Advanced Invention

Swifter suits, shoes that lean and gaming the pistol are just the beginning of the tech innovations giving track the runaround this summer

Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton, wonder about the modern decathlon and proudly pause for synchronized swimming. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, the next two weeks of our lives should be impressively unproductive. To aid in your immersion, we continue with our new series: “know your Olympic sport.” It’s part reminder that people actually get medals for this stuff (see: trampoline gymnastics) and part introduction to the science behind the sports.

The Pentagon investigates the use of a new type of airless tire designed to get troop-carrying Humvees through hot spots without stopping

In Iraq and elsewhere, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) pack a double-deadly whammy: They can kill when they explode, and then they turn surviving soldiers into sitting ducks when Humvee tires blow out. Conventional Humvee tires need a certain amount of air pressure, but also may include so-called “run-flat” inserts that wrap around the tire’s rim to keep it from going completely flat when the tire’s surface is ruptured. The U.S. Army, however, is looking for an alternative that can keep its vehicles running faster and farther than a run-flat donut after an attack.

A plug-in concept from Volvo brings the power inside the wheels for increased efficiency and extra mileage