Japan. Kagome, a Japanese juice maker, developed a robot named Tomatan designed to be worn on the go. Users wear the backpack-like device, which weighs about 18 pounds and has a tomato-shaped head that dispenses tomatoes via metal arms that reach to the individual’s mouth. Kagome claims the device would benefit Tokyo marathon runners by providing them more access to nutrients. “Tomatoes have lots of nutrition that combats fatigue,” Shigenori Suzuki, an employee of Kagome, said. He represented the company by running a five-kilometer race on Saturday with a Tomatan strapped to his back. Novmichi Tosa, founder of Meiwa Denki, a Japanese art studio sponsoring the robot, ran alongside Suzuki, carrying tools in case they encountered problems with the robot.
Yahoo! News
England. A Wellingborough resident reported Feb. 19 that her kid goat, Lily, began to act like a dog. Three weeks after birth, Lily collapsed by her mother’s side and was taken to a veterinarian in critical condition. When the young goat was returned to her owner, Rebecca Mineards, she noticed that the animal began playing around with her dogs. The goat, who currently lives inside the Mineards’ house but is not potty-trained, wears a diaper. After performing light physiotherapy and taking steroids, Mineards said she is optimistic that Lily will be reunited with her mother soon.
BBC News
Australia. Stuart and Cedar Anderson, a father and son beekeeping team, have invented a tap that extracts honey without disturbing the bees inside the hive. Flow Hive is the first of its type, and is able to protect the beekeeper from getting stung while collecting honey. The bees deposit honey into plastic honeycomb cells, which are housed in the device, and secure it closed with wax. The wax is then broken off with a lever that rotates the cells, forming zigzagging channels. This allows the honey to flow freely through a tap. When the duo listed their invention on crowdsourcing site Indiegogo, they raised $1.7 million in 24 hours. The Andersons come from a long line of beekeepers in New South Wales and they call themselves “backyard engineers.”
Telegraph UK
Dubai. The Torch Tower, one of the tallest apartment complexes in the world at 79 stories, caught fire on Saturday. Molten glass and flaming window panels fell to the ground, hitting nearby buildings. Residents of the building panicked as the flames began to spread above the 50th floor, although there are no reported injuries. The Torch Tower opened in 2011 and contains 676 apartments. Some tenants praised the response from the civil defense, stating that it was prompt and they were able to quickly control the fire. There have been reports that a cigarette stub may have started the fire, although the cause has yet to be officially determined.
BBC News
