Hasta La Gadget!

Technology has changed not only how people do things, but how people perceive and create art as well. Take what researcher and artist Cassinelli Alvaro has done with his Toro-bots.

The Toro-bots are a pair of walking robots that have Japanese lanterns for a head. They were created for beautifying gardens with minimal effort, but they certainly could be used for indoor illumination as well.

People often have to get down on all fours to move lamps and lanterns from one spot on their garden to another. The Toro-bots get rid of the dirty work because they’ll get up and walk to your desired location with a few flicks of the remote control. They’re also equipped with infrared rangefinders that allows them to detect when someone is nearby (they’ll step off to the side if they sense they’re in someone’s way.)

We propose here a garden that takes care of itself, that somehow understands and re-interprets the rules of harmony and equilibrium, and reconfigures itself depending on the season, the presence or absence of a human observers – that develops structure in a generative way, creating a dynamic conversation between the elements in the garden.

Now this is garden decor, just the way I like it. What do you think?

[via Trossen Robotics via Dvice]

Netflix recently held a Hack Day for its engineers to come up with tweaks to the popular streaming video service. Even though the activity was made primarily for fun, one of the resulting hacks is quite promising: a hack that uses information from a Fitbit to detect when you fall asleep and then pauses the video in response. It could give lazy people a reason to buy a fitness tracker.

Made by Sam Horner, Rachel Nordman, Arlene Aficial, Sam Park and Bogdan Ciuca, the Sleep Tracker not only pauses the video but also makes a bookmark of that point. And then it’ll report the boring video to Netflix. Just kidding. It should though.

Netflix makes no guarantee that the hack will make it into their software, specially since not everyone has a Fitbit or fitness tracker in general. But wouldn’t it be nice if all displays had this technology built in? Check out the Netflix blog to see more hacks from their engineers.

[via TechCrunch]

People are understandably happier when they see that their posts were liked by a lot of people. On Instagram, you get to give other people hearts instead of a thumbs up.

I know some people who love photos that all their friends post, as they treat social networks like another means of extending their PR reach. If you’re like this, then you will no doubt find Lovematically useful.

It’s an app that automatically loves all photos that people in your network post, as they are posted. The app was created by Rameet Chawla, who explains: “It’s our generation’s crack cocaine. People are addicted. We experience withdrawals. We are so driven by this drug, getting just one hit elicits truly peculiar reactions. I’m talking about Likes. Pre-Lovematically, my posts would average 35 likes. Now, I routinely hit the triple-digits for Likes.”

Unfortunately, it’s likely that the application violates Instagram’s policies on automated interactions, which clearly states: “You shall not… Use the Instagram APIs to post automated content to Instagram, including likes and comments that were not initiated and entered by an Instagram user.”

[via C|NET]

If you ever played Rock Band, you might recognize the name Harmonix. Harmonix is the company behind that game, and word is that the company is working on a new music game. But time the game is said to also be a first-person shooter.

Harmonix is working with developers at Hidden Path, the company behind Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The musical FPS game is called Chroma, and it’s expected to be a free-to-play title built using the Unreal engine. Though chances are “free to play” includes some sort of paid upgrades.

The game promises to shape and evolve itself based on the music it plays. The landscape will change with the music and players able to move with the rhythm will get bonuses. That means players in tune with the music will be able to jump higher and run faster. It sounds very strange, but it also sounds kind of cool.

If they can pull this off it will certainly be different from any other FPS games out there. There is no word on when the game will be complete, you can sign up to participate in the Chroma closed alpha here.

[via Games on Net]

Read any good books lately? Only the most masterful of storytellers are able to tell a tale that can touch readers and stir their emotions.

However, this tale entitled The Girl Who Was Plugged In by James Tiptree Jr. got a little help from MIT. Dubbed as Sensory Fiction, it’s the latest in wearable tech that comes in the form of a book that you can “wear” and strap on to your body via a harness, so you can feel whatever it is the main character is feeling, too. The technology isn’t limited to emotions, as the reader can be made to feel physical sensations like warmth and coldness.

The harness is equipped with LED lights, small heating devices, a vibrating mechanism, and a compression system that tightens or loosens depending on what’s happening in the story.

Wouldn’t it be neat to have a book like this at your local library? Guess it depends on what the book is about.

[via Dvice]