Transformable flying AirCar awarded airworthiness certificate

A flying car capable of converting from a road to an air vehicle has been granted an airworthiness certification in Slovakia, as its makers eye mass manufacturing.

The Slovak Transport Authority awarded the AirCar by Klein Vision a Certificate of Airworthiness earlier this week, after the vehicle completed more than 70 hours of successful flight testing.

The AirCar is a dual-mode vehicle with a petrol engine that can convert from a car to an aircraft at the push of a button.

White AirCar vehicle in sportscar mode drives on a highway
The AirCar is capable of driving on the roads like an ordinary car

In its testing it has performed steep 45 degree turns, reached maximum speeds of 190 kilometres per hour and flown a 35-minute inter-city journey between airports in Nitra and Bratislava.

Slovak company Klein Vision said its flight testing was in line with European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards, and that the certification aids its plans to … Read more

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Living room seating ideas: 10 arrangements for any size space

With some good living room seating ideas you can easily make the best use of your space, whatever shape your room. In fact, the ways in which you can arrange your sofa and chairs are endless – from a smart symmetrical layout to grouped-together seating, you can not only maximise your living space, but also create the ambience you’re after.

Looking for a cosy vibe? Go for a sociable setting with sofas and chairs within close proximity of each other. Prefer something worthy of a show home? Then use chairs and accent pieces like side tables to create a more balanced setting.

Living room seating ideas

It’s likely that your room shape will dictate your living room seating layout to some degree, but contrary to common belief, when it comes to living room sofa ideas the traditional against-the-wall format isn’t always the best arrangement, even in a compact room.

If … Read more

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Teknos interior paints provide "better indoor air quality"

Dezeen promotion: Finnish paint brand Teknos has released a range of paints designed to improve resident’s wellbeing by purifying indoor air.

Named Biora Air, the paints absorb and neutralise aldehyde pollutants such as formaldehydes from interior spaces.

According to Teknos, air contaminants are odourless, which makes them difficult for residents to detect before noticing health effects, such as irritation to the eyes, nose, throat and skin.

Depending on the concentration of aldehydes and the size of the space, surfaces painted with Biora Air paints can purify air for “five to 10 years”.

“Indoor air is polluted by many sources, such as the outside air, building materials and furniture,” said Teknos. “Impurities that can be found include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), small particles or harmful microbes such as mould.”

A wall painted in a cool toned mauve Teknos paint with a white desk, red desk lamp, pink diary and a jar of flowers
Biora Air paints have a matt finish and a purifying technology that helps reduce the amount of aldehydes in the air

Throughout … Read more

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House insurance for flood-risk areas – your options explained

A flood can cause tens of thousands of pounds’ worth of damage to your home and its contents, causing misery and inconvenience. Meaning it’s essential to make sure you have suitable house insurance for flood-risk areas in place.

An estimated one in five homes in the UK is at risk of flooding according to JBA Risk Management, which assesses flood risk. That number is sure to rise as we expect there to be more flooding in the future, as winter rainfall increases and sea levels rise due to climate change.

Insurer Aviva has seen this first hand with a major spike in home insurance claims for flood damage to homes in 2019 and 2020.

The Environment Agency estimated that flooding in the UK in 2019/20 caused £78 million worth of damage but this would have been £2.2 billion if improvements had not been made to flood defences.

Does a standard

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Marjan van Aubel turns solar cells into art with glow-in-the-dark tapestry

Strips of colourful photovoltaic cells are arranged into a geometric pattern to form this artwork, conceived by Dutch designer Marjan van Aubel to bring solar panels from our roofs into our homes.

Named Ra after the ancient Egyptian sun god, the see-through solar tapestry is less than one millimetre thick and was designed to be hung in a window, so that it can cast vivid shadows on the surrounding walls as the light changes throughout the day.

Ra tapestry pictured at daytime hung behind a vase with flowers
The Ra tapestry (above) is made from transparent photovoltaic cells (top image)

When the sun goes down, a ring of electroluminescent paper embedded in the window hanging starts to glow, powered by the energy that was captured by the photovoltaic (PV) cells throughout the day.

Unlike a traditional solar lamp, such as the Sunne light that van Aubel unveiled last year, Ra’s purpose is not strictly to provide illumination.

Wallhanging made from solar panels by Marjan van Aubel pictured at dusk, hung behind a vase with flowers
It was designed to
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