Ever since its inception, Hot Wheels changed the dynamics of toy car models that were cooler and performed better than any other toy back in the late 1960s. Even after more than six decades, the iconic brand has the same enthusiasm for a set of Hot Wheels.

Some early models are now prized collectibles since they were created only in a handful of units. While every car lover has had his/her collection of Hot Wheels cars ranging from hot rods to supercars, the brand has thought out of the box this time to create a Not Wheels sedan.

Designer: MSCHF and Mattel Creations

The idea comes from the creative pool of MSCHF, a streetwear brand known for its off-the-wall designs. It’s their first-ever Hot Wheels collectible, and going by the packing labels and text, it seems this is certainly not their last. The beat-up car inside the clear packaging carries the label “HW Normal Cars” on the front, hinting there could be more coming. This heavily used car look is inspired by the 1990s Japanese import scenario when worn-out cars were the norm.

This “Not Wheels” car has a missing wheel and two Real Riders classic tires, ensuring it doesn’t roll like any other Hot Wheels. To complete the busted look, the car has a yellow spare and a rusted hub. The rugged look continues onto the body with dents, incomplete repairs and dents scarring the exterior. MSCHF wasn’t going to stop there and went all in with a cracked windshield, hanging seat belts and dirty-fogged rear window with “WASH ME” finger inscribed to complete the theme.

There are cheap fix-ups dotting the bodywork including, mismatched doors and taped-on taillights. If you look closely, the cracked windshield has a yellow parking ticket hooked onto the wipers. Definitely, this car has been ditched for a long as the headlights are all fogged up. The $30 totaled vehicle scale model is all set to be released for buying on August 30 and this one will sell like hotcakes for its exclusivity. You could sport it in your post-apocalyptic diorama, industrial-themed desk or even shoot a short movie with a couple of these Hot Wheels mixed along with the more exotic ones.

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Wheelchairs and mobile robots are useful (and sometimes necessary) tools for those who need them but because of the way their wheels are built, there are a lot of limitations as to where they can go. Uneven surfaces and high obstacle areas can sometimes be unaccessible for them. Researchers have been trying to reinvent the wheel so to speak by coming up with a wheel that can adjust to different terrains. This latest one from Korean researchers may just be the most promising.

Designers: Jae-Young Lee, Seongji Han, Munyu Kim, Yong-Sin Seo, Jongwoo Park, Dong Il Park, Chanhun Park, Hyunuk Seo, Joonho Lee, Hwi-Su Kim, Jeongae Bak, Hugo Rodrigue, Jin-Gyun Kim, Joono Cheong, Sung-Hyuk Song

This Variable-stiffness–morphing wheel that they are testing out is actually inspired by the surface tension of a droplet of liquid. The main thing about this experimental wheel is that it is able to ride through uneven terrain and go through obstacles while still keeping what makes a wheel a wheel when driving through flat ground. You’ll have to go back to your physics notes to fully understand but the basic idea is to create an imbalance in the cohesive forces between molecules.

This deformable wheel that they’re developing has a “smart chain structure” which is a chain of blocks outside the wheel that is connected by wire spokes to opposite sides of the central hub. From the demo video that they showed, the wheel is able to deform and adapt to the surface so it could travel over the obstacles it encounters. The two-wheeled wheelchair they used was able to ride through grassy ground with uneven surfaces. There was not video of the four-wheeled vehicle but they said it was able to drive over rocks and large steps.

It’s still early stages in this research so there are things they need to improve on. For example, dust and particles are able to get through to the smart chain blocks so the wheels are easily damaged. And the video of the wheelchair shows there’s an extreme forward tilt to the chair part so it’s not that safe for passengers yet. But this morphing wheel is promising and may eventually be useful for wheelchairs, mobile robots, and other uses.

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Creating extreme stuff from junk is a special skill that YouTube channel ‘Make It Extreme’ possesses. Their Monotrack bike made from a single recycled car tire was something of a shocker and they’ve upped the ante with another custom build. Called the Electric Monowheel this is a Herculine version that positions the rider inside the wheel.

The obvious challenge in making this big wheel was actually creating a perfectly round wheel measuring 9.1 inches in diameter. Due to the large shape, the metallic wheel acts as a base for the rubber tires salvaged out of a motorcycle and go-kart. These three recycled tires are connected to make the final giant wheel.

Designer: Make It Extreme

The chassis of this unique ride is the centric circle that stays stable even when the outside wheel is in motion. The trick here is to attach three rollers and a plastic encasing on which the wheel spins. To put it simply, just take for reference a hamster wheel. The power for this monowheel is derived from a go-kart’s electric motors attached to the tire. This explains the use of go-kart tires that are non-slip and provide transmission to the wheels without any wheel spin. The steering input is translated instantly to the movement of the wheel and so is the throttle input via the two controllers.

The current build has a better torque of the electromotion that is attributed to the faster-reacting motor. This is a major improvement over the earlier version. According to the makers, the vehicle feels very amazing to drive even though it is a bit dangerous if you don’t know how to handle it. There’s some good news for DIYers who are interested in this project as Make It Extreme is in the process of preparing the detailed plans of the monowheel motorcycle. That means you’ll have all the groundwork served on the platter for you to build on.

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For PC gamers having the right set of peripherals goes a long way in giving them strategic advantage. Be it a gaming keyboard, mouse, gamepad, or steering wheel with pedal inputs – different genres of games demand a varied setup. Take for example racing games that are best played with a steering wheel setup, Battle Royales that need the precise input of a mouse and keyboard, and strategic Multiplayer titles that require a hybrid input of a joystick gamepad.

Eventually, a serious gamer will end up buying the best of all these accessories that’ll take up space on their desk or cabinet. So, how about a multifunctional gaming controller that integrates a keyboard, gamepad and steering wheel into one? A smart peripheral that can be customized depending on the specific needs of the user.

Designer: Thulir S S

This concept design for the brand Logitech more than just caught my eye for the right reasons. Called the Logitech G360, the gaming peripheral is ultra-compact and solves the intended purpose. The highly versatile device is designed aesthetically to not take too much space while keeping the gaming function of each of them, or combined configuration in mind. On the steering wheel base, the gamepad and keyboard are configured to handle the car’s directional inputs, while the connected pedals register the speed, braking and clutch inputs. Simply mount it onto your desk and you’re ready for intense racing action.

When you’re done playing a racing title, you can take out the gamepad from the housing and connect it to play an MMO. For playing real-time shooting titles you can employ the ultra-compact keyboard designed keeping in mind the required input keys for such games. Each of these devices has their independent Bluetooth connectivity hardware, so you don’t have to worry about latency or connection issues.

To add a bit of flair to the whole setup, Thulir imagines the gaming peripheral in sporty Fourmula-1 themes of Red Bull Racing in blue, McLaren in orange and Ferrari in red. I was taken aback by the level of thought put into the design of this concept Logitech gaming accessory. The idea is smart and PC gamers already be licking their fingers.

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