HOVIS Eco Humanoid Robot Charms Its Way Into Our Hearts

If you’ve ever wanted your own little humanoid robot to do your bidding, there’s a new kid in town you might want to check out. It’s called the HOVIS Eco, and it comes from Korea’s Dongbu Robot company.

hovis eco robot 1

The medium-sized humanoid Eco robot measures about 16.4″ tall by about 7.6″ wide, weighs just under 4 pounds, and has 20 degrees of freedom thanks to a large number of servo actuators. Unlike some humanoid robots, Eco has a friendly, modern look about it that’s not freaky or intimidating in any way. In fact, the little robot looks like it would be at home in a science-fiction movie that doesn’t involve a dystopian future.

hovis eco robot 2

Under its hard and shiny shell, Eco is powered by an Atmega 128 controller, which can be programmed using using bundled graphical editing software, or via a variety of APIs, using C++, Java, Python or the Android SDK. It can also be controlled by wireless remote. It comes with distance and sound sensors, and can be upgraded with an optional gyro sensor as well. The robot even comes packaged in a handy tool case making it easy to maintain and store.

hovis eco robot 3

While I can’t find a video of the Hovis Eco in action, here’s some footage of the Hovis Lite, the Eco older, uglier brother pulling off some impressive moves:

Priced at $900 (USD), the Hovis Eco is no toy, but it’s a serious hobbyists robot. If you’re interested in getting your hands on one, you can find it over at RoadNarrows Robotics.


Kuratas Mech: Real or Fake, It’s Still Awesome

I’m going to start saying that I’m taking this with a huge grain of salt. This robot looks very realistic, yet has a somewhat cheesy and viral attempt feel to it at the same time. Watch the video for yourself and see what you think. The video is supposed to be a how-to video from a company called Suidobashi Heavy Industry.

kuratas robot

The video goes over how to ride a robot called the Kuratas. The 13-foot-tall wheeled robot is clearly a nod at the Mechwarrior series of video games and any number of Japanese animated shows. In the video, you can see petite Japanese woman climbing into the chest cockpit cavity of the robot and going over the controls, including a remote smartphone-operated mode.

The controls look easy-to-use and seem realistic. You’ll note on the left arm there are twin multi-barreled cannons. How scary would it be as a soldier on about film to have one of these massive robots come walking up? The video claims the top speed of the bot, which has a torso and two arms but rolls on wheels, is 10 km/h. The bot uses a diesel engine and can be driven in high or low modes. The missile launcher appears to be packed with water bottles and will “from time to time” hit its target.

If this is just a fake viral video, it’s extremely well done. If it’s real, we could soon have mechs walking the streets of Tokyo.

[via Daily Mail]


Super Nincoffee Jr.: Have a Nice Cup of Joe & Mac

Most of the console mods we feature are either portable versions of older consoles or add aesthetic features. Rarely do we come across a hack that was made for the heck of it, like this coffeemaker that was transformed into an SNES. Why? Tinkerers do or do not, there is no why.

super nincoffee 2

The mod was made by YouTuber Tyler and his dad. This is actually the second Mr. Coffee that they turned into a Mr. Videogame. Neither of the mods work as a coffeemaker anymore – perhaps Tyler can work on that in the future. Tyler also stated in the description of the first Super Nincoffee video that they originally wanted to make a Super Nintoaster but they found it too hard. Tyler, if you still want to get on that project I think you and your dad should check out this video. The rest of you can see the Super Nincoffee Jr. in action below:

Obviously the whole thing could turn out to be fake. Hopefully Tyler and his dad can post a video of the steps involved or at least the electronics inside the mod.

[via Kotaku]


RPG-7 Bottle Launcher Will Eat Your Nerf Guns for Breakfast

Bottle rockets are usually made in the likeness of rocket ships. The RPG-7′s ammo on the other hand, while still made of a bottle, imitates a different kind of rocket: the weaponized kind.

maruda rpg 7 water bottle launcher

Made by Japanese company Maruda, the RPG-7 PET Bottle Launcher is meant to be used only with 1.5L soda bottles that have been filled with water. To give you an idea of its potency, when shot at a 35º angle the toy can launch a bottle filled with 0.6L of water up to a distance of 35m (approx. 115ft). That’s a vague idea, so here’s a more concrete one:

The point is, don’t aim this at people or there will be blood.

maruda rpg 7 water bottle launcher 3

Maruda also says that there is a significant recoil when firing the launcher, which I guess adds realism but could also add accidents.

maruda rpg 7 water bottle launcher 2

Currently it seems like the launcher is available only in Japan, but there are ways around that. Maruda is selling the RPG-7 for ¥28, 350 (~$361 USD). You can also order individual parts on Maruda’s website, including a cone warhead for the bottle.

[via Nerd Approved]


LED Etch-a-Sketch Lets You Draw Your Own Lamp

We’ve seen a variety of hacks and mods based on the Etch-a-Sketch, but none of them messed with the way it makes images. That’s exactly what Christopher Monaco did. He built his own take on the drawing toy, but instead of aluminum powder he used LEDs.

led etch a sketch by christopher monaco

Because Monaco built his toy from scratch, the project is quite complicated. He used a variety of electronics from Sparkfun and Digikey, including an ATmega328P microcontroller, four 8×8 LED matrices and a MintyBoost kit. Then he designed the logic and the drivers for the board and the matrices, wrote custom software and made his own enclosure. Here’s the product of his efforts:

The funny thing is that the toy is more technically advanced, yet functionally worse than the original. But as with most hacks and mods, half the fun is in building it. Plus Monaco can always improve on his model, maybe make a larger one with different colored LEDs and so on, and before you know it he’ll have an LED version of Photoshop.

[via Instructables via MAKE]


Club Lion Force Voltron Action Figures Form One Expensive Robot

I have failed you. I have failed us all. Last year Matty Collector offered a Club Lion Force subscription, which entitled customers to receive action figures of the Voltron Lions together with their pilots. And yes, when all the Lions are complete…

voltron club lion force matty collector

That is a 23″ Voltron robot, and this is where I fail you. I didn’t spot this offering soon enough, and unfortunately the Club Lion Force subscription is sold out. Fortunately Matty Collector also made each Lion available for individual purchase. Unfortunately three of the Lions – the Green, Yellow and Red – are already sold out. Fortunately there are units being sold on eBay. Unfortunately they’re more expensive there. Enough. I’ve taken your heart through enough punishment. It’s time for your brain to explode:

The replay killed me. As I said, there’s still a chance for you to form feet and legs and the right arm if you head to eBay. The last two lions, the Blue and the Black, will be available from Matty Collector this August and October, respectively.

[via Doobybrain]


Street Fighter II Minifig Concept KO’d by LEGO

Flickr member Julian Fong aka levork makes custom minifigures that look like they were released by LEGO itself. Over the last one and a half years, Fong has been working on a set of Street Fighter II minifigs. He’s now done, but at the same time he wasn’t able to fully realize his project.

street fighter ii lego minifigure by julian fong

With 16 actual prototypes in hand (he has big hands), Fong submitted a project proposal for an official set to LEGO by way of Cuusoo. Sadly, LEGO swiftly turned down the proposal. In their message to Fong, the company stated that the project “refers to a brand or licensed property that contains content or themes that do not fit the LEGO Group’s standards for appropriate content.” LEGO went on to say that it “will not accept a project submission based on this brand or licensed property”, and that “LEGO is a toy company, so we’re careful to only produce products we deem appropriate for children.”

street fighter ii lego minifigure by julian fong 2 150x150
street fighter ii lego minifigure by julian fong 3 150x150
street fighter ii lego minifigure by julian fong 4 150x150
street fighter ii lego minifigure by julian fong 5 150x150
street fighter ii lego minifigure by julian fong 150x150

Fong stated on Flickr that he respects LEGO’s decision. It is after all their prerogative; their brick house, their rules. But I do agree with Fong that LEGO broke its own rule when it released official Lord of the Rings figurines because the source material is also filled with violence. I’d even argue that the Star Wars and DC LEGO toys also fall under the same trap. Not that I want those toys to be canceled, just that I also believe there’s been a lack of consistency in enforcing the rule. I wonder if BrickArms can release the set instead?

[via Julian Fong via Kotaku]


7,000 Sticky Notes Make up This Super Mario Stop-Motion Animation

Sticky notes are a useful office tool. I can’t get enough of them, and after years of use I don’t know how many I’ve used. However, I can’t say that I’ve ever seen this many sticky notes used in a single animation.

post it life super mario sticky notes animation

Post It Life was put together by animation master FinalCutKing using no less than 7,000 Post-It notes. The notes are the perfect size to represent pixels of your favorite video game character, giving life to Mario as he jumps, runs, and makes his way through real life office desks and hallways. Pac-Man and Tetris stop by for a little fun too.

A word to the wise: always keep your sticky notes entertained!

[via designboom]


TinkerBrick Case Combines iPods with LEGO

As you know, we love LEGO bricks around here. There’s something just so amazing about the billions of different creative things you can do with these little modular components. Now, you can combine your LEGO enthusiasm with your iPod Touch with a single gadget – the TinkerBrick case.

tinkerbrick iphone case

The TinkerBrick is a special LEGO-compatible iPod Touch case, which allows you to integrate your iOS device into your LEGO creations. This isn’t like some of the other LEGO cases I’ve seen which just let you snap a couple of bricks on your phone. This case is specifically made so you can use your iOS gadget as a component of your LEGO builds. For instance, let’s say you want to make a strummable LEGO guitar, where the iPod Touch acts as the frets. Perfect. Simply build your LEGO guitar, snap your iPod Touch into the TinkerBrick, and then attach it to the fretboard. Voila!

tinkerbrick guitar

The sky is really the limit. With the TinkerBrick case, you can use your iPod Touch as a screen and input device within LEGO builds, so you can create interactive creatures and gadgets with LEGO accessories.

tinkerbrick colors

The TinkerBrick case is available in red, black, white and yellow versions, but at this point, the TinkerBrick case is available only for the iPod Touch (4th Gen.) I’m hopeful that they’ll release the case for other devices like the iPhone and iPad, as I could see plenty of possibilities for integrating those devices into LEGO builds as well. You can get your hands on a TinkerBrick case over on Amazon now for $32.95(USD).


Trash Can Chases After Garbage, Renders an Office Game Obsolete

If you thought the remote-controlled trash can was neat, wait ’til you see this ingenious invention. It actually catches anything you throw in its vicinity, aim be damned. It wasn’t made in Soviet Russia though – this one’s a Japanese hack.

robot kinect trash can

You can skip to about 2:24 in the video below to see the trash can in action, but I suggest you watch the entire video to see how it “works.” Apparently the trash can is equipped with three wheels that can be wirelessly controlled or activated. A custom program uses a Kinect to detect the path of a thrown object in order to activate and direct the wheels. I have to say that this is all conjecture on my part. For all we know this could be just like the Wipeout toy video, which was awesome but fake.

That looks sooo much fun to play with. I hope this is legit and someone makes a retail version of it. It did make me realize one more thing – robot athletes will be boring, because they’ll be perfect. Imagine a game of baseball with accuracy like this.

[via Hack A Day]