[CarScoop via BornRich]

[Super Punch via io9]

A project of Garnet Hertz of the Pasadena Art Center College of Design, this is a classic OutRun arcade cabinet that's been placed on an EVT America Electric Trike with electric motors that can go up to a whopping 20MPH.

Check out the below video to see a bit more about how this thing will work.

[ConceptLab via Jalopnik]

Yes, for a mere $14,000 and a good bit of dignity, the Air Board will zip you along concrete, asphalt or grass at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour on a 20 centimeter buffer of air. Hovering over water, sand, stones, or dirt-filled areas, however, is impossible due to the vacuum mechanism by which the Air Board hovers. Should probably scratch grass off the "can-hover" list then. That leaves you with drive ways and skateparks where you can be ridiculed by your own kids or someone else's. The 1.3 gallon gas capacity is only good for one hour of hovering, so it'll all be over before you know it. Probably for the better. [Likecool]

An outstanding opportunity for the right government agency to obtain a vessel which normally takes 4-5 years to complete. These vessels are proven in service with the Russian and Greek navies and their square-shaped pontoon structure provides a rugged, stable and seaworthy platform. The middle section accommodates the compartment for armored vehicles to be landed with the two outer sections housing the troop compartments, crew living quarters, life support and nuclear, biological and chemical protection areas.
She is complete with navigation and electronic systems.

Government agency? Do these people know Larry Ellison? The hovercraft is located somewhere in Eastern Europe, and will be complete and ready for delivery in 4 to 5 months. [Portland Yacht via Uncrate]

Rather than recite the piece, which you should definitely read, I thought these hovercraft factoids were pretty neat.

• A 6-ton hovercraft has such even weight distribution that it puts no more pressure on a point of ice than a seagull standing on one leg
• This means said hovercraft could cruise over 4-inch ice without cracking it
• Btw, that hovercraft can cruise up to 50mph
• And its range before refueling is 500 miles

Indeed, I could imagine worse scenarios than flying around the Arctic at 50mph, rocking AC/DC through the stereo. (There was no mention of a stereo, but give a man a dream, OK?) [Wired]

So yeah, it's not really a robot in disguise. But still, impressive, no?

[Wicked Evolution via Botropolis via Technabob]

And two, I hope the fridges on their backs are full of cold beer.

These guys are NASA's Desert RATS, a team dedicated to test space vehicles like the Lunar Electric Rover or the Chariot, which will move astronauts across the Moon and Mars' terrains in the Constellation missions. They are now in the Arizona desert demonstrating the feasibility of the vehicles and the future astronauts' Extra-Vehicular Activities.

One of the many things they are testing is what you can see in the photo above: Suit Ports. The suit ports are located on the Lunar Electric Rover's aft. The are designed to let astronauts get in and out their suits very quickly, using a rear-entry hatch. They are equipped with alignment guides and electromagnetic mechanisms to lock and unlock to the hatch, so astronauts only have to get in, unlock, go do their thing, and then just lock to the LER again, and get out of the suit as quickly as they got in. Neat. [NASA]

Yes, these people are insane. Here's the rundown of my favorites:

- A Toyota Celsior UCF20 with gullwings, scissor doors and a split hood, which took 12 years to build and cost 10 million yen ($110,000). The interior includes 24 monitors, including several mounted in the headrests behind the passengers' heads (you can watch them with the eyes in the back of your head, according to the priest).

- Batman van, a rolling tribute to the superhero that cost 25 million yen ($280,000), took 13 years to complete, and earned the owner a divorce.

- Rocket launcher van, a 1981 Daihatsu Hijet outfitted with a cheap launcher for an 8-meter (26-ft) water rocket (the owner is an eggplant farmer).

Yes, the video is all in Japanese. Yes, it's still very worth watching. [PinkTentacle]

You see? Nothing out of the ordinary here. Just a fully-functional Victorian house car on wheels tooling around the Nevada desert.

Be warned: The rest of the images in the gallery link below are light on gadgetry/vehicles and heavy on WTF, sexy Mad Max hippies, fire breathing and even some bondage. [LA Weekly]

Well, it's not for sale, but the plans for it are. Yes, you can build your own sad little Tumblr for $30 and an existing go kart. Then you can drive up to Christopher Nolan's house and pitch yourself as Robin in the next movie. I don't see how you can go wrong! [eBay via Jalopnik]

(The magnetic fields, of course, do eventually drive the wheels forward when the energy is transferred from over superconducting fluid that touches the rims.)

The result is, theoretically, a very smooth and quiet ride with a low environmental impact. We just like the design for its neat, rear-entry cockpit and all of the potential we see in jousting of the future. [ecofriend]

John Carnett modded brand new Polaris RZR 2-seater ATV with a grey market, 40-year-old turbine. The result is a 114db joystick-driven vehicle that spews out 1300°F exhaust to achieve around 60MPH. And it sounds glorious.

Our only regret is that Carnett was too sane to take his jet ATV over any sweet jumps. Give him time, though. A guy who builds stuff like this has to be slipping a bit. [PopSci]

The LOLrioKart consists of a big stack of NiCd aircraft batteries and a 15hp brushless motor rigged up to an old shopping cart with upgraded wheels. As you can see by the video, it travels at a pretty good clip, up to 45MPH. And you've got to assume that in Cambridge, seeing a motorized shopping cart with a nerd inside tooling around on the street isn't all that shocking.

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.[MITERS via Equals Zero via The Awesomer]

According to Wes at Hell for Leather Magazine, the Erpc may win next Friday's zero emissions TTXGP race at the Isle of Man. He doesn't know how exactly the MotoCzysz Erpc uses the iPhone, but my guess is that it uses custom software that will mix the use of available sensors—like the GPS, the accelerometer, and even the light sensor to turn the lights on or off—and some kind of custom interface that connects it to the bike's electronic systems via USB, to give real time feedback about its mechanics. Or at least, that's how I would like the MotoCzysz Erpc to work at the TTXGP race or anywhere else.

Whatever it is, the biggest question now may be if these bike people hate vowels or what. [Hell for Leather]

The Lampo will never actually be for sale because Protoscar isn't an automobile manufacturer. Instead, the prototype was designed to show just what was possible with today's technology.

Because of that, the car doesn't quite drive like its pricetag might make you expect.

Driving the Lampo is not that different from driving any other car, apart from the lack of a gearbox. The "central selector," as it's called here, allows you to choose forward drive or reverse. There's also an "E"-mode where the car will brake using mainly the torque of the electric motors, maximizing the energy recovery. This is not intended for regular braking, but works brilliantly holding speed constant or slowing down while driving downhill. The Lampo's main problem is that this is basically the only feature of the car that works as it's supposed to.

If you spend a six-figured amount on a car, you'll want it to fire on all cylinders or whatever that translates to in EV-speak. The Lampo doesn't. In theory its twin motors and battery packs running the front and back wheels separately are good for 268 HP and 325 Lb-Ft of torque, but for "technical reasons" the power output has to be limited to somewhere in the region of 60 % during our test drive. Maximum speed is supposed to be over 125 MPH, but it's been restricted to 75 MPH. Hard acceleration is also out of the question, as that may upset the batteries and cause all sorts of problems. Problems like fire.

Which is all fine, because again, this is a prototype. And it's still impressive that a solar car is out there. Just its existence promises that we'll see the good parts of this car in consumer autos at some point, with the bad parts left off. [Jalopnik]

Yes, the CoolCop is a hose that runs the output of an AC vent right into the top of your shirt. For some reason, it's being marketed to cops and cops alone, because they're the only ones who get hot in cars.

On a hot day there's nothing more uncomfortable than having to wear a T-shirt soaked with sweat. Add a bulletproof vest over it and no amount of air conditioning coming from your car vent is going to keep you cool and dry.

The CoolCop dash attachment attaches easily to the air conditioning vent. The soft vinyl vest attachment fits comfortably between your vest and undershirt. Cool air is then delivered under your vest to keep you cool, dry and comfortable.

Next time I'm cruising the steamy streets of Atlanta wearing a bulletproof vest, I'm totally going to jury rig one of these things out of a vacuum hose. That's a promise. [CoolCop via Book of Joe]

Design student Sara Watson turned her old beater of a car invisible in a mere three weeks, and it didn't even cost her that much. Of course, she can't drive it now, and it's only invisible from a certain angle, but still.

The whole thing was done with paint, creating a seriously impressive illusion. The car is now being used as advertising for the local recycling firm that donated the Skoda Fabia to Watson for the project.

Next step: invisible cars you can drive. Shouldn't be too hard, right guys? [BBC via Jalopnik]

It's not fast: 20km/h is what, like 13mph? So, slower than most sprinters and many joggers. And its two 800-watt electrical motor wheels can't yet run all day. But the thing, developed in part by a group of Italian automotive parts makers called From Concept To Car, and in part from various Italian government agencies and universities, is technically more environmentally correct than the standard plug-in scooter.

Not only is it cute, Italian and super green, but that name sells itself. I already came up with the first advertising slogan: "I hate to see her leave but I love to see H-ergo." [Autoblog Green]

Yep, 10 years ago he managed to buy a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter for $25,000, and he and his buddies have spent the years since turning it into the world's fastest hot rod.

The goal is to break the land speed record last year, shooing for 800MPH. He's got competition from more professional and better-funded groups, but come on. We've got to pull for the most extreme garage tinkerer in the country. Kick some ass, Ed! [NY Times

Apparently, a year's worth of human excrement is equal to a measly 2.1 gallons of diesel, but when you collect an entire city's worth of crap, you get a decent amount of fuel. The poop of 250,000 people is enough to operate 80 busses for 62,000 miles each, which is no small thing. So in Norway, they're going to start collecting it and running public transportation on it. Because hey, why not? [Slate via Technabob]

Obama's right-hand goon, Joe Biden, unveiled the administration's plans for high-speed rail all across the country today, showing off a seriously impressive map that adds lines connecting cities all over the country.

Of course, this is all going to take time and a whole lot of money. The first line that's likely to go in, thanks to its advanced state of planning, is the California section, which hopes to link up its major cities with a 200mph rail line sometime in the next decade.

What's unclear is how all of this will be paid for. After all, the current stimulus package has $8 billion marked for high-speed rail projects. Sounds like a lot until you learn that the CA section alone will cost somewhere around $40 billion.

But still, in the long run the benefits of a reliable, fast rail system connecting major cities is clear. I hope they're able to make this happen. [WhiteHouse.gov and The Economist]

In case you didn't notice, the motorboard glides over a GOD DAMN LOG. A LOG! And you can sit and carve on the thing like it was a little snowboard. I have no idea when this is coming out, if ever: these Aussies are trying to raise capital for their project. But I support the Powerboard in spirit, even if my wallet can't. [Scarpar via Engadget]

Despite the fact that the whole idea of a motorized barstool conjures up images of drunken racing leagues, obtaining one is as simple as Google search. So, my guess is that this isn't the first time something like this has happened. [610WTVN via Fark and Newark Advocate]

The limited edition vehicle comes with a big PSP sticker on the back to let everyone know how much of a fanboy you are. In addition, you get a black PSP (because someone buying a PSP Edition car doesn't already have one), 2 games, a 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo and a head mount that allows people in the back seat to watch those super-popular UMD movies while you drive.

The price for this package? Well, it starts at €33,990 ($43,340). Yeah, I'm sure it'll sell like hotcakes. [Zer Customs via Engadget]

Best Buy Capital invested a few million dollars in Brammo last September, and features like integrated GPS and Wi-Fi chips make this an especially gadgety ride, which helps explain how it got to the big box retailer's floor. There will be more fancy-pants options as well, like on-board cameras that can connect to the internet and automatically sort ride pictures by location.

All in all, it looks like a pretty slick ride, even if you do need to go to Best Buy to get it. [Greentech Media via Autoblog]

You can hit the guy's blog for new concepts, or buy his 2007 book—$19.77 isn't a lot for all those vehicles plus the impossibly hot women Daniel likes to draw as pilots and pit crew. The vibe, as you can see in the gallery, is somewhere between Star Wars and Firefly, with a touch of Talladega Nights thrown in for good measure.

[Daniel Simon via io9]

They're doing this by buying a 28-year-old Volkswagen Rabbit, driving it up to CWS Tuning in Saskatchewan, replacing the engine with a "modern, computer-controlled, turbocharged VW TDI engine" and then driving it down to UCLA where aerodynamics professor John McNulty will help, as they say "make the car more slippery."

And for reference, a 2009 Toyota Prius achieves 48MPG and costs $22,720, while a 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid achieves 40MPG and costs $24,320. This thing will get 70MPG for $7,000.

It's a downright awesome project, one that they'll be covering step by step online via video and images. And they're looking to get the internet to name it for them, so look for the Ballsmobile to hitting the road in the near future. We can't wait. [TopGear]

The buses, of which over 40 are currently in use, are replacing firing squads as China's preferred method of execution. The buses provide a setup for lethal injections, and the acts are carried out on streaming video so local authorities can observe and ensure that everything is done legally.

Critics say that the buses help the government secretly harvest organs to sell to the west, as there's already a doctor on hand to administer the injection and they never show the bodies between execution and cremation.

Hoo boy. China! Always good for a lighthearted story in the morning. You're welcome. [USA Today via Jalopnik]

VLAD stands for Vehicle Lightweight Arresting Device, and it's a new gizmo designed to stop car chases and the like without anyone getting hurt. It's a small device, one that's "as small as a spare tire, as light as a tire jack, and costs under a grand." It's an 18-inch-wide disk that you put on the road. When a car goes over it, sticky tentacles fly out and attach themselves to the axle, bringing it to a halt.

It appears to work pretty well in the above video, but that truck is only moving at 35 miles per hour. The creators are hoping to be able to stop a 5,000-pound truck moving at 120 MPH when all is said and done. [Danger Room]

Seeking funding to support the work, the Boston, Massachusetts-based-AeroCopter's MTR vehicle has a single turbine driving a ducted fan pusher propeller and the electromagnetically driven 8.2m (27ft)-diameter ring that encircles the fuselage. Lift is generated by the rotor blades of the ring, which has counter-rotating upper and lower halves. A driveshaft linking the ring to the turbine uses permanent magnets to turn the ring, which has many more magnets located at short intervals around its circumference. Once at 1,000ft (305m) altitude the ring is tilted through 87° and locked in place.

AeroCopter has designed a 1,320kg (2,900lb) two-seat personal air vehicle with a cruise speed of at least 220kt (405km/h) and a range of 555km (300nm). There is also an unmanned air vehicle version.

[Aerocopter via FlightGlobal]

This is one serious UAV, one that puts most others to shame. Just look at these specs:

With a payload of 318kg (700lb) per single 31km (57nm) radius sortie, each Mule will be capable of delivering about 3,180kg over 24h, including the ferrying on return trips of casualties where medevac flights are needed. Mule's maximum operating altitude is 12,000ft (3,660m).

[FlightGlobal]

In 2007, he broke his spine while doing practice jumps for a planned New Years Eve jump. This NYE, he tried again. And while he finished the rotation, he screwed up the landing (as much as you can control the landing in a truck) and ended up rolling down the landing hill.

Give it up, dude. In the end, even if you nail it, it's not even that impressive for you personally. It'd be more impressive that your team was able to engineer a jump that properly flips you up. Simply driving straight at a crazy contraption and then being willing to be badly hurt over and over again don't take that much finesse. Listen to the man upstairs, go be an accountant or something.

Yes, now you can get your lazy ass carted around by your poor dog, attaching him and up to three other dogs to one of these crazy contraptions. The big selling point, apparently, is that by placing the dog behind the steering apparatus, you're able to have much more control over where you're headed. Because if the dog was placed in front of the steering apparatus, you'd always just head right to the butcher shop or milk bone factory.

But really, you need to see the website to get the full effect of this product. I mean, with quotes like this, how can you go wrong?

YOU WILL LOVE THE TOTAL STABILITY OF THE TRIKE AND THE SPORTS CAR TYPE HANDLING WITH POWERFUL STEERING AND BRAKING.

I SURE WILL! [Dog Powered Scooter via Neatorama]

The gang finds that, while the Tesla is amazingly fast out of the gate and cheap to operate (once you drop the cash on buying one), it's not without its faults. For one, that battery is crazy heavy, and charging it up takes a whopping 16 hours. Also, it has a way of breaking down. But don't take my word for it, as I'm far less charismatic than Jeremy Clarkson.

Side note: bring this show to DVD/Blu-ray, BBC! Come on! [Jalopnik]

Yeah, it's just slowly trucking down the runway, but it's the first time we've actually seen this thing in any sort of action. The next step? The first flight, which is expected to happen around the 19th of this month. We still have a bit of a wait before it'll actually deliver SpaceShipTwo into space, but it's exciting to see progress being made. Now just drop the tickets, Virgin. I want to go. [FlightGlobal]

Photo Credit Alan Radecki

It's a solar-powered vehicle, so its covered in solar panels. But when you stop for a breather, the panels fan out, increasing their surface area and helping juice up in the sun when its not in use. It's a smart design and a cool one as well. Cool because it was inspired by dinosaurs. As soon as they start designing minivans with the sleek lines of a T-Rex, minivans will finally be cool. Take notes, car designers. [CarBodyDesign via SlipperyBrick]

Once installed, you simply press a button to command motorized panels to cover your front and back plates. At this point, while you can still see your car, it's technically invisible. Then press down on the gas, put two wheels on the sidewalk and you'll really see what those license plate covers can really do.

Priced at $121, just remember, there's always a magical place called the race track if you want to drive like a douche. [DealExtreme via OhGizmo!]