Hasta La Gadget!

Sixense has so far promised only PC compatibility for its Stem motion tracker, but the company just teased us with the prospect of a wider ecosystem. It now says that Stem’s developer kit will support Android and iOS if the crowdfunded project reaches a new $700,000 stretch goal. Mobile devices linked to a Stem tracker could serve as motion controllers, virtual cameras and even head-mounted displays. As an incentive to make a pledge, Sixense is adding a pair of programmer-friendly pledge rewards: $149 gets a one-tracker bundle with no controllers, while an early five-tracker bundle has returned at a lower $299 price. Whether or not you chip in, you can watch a conceptual demo after the break.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

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Source: Kickstarter

When we ran into the WobbleWorks team on our recent Berlin trip, they were kindly enough to show off the shipping version of their crowdoverfunded 3D Doodler handheld 3D Printer. Though, when cofounder Max Bogue hinted that the company still had some surprises up its sleeve, he wasn’t kidding. Perhaps most interesting is the inclusion of a mounting dock on the pen, which allows you to attach it a CNC machine, fulfilling the pen’s 3D printing ambitions. Once attached, you can utilize another port to control the speed buttons remotely, so you can manipulate extrusion without actually touching the device. Also of note is the addition of a silicone tip cover, which serves to protect fingers from the heated metal extruder.

Filed under: Peripherals

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While the cost of 3D printers are coming down, it’s unlikely we’ll start to see them invade everyone’s homes ’til they become much cheaper. That’s the idea, at least, behind the Peachy Printer, a device that’s promising to retail for less than $100. Unlike printers made by companies such as Makerbot, Peachy uses a laser to set objects from liquid resin. The laser is guided by a pair of mirrors that take instructions from your PC’s audio in / out ports, and the system even allows you to scan objects with your own camera. Having launched on Kickstarter three days ago, Peachy Printer has more than tripled its CDN$50,000 goal. We doubt you’ll find anyone trying to build an Aston Martin replica on one of these things, but it’s a neat idea that employs a different 3D-printing method to significantly reduce hardware costs. As usual, you’ll find the pitch video below and anything else you may desire at the source.

Filed under: Misc, Peripherals

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Via: 3Ders

Source: Kickstarter

This ain’t the same Digitizer we saw back at South by Southwest. The prototype that was unveiled in Austin back in March looked an awful lot like those early generation MakerBot printers, borrowing heavily from the plywood aesthetic that seemed to imply that its creators had built the thing with their own hands. The version the company showed off at SXSW was in keeping with the company’s mission statement of building things themselves, featuring a laser-cut wood frame and 3D printed parts. But the Brooklyn company’s come a long way since those simpler RepRap days, growing into the leading light in the world of consumer-facing 3D printers.

The Replicator 2 really drove the point home with a solidly constructed black frame that eschewed its predecessors’ wood finish, and the Digitizer can easily be viewed as part of a matching set. “The MakerBot Digitizer started because I really wanted a 3D scanner to go with our 3D printer,” said CEO Bre Pettis at today’s event at the company’s office in Brooklyn, “and they were all too expensive.” The 3D scanner joins the Replicator, MakerWare and the online community Thingiverse as the major missing piece of the MakerBot ecosystem puzzle, an attempt to create the most user-friendly 3D-printing ecosystem available. Now you can download, create and scan your way into the 3D-printing world, from the comfort of your own (admittedly sizable) desktop.%Gallery-slideshow89888%

Filed under: Peripherals

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When the PlayStation 4 launches this November, the PlayStation Eye camera will enable you to sign into the console using just your face. Unlike its Microsoft counterpart, Kinect, the Eye won’t allow much more control of the system. At least not initially. “At the time of launch, first the face recognition is for the purpose of logging in,” SVP and Division President of Business Division 1 at Sony Computer Entertainment Masayasu Ito told Engadget in an interview this afternoon.

Beyond face recognition for log in — something Sony’s still not shown to the press or public — PS4 users with an Eye will also be able to use voice “from the game page.” Ito said, “Game titles could be called in and then the game could start.” But in the future, Ito said the PS4’s camera will go further. There’s no voice or gesture command in the UI beyond what’s described above, but he foresees more in-game use. “That’s as far as it goes, but continuous updates, it can go deeper. Make it with greater depth. With face recognition, we think about how that could be used in the context of the game,” he said. He sadly wouldn’t go further, but demos like The Playroom — a game that’s included on the PS4 at launch — offer an example of how the Eye will work in games. As for more UI control, well, we’re hopeful that that’s part of the “continuous updates” Ito promised.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Software, HD, Sony

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