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Awesome tech you can’t buy yet: Levitating turntables, a tent-hammock hybrid

At any given moment, there are approximately a zillion crowdfunding campaigns on the web. Take a stroll through Kickstarter or Indiegogo and you’ll find no shortage of weird, useless, and downright stupid projects out there — alongside some real gems. In this column, we cut through all the worthless wearables and Oculus Rift ripoffs to round up the week’s most unusual, ambitious, and exciting projects. But don’t grab your wallet just yet. Keep in mind that any crowdfunded project can fail — even the most well-intentioned. Do your homework before cutting a check for the gadget of your dreams.

Kammok Sunda — Convertible tent/hammock/shelter

Tired of researching every campsite you head to and wasting a bunch of time figuring out what gear to bring along? If so, Sunda system might be just what you’re looking for. Designed by the wildly innovative Texas-based outdoor gear company Kammok, the Hybrid is essentially an all-in-one camping solution that you can just toss in your pack before hitting the road — no matter where you’re headed. It’s built to adapt to practically any type of terrain, and can be used as a full-on ground tent, covered/uncovered hammock, or even an ultralight shelter with just a rain fly and footprint; depending on how you set it up.

Sure, it’s probably not as lightweight or compact as gear that’s specifically suited for the type of weather and terrain you’re likely to encounter, but what the Sunda system lacks in compactness, it makes up for with convenience and versatility. With this all-in-one option, you can just stuff everything in your pack, wander until you find a place that looks suitable, and then set up — without worrying about the presence of trees, even ground, or inclement weather.

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Mag-Lev Audio — Levitating turntable

Vinyl is currently in the midst of a major resurgence in popularity. In fact, revenue from vinyl record sales actually surpassed revenue from streaming services in 2015 —  but the technology hasn’t progressed all that much in the past couple decades. The Mag-Lev Audio is here to change that, and bring record players into the 21st century. How? by saying “screw you!” to gravity.

The Mag-Lev Audio electromagnetically levitates your record platter in thin air while while it spins. The turntable includes built-in feet that the platter rests on when not in use, but these retract while the turntable is operating, giving it a truly futuristic appearance. The floating platter does more than simply look cool, though it does indeed look impressive. Vibrations are the bane of any turntable’s existence, and physically decoupling the platter from the rest of the turntable effectively removes any trace of vibration from the platter. While we’d need some hands-on time with the Mag-Lev Audio in order to be sure, this could also make for super-accurate operation, removing minor variances in speed and reducing motor noise.

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Ding — A doorbell for the 21st century

The first electric doorbell sprang to life in 1831, comprised of a bell that could be rung at a distance using an electric wire. Nearly 200 years later, two U.K. entrepreneurs think they have come up with a suitable update, which they launched on Kickstarter this past Tuesday. The Ding Smart Doorbell, as it’s called, is basically the 21st century update that we’ve all been waiting for. It boasts an easy-to-install outdoor doorbell button, mountable indoor chime, and an accompanying smartphone app.

When a visitor presses the outdoor button — which is slim enough to fit most door frames with a straightforward click-in installation — the indoor chime will sound, while also placing a voice call through the Ding smartphone app.  “Most doorbells haven’t really changed over the years,” John Nussey, co-founder and CEO of Ding, told Digital Trends in an interview. “We didn’t want to overcomplicate things, but we went back to the original concept of a doorbell and looked at what we could add to give you quick, effective communication.”

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Voyager Golden Record — Earth’s iconic space probe recording, on vinyl

In 1977, NASA launched two spacecraft, Voyager I and II, on a grand tour of the solar system and beyond, into the mysteries of interstellar space. Mounted to each of these spacecraft is a stunning golden phonograph record — an interstellar message to introduce our civilization to extraterrestrials who might encounter the probes, perhaps billions of years from now. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of these probe launches, Ozma Records is releasing these records for you to enjoy in your own home.

“The Voyager Golden Record contains the story of Earth expressed in sounds, images, and science: Earth’s greatest music from myriad cultures and eras, from Bach and Beethoven to Blind Willie Johnson and Chuck Berry, Senegalese percussion to Solomon Island panpipes. Dozens of natural sounds of our planet — birds, a train, a baby’s cry — are collaged into a lovely audio poem called Sounds of Earth. There are spoken greetings in 55 human languages, and one whale language, and more than one hundred images encoded in analog that depict who, and what, we are.”

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Dyslexie — Typeface that helps Dyslexics read

You might not be aware of it, but one in every five people will have difficulty reading this sentence. It’s not because they don’t know how to read, either — it’s because somewhere around 20 percent of the population is affected by a reading disability known as dyslexia. This affliction  makes it tough to spell, read quickly, write words out, “sound out” words in your head, and even comprehend what you read — but a pair of designers from the Netherlands have come up with a clever new typeface that might help alleviate these problems.

Dyslexie, as it’s called, is a font that makes it harder for the brain to play tricks on people while they read. Normally, the dyslexic brain flips letters around and changes their orientation, so p’s can sometimes look like d’s or b’s, for example — which makes it rather difficult to read. Dyslexie circumvents this by using letters that are unique regardless of their position or orientation, so even when they’re flipped or reflected, the reader can still tell exactly what the letter is. It’s an ingenious solution to a widespread problem, and the creators are currently seeking funding to make the font more widely available and accessible.

Read more here

Drew Prindle
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…
Juiced Bikes offers 20% off on all e-bikes amid signs of bankruptcy
Juiced Bikes Scrambler ebike

A “20% off sitewide” banner on top of a company’s website should normally be cause for glee among customers. Except if you’re a fan of that company’s products and its executives remain silent amid mounting signs that said company might be on the brink of bankruptcy.That’s what’s happening with Juiced Bikes, the San Diego-based maker of e-bikes.According to numerous customer reports, Juiced Bikes has completely stopped responding to customer inquiries for some time, while its website is out of stock on all products. There are also numerous testimonies of layoffs at the company.Even more worrying signs are also piling up: The company’s assets, including its existing inventory of products, is appearing as listed for sale on an auction website used by companies that go out of business.In addition, a court case has been filed in New York against parent company Juiced Inc. and Juiced Bike founder Tora Harris, according to Trellis, a state trial court legal research platform.Founded in 2009 by Harris, a U.S. high-jump Olympian, Juiced Bikes was one of the early pioneers of the direct-to-consumer e-bike brands in the U.S. market.The company’s e-bikes developed a loyal fandom through the years. Last year, Digital Trends named the Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 as the best moped-style e-bike for 2023, citing its versatility, rich feature set, and performance.The company has so far stayed silent amid all the reports. But should its bankruptcy be confirmed, it could legitimately be attributed to the post-pandemic whiplash experienced by the e-bike industry over the past few years. The Covid-19 pandemic had led to a huge spike in demand for e-bikes just as supply chains became heavily constrained. This led to a ramp-up of e-bike production to match the high demand. But when consumer demand dropped after the pandemic, e-bike makers were left with large stock surpluses.The good news is that the downturn phase might soon be over just as the industry is experiencing a wave of mergers and acquisitions, according to a report by Houlihan Lokey.This may mean that even if Juiced Bikes is indeed going under, the brand and its products might find a buyer and show up again on streets and trails.

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Volkswagen plans 8 new affordable EVs by 2027, report says
volkswagen affordable evs 2027 id 2all

Back in the early 1970s, when soaring oil prices stifled consumer demand for gas-powered vehicles, Volkswagen took a bet on a battery system that would power its first-ever electric concept vehicle, the Elektro Bus.
Now that the German automaker is facing a huge slump in sales in Europe and China, it’s again turning to affordable electric vehicles to save the day.Volkswagen brand chief Thomas Schaefer told German media that the company plans to bring eight new affordable EVs to market by 2027."We have to produce our vehicles profitably and put them on the road at affordable prices," he is quoted as saying.
One of the models will be the ID.2all hatchback, the development of which is currently being expedited to 36 months from its previous 50-month schedule. Last year, VW unveiled the ID.2all concept, promising to give it a price tag of under 25,000 euros ($27,000) for its planned release in 2025.VW CEO Larry Blume has also hinted at a sub-$22,000 EV to be released after 2025.It’s unclear which models would reach U.S. shores. Last year, VW America said it planned to release an under-$35,000 EV in the U.S. by 2027.The price of batteries is one of the main hurdles to reduced EV’s production costs and lower sale prices. VW is developing its own unified battery cell in several European plants, as well as one plant in Ontario, Canada.But in order for would-be U.S. buyers to obtain the Inflation Reduction Act's $7,500 tax credit on the purchase of an EV, the vehicle and its components, including the battery, must be produced at least in part domestically.VW already has a plant in Chattanooga, Tennesse, and is planning a new plant in South Carolina. But it’s unclear whether its new unified battery cells would be built or assembled there.

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Nissan launches charging network, gives Ariya access to Tesla SuperChargers
nissan charging ariya superchargers at station

Nissan just launched a charging network that gives owners of its EVs access to 90,000 charging stations on the Electrify America, Shell Recharge, ChargePoint and EVgo networks, all via the MyNissan app.It doesn’t stop there: Later this year, Nissan Ariya vehicles will be getting a North American Charging Standard (NACS) adapter, also known as the Tesla plug. And in 2025, Nissan will be offering electric vehicles (EVs) with a NACS port, giving access to Tesla’s SuperCharger network in the U.S. and Canada.Starting in November, Nissan EV drivers can use their MyNissan app to find charging stations, see charger availability in real time, and pay for charging with a payment method set up in the app.The Nissan Leaf, however, won’t have access to the functionality since the EV’s charging connector is not compatible. Leaf owners can still find charging stations through the NissanConnectEV and Services app.Meanwhile, the Nissan Ariya, and most EVs sold in the U.S., have a Combined Charging System Combo 1 (CCS1) port, which allows access to the Tesla SuperCharger network via an adapter.Nissan is joining the ever-growing list of automakers to adopt NACS. With adapters, EVs made by General Motors, Ford, Rivian, Honda and Volvo can already access the SuperCharger network. Kia, Hyundai, Toyota, BMW, Volkswagen, and Jaguar have also signed agreements to allow access in 2025.
Nissan has not revealed whether the adapter for the Ariya will be free or come at a cost. Some companies, such as Ford, Rivian and Kia, have provided adapters for free.
With its new Nissan Energy Charge Network and access to NACS, Nissan is pretty much covering all the bases for its EV drivers in need of charging up. ChargePoint has the largest EV charging network in the U.S., with over 38,500 stations and 70,000 charging ports at the end of July. Tesla's charging network is the second largest, though not all of its charging stations are part of the SuperCharger network.

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