Audi's turbodiesel, electric flywheel hybrid, all-wheel drive prototype race car

Audi's new R18 e-tron quattro demonstrates the extraordinary boldness of the Audi company in actually risking something substantial (damaging it's Quattro heritage) to demonstrate new capabilities - harnessing the combination of electric and traditional horsepower to gain a demonstrable competitive advantage

Audi has disclosed some of the details of its forthcoming R18 e-tron quattro, revealing a turbodiesel, electric flywheel hybrid, all-wheel drive prototype, and ensuring that the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hour Race will be a battle of the hybrids.

Ghost Pedal lets guitarists wander the stage and wah

A team of Purdue University students has developed a device that uses sensors at a guitarist's ankle to wirelessly control a virtual wah distortion effect

No matter the size of the stage, most gigging guitar players are likely to have to return to the same spot from time to time to change the tone, increase the volume, check tuning or to operate the wah effect. Thanks to a team of students from Purdue University's School of Mechanical Engineering, the last of those has now been liberated from the pedal board and strapped to the player's ankle. This doesn't involve attaching a large brick-shaped wah pedal to one leg, as one's imagination might suggest, but wearing a small wireless transmitter and a couple of sensors instead. Players operate the Ghost Pedal in much the same fashion as a physical pedal, the sensors registering the rocking motion of the foot and feeding data to a base station connected to the amplifier.

Sandberg BatteryCase for iPhone 4/4S delivers more bang for your buck

Sandberg's BatteryCase is a case for iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S packs impressive specs into a slim package

Sandberg's BatteryCase is the latest in a long line of iPhone battery cases that claim to double the life of an iPhone - in this case the iPhone 4, though as you'd expect the case is also compatible with the iPhone 4S. In case you're not familiar with how these things work, there's no mystery: it's simply an iPhone case with an integrated battery. But how does it stack up against two of the market leaders, Mophie's juice pack and juice pack plus?

Space Fence Mark II - Prototype S-band radar tracks space junk smaller than an inch across

A prototype of the new Lockheed Martin Space Fence radar system is currently tracking orbiting space objects smaller than was ever possible - down to about a centimeter in size

A prototype of the new Lockheed Martin Space Fence radar system is currently tracking orbiting space objects smaller than was ever possible - down to about a centimeter in size. In doing so, it met a key contract requirement during a series of demonstration events by proving it could detect and track such small objects.

Wave Glider aquatic robots set world record

A group of four autonomous underwater vehicles have just set a world distance record, by traveling from San Francisco to Hawaii

On November 17th of last year, a group of four wave-powered autonomous aquatic robots set out from San Francisco, embarking on a planned 37,000-mile (60,000-km) trip across the Pacific ocean. Recently, the fleet of Wave Gliders completed the first leg of their journey, arriving at Hawaii’s Big Island after traveling over 3,200 nautical miles (5,926 km). By doing so, they have set a new distance record for unmanned wave-powered vehicles – that record previously sat at 2,500 nautical miles (4,630 km).

Jompy: a hot water tap for your hydration bladder

The large Jompy offers the fastest boiling time - one liter in about 45 seconds

A funny name but an innovative design, Jompy allows campers, backpackers, hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts to get hot water from their hydration packs. The simple device works in conjunction with a hydration bladder and camping stove to deliver boiling water for use in food, beverages and cleaning.

Sony α57 boasts 12 fps shooting with full-time continuous autofocus

The SLT-A57 is somewhat taller than its predecessor, a move that's said to offer users a more comfortable grip

Sony's translucent mirror technology - which directs incoming light to the image sensor and the AF sensor simultaneously - continues to advance with the introduction of the company's new SLT-A57 digital camera. The new camera trumps the α55 it replaces in a number ways, most notable of which is the 12 images per second continuous shooting with full-time continuous autofocus in Tele-zoom Continuous Advanced Priority AE mode. The new, faster, more powerful image processor that makes such an impressive performance boost possible also ramps up the sensitivity to a very low-light-friendly ISO16000, and the camera is fit to bursting with creative photography options.