camper van for the market. The all-new Wave brings serious family-sized sleeping capacity, smart home controls, plus a flexible floor plan for gear and people. [Read more]( Outdoors [LG hits CES with a cutting-edge, portable ... camping trailer!?]( [The new 2024 Bon Voyage debuts for CES to preview an attractive indoor/outdoor space utilizing the latest in home, audio and camping tech]( The unique "Dukebox" seemed a bit on the esoteric side for LG but still within its usual consumer electronics sphere. But a teardrop trailer that serves as a personal space beyond the four walls of home? That's just out there for the tech giant. [Read more]( Architecture [Huge Oklahoma skyscraper will be USA's second-tallest building]( [The Boardwalk at Bricktown skyscraper will be the second-tallest building in the USA, as well as the second-tallest in the entire Western Hemisphere]( Plans for a huge new supertall skyscraper have been revealed for Oklahoma City. Assuming it goes ahead as expected, it will be the second-tallest skyscraper in the United States – as well as the second-tallest in the entire Western Hemisphere. [Read more]( Medical [Breakthrough as hugely promising weight-loss compound made in yeast]( [Celastrol is produced in the root of the traditional medicinal plant Tripterygium wilfordii]( A plant known as the “Seven Steps of Death” holds within its poisonous growth a hotly touted anti-obesity compound, celastrol. For the first time, this compound has been genetically mapped and then synthesized safely, purely and quickly in a yeast host. [Read more]( Automotive [Micro-RV builder launches economical Toyota Sienna pop-up camper in US]( [The new Unicamp Toyota Sienna Pop Top]( Korean camper converter Unicamp grows it US presence, following up its Kia Carnival pop-top with the even more versatile Toyota Sienna pop-up customers have been demanding. The US gets a small, affordable, versatile mini-camper with available AWD. [Read more]( Aircraft [World's first liquid-hydrogen eVTOL aircraft promises 1,150-mile range]( [Sirius promises enormous range figures based on the energy density of liquid hydrogen]( The Sirius Jet will fly up to 1,150 miles (1,851 km) at speeds up to 323 mph (520 km/h) on a clean liquid-hydrogen powertrain. It'll rise vertically off a pad thanks to a deflected vectored thrust system using 20 smallish electric ducted fans. [Read more]( Outdoors [Sleepless miniaturized teardrop is a micro-camping backpack for SUVs]( [Ushi shortens up the teardrop camper for a lighter, nimbler style of adventure]( The new Ushi trailer appears at first to be a small squaredrop camper that's gone through a multidirectional compactor. But the tiny 'drop trailer isn't actually a full camper at all but a towable workstation designed to support outdoor adventure. [Read more]( Photography ["Millennium Camera" to take a 1,000-year long-exposure photo]( [The Millennium Camera sits on a pole on Tumamoc Hill, looking out over a neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona – where it will (hopefully) keep watch for 1,000 years]( What did your area look like 1,000 years ago? Well, people in the year 3023 might have the luxury of finding out, thanks to an art/science project called the Millennium Camera, which will take an extremely long-exposure photo of the Arizona desert. [Read more]( Medical [The protein that dials up 'good' fat production has been discovered]( [Professor Alexander Pfeifer and Laia Reverte-Salisa identify protein that increases the formation of good brown and beige fat]( In a major breakthrough, scientists have identified a key protein involved in producing brown fat, and found it can even help form these cells in 'bad' white fat. This now opens the door to new weight-loss treatments that have long eluded researchers. [Read more]( Urban Transport [Skwheel One electric skis set out to turn urban streets into alpine slopes]( [The Skwheel One electric skis are currently the subject of an Indiegogo campaign]( People looking for an ebike alternative can already choose between electric scooters, skateboards and roller skates. With the debut of the Skwheel One system, they now have another option – electric skis. [Read more]( Home Entertainment [LG's "wireless" 77-inch transparent OLED TV due for release in 2024]( [Content from a Zero Connect Box is wirelessly streamed to the Signature OLED T transparent television]( Back in mid-2014, LG unveiled its first experimental transparent OLED display panel. That measured just 18 diagonal inches, but now the company has revealed a 77-inch transparent OLED television that's almost completely wireless. [Read more]( Science [Coal-to-protein livestock feed uses 1/1000th as much land as farming]( [Researchers have created what they say is a cost-effective way to create livestock feed proteins from coal]( Chinese scientists have developed a cost-effective method of converting coal into protein, which they say could feed livestock much more efficiently than natural plants, while using a tiny fraction of the land. [Read more]( Science [Study provides first direct evidence explaining why we sleep]( [A new study has provided the first direct evidence to explain the function of sleep]( Researchers have provided the first direct evidence explaining the function of sleep. They demonstrated that sleep resets the brain’s ‘operating system,’ undermined during waking, returning it to an ideal state to optimize thinking and processing. [Read more]( Wearables [Vixion's autofocus eyeglasses: Relax your eye muscles all day]( [Vixion01: eyeglasses with built-in autofocus, so you can relax your eyes and still see things sharply between a couple of inches away and infinity]( The lenses in our eyes stiffen as we age, making it harder to switch focus between different distances. But autofocus systems are now getting so compact and efficient that they fit in a set of glasses – provided you don't mind looking a bit dorky. [Read more]( Health & Wellbeing [New COVID variants better infect lungs, could cause more severe disease]( [Research indicates newer COVID variants stemming from BA.2.86 can infect the lungs more effectively than any variant since Delta]( A new study has found the BA.2.86 variant of SARS-CoV-2 has a greater propensity for infecting certain lung cells than any prior Omicron variant. The research suggests BA.2.86 could potentially lead to COVID severity similar to the Delta variant. [Read more]( Robotics [Figure's humanoid can now watch, learn and perform tasks autonomously]( [Figure's 01 humanoid robot demonstrates its new watch-and-learn capabilities by autonomously using a coffee machine. Perhaps not the most spectacular demo, but this could open the floodgates to a massive acceleration of general-purpose robotics]( Figure's Brett Adcock claimed a "ChatGPT moment" for humanoid robotics on the weekend. Now, we know what he means: the robot can now watch humans doing tasks, build its own understanding of how to do them, and start doing them entirely autonomously. [Read more]( Automotive [Retro electro mini-camper brings new energy to a vintage Citroën 2CV face]( [The new 2CV Elektro camper combines serious throwback looks with a modern electric powertrain and four-person mini-camper setup]( A few months after Citroën launched its own throwback camper, another magnificently retro Citroën camper van is on the way. The new e-Berlingo camper pulls inspiration from the classic 2CV delivery van to bring some vintage flair to modern RVing. [Read more]( Bicycles [Dual-battery folding cargo ebike extends per-charge travel to 170 miles]( [Mihogo claims that the dual-battery One Max cargo ebike is good for up to 270 km (almost 170 miles) of per-charge riding]( Tackling hilly commutes with motor assistance is great, but having to regularly park up to recharge the battery can be a pain. Mihogo Bike out of Hong Kong is about to launch a folding ebike rocking dual batteries for almost 170 miles of riding. [Read more]( Technology [Zeiss Smart Glass tech could place a transparent camera mid-window]( [Among the suggested applications for the Zeiss Multifunctional Smart Glass technology is a "holocam" that can be positioned in the middle of a glass panel to "allow participants in videoconferences to make eye contact"]( Zeiss is heading to CES next week to show off its Multifunctional Smart Glass tech, which can float "holographic" and AR content on any glass surface for such things as HUDs, 3D buttons, and even a transparent videocam in the middle of a display. [Read more]( Lifestyle [Mantis Pen packs scalpel blade, other tools, in slim titanium tube]( [The Mantis Pen packs four useful features in a titanium tube]( The market's thirst for multi-function everyday carry gear doesn't seem to be dying down. The latest evidence is the success of a Kickstarter campaign for a titanium pen with enough tricks onboard to make any James Bond wannabe happy. [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