super soaker
Latest
Nerf's 'Fortnite' guns will be here March 22nd (updated)
If you thought Hasbro was already milking the Fortnite trend for all it's worth with an official Nerf gun, you haven't seen anything yet. The toy maker has unveiled its full line of Fortnite-themed Nerf guns (including Super Soakers), and while it's not a complete reflection of the battle royale shooter's arsenal, it's likely you'll find something that suits your tastes. People who prefer dart-based havoc can pick up the AR-L assault rifle ($50) or SP-L pistol ($20) for conventional weaponry, but they can also wield $10 MicroShot dart blasters for surprise attacks. If you've ever wanted to shoot foam projectiles from a llama's mouth, now's your chance.
Lonnie Johnson, the rocket scientist and Super Soaker inventor
To celebrate Black History Month, Engadget is running a series of profiles honoring African-American pioneers in the world of science and technology. Today we take a look at the life and work of Lonnie Johnson. Lonnie Johnson is not quite a household name, but many of his famous creations, like the Super Soaker, are. To truly appreciate Johnson's achievements, we should start at the beginning. Ever since he was a child in Mobile, Alabama, he wanted to be a maker and a creator. In 1968, at Williamson High School, then an all-black school, Johnson designed a 4-foot tall, remote-controlled robot, which he worked on for over a year and built using scrap metal. He called it "Linex," and it won him the main prize at a science fair that year. Johnson recalls being the only minority student in the competition, which was hosted by the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa -- a place known for attempting to block black students from enrolling. "The only thing anybody from the university said to us during the entire competition was, 'Goodbye,' and, 'Y'all drive safe now,'" he told Biography.com in an interview. Eventually, Johnson earned the nickname "The Professor," a moniker that years later would seem ever so fitting.
The DS Life: Phosphorescence
Even as a kid (or perhaps especially as a kid), artist David Gibbons had a fascination for all things glow-in-the-dark. Really, though, what's there to not like about glow-in-the-dark junk? David covered his bedroom walls with every glow-in-the-dark decoration he could find -- posters, stickers, and stars. He even wore glow-in-the-dark pajamas and braces! While we never went that far, we happen to have a glow-in-the-dark rosary hanging off our car's rearview mirror (It's a Filipino thing! Also, it makes it easier for us to pick out our car in the mall parking lot at night.).Anyway, David used his childhood glow-in-the-dark obsession as inspiration to create the art piece we've featured a today, an illustration depicting all of the Christmas toys he wished for as a kid while laying awake at night, gazing at all their glow-in-the-dark incarnations blue-tacked to his walls and ceiling.
Super Soaker inventor looking to double solar efficiency
Did you know the inventor of the Super Soaker, Lonnie Johnson, is a nuclear engineer with more than 100 patents in his green-lined pockets? Really, you didn't? Well, now that you're all caught up with Basic Gadgetology 101, we'll fill you in what he's been up to lately. Johnson has developed a new solar technology called the Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Conversion System (JTEC for the acronym-inclined), which is "like a conventional heat engine." A closed box system takes heat as an input, creates pressure from heat differential, which generates electricity by forcing ions through a micron-thick ceramic membrane. The big news: this system purports to be as efficient as 60%, versus the 30% efficiency achieved through normal photovoltaic panels. While Johnson's invention may prove itself to be a game changer in the quest for cheap and renewable electricity, we don't think it'll be nearly as fun as using pressurized air to blast water at your pals. Now, maybe if he made a solar-powered water cannon ...
