The ship even traversed the Suez canal and docked at many port locations along the way. The ship was made to be as lightweight and aerodynamic as possible and measures 31 x 15 m. The PlanetSolar was made from carbon fiber and the deck surface has 537 square meters of solar panels. Those panels were able to generate 93.5 kW of power.

The power was stored in a lithium-ion battery system. The power generated and stored was enough to keep the crew of four people cruising on their trip around the globe. The vessel traveled as near the equator as possible to provide the maximum amount of sunlight. Once the ship docks officially, the power left in the batteries will be used for a light show display during the arrival festivities.

[via EcoGeek]

This is not the work of a starbase of a Federation shipyard. It comes from Christer Nyberg, who used somewhere between ten to fifteen thousand LEGO pieces to build it. The ship also sports several lights, so that it can look cool at night.

This is an amazing LEGO reproduction of the classic ship. Just look at that detail. It makes me want to see an entirely LEGO version of Star Trek II. The space battles would look awesome as phasers hit and bricks fly everywhere. Somebody make it so!

[via Brothers Brick via Geekosystem]

The Iguana 29 has retractable tank treads that will deploy when needed. The treads are powered by electricity, so they don’t make much noise, either. This means that to beach or dock the boat, you won’t need any help at all. It’s also designed to help you get out of a jam at low tide or if you get too close to a sandbar in shallow waters.

It was created by Antoine Fritsch. The idea was to create a design for the treads that wouldn’t compromise the look of the hull.

While there are already other amphibious boats, none of them look as stylish or modern as this one. The Iguana 29 is available starting at around €215,000 (~$280,000 USD).

[via TrendsNow (FR)]

The time-lapse video is really cool and the builder, Julie Morley, had to create her own tools for the construction. The tools appear to be wooden sticks with small LEGO bricks glued to the end. She sticks one of the tools into the opening to hold the ship down and then sticks the other in with the next brick attached and so on. Check out the video below to watch the ship being built, and then make your own if you are so inclined.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Julie notes that the project took about a week to plan and about three days to build. She also admits to uttering “more than a few” expletives during the process.

[via Brothers-Brick]

IHI Marine United is the maker of this plug-in ship that is powered by lithium-ion batteries. This ship is called the Zero Emission Electric Propulsion Ship. I’m not surprised that it’s Japanese with a name like that.

The ship can recharge its batteries at the ports it visits. The design prototype will be 100 feet long and will carry 800 people, and the amount of electricity needed to power it is 200 to 300 times more than what’s needed for an electric car.

80 km, that’s about 50 miles, which isn’t that long, but it makes sense for a ferry that makes frequent, short trips to be powered by electricity. The company hopes to develop a commercial vessel by 2015.

[via FarEastGizmos]

It’s so soft! So cushy! So eerily suggestive! Seriously, a little color variation or something might have kept the ship from looking so phallic. Did Serenity look like that in space? Oh well, I guess it just makes this ship hug-proof, so it can sit on a shelf and be admired.

And if you happen to have a little shelf space of your own and a pair of ready knitting needles, you can whip one of these up for your own browncoat self, since there’s a free pattern available. Firefly fans are a generous lot.

[via Geek Central Station]

It has three propellers that are powered by three 550-watt motors, giving the ship a cruising speed of 5 mph on “calm water”. On rough, icy seas, it will dramatically sink, whilst a recorded orchestra plays. Kidding. The ship has two rechargeable batteries that lasts up to 3 hours between charges. I don’t know where all the Titanic love is coming from, but one thing’s for sure: Titanic love ain’t messin’ with no broke fellas. It sells for $2,500 USD at Hammacher Schlemmer.

[via Likecool]

Left and right channel speakers are embedded into the sails, while the boat’s hull serves as the woofer. The sails are rated at 7.5-watts each, while the woofer can pump out 15-watts. I think it would look great sitting next to the USB airplane fan, to help round out your desktop transportation museum.

Since the Nexspeaker is currently only available in Korea, you might need take a taxi to a plane to a train to get this boat in your hands. It’s available from eShopworld for 52,000 KRW (appx. $57 USD).

[via Thoughts From The Sidelines]

Second Rotation provides all the tools you need to quickly estimate the value of your old gadgets, ship them and cash out. Unlike eBay auctions, Second Rotation takes care of picking up your old items and paying you as soon as they receive the item. There’s no direct selling, and you don’t have to pay fees, deal with unreliable buyers or the possibility that your item won’t sell at all.

Their online product estimator works sort of like a “blue book” for electronics, automatically pricing your item based on things like features, completeness of accessories, age and condition. While I couldn’t find every gadget ever made in their database, I’m sure they’ll be adding more as time progresses.

Once you submit your item information, they’ll send DHL to pick it up and ship it back to them. After they have it in their hands and confirm that it’s what you said it was, they’ll send you a check or PayPal the money to you. All in all, it takes about 5 to 10 days from when they receive your item to when you get your cash.

Since the company does act as a middleman in your transaction, don’t expect to make what you could on eBay by yourself. However, if you’re looking for a fast, hassle-free way to unload your old tech, this service is definitely worth a look.

[via Coolest Gadgets]