Who could have imagined that a treadmill(跑步机)on wheels would one day become a thing? Lopifit is an unusual means of transportation that allows you to power an electric bicycle by walking on a treadmill.

Lopifit founder Bruin Bergmeester says it all started when he asked himself the question. "How can I use a treadmill outdoors?" He eventually came up with a design, to which he added an electric engine, and Lopifit was born. The treadmill bicycle is similar to a typical electric bicycle in that the motor only works when the rider puts power in as well. The Lopifit senses it when you walk on the treadmill and uses the motor to turn a drive chain at the back part of the treadmill, helping you reach a top speed of 17 miles per hour.

To use the Lopifit, simply turn on the battery and use your feet to slide the treadmill backwards and activate (激活) the motor. Then get on and enjoy the ride! If you need speed, just walk on the treadmill, and if you want to coast, all you have to do is stay still and admire the view. To stop, you have two hand brakes available.

The Lopifit first hit the streets in 2014 and, unsurprisingly, became an instant hit. That was actually quite challenging for the company, because it started get inquiries and calls for orders, but it was nowhere near ready for mass production. The unique treadmill bicycle became available this year, and Lopifit is struggling to keep up with demand, despite the high price tag of $ 2,115.

But despite having a very loyal fan-base of so-called Lopifitters, the creative means of transportation also has naysayers who simply consider the invention stupid and unnecessary. They basically believe that if you’re going to walk, you might as well do it the old-fashioned way. But the Lopifit does have the unique advantage of helping you walk really fast without breaking a sweat, or walking at cycling speed, if you will.

In what they claim is a world first, researchers in Japan have developed chopsticks that artificially create the taste of salt, as part of efforts to reduce sodium levels in some of the country’s most popular dishes.

The chopsticks work using electrical stimulation and a mini-computer worn on the eater’s wristband. The device transmits sodium ions from food, through the chopsticks, to the mouth where they create a sense of saltiness, says Homei Miyashita, a professor at Meiji University in Tokyo, whose laboratory collaborated with the food and drink manufacturer Kirin to develop the device. The team plan to improve the first design and hope to make the chopsticks available to consumers next year.

The chopsticks could find a receptive audience in Japan, where the traditional diet tends to be high in salt due to the use of components such as miso and soy sauce. The average Japanese adult consumes about 10 grams of salt a day, double the amount recommended by the World Health Organization. The health ministry has proposed reducing daily salt intake to a maximum of 7.5 grams for men and 6.5 grams for women.

The chopsticks use “very weak electricity — not enough to affect the human body — to adjust the function of ions such as sodium chloride and sodium glutamate to change the perception of taste by making food seem to taste stronger or weaker”, Kirin said in a statement.

Miyashita and Kirin said clinical tests on people who follow a low-sodium diet had confirmed that the device enhances the salty taste of low-sodium food by about 1.5 times. High salt intake can contribute to high blood pressure, the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes. “To prevent these diseases, we need to reduce the amount of salt we take,” said Kirin researcher Ai Sato. “If we try to avoid taking less salt in a conventional way, we would need to suffer the pain of cutting our favourite food from our diet, or suffer eating food with very little taste.” Miyashita’s lab has also invented a lickable TV screen that imitates the flavours of various foods.

The violin is one of the most popular instruments and it is still made using traditional processes. However, that is not the only way to create the instrument. In the latest innovation (创新), AVIVA Young Artists Program is 3D printing low-cost, durable (耐用的) violins for children and adults who want to learn how to play them.

It is no secret that violins are expensive to buy. It is possible to have one violin that costs millions depending on how it is and who made it. This can make it hard for many people to buy the instrument, especially for beginners. However, AVIVA Young Artists Program is hoping to change this.

The program started as an experiment to reach under-served communities. And now it grows to be the Young Artists Program for violinists worldwide. It ‘seeks not’ only to connect people with music worldwide but also to be innovative. 3D-printed violins are a key part of that mission.

A 3D-printed violin not only works correctly but is also able to be made at a fraction of the cost of a traditional instrument. Considering that low-cost beginner violins cost around $500, this is a significant price reduction and will make these beautiful instruments accessible to more people.

Mary-Elizabeth Brown, director of the AVIVA Young Artists Program, said, “Our goals are to explore the new sound world using new materials, use the new technology in other fields, and make music education continuable and accessible through the printing of more durable instruments. The next step is to lower the costs of production while making such instruments more widely available, especially in the educational field.”