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Awesome tech you can’t buy yet: Custom LED sneakers, invisible drums, 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.

Freedrum — Portable, virtual drum kit

 

Want to get your John Bonham on, but don’t have the necessary space (or cash) for a real drum kit? Not to worry — Freedrum is just what you’ve been waiting for. You know those digital drum sets that you can link to your a pair of headphones and play beats that only you can hear? Freedrum is the same thing — except it doesn’t have any physical drum pads for you to hit. The entire experience is virtual — you just strap a pair of sensor packs on your sticks and go nuts.

Under the hood, Freedrum boasts a  bevy of smart sensors.  In a nutshell, the system uses finely-tuned gyroscopes and an accelerometers to determine several parameters –things like where you’re drumming, or how hard you’re hitting each drum–, based on angles and velocity. This data is translated into “hit areas” which can then be programmed to create your desired sound via an accompanying Bluetooth app. The setup is powered by a miniature, high-capacity LiPo battery, which can be charged in under an hour, and will keep your drumsticks charged for seven hours of continuous drumming.

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AirSelfie — Pocket-sized selfie drone

Drones have come a long way in the past few years, but now that manufacturers have managed to stuff them with all the bells and whistles we could ever want, the race is on to shrink them down and make them more portable. Thanks to the proliferation of smartphones, compact sensors, cameras, and processors are more accessible than ever — and now those same components are being used to build a new generation of ultra portable — but still very capable — mini drones.

AirSelfie is the latest addition to this burgeoning category. It’s a selfie drone — which isn’t really a new idea at this point, but this one is particularly slim, pocket-friendly, and portable. Thanks to its slim profile, the drone can slip into a case that’s no bigger than a fat smartphone. To fly it, just toss it in the air, steer it into place using the accompanying smartphone app, and start snapping pics. With an integrated camera that shoots five-megapixel stills or HD video, it’s basically a flying photographer that fits in your pocket.

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Kaffee — Coffee table with integrated fireplace

Good news, pyromaniacs! Thanks to miracles of modern technology, there’s finally a way to light a fire on your coffee table without burning down your apartment. Kaffee, as it’s called, is a stylish new coffee table that features a built-in flame generator and you can switch on at the push of a button. It’s designed for people who love the warmth and aesthetic feel that a fire provides, but don’t have the luxury of owning a traditional fireplace.

“You can think of it like a big Zippo,” co-founder Randall told Digital Trends. “It uses commercially available fuel which runs smoke- and fume-free, so that it doesn’t require any ventilation if you burn it inside. You don’t have to install air ducts, a chimney, or anything like that. The fact that it’s so optimal for indoor environments is the reason we decided it would be perfect as a centerpiece for furniture.”  In terms of heat, the table pumps out around 5,000 BTUs of heat, which should make a noticeable difference in even the most respectable of living rooms. Its design is also suitably clean and minimalist — with a glass and steel enclosure that won’t look out of place among your other gadgets.

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Rocketbook Everlast — Reusable analog notebook

 

Do you burn through notebooks and find yourself constantly having to buy new ones? Rocketbook might be just what you need. The notebook is designed to be completely reusable — paper and all. Once you fill up all the pages, the Rocketbook is able to digitize all your notes and store them in the cloud, and then clear all the pages so you can write on them again. The pages of the notebook (which are just regular-ol’ paper, by the way) feature a set of seven different symbols, which can be mapped to different cloud storage services. Mark one of the symbols on the page, and when you scan it with Rocketbook’s accompanying smartphone app, a digitized copy of the page will instantly be sent to the cloud storage platform of your choice.

After you’ve you’ve filled up the notebook and digitized all your notes,  you can just pop Rocketbook in the microwave for 30 seconds and it’ll erase all your work — so long as you use a Pilot FriXion pen (they use ink that turns clear when you heat it above a certain temperature). The Rocketbook actually popped up on Indiegogo a couple years ago, and now the creators have taken to Kickstarter to gather up funds for a bigger production run.

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Vixole — Customizable LED sneakers

When you think of high-tech sneakers, your mind probably conjures up images of kicks that lace themselves up Marty McFly style — but footwear startup ShiftWear has a totally different vision for futuristic feet. Instead of self-lacing tech, the company has developed a set of sneakers that function as a sort of digital canvas — thereby allowing you to customize and adjust the look of your kicks to suit any outfit or occasion.

Kitted out with embedded sensors and flexible LED screens, the company’s high-tech Vixole kicks allow wearers to personalize their shoes by using them as miniature displays to show designs, animations, and photos sent from your smartphone. The shoe communicates with your phone using Bluetooth, so you can take a picture and upload it, draw your own design, or even — if you know how to code — write your own algorithm to make a neat visualization. If you play your cards right, you might not have to buy another pair of sneakers ever again!

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Drew Prindle
Former Senior Editor, Features
Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…
Zoox recalls robotaxis after Las Vegas crash, citing software fix
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Amazon's self-driving vehicle unit, Zoox, has issued a voluntary safety recall after one of its autonomous vehicles was involved in a minor collision in Las Vegas. The incident, which occurred in April 2025, led the company to investigate and identify a software issue affecting how the robotaxi anticipates another vehicle’s path.
The recall, affecting 270 Zoox-built vehicles, was formally filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Zoox said the issue has already been addressed through a software update that was remotely deployed to its fleet.
Zoox’s robotaxis, which operate without driving controls like a steering wheel or pedals, are part of Amazon’s entry into the autonomous driving space. According to Zoox’s safety recall report, the vehicle failed to yield to oncoming traffic while making an unprotected left turn, leading to a low-speed collision with a regular passenger car. While damage was minor, the event raised flags about the system’s behavior in complex urban scenarios.
Establishing safety and reliability remain key factors in the deployment of the relatively new autonomous ride-hailing technology. Alphabet-owned Waymo continues to lead the sector in both safety and operational scale, with services active in multiple cities including Phoenix and San Francisco. But GM’s Cruise and Ford/VW-backed Argo AI were forced to abandon operations over the past few years.
Tesla is also expected to enter the robotaxi race with the launch of its own service in June 2025, leveraging its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. While FSD has faced heavy regulatory scrutiny through last year, safety regulations are expected to loosen under the Trump administration.
Zoox, which Amazon acquired in 2020, says it issued the recall voluntarily as part of its commitment to safety. “It’s essential that we remain transparent about our processes and the collective decisions we make,” the company said in a statement.

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Mitsubishi’s back in the EV game—with a new electric SUV coming in 2026
mitsubishi bev 2026 momentum 2030 line up

Mitsubishi is officially jumping back into the U.S. electric vehicle scene—and this time, it’s not just dipping a toe. The company confirmed it will launch a brand-new battery-electric SUV in North America starting in summer 2026, marking its first fully electric model here since the quirky little i-MiEV left the stage back in 2017.
The new EV will be a compact crossover, and while Mitsubishi is keeping most of the juicy details under wraps, we do know it’ll be based on the same next-gen platform as the upcoming Nissan Leaf. That means it’ll ride on the CMF-EV architecture—the same one underpinning the Nissan Ariya—which supports ranges of up to 300+ miles. So yeah, this won’t be your average entry-level EV.
Designed in partnership with Nissan, the new model will be built in Japan and shipped over to U.S. shores. No word yet on pricing, battery size, or even a name, but Mitsubishi has made it clear this EV is just the beginning. As part of its “Momentum 2030” plan, the company promises a new or updated vehicle every year through the end of the decade, with four electric models rolling out by 2028. And yes, one of those might even be a pickup.
Mitsubishi says the goal is to give customers “flexible powertrain options,” which is marketing speak for: “We’ll have something for everyone.” So whether you're all-in on electric or still into gas or hybrid power, they're aiming to have you covered.
This mystery EV will eventually sit alongside Mitsubishi’s current U.S. lineup—the Outlander, Outlander PHEV, Eclipse Cross, and Outlander Sport—and help the brand move beyond its current under-the-radar status in the electric world.
In short: Mitsubishi’s finally getting serious about EVs, and if this new SUV lives up to its potential, it might just put the brand back on your radar.

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Toyota unveils 2026 bZ: A smarter, longer-range electric SUV
toyota bz improved bz4x 2026 0007 1500x1125

Toyota is back in the electric SUV game with the 2026 bZ, a major refresh of its bZ4X that finally delivers on two of the biggest demands from EV drivers: more range and faster charging.
The headline news is the improved driving range. Toyota now estimates up to 314 miles on a single charge for the front-wheel-drive model with the larger 74.7-kWh battery—about 60 miles more than the outgoing bZ4X. All-wheel-drive variants also get a boost, with up to 288 miles of range depending on trim.
Charging speeds haven’t increased in terms of raw kilowatts (still capped at 150 kW for DC fast charging), but Toyota has significantly improved how long peak speeds are sustained. With preconditioning enabled—especially helpful in colder weather—the new bZ can charge from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Also new: Plug and Charge support for automatic payment at compatible stations and full adoption of the North American Charging Standard (NACS), meaning access to Tesla Superchargers will be standard by 2026.
Under the hood, or rather the floor, Toyota has swapped in higher-performance silicon carbide components to improve efficiency and power delivery. The AWD version now produces up to 338 horsepower and sprints from 0–60 mph in a brisk 4.9 seconds.
Toyota didn’t stop at just the powertrain. The exterior has been cleaned up, with body-colored wheel arches replacing the black cladding, and a sleeker front fascia. Inside, a larger 14-inch touchscreen now houses climate controls, giving the dash a more refined and less cluttered appearance. There’s also more usable storage thanks to a redesigned center console.
With the 2026 bZ, Toyota seems to be responding directly to critiques of the bZ4X. It’s faster, more efficient, and more driver-friendly—finally bringing Toyota’s EV efforts up to speed.

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