Hasta La Gadget!

Okay, so you know your hand? Five fingers. Assorted grasping and carrying shenanigans. Right. So it turns out that your brain is constantly using sensory information to check in and make sure it still knows what’s your hand and what’s not. And it can be fooled. More »

If you’re hip to repurposing old tech for new inventions, Invisible is right up your alley. The Greensboro-based unit calls themselves a “mechanical music museum” and “a reverse engineered folk science daydream” when describing their elaborate set of sound-making contraptions and recycled video equipment. The outfit’s effort The New Obsolete was part of the Moogfest happenings this weekend, and our curiosity was immediately piqued. This particular performance is labeled as “an exploded view of the strange romance between humans and technology.”

Among all of the self-constructed instruments is the Selectric Piano: a typewriter that uses both computer and piano parts to control a keyboard. Each keystroke by the typist corresponds to a note added to collective soundscape and a mounted video camera allows the audience to keep tabs on the textual component. The project also showcases an object known as Elsewhere’s Roof. The device controls a set of drum and percussion tools with water dropping into a few rather hi-tech Mason jars. In addition to arsenal of noise makers, multi-channel video and library of collected audio (via tape decks and turntables, of course) rounds out the lot. We were able to catch one of the stellar showings, so hit the gallery below for a look at the wares while a snippet of the action awaits beyond the break.

Continue reading Invisible’s ‘The New Obsolete’ showcases self-constructed instruments, touts a typewriter-driven piano (video)

Filed under: Misc, Alt

Invisible’s ‘The New Obsolete’ showcases self-constructed instruments, touts a typewriter-driven piano (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Oct 2012 18:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bike helmets. Many people don’t like to wear them because they’re big and bulky. And for the vain ones, they cause helmet hair. But to be honest, if it were up to me, I’d rather choose all of the above rather than risk my life by going out on my bike without a helmet on.

If only there were some sort of invisible helmet that’ll protect people without all of the negative stuff that comes with most bike helmets.

Oh, wait, there is already one such helmet in the market, and it’s called the Hövding. It’s the first and only one of its kind.

The Hövding starts out as a collar that cyclists are supposed to wear around their neck. There’s a folded-up airbag inside that’ll pop out automatically upon impact, with the trigger mechanism controlled by sensors in the collar that detect any abnormal movements when the bicyclist figures in an accident.

As you can see, the airbag is shaped like a helmet. It inflates in 0.1 seconds so it’s up and over your head before you hit the ground, providing a cushion of sorts to minimize the injuries you might sustain upon impact.

The Hövding took six years to develop and it’s now finally available for purchase. Priced at 3,998 SEK (~$597), it’s not cheap – but if you’re not going to wear a regular helmet, it just might be worth it.

[Hövding via Focus Forward Films]