Sometimes you see things that make your heart sing with the joy of human ingenuity. These beautiful and mesmerising door designs made me feel just that. They are the brainchild of Austrian artist Klemens Torggler who has been working on different designs for some years. The steel version is, in engineering terms, beautifully elegant - but impractical. I can envisage some nasty trapped finger moments. The latest origami-like 'Evolution' model poses no such problems, having

A self important college freshman, walking along the beach, took it upon himself to explain to a senior citizen resting on the steps, why it was impossible for the older generation to understand his generation. "You grew up in a different world, actually an almost primitive one" the student said loud enough for others to hear. "The young people of today grew up with television, jet planes, space travel, man walking on the moon. We have nuclear energy, ships and cell phones

Churchill's Iceman - the new book by Henry Hemming tells the astounding story of a good old British 'boffin', Geoffrey Pyke. We'll let Henry take up the story... Geoffrey Pyke lived most of his life as if it was an experiment. The idea he wanted to test was simple enough: that he could solve any problem, and what’s more, so could anyone else. There followed one of the most extraordinary lives of the 20th century. Born in 1893, the cousin of the television presenter Magnus, G

We are saddened to hear of the death of Prof. Anthony Kelly. A materials scientist who had a profound impact on the world through his work on composite materials. Known to his friends and colleagues as Tony, in the bigger world he enjoyed the soubriquet of 'the father of composite materials'. Without his pioneering work many of the products we take for granted today - from turbine blades to tennis racquets - would not be possible. He was an active contributor in his fiel

Over the years, at various invention shows around the world, I've been asked to judge many inventions that seek to address the dubious claims regarding the danger of electro-magnetic radiation from mobile devices. I've always been in a quandary: a) is there a problem in the first place and b) does the invention actually work? Now, poor old Sir Richard Branson has got enmeshed in the controversy by adding his backing to what he called "Underpants for super-heroes!" Last year

It's early days but these shape-changing, origami inspired robots could herald a real 'transformation' in robotics. This is a great invention that literally can stand on its own two (or more) feet! Scientists at Harvard University have taken the principles of origami, fused with flat-pack furniture thinking, and produced a razzle-dazzle prototype that transforms from a flat sheet to a walking robot in just four minutes. The robots are constructed from a stiff, paper like co

I love inventions that are cases of simple, elegant, lateral thinking. Charged with finding a way to connect the millions of people worldwide in remote areas to the internet, Google have launched (literally) Project Loon. The idea is so simple and charming - launch a flotilla (if that's the right word?) of balloons into the stratosphere and have them carry transmitters to create a network of coverage. A sort of sub-orbital, wind blown, satellite network. Magic! I have to

This is a fascinating story of a modern day David (Photographer, David Slater) meets Goliath (Wikipedia). It's not very often that copyright issues become media sensations but in this case the sheer hilarity of the image has helped stoke popular interest. The case revolves around 'selfies' taken by a troop of black macaque monkeys. Wikipedia has been showing the image (left) but refuses to pay royalties to Mr. Slater because the photograph was not taken by him - but by the