How Suitcases With Wheels Helped Travelers Get On A Roll (Cool Weird Awesome 1015)

Inventors put wheels on suitcases and made it so much easier for travelers to get their bags through airports and terminals and lobbies. So why was there so much resistance to rolling luggage when it first went up for sale?

By |2023-05-30T08:58:02-04:00May 30, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

There’s A Lunchbox Museum In Columbus, Georgia (Cool Weird Awesome 979)

Last week was school spring break where I live, so today all the families are back to packing backpacks, putting homework in folders and packing lunches.  Maybe next spring break we should head to Columbus, Georgia to visit the Lunchbox Museum.

By |2023-04-03T07:48:19-04:00April 3, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

For Self-Help Robots, Looks Matter (Cool Weird Awesome 976)

The University of Cambridge did a study about robotic wellbeing coaches. And it turns out that if we want robots to help us help ourselves… they need to be cute. 

By |2023-03-22T07:47:42-04:00March 22, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

For Safer Motorcycling, How About Pants With Airbags? (Cool Weird Awesome 965)

Motorcycles just don’t have many of the same safety advantages as cars and trucks. So a company in Sweden is taking one of those safety features and adding it to a rider’s outfit: introducing airbag pants!

By |2023-03-08T07:50:30-05:00March 8, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Gaming Prosthetics Are Making Minecraft More Inclusive (Cool Weird Awesome 950)

Engineering students at Johns Hopkins University have been building adaptive controllers to make the Minecraft universe more accessible.

By |2023-02-15T07:39:13-05:00February 15, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Hydrogel Sheets Could Clean Up Spills Quicker Than Ever Before (Cool Weird Awesome 933)

A lot of us turn to paper towels when there’s a mess to be addressed, but they could also be greener. Researchers are developing a reusable kitchen towel made of hydrogel.

By |2023-01-23T08:43:10-05:00January 23, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Here’s Why There Aren’t B Batteries (Cool Weird Awesome 913)

Maybe you had to pick up some batteries for some of the presents you bought this month. When it comes to toys, we’ve got AA, AAA, C and D batteries… but not B! Why not?

By |2022-12-27T09:21:52-05:00December 27, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Brushing Our Teeth With Help From Nanorobots (Cool Weird Awesome 818)

University of Pennsylvania researchers are developing a teeth cleaning system out of nanoparticles.

By |2022-07-26T09:17:29-04:00July 26, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

A Chess “Robot” Beat Grand Masters In The 18th Century – Sort Of (Cool Weird Awesome 803)

Today in 1854, the end of one of the great hoaxes of its day: a fire in a Philadelphia museum destroyed what people of that time thought was a super-intelligent chess robot.

By |2022-07-05T09:17:55-04:00July 5, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

A Typewriter Inventor Was Trying To Help A Blind Friend Send Letters (Cool Weird Awesome 795)

For National Typewriter Day, some of the stories that helped bring this device to life, including a guy in Italy who was trying to help a blind countess write letters.

By |2022-06-23T10:55:29-04:00June 23, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |
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