Hasta La Gadget!

This omnidirectional camera, currently under development by Ricoh, takes a full 360° panoramic image in one shot.
“It has two fish-eye lenses, each of which covers 180 degrees. The camera combines the two pictures, and sends them via Wi-Fi to a tablet or smartphone for viewing. The idea is, the pictures you take arrive automatically.”
“When viewing it like a regular panoramic image, you can also see up and down. When you pull out from the image, it finally becomes a circle, …

Docomo has unveiled a dual-screen smartphone, the Medias W. It features two 4.3″ displays, a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, an 8.1MP camera and runs Android 4.1. It will be released in April 2013.
“This is the MEDIAS W. Ordinarily, you use it folded up, like a regular smartphone. When you want to look at a picture or map, it can open up to become a 5.6 inch screen. So you can read maps or browse the Web easily, and it makes text entry easy, too.”
“Let’s display a map. …

This power amplification robot, called Power Loader, is currently under development by Activelink, a Panasonic subsidiary venture.
The aim is to achieve a robot that can freely utilize power beyond human strength, in emergencies or on construction sites. Power Loader’s role is to link people with construction machinery.
“Power Loader receives the force input by a person through its force sensors, and amplifies it using motors. In this way, it assists the person, by producing a large …

Transience is an artwork by the Wakita Lab at Keio University. It is intended to represent a harmony between calligraphy and computers, by dynamically altering the color of calligraphy on paper.
“At first sight, it’s hard to understand, but if you watch for about two minutes, I think you’ll see how the color gradually changes. We suspected that this kind of transient effect could be achieved by combining calligraphy with the computer.”
To change the color of the ink on …

Sharp have updated their Cocorobo line of intelligent robot vacuum cleaners, with a new smaller model, as well as a Cocorobo Navi function, which allows the robot to be controlled when the user is outside the home.
Cocorobo Navi can be used to visually map out your house creating a floor plan, letting the robot know where objects are placed, so you can directly specify where the robot should go.
Sharp also unveiled a controller, which connects to the Cocorobo via it’s USB port, and can …