• Eco-friendly 3D-printed house uses soil, not cement — building still scores top earthquake resistance rating

    Japanese company Lib Work has outlined its 3D house building technology, which relies on soil as its primary constituent. The company’s Lib Earth House Construction (machine translation) process uses a massive 3D printing assembly, rather like others we have seen used for building coffee shops, bus stops, and so on. However, instead of relying on cement to create concrete, Lib Earth dwelling utilize a patent pending mix of earth, slaked lime, and natural fibers.

    The materials mix outlined above reminds us somewhat of wattle and daub, a building material and technique that has been around perhaps 6,000 years. Wattle and daub buildings have been known to remain serviceable for as long as 700 years. So there should be no real worries about living in a ‘mud’ house, as long as the construction has been finished correctly. Actually, Lib Work notes that its structures “have a strength equivalent to earthquake resistance grade 3, making it a safe home to live in even in Japan, a country prone to earthquakes.” Indeed, grade 3 is the highest rating for such architectural durability in Japan.

    Lib Work's 3D printed house materials are made primarily from soil

    (Image credit: Lib Work)

    Another attraction of the 3D printed house is that it opens up the flexibility of free form design. Structures which would be a challenge to fabricate from traditional building sheet materials don’t phase 3D printers. Lib Work unveiled their first Lib Earth construction a year ago, but that was basically just a small hut. The Lib Earth model B, unveiled recently, with its cluster arrangement, is far more sophisticated and home-like, as you can see from the imagery.

    3Dプリンター住宅 – YouTube 3Dプリンター住宅 - YouTube

    Watch On

    Lib Work’s charts indicate that its 3D printing mix for homes is made from 65% soil and sand, the with the next largest chunk consisting of slaked lime binding material, finished off with a few percent of natural fibers and ‘other’ stuff.

    The firm has done some CO2 emissions calculations / measurements. According to these figures, the new material’s reliance on “soil, lime, and natural fibers that are abundantly available on Earth,” and eschewing of cement, means far lower CO2 generated per residence.

    The Lib Work figures show that building a typical house of this stature might cause about 45,000kg of CO2 emissions. This figure is reduced by more than half, to 22,434kg of CO2, when using the new 3D printing construction tech and sustainable materials. That’s even better than a ‘wooden house,’ it goes on to claim.

    Lib Work's 3D printed house on Mars project

    (Image credit: Lib Work)

    Lib Work Mars Project

    If you think the above Lib Earth project is pretty ambitious, moving further down the linked page, you will find some eyebrow-raising information about the firm’s Mars Building Project.

    Naturally, on Mars, the planned major component of buildings from Lib Work would be Martian dirt.

    Soil balls

    Soil and dirt are generally regarded as lowly materials, even extending to being insults. However, common earth’s status might improve by becoming a valued building material for modern, sustainable 3D printed dwellings.

    Soil is actually one of the key ingredients of Hikaru Dorodando shiny balls. Numerous YouTube videos provide evidence that it is possible to polish dirt. Whether this technique could be used in the finishing of your 3D printed soil house, for marble effect features, remains to be seen.

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    TOPICS

    Mark Tyson
    News Editor

    Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom’s Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.


    Source: Latest from Tom’s Hardware.

  • Deeper Purpose – Operate (Extended Mix)

    Time for a dancefloor operation. Deeper Purpose is here with his new tech house weapon, ‘Operate’ 🔪 Subscribe and enable alerts (🔔) for a new track upload daily! Spotify playlist ▶︎ https://spoti.fi/2XkCG4O 🫵 DJ & producer recommendations: »» 20% discount on all sample packs (use code NYX20) ➡ https://techhousemarket.com »» 20% discount on all vocal packs (use code NYX20) ➡ https://vocalfy.com »» Support the artist and buy records ➡ https://beatport.com/?a_aid=67bedae00dabb »» Fresh new tech house samples & loops ➡ https://loopcloud.com/?a_aid=67bedae00dabb Connect with NYX: »» https://instagram.com/themythofnyx »» https://soundcloud.com/themythofnyx »» https://twitter.com/themythofnyx »» https://facebook.com/themythofnyx Connect with Deeper Purpose: »» https://facebook.com/deeperpurpose »» https://soundcloud.com/deeperpurpose »» https://twitter.com/deeperpurpose92 »» https://instagram.com/deeper_purpose Tags: #deeperpurpose #operate #extendedmix #techhouse #themythofnyx


    Source: YouTube.

  • Qi2 Wireless Charging: Everything You Need to Know (2025)

    Qi2 enabled faster, more efficient magnetic wireless charging, and its first major upgrade, Qi2 25W, offers a big speed boost.


    Source: Wired.

  • The Verge’s 2025 back-to-school shopping guide
    The Nintendo Switch 2, Apple AirPods, and Echo Spot surrounded by colorful ribbons.

    Back-to-school season is closer than you might realize, especially for college students, many of whom are set to return to campus in a matter of a few short weeks. And while school can be a challenging time on many fronts, regardless of the grade, there are tools that can help you better prepare for life both inside and outside the classroom.

    With that in mind, we’ve compiled a selection of dorm-friendly recs from the larger Verge staff, as well as a few essentials suitable for high school and beyond. Apple’s AirPods 4 and Roku’s latest smart TV, for instance, are two entry-level upgrades designed to help students make the most of their dow …

    Read the full story at The Verge.


    Source: The Verge.

  • Kioxia and SanDisk start shipping BiCS9 3D NAND samples — hybrid design combining 112-layer BiCS5 with modern CBA and Toggle 6.0 interface for higher performance and cost efficiency

    Kioxia and SanDisk have begun sample shipments of their ninth-generation BiCS FLASH, a NAND flash technology that blends legacy architectures with modern enhancements to create a bridge between the current BiCS8 generation and the forthcoming BiCS10. While BiCS10 is expected to deliver higher capacities through a cutting-edge 332-layer design, BiCS9 takes a more cost-optimized approach, targeting enterprise SSDs built for AI workloads and mid-tier storage solutions where efficiency and performance balance are key.

    What sets BiCS9 apart is its hybrid construction, achieved through CMOS directly Bonded to Array (CBA) technology. In this process, the logic and memory cell wafers are fabricated separately under optimized conditions before being bonded into a single, high-performance package. This innovation allows Kioxia to mix and match mature cell structures—such as a 112-layer BiCS5 or a 218-layer BiCS8—with a modern I/O interface. The result is a chip capable of delivering Toggle DDR 6.0 speeds of up to 3.6 Gb/s, with peak speeds reaching 4.8 Gb/s under controlled testing conditions.

    Despite employing fewer layers than BiCS8 or the next-gen BiCS10, BiCS9 still brings meaningful upgrades. Write performance is up by 61%, read speeds improve by 12%, and power efficiency rises by 36% during writes and 27% during reads compared to previous 512 GB TLC designs. An 8% increase in bit density further underscores the careful engineering that allows BiCS9 to deliver strong performance without inflating costs.

    Kioxia’s roadmap positions BiCS9 as a transitional step, enabling the company to refine manufacturing techniques and performance tuning ahead of BiCS10’s more complex, high-density architecture. This strategy is particularly relevant as AI-driven data workloads demand faster, power-conscious storage solutions capable of feeding GPUs with minimal latency, especially with the extreme ambition associated with the AI boom.

    Kioxia’s approach with BiCS9 contrasts with rivals like Samsung and Micron, who are betting on aggressively scaling layer counts to achieve capacity gains. While competitors push beyond 300 layers, Kioxia is focusing on hybrid architectures that offer faster time-to-market and better cost efficiency. Working with a consumer-facing industry veteran like SanDisk ensures Kioxia, who invented NAND flash, stays highly competitive through mixed R&D efforts.

    Therefore, the company’s long-standing partnership with SanDisk has been instrumental in shaping the BiCS series, combining Japanese manufacturing expertise with SanDisk’s deep storage market presence. Since their joint venture began in 2006, the two companies have co-developed multiple generations of 3D NAND technology, pushing the limits of scaling and performance. BiCS9 serves as their new marquee offering, alongside Kioxia’s own efforts to set new industry standards.

    Follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.


    Source: Latest from Tom’s Hardware.

  • Best Running Shoes (2025), Tested and Reviewed: Saucony, Nike, Hoka

    All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.

    Best Overall

    Saucony Endorphin Speed 5

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    Best for Your PR

    Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3

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    Best Cheap Shoe

    Puma Velocity Nitro 3

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    Best for Max Cushioning

    Brooks Glycerin Max

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    Show more

    4 / 10

    Honorable Mentions

    Image may contain Clothing Footwear Shoe Sneaker Person and Running Shoe

    As we said, WIRED runners pound hundreds of miles every year. Here are a few of the other shoes we’ve tested that you might want to consider if the above do not work for your foot. If you’re not familiar with a brand, we recommend going to a local running store for a test run before plunking down your credit card.

    Diadora Nucleo 2 for $165: The Nucleo 2 isn’t a wow, high-energy, super springy shoe. But if you’re a fan of straightforward, no nonsense comfort and good inherent stability across a good range of paces, the Nucleo 2 delivers.

    Rad R1 for $160: Made to master gym, HIIT, running and all manner of hybrid workouts, I’ve been using the Rad R1 when I’m eating up my strength and condition work in the gym like a good boy. They’re good for short runs, and miles on the softer treadmill belt, stable and supportive enough to get under the bar and offer control for drills like box jumps and lunges. They look good too.

    Altra Outroad 3 for $130: Altra is a smaller brand that’s known for its wide toe box and zero heel-to-toe drop—it makes shoes that feel like you’re running barefoot, but offer more protection. This is my favorite shoe for switching between roads and trails. They’re affordable, too.—Adrienne So

    New Balance Rebel V5 for $140, Adidas EVO SL for $150, Mizuno Neo Vista 2 for $200: Another top-notch all rounder to rival the Saucony Endorphin Speed 5, the Rebel V5 is smooth, light and capable across the whole pace range. The Adidas EVO SL can also handle anything you throw at it. But if you like your things super soft with a bit of bounce, the Mizuno Neo Vista 2 serves up a uniquely cushioned plush ride.

    New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 v14 for $165, HOKA Clifton 9 for $144: If you’ve never run before, the Hoka Clifton 9 is my recommendation for a beginning runner. Despite Hoka’s outsized (ahem) reputation, this is a pretty minimal shoe that’s comfortable, balanced, and light. The Brooks Ghost 17 is another simple, easy, reliable everyday runner that’ll carry beginners from couch to 5km and beyond.—Adrienne So

    Saucony Ride 17 for $99: This is also a good older budget-shoe model.

    Saucony Hurricane 24 for $160, Brooks Glycerin 21 GTS for $130: Consumer tech director and podcast host Michael Calore runs in the Brooks Glycerin. This is our alternative pick if you’re shopping for shoes that offer greater stability.

    FAQ

    How Should I Care For My Running Shoes?

    • Give them a rest day. After long runs, midsole foam takes time to decompress. Rotating shoes with 48 hours between runs boosts your shoe’s bounce-back-ability.
    • Undo your laces. You’re tired, we know, but kicking off (or worse squeezing back in) without unlacing your running shoes is a sure-fire way to damage the heels fast.
    • Wash them if they get muddy. Mud and sand in the upper fibers can cause them to degrade. But don’t wash them in the machine, do it by hand—and stay well clear of the dryer.
    • Keep things cool. Prolonged exposure to high heat from a radiator or the sun’s rays can dry, harden, and damage the midsole.
    • Stuff them. Remove the insoles and dry each running shoe separately. Then use scrunched up newspaper to dry out damp inners faster and help the uppers retain their shape.

    How Long Should My Shoes Last?

    The internet’s collective wisdom says that you should replace your shoes somewhere between 300 and 500 miles. However, this decades-old rule of thumb is based on a few limited studies and general advice from brands. New foam varieties, outsole rubbers, and upper technology means it’s now harder to offer blanket advice.

    There are many different formulas of modern midsole foams. Durability is now judged not only by how long the protective cushioning lasts, but also whether it continues to deliver the bounce and performance. Some of the top superfoams might lose their initial energy but remain as protective as a firmer, more traditional EVA sole. For example, your high-tech carbon race shoe could become your daily runner once it’s lost its top-speed edge.

    You also have to factor in your unique running style. Shoes wear differently for different runners, impacted by variables like weight, stride pattern, pace, daily usage, terrain, and climate. There are obvious signs of wear and tear: Heel collars rubbed through, holes in the uppers or grip worn to the point it’s no longer effective. It’s harder to spot when a midsole has had its day. They don’t crease in the same way older shoes used to.

    The best advice: Use your shoes until something feels off. When that happens, you might want to start shopping.

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    Source: Wired.