While motorized human transporters have yet to truly take off, the folks over at Nissan have come up with something more practical for the time being: self-parking office chairs. With a single clap, these futuristic furniture will automagically tuck themselves back into their rightful positions, thus keeping your office or meeting room neat and tidy. And of course, it's also fun to watch, as yo...

Researchers at Wake Forest University in North Carolina say they have created a 3D printer that can produce organs, tissues, and bones that could theoretically be implanted into living humans. The group’s work was published in the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology today.According to the paper, the researchers’ printer acts much like most 3D printers do, using a computer-controlled nozzl...

The best feature of the AirVisual Node, described as "the most precise consumer air quality monitor on the market," might have nothing to do with its sensors.How do you track the invisible? How do you know if the CO2 level in your home gets dangerously high, or if there are hazardous levels of particulate matter in the air where you're sleeping?It's one thing to be able to see dirt, say on your...

Designer Sean McConnell decided that maybe things would catch up if he populated the internet with a few concepts. The Microsoft Surface watch takes inspiration from Microsoft’s flagship Surface tablets. The trapezoid profile is maintained, which is a signature element for Microsoft’s tablets, and it comes with a square screen, which seems like quite a wise decision, given the Windows OS, whi...

The rise of smartwatches, weaker foreign demand and strong Franc compel Swiss watchmakers to rethink strategy.For the first time since the Deloitte Swiss Watch Industry Study was launched in 2012, more watch executives are pessimistic about the outlook for the Swiss watch industry than those who are optimistic. Watchmakers are increasingly worried about the continued strength of the Franc and t...

Microsoft has patented a “modular computing device” that would enable people to put together the exact PC components they want, allowing for replacement of certain parts rather than forcing people to buy entire new computers when they want upgrades.Microsoft applied for the patent in July 2015, and it was published earlier this week, on February 11. One of the patent’s authors, Tim Escolin,...

2015 was a tough year for the also rans. Here’s an interactive bar chart that will give you a sense of how thoroughly Apple dominates the premium end of the mobile phone market, where most of the money is made:To get a feel for what’s going on, click back and forth between the two views—market share and profit share. With 17.2% of the smartphone market in 2015, Apple captured 91% of the prof...

Which came first, the drone or the PowerEgg ?Conventional drones are often billed as portable, though they're also often a collection of rods, rotors, and other bits and pieces that are perfect for catching on things and getting tangled. To make taking drones into the backcountry a bit less onerous, Beijing-based Powervision Robot has taken the gubbins of a quadcopter and built them into a gian...

Ever feel helpless and anxious without your mobile? You're in good company: millions of consumers of digital media, entertainment and information have found their lives revolutionized by the power at their fingertips.Half of us believe that increased use of digital media has improved our lives, according to recent World Economic Forum research. From social networking to how we work, digital med...