The Twin Barrels Burning soap box racer, constructed from three wine barrels, became the slowest entrant at the Portland Adult Soap Box Derby with a 3 mph top speed. Despite finishing last, its innovative design using barrel wheels wrapped in bicycle tires earned the Best Engineering award.
AMD announced Eyefinity technology for their new ATI Radeon graphics cards with DirectX 11, enabling users to connect six monitors in a 3x2 configuration for a single unified display with an incredible 7,680 x 3,200 pixel resolution.
Disguised as an innocent medicine cabinet, the Urbancase Melli Compact Lounge is actually a wall-mounted bar complete with cocktail glasses, mixing tools, and a fold-down door that becomes your prep table. At $1,699, it's the ultimate hidden home bar solution.
Crispin Jones' On Foot Watch replaces traditional hour markers with world speed records for running events from 100 meters to 100 kilometers. The stainless steel analog timepiece features three arcs showing record times, limited to 100 pieces at $179.
Hambone Designs creates handmade frame bags that mount securely on your bike's top tube, giving cyclists a stylish place to stash phones, keys, and other small essentials. Available in fabric or leather, the Velopocket and Balzac models range from $20 to $50 and can double as detachable purses.
The iPod Nano 5G stepped into the mini-camcorder arena with 640x480 video recording, a built-in mic, and FM tuner. Sporting a polished aluminum finish and compact design, it packed media playback, voice recording, and a pedometer into an 8GB or 16GB device starting at $150.
Michael Arndt from Germany spent six years constructing a 1:1 scale McLaren F1 car replica from 956,000 matchsticks and 1,686 tubes of glue. The $8,725 sculpture breaks down into 45 parts for transport to exhibits and conventions.
Korean designer Sungho Lee embedded a LED panel into a clothespin, creating a versatile clip-anywhere light. Attach it to book pages for nighttime reading, clip it to your shirt while cycling, or fasten it to tree leaves for backyard illumination. Unfortunately, it's only a design concept and not yet available for purchase.
Forged from a salvaged railroad spike, the Beer Defense Tool combines a bottle opener with a spike hook for the territorially minded drinker. Rough-hewn, rust-pitted, and wonderfully ridiculous, it's a one-off piece that looks like it emerged from a century-old forge and doubles as conversation starter.
The APSI C100 breaks the PND mold with a two-part design: a permanent GPS dock mounted in your car and a removable touchscreen handheld that doubles as a media player. Slip it in for full navigation with 3D mapping, pull it out to carry your music and videos.
Designer Nifer Fahrion created the Work Corset, a feminine take on the traditional toolbelt that combines corset elegance with handyman function. Made from durable cotton canvas with clip-on Occidental leather holsters, it allows DIY enthusiasts to reconfigure pockets and tool storage while maintaining a shapely silhouette.
This unassuming dump truck hides a jaw-dropping secret: a fully equipped luxury mobile home inside. The custom conversion features a hip loft interior complete with kitchen, dining area, bathroom, raised bed, and side storage that holds a quad-bike.
Czech modder Zbyšek transformed his desktop PC into a miniature kitchen stove, complete with LED-lit cooktops that simulate gas burners, an oven door revealing the PC internals, and a bottom drawer housing a DVD drive. The entirely hand-welded custom case proves desktop PCs don't have to look like ugly boxes.
Japanese supplier Crafthouse has released two articulated five-finger robot hand sets for hobby robots. The premium God Hands ($1,935) are hand-assembled and fragile, while the sturdier Melissa Hand Type-1 ($645) suits 50cm robots. Both require separate servo motors and offer opening-closing motion.
The Specs Op T.H.E. Wallet Jr lives up to its Tactical Holds Everything name with reinforced 1000D cordura construction, hidden zipper pockets, ID windows, and a slip-in closure that secures without velcro or snaps. At $28.95, it's built to outlast ordinary wallets by miles.
Honda introduced the Shadow Phantom in 2010 as a tougher, blacked-out cruiser to rival Harley-Davidson's Sportster. With a 745cc fuel-injected V-Twin engine, low-slung saddle, and custom aesthetic, the all-black Phantom brought hard-edged style and manageable power to Honda's lineup at $7,999.
Bungie Studios got an unexpected visit from local police after a concerned citizen reported someone carrying what appeared to be an AK-47. Turns out it was a Bungie employee transporting a life-size replica of a Halo sniper rifle prop to the office for some ODST gaming sessions.
These Seattle-made sunglasses deliver the striking aesthetic of real wood without the rot, mold, or termite risks. Manik wraps hard plastic frames in a convincing wooden finish, creating versatile shades that work for driving, the beach, or nights out while guaranteeing you'll turn heads.
This quirky USB dongle plugs into your laptop and emits an ultrasonic frequency that repels mosquitos within a 1.5-meter radius. No sprays, no lotions—just plug it in and work outdoors in peace. At under six bucks, it's a cheap solution for café warriors in mosquito country.
The PS3 won't play nice with standard universal remotes because it uses Bluetooth instead of infrared. The Blu-Link solves this by handling both protocols in one device, controlling your PlayStation 3 and up to six other home theater components without juggling multiple remotes.
Zero Baggage was a proposed service that would let travelers fly without luggage by storing their clothes and delivering them directly to hotels. The company planned to offer wardrobe rentals too, turning travel into a cloud storage experience for stuff.
Chicago designer Mark Kinsley created Fold Out, an innovative wall fixture where mural panels individually fold down to become shelves. Each section can stay flat for art display or flip out for storage, creating a 5x4 grid of versatile functional art that adapts to your needs.
Designer Sarah Dery's coffin-shaped mousetrap hides deceased mice inside a cardboard casket for mess-free disposal. The flip-top coffin conceals the trap and any gore, revealing only a telltale tail through a hole when successful. Perfect for Halloween decor or the rodent sympathizer in your life.
ThinkGeek has resurrected the slide rule, the mechanical analog calculator that math nerds used before pocket calculators existed. This 12.5-inch faithful recreation handles multiplication, division, squares, roots, logarithms, and trig functions. It's hand-tooled, currently the only slide rule in production, and comes with instructions for curious retro-tech enthusiasts.
The Penguin Home Soda Maker turns tap water into custom carbonated drinks in 30 seconds flat. Perfect for gamers and homebodies who'd rather stay in than make late-night store runs, it comes with two carbonators and glass carafes for endless fizzy refreshment.
The Sony ICF-CL75iP Dream Machine transforms the humble alarm clock into a nightstand entertainment hub. Featuring a 7-inch display, retractable iPod dock, built-in speakers, and 1GB storage, it plays videos, music, and photos while waking you with radio, nature sounds, or personal voice recordings.
The US Army's inaugural Robotic Rodeo brought together 40 vendors showcasing autonomous military robots at Fort Hood, Texas. From the R-Gator cargo bot to Archer's hybrid transport, these machines clear explosives and ferry equipment—though none yet match Robocop's crime-fighting prowess.
