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Awesome tech you can’t buy yet: Jellyfish tanks, wearable luggage, and more

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.

JellyTank — jellyfish-friendly aquarium

Jellyfish are amazing creatures. These gelatinous, free-swimming non-vertebrates are among the oldest groups of animals on earth. They’ve been around for over 500 million years, and can be found in every ocean in the world, from the surface to the deep sea. Masters of survival, they have endured every major extinction event since the Cambrian period. But the thing is, while they’re really good at surviving in the open ocean, they’re not so great at living in tanks. They’re just not built for it, so without the right kind of aquarium, they typically don’t survive for very long.

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That’s where the JellyTank comes in. This sucker was built from the ground up to be an ideal habitat for your captive jellies. It features a proprietary shape and a custom-designed pump that work together to provide a gentle flow similar to what jellyfish would experience in their natural environment. On top of that, there’s also an integrated filtration system that constantly keeps tabs on the water quality, and a set of color-variable LEDs you can use for lighting.

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Herbert — wall-mounted hydroponic garden

Want to grow your own produce, but don’t have enough space for a garden? Check out Herbert: a hydroponic vertical garden that allows folks in even the most cramped apartments to grow fresh organic food. It’s the latest product to be released by Ponix Systems, a company started by self-described “tech freaks and urban farmers.” With a vision of bringing vertical farming solutions to the people, Ponix hopes that the Herbert system will help foodies and environmentalists everywhere grow their favorite fruits and vegetables year-round without the need for herbicides or pesticides.

For those without a green thumb, the Herbert can help. To start farming, simply place a seed into one of Herbert’s biodegradable sponges, add water and biomineral fertilizer to the tank, and sit back. According to the Ponix team, this vertical farming method requires 90 percent less water, though it yields 40 percent more harvest when compared to traditional farming, as your garden stays safe and protected from the elements. Even if your space doesn’t get a lot of sunlight, Herbert can still grow food. The setup features its own proprietary LED technology that adjusts to provide your plants the exact wavelengths of light they need for optimal photosynthesis.

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Slughaus Bullet 02 — world’s smallest flashlight

Flashlights are a handy thing to have with you at all times, but most people will agree that lugging around a full-size (or even somewhat compact) flashlight is a bit of a pain. More often than not, it’s easier to skip the flashlight altogether and just use an app on your smartphone. But what if there was a flashlight so small that you’d hardly even notice you’re carrying it?

That’s where the Bullet 02 comes in. Its creators claim that it’s the “smallest LED flashlight in the world,” so it’s ideal for fitting onto a key chain or throwing in your pocket without adding unwanted bulk or weight. The bullet-shaped light measures just 10.5mm x 30mm, and it weighs just 6 grams, thanks to a design that uses ultra-lightweight aerospace-grade aluminum. It’s also water-resistant, so it can be used in rain, sleet, snow, and pretty much any other kind of inclement weather. The device is being funded right now on Kickstarter, and you can get your paws on one for just $10 if you back the project during the early stages.

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Airport Jacket — cargo jacket for travel

If you always find yourself forking out for excess baggage every time you take a flight, then an Aussie-based startup has come up with an ingenious solution that’ll have you confidently packing the kitchen sink for your next trip.  The “Airport Jacket” is, for all intents and purposes, a wearable suitcase. With a whopping 14 pockets and two detachable pocket panels capable of taking up to 15 kgs. (about 33 lbs.) of stuff, your only concern will be ensuring your legs don’t give way as you stagger toward the check-in desk.

Crucially, the jacket — with all the stuff inside — can be quickly transformed into a small bag (with handles) so you only need to put it on when you arrive at the airport. Once you’re through check-in and on the plane, you can fold it back up again before throwing it into one of the overhead bins. Just don’t be surprised if you get stopped by TSA for longer than usual. It’s not exactly the most inconspicuous thing you could wear to the airport.

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GPD Pocket — tiny, ultraportable Netbook

Remember netbooks? They were all the rage a few years back, but the fad seemed to die out as a new generation of tablets and 2-in-1s gained popularity. But the miniature laptops haven’t died off completely, and GPD’s newest product is proof positive of that. The GPD Pocket, as its called, is an ultraportable and ultracompact netbook, presumably designed to compete with all the other mobile computing options available today. With a phablet-sized screen an full qwerty keyboard, it’s small enough to fit in a pocket, yet big enough to function like a small  Windows 10 laptop.

The Pocket runs everything with an Intel Atom x7-Z8700 CPU with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. That’s not going to break any performance records, but it should be suitable for web browsing and productivity tasks. A 7000mAh battery should keep things running for a few hours, at least.  In addition, GPD gave the Pocket a very MacBook-like magnesium alloy chassis that measures a diminutive 180mm x 106mm x 18.5mm, and it weighs a relatively light 480 grams. It has a tiny keyboard and a red nubbin for controlling the cursor, and connectivity comes by way of a USB Type-C port, a USB 3.0 connection, and HDMI. Wi-Fi is 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.1 rounds out connectivity.

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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…
The Nissan Rogue is joining the plug-in hybrid club in 2025
nissan rogue hybrid 2025 2024

It might have taken a while, and slumping sales of its most popular SUV, but Nissan has finally taken the step to offer hybrid vehicles in the U.S. The Japanese automaker will add a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain to the 2026 Rogue compact SUV, which should be available stateside sometime next year, Nissan Americas chief planning officer Ponz Pandikuthira told Automotive News.A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) typically runs on electric power until its battery is almost depleted, at which point it automatically switches over to using a gasoline-powered internal combustion engine. The battery can be recharged conventionally from the outside or through regenerative braking.
While Nissan has been offering popular fully electric vehicles (EVs) such as the Leaf and the Ariya for years, it has surprised many by not joining the hybrid bandwagon, especially for the Rogue. Competitors such as the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V, which do provide the part-fuel, part-electric power capacity, have seen their sales surging. Meanwhile, sales of the Rogue have slumped this year.
That’s why Nissan is partnering with Mitsubishi to start offering its first-ever electrically assisted car in the U.S. next year.
According to the Automotive News report, the Rogue will be outfitted with a similar powertrain found in the Mitsubishi Outlander. In that model, a 2.4-liter gas engine powers the front wheels, while two electric motors create an all-wheel drive system that can either work on its own or in conjunction with the gas engine. As the Outlander is able to deliver 248 horsepower, that would make the Rogue PHEV more powerful than the existing model’s 201 hp. The Outlander is also rated for 38 miles of electric driving by the EPA.
In addition, Nissan is planning to bring its non-plug-in, e-Power series hybrid technology to the U.S. in 2026. This technology, already available outside the U.S., also uses electric motors to power the wheels while using the gas engine to charge the battery.

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A Complete Unknown: Timothée Chalamet talks the importance of Bob Dylan and live music
A woman holds onto a man as they look up.

When they set out to make a movie about Bob Dylan, it was clear to every creative involved that the songs had to be performed live. Even Timothée Chalamet, the actor playing Dylan, agreed.

"It was important for me to sing and play it on set because it was in the spirit of the movie to do it live," Chalamet said in a featurette about A Complete Unknown. To do this, Chalamet needed to emulate Dylan as a performer, from his vocals and stage presence to his guitar playing and harmonica abilities.

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Robotaxi aside, a $25,000 EV would be pointless, Tesla CEO says
Blue Tesla Model 3 Highland on the road

Enthusiasts expecting to one day put their hands on the steering wheel of a $25,000 Tesla EV may feel like they’ve been taken for a ride.
CEO Elon Musk has just put a serious damper on those expectations, saying that outside of the driverless Robotaxi recently unveiled by Tesla, a regular $25,000 model would be “pointless” and “silly.”
During a conference call with investors, Musk was asked to clarify whether such a model was in the works.
"Basically, having a regular $25K model is pointless,” Musk said. “It would be silly. It would be completely at odds with what we believe." Tesla, Musk continued, has “been very clear that the future is autonomous.”
On October 10, Tesla unveiled its much-awaited robotaxi, called the Cybercab, an autonomous-driving EV with no steering wheel or pedals. The company also unveiled the Robovan, a much larger autonomous vehicle expected to carry people or goods.
The automaker said the Cybercab is expected to be produced in 2026 and cost $30,000. Musk, meanwhile, said that it would be a $25,000 car without specifying if that price tag included federal tax credits.
Tesla’s ambiguity about an affordable entry-level model has been going on for years. In 2020, Musk signaled that a $25,000 Tesla would arrive within three years. It was later reported that Tesla had ditched the idea, instead favoring the development of a robotaxi.
Language within Tesla’s latest financial report still hints that new affordable Tesla models are on the way. But Musk’s latest comments are putting a floor on just how affordable these would be. So far, Tesla’s Model 3 Rear-Wheel-Drive remains the company’s cheapest model, with a base price of $38,990.
Some rival EV makers, meanwhile, are entering the affordable space more aggressively in the U.S.
General Motors has already put out its Chevy Equinox EV at a price of $27,500, including federal tax credits. Volkswagen America says it plans to release an under-$35,000 EV in the U.S. by 2027.

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