Hasta La Gadget!

A few months ago we found out about the Durovis Dive, a virtual reality gaming headset for Android smartphones. A similar device called vrAse is now looking for funding on Kickstarter. The company behind it claims that future versions will be compatible with all smartphones.

Like the Dive, vrAse uses your smartphone to display 3D content. vrAse is also highly customizable. For instance, you can change its case or its optics to fit your needs. In its default state, its optics can emulate a 200-inch movie screen, though they don’t specify what distance that would be viewed at. Most of all, you can easily upgrade its “hardware.” All it takes is to swap in a better phone.

Pledge at least £48 (~$74 USD) on Kickstarter to get a vrAse case as a reward. But before you pledge know that the Kickstarter release of vrAse will only be compatible with six smartphones: the iPhone 5, the HTC One, the Sony Xperia Z, the Samsung Galaxy S3, the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 2.

I’m excited to see 3D gaming being more and more affordable, but I don’t think we can compare vrAse to the Rift. First off, the vrAse is only compatible with media and games that are in Side by Side (SbS) format. Second, it doesn’t seem to have its own head-tracking software, which is a big part of what makes the Rift so immersive. Perhaps developers can integrate head-tracking into their games or apps if vrAse takes off. Finally, the Rift has a distinct advantage in terms of hardware, because PCs are more powerful than even the latest smartphones. Still, I think many people would love to enjoy immersive 3D video or mobile games for the right price. Perhaps Dive and vrAse are on to something here.

[via DVICE]

Modern smartphones only have a few buttons, which by default are stuck performing one or two actions. The pull down shortcut menu in Android devices is a great way to access some of the most toggled settings, but you might have other apps or actions that you want to activate quickly. That’s where Pressy comes in.

Pressy is a small button that plugs into the headphone jack of an Android device, providing you with an extra input method. It will have a companion app where you’ll set your shortcuts. The video below indicates that you can set 1, 2 or 3 clicks, and each click can be long or short. If that’s true, that means you can save up to 14 shortcuts at once. For instance, you can set a single short press of Pressy to activate your camera or three long presses to close all running apps.

Also, in the video you’ll see that users will be able to activate the shortcuts using headsets that have playback buttons, so in theory Android users will be able to enjoy Pressy’s features without spending a cent.

As of now Pressy will only work with devices running Android 2.3 and up. The company behind Pressy, Nimrod Back, said that Pressy may come to iOS but via Cydia, i.e. it will only run on a jailbroken iOS device. Pledge at least $17 (USD) on Kickstarter to earn a Pressy as a reward.

It seems like a great accessory, but as of this writing, backers have at least one crucial unanswered question about Pressy: Will a device recognize Pressy as a headphone? Because that might break some basic features. For instance, it could block the audio from an incoming phone call, because the phone is sending the audio to a headphone or headset that’s not actually there. Hopefully Nimrod Back responds to that soon.

[via The Next Web]

Whenever you have a broken limb, life can get quite difficult. There aren’t plenty of ways that you can make it better, however, sticking a screen on it and completely modernizing is something I hadn’t thought about before now.

The Comfort Cast concept by Kyuho Song is definitely an improvement over a traditional cast. You can use the e-Ink screen to Facebook your status, and it will even allow doctors to monitor your condition remotely, and has a media player built in. It even has an air pressure system so the cast can be adjusted.

The system includes a charging and disinfection system which makes the Comfort Cast reusable too. It’s going to be interesting to see if something like this will ever be available. Hopefully, you’ll be able to rent them directly from hospitals and give them back once you’ve fully recovered.

[via Yanko Design]

Computers and sensors are quickly decreasing in cost and size, making it easier than ever before to build smart gadgets or robots. From accelerometers to thermal sensors, electronics nowadays can detect and record a variety of events and objects in their surroundings. Here’s one more sensor to add to your robot overlord-in-training. It’s called Pixy, a camera that identifies objects through color.

Pixy was made by Charmed Labs and embedded systems experts from Carnegie Mellon University. It’s actually the team’s fifth version of a smart and low-cost vision sensor, which they previously called the CMUcam. What separates the Pixy from other image sensors is that it only sends a small amount of data and it has its own microprocessor. These traits make it possible to integrate the Pixy even to microcontrollers like the Arduino.

Pixy identifies objects using “a hue-based color filtering algorithm”, which supposedly makes it consistent under different lighting conditions. It can also identify hundreds of objects at once. The image below is a screenshot of PixyMon, an open source debugging program for Pixy.

As you’ll see in the video below, Pixy can also track moving objects. That’s because it updates once every 20ms, fast enough to keep up with an object moving at 30mph. You can then gather Pixy’s data through UART serial, SPI, I2C, digital out, or analog out.

Pixy can be taught to “remember” up to seven different objects, but you can expand its memory by using color codes. Color codes are simply stickers or strips of paper with two or more different colors. Color codes increase Pixy’s color-coded encyclopedia from seven to several thousands.

Pledge at least $59 (USD) on Kickstarter to get a Pixy and an Arduino cable as a reward.

What will you build with Pixy? A security camera that texts you when your cat goes out? A color-seeking water bomb? A clown-loving machine? A drone that follows you around? A box of crayons that can tell you what color you picked? A weapon that works only on people wearing red? A LEGO sorter that can tell you which pieces are missing from your collection? A camera that automatically takes pictures of the sunset? A wearable assistant for colorblind people? A ticker that counts which Premier League referee hands out the most yellow cards? A useless machine that won’t turn itself off if you’re wearing the right color? Are the things I’m saying even possible?

There are plenty of Bluetooth boom boxes available, but I have to say that this one from Bēm looks quite interesting. The overall shape is reminiscent of a traditional boom box, and the handle will let you lug it around quite easily from place to place.

The Bēm Wireless Boom Box looks like it belongs in 2001: A Space Odyssey, and it delivers quite a bit of punch for your mobile devices, with a top output of 105dB. It will last 10 hours on a charge, and comes with a 3.5mm audio port to directly connect your devices as well. There are only three buttons on the speaker, play/pause, volume up and volume down.

The Bēm Wireless Boom Box retails for $249.99(USD), and it’s available in black or white.

[via Wired]