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“They took our jerbs!”.

Quirky news from the world of geekdom

Adidas has been experimenting with robotically-made custom clothing for a few years now, opening up micro-factories in various locations around the US and Germany. The intent was for these ‘Speedfactories’ to reduce shipping time and reduce the risk of exploitative supply chains by using high-tech local robots. However, after years of experimenting with this system it was found to be too slow and expensive to be viable. Rather doing away with built-to-order product lines, Adidas has flagged its intention to move its robotic manufacturing to Asian facilities by 2020, where it can produce a wider range of custom garments for less.

13-year-old designs an underground transport system better than Hyperloop

3M YOUNG SCIENTIST CHALLENGE ENTRANT OUT-THINKS ELON MUSK.

Elon Musk’s ambitions to make reusable space rockets and self-driving electric vehicles has put him on the shortlist for Time magazine’s Person of the Year multiple times. Musk’s next big idea is to revolutionise the everyday commute with an intricate transport system called a Hyperloop. The problem is it was recently overshadowed by an even better version, proposed by a 13-year-old. The revision suggests that a vacuum tube propulsion system running parallel to a traditional train track, connected via a magnetic arm, would make the Hyperloop system safer (people aren’t trapped in an airless tube) and more economically viable.