National Geographic Kids - USA (2019-12 & 2020-01)

(Antfer) #1
Get the scoop
on more cool
gadgets in the
video series
How Things
Work.
natgeokids
.com/december

LABS (6); ORIGAMREX USA / AARON CHANG / SOLENT NEWI LABS (7, BOTH); TONY KYRIACOU / REX / REX USA (8, S / REX (5, BOTH); WAVERLY
22 NAT GEO KIDS^ • DECEMBER 2019 | JANUARY 2020 BOTH); BIRD PHOTO BOOTH (9, BOTH); SOLENT NEWS / SPLASH NEWS (10)

JET-POWERED


SURFBOARD


IN-EAR SMART


TRANSLATOR RING


5


6


7


So you’re visiting Paris, but
you don’t speak French. No
problem! Just pop in the
Pilot earpiece and use
the app to understand
every word another user
says to you. The earbud
device translates foreign
languages like Spanish and
Italian in real time. Simply
select which language you
want from an app on your
phone, then let the Pilot do
the translation. Voilà!

When the lights are too low
for you to read on your couch,
just tap your thumb to your ring
finger three times. And while you’re
at it, make a call too—all without ever
touching your phone.That’s what a smart
ring called ORII can do. Simply slide the
ring onto your finger, and a Bluetooth
chip in the ring will control your
smart devices wirelessly. Sync it to
your smart gadget, then call a friend
or shoot off a text just by speaking
into a pair of microphones on the
inside of the device. This ring’s
not quite the same as having a
personal assistant—but it’s
the next best thing.

Surf’s up! But the big waves are crashing so far away from the shore. No need to exhaust yourself paddling to them—just
hop on a WaveJet, a jet-propelled surfboard, to reach the swells without breaking a sweat. Powered by a pair of battery-
operated engines at the base of the board, simply hit a switch on a wristband to pick up your speed to 10 miles an hour,
about five times the average person’s paddling speed. Not a surfer? The removable engine pod can be attached to stand-up
paddleboards, boogie boards, and kayaks, so you’ll get a boost however you hit the water.
Free download pdf