From hover bikes to flying cars, here are six mind-bending inventions you need to see

They may seem like scenes straight out of a film, but technology is moving faster than we think. Take a look at these mind-bending inventions:

Flying cars

The race is on to come up with the first flying car. While Israeli tech firm Urban Aeronautics has a dark green drone (more for military use) called The Cormorant, the Airbus Group wants to test its pilotless Project Vahana by end-2017. The 185 km/hour Cormorant hopes to be ready in 2020, while the Vahana sees its taxis in the skies by 2021.

Curved TVs


(Imag: Getty)

Curved TVs aren’t a new concept, but the technology for it is kicking in. Over this year’s CES show, both LG and Samsung revealed 105-inch curved TVs — LG’s Curved Ultra HD TV 105U9 and the Samsung 105-inch Curved UHD TV. While it may sound gimmicky, the TVs do stand out from the boring flat screens because the curve is supposed to imitate the curve of your eyeball.

Smart spectacles

Google is rumoured to be moving on from its famed Google Glass to a cap that will project live videos, but meanwhile Snap Spectacles is already in the act with its built-in videos. Smart glasses are making a comeback. Toshiba has tied up with leading smart glasses manufacturer Vuzix. Expect your glasses to have cameras, respond to touch pads, and give you augmented reality in both business and entertainment.

Flexi-screens

The future looks at screens that can be folded up; and that tech is coming at you in different gadgets — from TVs, phones, ebooks, to even the Apple Watch. Last month, Samsung got the patent for a device with a foldable display and a mechanical hinge in the middle, while LG not only came up with a roll-able TV screen, but a flexi-keyboard as well.

Hover bikes

This is the real deal and it looks sweet. Russian company Hoversurf just showed off the Scorpion-3, a single-seat electric-powered hoverbike that basically “surfs through the air”. Meanwhile, LEGO and BMW have unveiled a flying concept called Hover Bike, based on the Lego Technic BMW R 1200 GS Adventure kit.

Robot bartenders

‘Carl’, developed and built by mechatronics engineer Ben Schaefer, prepares spirits for mixing cocktails and is able to interact with customers in small conversations. Meanwhile, two robot bartenders on the Royal Caribbean cruise line can make all kinds of drinks. ‘Shaken’ and ‘Stirred’ can produce two drinks per minute and make a 1,000 a day.