It’s been the new millennium for over a decade now and not only do we not have personal jetpacks, but there’s also a distinct lack of robo-maids and robo-butlers. You might not be able buy a robotic house-slave tommorrow, but Toyota’s newly announced Human Support Robot is a step in that direction. More »
Have you played Minecraft so much that sometimes you see the world in voxels? This isn’t one of those times. The blocks below are real and even react to being hit by a pickaxe, thanks to the clever work of creative technologist Ben Purdy.
Purdy installed piezoelectric sensors on the cardboard boxes to detect force, i.e. when the boxes are hit. An Arduino microcontroller sends input from the sensors to a computer, which then uses a program written by Purdy to produce the appropriate animation. Finally, the animation is beamed to the paper-covered boxes via two projectors.
You can check out a cleaner video of the Minecraft block on Purdy’s website. I wonder if its possible to use this tech to create an interactive Punch Out! game this way.
[via Kotaku]
Let’s say you like drinking beverages out of bottles, and you also like being able to see when it’s dark. These awesome vintage beer bottle and gas pipe lamps are probably the best—and maybe only—marriage of those two “hobbies.” More »
Mid-September is a busy time of year in the world of design as the Solar Decathlon Europe takes place in Madrid and the London Design Festival kicks off — and Inhabitat has correspondents on the ground at both events bringing us a steady stream of photos and updates. At the Solar Decathlon, Team Portugal designed an innovative house that can actually rotate to follow the sun in order to increase energy production and adjust interior daylighting. Team Valencia developed a modular home that can grow or contract depending on the family’s needs. And the team from Tongji University produced an eye-catching house that embraces both Western and Daoist principles. In the competition, Rome’s super-efficient MED in Italy house jumped out to an early lead — but it’s still too soon to call the winner so stay tuned.
Inhabitat’s Week in Green: rotating house, desktop 3D printer and a Star Trek-style warp drive originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Sep 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
The latest in a long line of completely unnecessary gadgets from Japan lets you pretend you’re carrying around a lit piece of fire wood. Why, because it’s something that hasn’t been done before, that’s why.
TakaraTomy Arts’ FireWood Pocket is a keychain gadget that simulates the crackling sound and shimmering light of a real fire. And in case that wasn’t enough, blowing on this fake fire will actually make it glow more brightly – as if you’re giving added oxygen to your virtual flame. It also simulates a chunk of wood, for those of you who don’t have any real wood lying around.
There’s also a desktop version of the FireWood, which simulates an entire miniature bonfire. It also has a “music mode” which will respond to sounds from your MP3 player or smartphone. I found a video of the larger model in action over at Amazon Japan that’s so cheesy that I’m surprised it wasn’t shot with Vaseline on the camera lens.
You can find the FireWood Pocket for ¥1,080 (~$13 USD), and the desktop model for ¥5,800 (~$74 USD) over at Nigishow (JP). Chances are you’ll be able to find them soon over at worldwide exporter Strapya-World, since they are affiliated.
A giant, heavy hammer seems like an easy weapon to wield, but if you’re not Thor, it turns out that it can be a little tough. Still, that hasn’t stopped slingshot virtuoso Joerg Sprave from using one—and a few of the slingshots from his collection—to utterly destroy a car with some help from a friend. Sure, you can spend lots of a time building impressive slingshot gadgets, but every now and then you’ve got to take some time off to just destroy. [YouTube] More »
When it comes to Apple-focused audio wares, Bowers & Wilkins makes some of the of the ritiziest options available. Expanding on its its existing speaker range, the company has introduced a duo of new AirPlay speakers dubbed as the A5 ($500) and A7 ($800). Both HiFi boxes are nearly identical from the outside (aside from the size difference), and feature the same black and silver aesthetic as the MM-1 media speakers. The A7 nets you a duo of 25-watt 1-inch Nautilus “tube-loaded” tweeters” (just like the MM-1s), two 25-watt 3-inch drivers for the mid-range and a 50-watt 6-inch woofer, while the A5 shrinks things by forgoing a woofer and using a smaller speaker array of two 20-watt tweeters and two 20-watt mid-range drivers. The speakers on both units are independently driven, and both systems feature an “audiophile-grade” DAC that’ll upscale music streams to a maximum 24-bit / 96kHz sample rate. As you’d expect, the units feature WiFi and Ethernet connectivity and 3.5mm inputs for hooking in sans wireless, but it’s worth noting these audio boxes lack 30-pin docks — at least you still get a remote. Check out the video after the break for a detailed look at both, and the source link below for all the juicy details.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video
Bowers & Wilkins intros classy A7 and A5 AirPlay speakers, leaves out the 30-pin dock originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Sep 2012 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Are you one of those who love to have an adrenaline rush by indulging in activities that tend to result in a raise in your insurance premiums? If you have answered in the affirmative, then surely you would be interested in recording your adventures from your point of view, so that regaling those death defying tales to a circle of wide-eyed audience is made easier, and they will be able to know that you are not simply making things up in order impress them, but rather, sharing the gospel truth. Well, what kind of devices out there are able to keep up with your rough and tumble lifestyle? Perhaps the Looxcie HD video cam will be able to help, and good thing this puppy is not only battle-ready to meet any challenges coming your way, it will also feature built-in Wi-Fi connectivity that comes in handy to stream video in real time to an audience watching remotely, although you would need a pretty decent data connection for that to happen.
Thanks to the ability to handle full 1080p recording and built-in Wi-Fi, the Looxcie HD can capture razor-sharp video while simultaneously share a live video stream for those connected. This is the first wearable cam of its kind that delivers direct-to-Facebook live streaming, where you are able to create your own personal broadcasting network, in addition to starting either a public broadcast or a private stream.
Don’t worry if you are going to use the Looxcie HD during winter or the rainy season, it has a new water-resistant design, while a low-light camera sensor allows you to make the most of even dark situations. There is also a unique Instant Clip button for creating “instant replays” of what just happened, while a protective lens filter adds an extra layer of durability. The battery can be replaced, so you can always bring a spare with you, while additional memory can be extended via a microSD memory card.
If you are interested in having the Looxcie HD share your adventures in the future, then you will be able to place a pre-order from Looxcie.com or from Amazon.com already, where depending on the kind of configuration that you select, it will retail from $279.99 and goes all the way to $349.99. Any takers?
[ Looxcie HD video cam has integrated Wi-Fi copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
We have seen our fair share of Doctor Who products in the past, and just a couple of days ago, we spotted the Doctor Who TARDIS Night Light which would definitely come in handy when helping out Time Lords who want to make their way to the bathroom for a leak in the middle of the night, and yet are afraid of monsters lurking in the dark. Well, that’s all and good, and here we are with another iteration of the TARDIS which should be able to ensure your house has an overall Doctor Who festive mood with the $19.99 Doctor Who TARDIS String Lights.
You can now party like a Time Lord with this unique piece of home decorative equipment. Each 9-foot cord will hold 10 lights, where each of these lights come in the form of a small TARDIS. Don’t worry about the lights blowing after a while, you need not travel to the future to obtain some replacements (four, actually) as each purchase already comes with replacement lights just in case the untoward happened. This is an officially licensed Doctor Who collectible just in case you are concerned about the authenticity of such products.
[ Doctor Who TARDIS String Lights copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Clearwire doesn’t have much time left before its promised LTE rollout goes live in early 2013, so it’s with some relief that we know the deployment is getting underway. CFO Hope Cochran told those at Goldman Sachs’ Communacopia Conference this week that construction of the first cell sites starts this month, with efforts truly swinging into full gear during the fall. The executive also reminded us of a very pragmatic reason why many of the 5,000 LTE sites due by June 30th will target high-traffic areas — as Clearwire is only selling the faster data access to other providers, it should pocket more money in any regions where Sprint needs all the help it can get. Call it a virtuous cycle. Cochran certainly does: while Clearwire is free to make deals with others, Cochran says her company weighs any alliances against what it still considers a very special pact with Sprint. No doubt the 4G pioneer is hoping that it’s making the right choices, as other carriers aren’t waiting around.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
Clearwire starts building LTE network this month, wants to salve (and profit from) Sprint growing pains originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Sep 2012 07:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
