Hasta La Gadget!

This picture from Mitsumi’s CEATEC booth may not seem to say much, but it’s certainly showing the future. The silver cylinder at the top is actually a small power generating device that converts micro-vibrations into usable energy, so stick one of these on, say, a ventilation duct and you should just about get enough juice to power a calculator or even an LED. In fact, Mitsumi says these can be integrated into the RF sensor network of large air conditioning facilities, as an RF transmitter can run on very little power these days — even less than a calculator. Alas, a company rep said this product won’t be available until 2014.

Speaking of RF, Mitsumi does have something even more awesome that will be launched sooner. You see that black stick on the left? Embedded inside it is a batteryless RF switch, and the way it works is that upon the release of the spring mechanism inside, a tiny bit of power is generated for the 2.4GHz RF transmission (ZigBee compatible), and whatever device is connected to the RF control outlet on the other end will receive the on or off signal. So yes, you basically get a switch that requires no wiring nor power (except for the receiving end)! Expect this to hit the shelves in March 2013. For now, we have a hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Mitsumi exhibits micro-vibration power generator and batteryless RF switch (video)

Filed under: Misc

Mitsumi exhibits micro-vibration power generator and batteryless RF switch (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 06:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[CEATEC 2012] While humans have been lifting heavy objects with the aid of machinery for many years now, it’s usually through someone sitting behind the controls of a machine. And even though they’re usually effective, such machines to can be imprecise or impractical in certain situations (i.e. lifting objects in small, enclosed areas). However, with all the advancements in technology, we’re getting closer to a solution that works in such situations – powered suits which provide extra strength and support for its wearers to lift heavy objects. At CEATEC 2012, we saw one such example of a suit.

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By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Panasonic AX Series Windows 8 Ultrabook (gallery), CEATEC Innovation Awards 2012,

While scanning through Panasonic’s booth at CEATEC 2012, we couldn’t help but notice a prototype of its world’s slimmest 100-lumen laser projector module (or OIU aka optical imaging unit, as the company prefers), which can beam out an 800 x 480 picture. It’s not clear when exactly we’ll see this 75mm-thick device getting into consumers’ hands, but there’s certainly room for improvement for the image quality. Likewise, the scan-type OIU (resolution at about 400 x 300) next to the slim projector is far from ready for mass consumption, as the company is hoping to actually shrink it down and integrate it into mobile phones. That said, the fact that this technology doesn’t require focusing makes it worth the wait — the light doesn’t go through an LCD filter like ordinary projectors do, and instead, it’s a single laser beam scanning out the picture, hence the name.

Also shown along side were the optical bay drive pico projector that’s already being offered by Fujitsu, as well as the PJ-SJ25U 854 × 480 DLP pico projector which was released in August this year. While the latter’s image quality was rather impressive even under the strong ambient lighting, we struggle to appreciate the ¥56,800 or $730 price tag. Anyhow, pricing is just a matter time, as always.

Filed under: Displays

Panasonic’s 75mm-thick, 100-lumen laser projector module claims world’s thinnest title originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 02:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ok I admit it, I always has been a huge fan of Panasonic Let’s Note line-up and this despite their rather unique and unsophisticated design. However I have to admit that I am rather unimpressed by Panasonic’s new AX2. Don’t get me wrong I like the overall look of the AX2, like other model this Ultrabook is well build and sturdy, but, and yes there is but I am not a huge fan of their design choice when it comes to Panasonic understanding of an Hybrid Laptop. As you can see on …

[CEATEC 2012] At CES 2012 earlier this year, a prototype of the Tosy mRobo dancing robot was spotted, where it came in the form of a boombox that could “transform” into a small humanoid form factor, grooving to the kind of music that is being played back over its internal speaker. Well, CEATEC 2012 saw the Tosy mRobo dancing robot make an appearance, where this portable speaker was paraded to the tunes of Michael Jackson as well as Maroon 5. Sure, it too, did not manage to perform a Moonwalk, but it sure did draw hoots and cheers from the crowd, complete with a MJ-like fedora to boot, although that tiny fedora came with the words “mRobo” emblazoned on it. Just how much do you think you are willing to fork out for something like this? We would have liked to see a far more fluid transformation process from speaker to robot, but this is definitely a step in the right direction. Still, I wonder for how long has the Tosy mRobo been tested (its joints, bearings, etc) in terms of durability. Kids would probably make short work of it though.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Robots wields a paint brush masterfully, Tosy DiscoRobo dancing robot is no legend,