Hasta La Gadget!

A couple of months ago, we saw people bouncing along to their destinations thanks to design firm Salto’s Fast Track trampoline installation. Pathways are once again getting a redesign, this time of the watery kind, with artist collective Raum’s waterbed-like pavement.

The pavement, which was installed in Bourges, France a couple of years back, was created in collaboration with the National Art School of Bourges and FRAC Centre. What they did was install a huge pad filled with liquid underneath the bricks to turn that stretch of pavement into a moving waterbed.

The project is called ‘La Ville Molle’ (‘The Soft City’) and while it’s a completely fun concept, it was created with a very serious message. The project was meant to question the ‘hardness of the city and its ability to change’, which I think is a pretty common problem that many cities all over the world face. While replacing sidewalks with waterbeds probably won’t solve that problem, at least it might make you think about it, and lighten up for a few minutes.

[via Pop Up City]

Previous attempts at turning TVs and monitors into huge tablets were either very expensive or were DIY projects. We’ve seen cheap Android-on-a-stick devices, but they don’t have the full functionality of a tablet, i.e. multitouch. Archos wants to cover all bases – availability, price and features – with the TV Connect.

Unlike Android sticks, the TV Connect is barely portable. It’s clearly meant to be your HDTV or monitor’s permanent sidekick. The unit itself sits on top of your TV like a Kinect. It runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, has a 1.5GHz “multi-core” CPU, 1GB RAM and 8GB of Flash storage that you can augment with microSD cards. It also has a front-facing camera, an Ethernet port, Wi-Fi connectivity, mini-HDMI-to-HDMI output, a micro-USB port and a USB host port. Then there’s the huge-ass controller.

The controller makes it possible to use touch commands even though you don’t have a touchscreen TV or monitor. You can move the entire controller to use it like a mouse cursor, while you can use the thumb sticks to emulate multitouch gestures like pinching or scrolling. Archos also claims that you can map virtual buttons in games to the TV Connect’s gamepad buttons using their software. Beyond giving you access to Android’s apps, the TV Connect also has a built-in media player.

The controller looks silly and its weight – which Archos didn’t mention yet – could be a dealbreaker. Still, if it does the job I wouldn’t be surprised if this product takes off. I think an integrated sensor like the Leap would be a much better control solution though. The TV Connect should be available by February for $130 (USD), although I’m sure you’ll be able to pre-order it later this month.

[via Archos]

Next to its modest exterior, the second most notable thing about the time and space machine in Doctor Who is that it’s way bigger on the inside. It’s relatively easy to make a model or even a life-sized replica of its facade, but a clever fellow has managed to make a tiny TARDIS that looks bigger on the inside.

The replica was made by writer/DW fan/clever fellow Greg Kumparak. Initially he just wanted to make a small model of the TARDIS out of wood. After adding a working light on its roof, Greg thought he was really done with the project when an idea came to him: add an interior. Which is why he ended up not making an interior – at least, not a real one. I don’t want to spoil Greg’s neat handiwork, so just watch the video below to see what he did.

Teleport to Greg’s website for more details about his cool project.

[via TechCrunch]

Looking for a fun stocking stuffer that I’m pretty sure your intended recipient doesn’t already have? Then check out Quantum Bits. They’re little light up thingies that react to motion.

Just toss em around when you’re bored, and the tiny motion sensors inside will cause a pair of bright white LEDs to blink when they move around. In addition to throwing them in the air, you could glue them onto your shoes so they light up with movement, or even attach them to a speaker so they blink with the vibrations. I also like the idea of velcroing them to my cat’s paws.

Each Quantum Bit is rated to last up to 100,000+ flashes, so they should keep blinking for a good long time.

For $19.99(USD), you get a set of eight Quantum Bits – and you can order them over at ThinkGeek now.

Despite the increasing number of robotic musical acts, I’m still always tickled by the idea of a band that does away with the human element, and puts robots in their rightful place – to entertain their masters. The latest robot musician – a mechanical bass-playing ‘bot.

Engineering student James McVay created the MechBass as his honors project at New Zealand’s Victoria University. The robot uses a set of four individual bass strings along with a motorized pick wheel to jam out its tunes.

A linear-motion system moves a pitch-shifter that frets the strings by applying pressure to them, and a servo-controlled damper mechanism can stop the strings from vibrating quickly. Optical pickups then capture the sounds, and send them to an audio circuit and amplifier.

The whole system is controlled using MIDI signals and an audio programming language called ChucK, so it can play pretty much any tune that can be played on a bass. A custom controller board using an ATMega328 processor acts as the bridge between the software and the hardware.

But don’t just take my word for how cool this thing is. Here’s a video clip of MechBass pounding out the intense bassline of Muse’s Hysteria.

While I don’t know if it’ll be replacing Flea in the Red Hot Chili Peppers anytime soon, I’m still totally impressed by MechBass’ musical talents.

Check out complete details on the build here (PDF).

[via Wimp]