The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA for short, is looking for robots in some new places. The government agency is soon to host a bot competition at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The contest, which is looking for sample collecting bots, has been dubbed the 2013
Sample Return Robot Challenge.
Stanford University alumni Josh Chan and Tarun Pondicherry invented LightUp, a modular electronics kit that’s as easy to use as LEGO blocks. The kits is designed to teach children the basics of electronics and computer programming.
LightUp simplifies the process of building an electronic circuit so that it won’t discourage children from experimenting and trying again if they don’t get the result they want. Instead of requiring children to use soldering materials or wires, the parts in a LightUp kit connect to each other using magnets. This means that they’re easy to put together and take apart. It also means that if you purchase more kits, you get more parts to mix and match.
One thing that LightUp kits have that LEGO toys don’t have is an augmented reality app. When you take a picture of a LightUp circuit on a mobile device, the app can point out if any of the parts are incorrectly connected. It can also show the flow of electricity throughout the circuit, as shown in the image above. Finally, LightUp can be programmed using Arduino code, so kids can jump right into coding if they want. I’m not sure if the kit will come with programming aids or lessons though.
Pledge at least $39 (USD) on Kickstarter to receive a LightUp kit as a reward. The reward tiers seem to have different kinds of kits assigned to them; I’m not sure if the more expensive kits will include all the items included in the cheaper ones, so choose your desired tier carefully.
The concept of personal 3D printers has spread like wildfire, and Michigan Tech wants to make sure that the first things that people think of when the innovative product making platform is mentioned include harmony, joy and other peaceful goodies.
A new team, of international scope, is working on a plan that is truly science fiction inspired. The team, which is both French and Japanese, is working to make robots that can be controlled with the human brain. The robots, which are still in the reserach, use blood flow to detect brain activity.
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If you’re looking for a way to create a sense of privacy in your house – but don’t like the look of traditional window shades – there’s a new technology on the scene which creates instant privacy while still letting light in your windows.
SONTE is a special UV protective film you can apply to your windows that provides complete privacy. What’s really nifty about SONTE film is that it can be turned from semi-opaque to transparent with the push of a button – or using an app on your mobile device.
When electrical current is applied to the film, its transparency changes. When switched off (semi-opaque), only 5% of light is transmitted, and when on, it allows 70% of light through. When in its semi-opaque state, the film can even be used as a projection screen. Neat.
To install the film, simply cut it to fit your window, peel off the electrostatic cling adhesive backing, and position it on your window. A tiny conducting clip is attached to each sheet of film, and then connects to either a Wi-Fi transceiver or a direct switch.
SONTE is currently seeking to raise $200,000 over on Kickstarter to fund production of its film. You can get a 1-meter square piece of the film, including a non Wi-Fi switch for as little as $184 (USD). Prices start at $219 for the Wi-Fi version and go up from there, depending on the amount of film you want. The largest kit being offered is an 8-square-meter “daisy chain” kit, which lets you wire together multiple windows, and is going for just under $1500. If you just want to play with the tech before investing heavily, there’s also a Kickstarter exclusive sample sheet (non Wi-Fi) for just $65.
Can’t decide what to get for Fathers’ Day? We’ve got you covered. With the help of our dear friends at Gear Diary and The Awesomer, we’ve gathered over $1,000 in great loot which you could win just in the nick of time.
This epic prize pack includes the following:
And while we’d love for you to share all of these goodies with dear old Dad, I can totally appreciate it if you keep some or all of this awesome swag for yourself.
Head on over to Gear Diary for more details on all of the prizes as well as the entry form. Contest Ends 12:15AM Eastern Time on June 9, 2013.
On the eve of this year’s Computex international computer and technology fair, ASUS announced two desktop PCs with an optional component that can save both themselves and other gadgets. Both the upcoming G10 and M51 computers will support the ASUS Power Pack, an optional 6,000 mAh external battery pack that doubles as the computers’ UPS.
The Power Pack is the black device jutting out of the G10′s expansion bay in the image above. You can take the entire thing out and use it to charge mobile devices on the go via its 2 USB ports, then dock it back to recharge it. But as I mentioned above, while it’s docked it also pulls double duty as an uninterruptible power supply or a UPS. When power to the G10 or M51 is cut off, the Power Pack can keep those two desktop PCs alive for up to 30 minutes. That’s more than enough to save your files and shut down the PCs. Here’s a video from Engadget’s Zach Honig:
You can read ASUS’ press release to find out a bit more about both PCs. But I bet some of you are already busy thinking of ways to hack an external battery to your PCs.
[via Engadget]
Are you still using Windows XP as your personal or business operating
system? It’s 2013, for goodness sake! You’d better upgrade before it’s
too late…
Like a spider’s web stops a fly in flight, a patent-pending man-made
fibrous web stops a bedbug in its tracks. Commercialized as Fibertrap,
this material, created in the laboratories of Stony Brook University’s
Center for Advanced Technology in Sensor Materials, has tested effective
not only for trapping bedbugs, but also for stopping termites in their
tracks.
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