Did you know there’s a division at MIT called the Smart Cities group? It’s true, and judging by the designs the team puts out maybe we should just leave city planning to them from here on out.

They have a two-seater electric buggy in the works called the City Car that can stack against other City Cars to cut down on space and make transporting easy. Six to eight cars are said to be able to fit in one conventional parking space. The cars are built around an omni-directional robot wheel, which not only allows for impressive maneuverability, but also contains the vehicle’s electric-drive motor. City-goers will be happy to hear that the system allows for each wheel to turn 90 degrees, making parallel parking as easy as driving sideways.

The City Car is due to be shown off next year. Until then, we have this video to ogle at the very least. — Kevin Hall

Technology Review, via Engadget

The Mademoto Electric Cruiser has done the unthinkable and taken all of the beneficial purposes out of rollerskates, skateboards and other manual modes of rolling transportation. Thank of the Electric Cruiser as the front half of an electric moped, a juiced up unicycle or a severely gimped Segway. It is designed to happily drag you around while using rollerskates, skateboards or other modes of manual, wheeled transportation.

Obviously, the included flame decals on the Electric Cruiser demonstrate the badassery that one electric cruising individual embodies. It likely won’t make you look any cooler and definitely won’t help you exercise while skating, but at least it is electric, and therefore green! — Travis Hudson

Mademoto Electric Cruiser, via 7 Gadgets

Unlike in the States, cigarette machines are everywhere in Japan. Rather than get rid of them due to the problem of underage kids being able to buy packs of smokes from them like we did here, they’re using technology to keep the machines around and ensure that only adults can make purchases from them.

A new machine is in development that will have facial-recognition software built in to gauge the age of wannabe purchasers. If they have a young-looking face, it’ll require photo ID, which it will then compare with your actual face to determine if it’s legit. It’s a pretty clever and sophisticated system, one that’s clearly way more expensive than just forcing people to go deal with a human being at a convenience store but much more convenient for the many smokers of Japan. — Adam Frucci

Textually, via The Raw Feed

If you’re still stuck on Velcro and hate the embarrassing skreeep that sounds a lot like “I don’t know how to tie my shoes,” Golaces might be the perfect solution. Golaces are a set of elastic bands you string through the holes on your shoes and look a lot like laces, but without all that tricky tying and knotting. So all of the sneakers you’ve retired because they’re a pain to do up can now find a new place in your wardrobe.

Golaces come in three sizes and only cost $10. That’s a pretty cheap price for reviving your shoes. Me, I’ve already made all my lace-ups slip-ons and didn’t even know I was an inventor. I just don’t untie them. Then again, Golaces offer a variety of colors beyond white and black. — Kevin Hall

Golaces, via Cool Tools

huh… yeh?

t’s very important for fire engines to get to their destinations as fast as possible, but it’s equally, if not more, important for them to be able to, you know, put out the fire using water. That’s where this MiG-engine-equipped fire engine goes wrong.

Sure, slapping a jet engine on a fire truck is insane and will give it unparalleled speed, but when you need to remove the water tanks to make room for the engine, it seems to me that you’re doing more harm than good. Not to mention the issues with maneuverability that you’d have trying to steer a truck with a MiG engine on the back. Overall, I give it an A for effort and a D- for thinking things through before starting a project. — Adam Frucci

Jet-Powered Truck, via Oh Gizmo!

Oakley is still at it. Despite only having one customer for their Thump line of MP3 sunglasses — the not-so-favorable Dog the Bounty Hunter — the latest in the line of Thump MP3 sunglasses, the Split Thump is now available. Design-wise, these sunglasses have definite stepped it up a notch from its predecessors by being able to hide the earbuds in the side arms of the sunglasses.

Unfortunately, Oakley has missed the target when it comes to pricing. The multi-hundred dollar price of the original Thumps two or three years ago made sense because MP3 players were damn expensive, but now it is just shameful. The Split Thumps with a puny 2 GB MP3 player will be sold for $400.

Upon further investigation of the Oakley website finds a similar pair of Oakley sunglasses, sans the MP3 player for $170, and if my math is correct that could inevitably make the 2 GB MP3 player in the Split Thumps worth $230, or nearly the same price as the 80 GB iPod classic and way more than it should be. Yeah, that just isn’t right, Oakley. — Travis Hudson

Split Thumps, via BBG

This, my friends, is one sexy bathtub. Appropriately named the Whirlpool Glass bathtub, it sports clear sides that’d give anybody a nice clear shot of your naked self soaking in tepid filthwater. Sexy!

But honestly, it is really nice looking. Plus, it has sixteen jets all along the bottom and back that’ll give you a nice massage while you’re soaking. There’s also a little waterfall for your neck, which I can only imagine feels pretty great. It’s all quite luxurious and cutting-edge, which is why it sports a luxurious price tag to match it: $3,200. But come on, aren’t you totally worth it? — Adam Frucci

BornRich, via Ubergizmo

Your watch is an important accessory. It makes a bold statement about you, as much as what you’re wearing does. And if you haven’t yet ditched your watch entirely, relying on your phone’s clock to tell you the time, you might be looking for a new watch to freshen up that tired look of yours.

Your new statement couldn’t be much bolder than the one this Horological Machine No. 2 makes. Just look at this thing! They don’t even call it a watch; to the makers, it’s a ” hree-dimensional timekeeping machine for the wrist.” How innovative! In addition to looking seriously badass, it also offers such confusing features as ” Instantaneous Jump Hour, Concentric Retrograde Minutes, Retrograde Date, Bi-Hemisphere Moon Phase and Automatic Winding.” Oh… good. You can pick yours up for a mere $59,000. — Adam Frucci

Watchismo, via BoingBoing

Benjamin, I want to say one word to you, just one word. Are you listening? Starch.

Hawthorne, CA, based Cereplast is changing the world of plastics, creating a more eco-friendly version made from the starches in corn, tapioca, wheat and potatoes. The “natural” plastic is perfect for the food-service industry, as California now requires all take-out containers to be recyclable or compostable. The company also recently unveiled a new hybrid plastic called Biopolyolefin that can be used in consumer electronics, cosmetics, toys and packaging. Biopolyolefin is 50% starch and 50% hydrocarbon.

Why not use the 100%-spud stuff? Because the enemy of today’s potatoes in your fridge remains the enemy of tomorrow’s potato-based laptop: heat and time. A DVD made of all-starch plastic probably wouldn’t last that long, and exposure to air speeds up the breakdown. And don’t think the new natural-based material means you could ever snack on your BlackBerry. None of the resins are designed to be eaten, not even if you trapped in an avalanche. But at least you’ll still be able to play Tetris. — Trevor Curwin

Via Cereplast

Nothing says “I’m a classy guy with nothing to hide” like being really into spy cameras and equipment. But hey, I’m not here to judge, I’m here to inform. So, creeps of the world, let me introduce you to the world’s smallest lil’ camcorder.

Fitting easily into a stick of gum or a pack of cigarettes, the CAM-007 can shoot up to 2 hours of paltry 15fps video to a microSD card before the battery dies. A 1GB card can hold a generous 19 hours of sneaky footage, and the whole contraption charges via USB. It looks to be the perfect tool of the private eye or dedicated peeper, so go ahead, buy one for a mere $350. I won’t judge. Much. — Adam Frucci

Product Page, via Trends in Japan