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In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

Between the Kinect and Leap Motion, gesture control’s on just about everyone’s minds these days. There’s still a ways to go, certainly, before such devices become a mainstream method for interfacing with our PCs, but they’ve already become a ripe source of inspiration for the DIY community. Duo’s hoping to further bridge the gap between the two, with a “the world’s first 3d motion sensor that anyone can build.” The desktop sensor features two PS3 Eye cameras that can track hands and objects for a more natural interface with one’s computer. Duo’s unsurprisingly looking to crowdfund its efforts. A pledge of $10 or more will get you early access to the company’s SDK. For $40 you’ll get the case and instruction. Add $30 to that number, and you’ve got yourself the kit, which includes everything but the camera ($110 will get you all that). Check out the company’s plea after the break, and if you’re so inclined you can pledge at the source link below.

Filed under: Peripherals

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Source: Kickstarter

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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One of five finalists in our first-annual Insert Coin: New Challengers competition, the Snapzoom is an adapter that lets you connect a smartphone to a telescope or a pair of binoculars for some long-range snapshots. We gave you a brief look at the product earlier in our contest, but we went hands-on with the Snapzoom ahead of Engadget Expand — with the San Francisco Bay serving as our test subject, no less.

The Snapzoom isn’t the only product of its kind, but it stands out for being universal. Though we tested the adapter with an iPhone 5, it will work with virtually every smartphone, thanks to adjustable clamps. Connecting the handset (in its case) to a set of binoculars was seamless: we just attached the device via the self-centering clamps and tightened it into place. It’s easy to get excited when the setup brings you up close and personal with Alcatraz, but Snapzoom basically assumes you have some stunning imagery to shoot. We’ll have to wait and see how our elite panel of Insert Coin judges thinks this contestant stacks up. In the meantime, check out the video demo past the break.

Filed under: Cameras, Peripherals

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You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

Comments

Just about any apartment-dwelling urbanite can tell you that radiators are a bit of a necessary evil in the world of city living. What if there was a way to control the heat to individual rental units, without relying entirely on a landlord’s temperature-controlling omnipotence? The Radiator Labs team has developed a device to help realize this dream. It’s essentially housing that sits on-top of an individual radiator unit, controlling heat transfer to a room. Turn it off, and the insulation hampers the heat from making a room too hot. Turn it on, and the ducted fan spreads the heat out to the room.

Radiator Labs has a bit more info on its page, which you can check out in the source link below. You can also view graphical breakdown of the technology after the break.

Check out the full list of Insert Coin: New Challengers semifinalists here — and don’t forget to pick a winner!

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Source: Radiator Labs