Spot toy by New Deal Design encourages kids to be "in-the-moment"
Gadi Amit's studio New Deal Design has invented an Artificial intelligence-equipped toy to fight the "distraction economy" by nurturing children's attention spans. More
Smart chest binder promises to ease pain for trans people
Transgender men and non-binary people have a safer, more comfortable option for chest binding in the form of Breathe, a smart garment designed by Loughborough University student Miles Kilburn. More
Michelin and GM to bring airless tyres to cars
Michelin is partnering with General Motors to bring its airless tyre prototype to the roads, potentially saving 200 million punctured car tyres from the scrap heap annually. More
MIT researchers engineer "cyborg" plants for motion-tracking and sending notifications
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's "cyborg botany" researchers have turned plants into sensors and displays, suggesting we use them as a gentle alternative to electronic screens. More
Carlo Ratti imagines how Boulevard Périphérique in Paris will look in 2050
Paris' famous Périphérique ring road could have its car lanes slashed by half and replaced by a playground in the switch to driverless cars, says Carlo Ratti. More
Wild Flower launches gender-neutral sex toy Enby for "all of life's transitions"
The first sex toy created by retailer Wild Flower is a genderless object meant to suit a variety of bodies. More
Sony explores robot-human relationships with Affinity in Autonomy exhibition
Sony has staged an artificial intelligence-themed exhibition, featuring a field of white spheres that move as if they have their own personalities. More
Aitor Throup develops "speed-warping" technique for The SLP music video
Kasabian's Sergio Pizzorno had to sing in a "crazy" mix of slow and fast speeds to achieve the glitchy effect in the music video for Favourites, directed by designer Aitor Throup. More
Drone-equipped hospitals could be resilient to disasters
Architecture and engineering firm Leo A Daly has proposed building "drone-powered" hospitals in hurricane-prone areas, which could continue operating even when roads are closed or destroyed. More
University of Stuttgart makes Urbach Tower from self-shaping wood
University of Stuttgart engineers have harnessed the natural shrinking process of wood as it loses moisture to create this world-first self-twisted tower in Germany. More
United Nations criticises voice assistants for promoting gender biases
A United Nations report has found that Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, and other female-voiced digital assistants "reinforce commonly held gender biases". More
Aivan grows headphones from fungus and yeast
Fungus, yeast-based bioplastic and other materials grown by microbes have been used to make the Korvaa headphones, designed by Finnish studio Aivan in collaboration with scientists. More
Museum creates deepfake Salvador Dalí to greet visitors
The Dalí Museum in St Petersburg, Florida has used a controversial artificial intelligence technique to "bring the master of surrealism back to life". More
The Barbican dives deep into artificial intelligence with More Than Human exhibition
Chatbots, facial recognition tech, deep-fake videos and newly commissioned installations by Es Devlin and Lawrence Lek are on display at The Barbican's sprawling AI: More Than Human exhibition. More
Morrama's "smarter phone" concepts aim to enhance your wellbeing
Smartphone users can easily switch their devices from full functionality to minimal "mindful" modes in these concepts by UK design agency Morrama. More
MIT's Self-Assembly Lab proposes new way of growing islands and coastlines
Researchers at MIT and in the Maldives have come up with a solution to help coastal communities threatened by climate change: submersible objects carefully placed to promote the growth of beaches and islands. More
Algorithmic Lace bra designed for style and comfort post-mastectomy
Designer Lisa Marks has combined traditional handicrafts with technology to create a unique bra especially for people who have had mastectomy surgery. More
Rega rescue drone will autonomously search for missing persons
Swiss air rescue service Rega has a new tool in the search for missing persons – a drone that can autonomously scan large areas and identify potential targets. More
University of Stuttgart creates biomimetic pavilions based on sea urchins and beetle wings
The University of Stuttgart has continued its experiments into biomimicry and robotic construction with two pavilions at the Bundesgartenschau horticultural show in Germany. More
Gravity Sketch VR software now lets designers switch between 2D and 3D
Designers can move easily between drawing in a virtual-reality environment and on their tablet using the latest update to Gravity Sketch. More