There are dozens of ways we can modify our voice, but designer Nic Wallenberg made a silly device that bypasses the vocal chords altogether to make unusual sounds come out of one’s mouth. Hence the name Human Speaker.
The Human Speaker looks just like a neck collar, except it has sockets for two wires in front. I’m not sure what it’s connected to, but according to Wallenberg the collar sends vibrations to the wearer’s upper throat. All the wearer has to do is open his mouth and a sound will come out. It’s like reverse ventriloquism. The wearer can then play with the sound as one would his own voice, by moving his mouth and lips. The Human Speaker can only make two notes at a time though, so you’ll need several people to make complex music. Or you can do what Wallenberg did:
A team from Canada managed to create the first human-powered helicopter, winning a $250,000 prize for a competition that had remained open for over 20 years, a first and great innovation in aeronautics. The winning flight was done in a stadium last month.
Earlier this year we heard about Lernstift, a concept for a pen that helps kids spell and write correctly by vibrating to point out mistakes. The folks behind this promising invention have now launched a fundraiser on Kickstarter. The questions I had when I first saw it remain unanswered though.
Inventor Falk Wolsky’s idea for the pen remains the same. Its basic functions are still to oversee the user’s spelling and the legibility of his handwriting. When it detects a mistake, it vibrates to alert the user. But with the launch of their fundraiser, Wolsky and his colleagues have revealed more about the hardware inside the pen. Lernstift has a motion sensor, a gyroscope, an accelerometer and a magnetometer. The pen’s processor will use these devices to create a 2D image of the user’s handwriting, which it will then analyze using a handwriting recognition software.
While the team is confident in the pen’s hardware, they’re still working on the best way to process the data that its sensors gather to ensure a quick and accurate response. They’ve also revealed that they’re not working on their own handwriting recognition engine and will instead license one from an established company. That should make it easier for Lernstift to be released and updated to support more languages; the pen will only be able to recognize English and German when it launches, but they supposedly have access to a database of over 40 languages.
Pledge at least £89 (~$135 USD) on Kickstarter to get a Lernstift as a reward. I have to say though, it’s not clear at the moment just how polished or far along they are with the pen. Notice how they didn’t demonstrate even the pen’s basic functions in their pitch video.
As I said in my previous post about the pen, I’m still not sold on its usefulness. It’s still not clear how it will help you find out the right spelling, form or grammar. Yes, it could buzz the moment you make a mistake, but what then? How do you find out what you’re supposed to do? I’m hopeful that Wolsky and his team will answer these questions soon. Also, do kids still use pens?
When it comes to building a robot how young is too young? A class of primary school children at Princeton Friends School, which is based in the city of Princeton, New Jersey, is doing just that. The kids, as young as the age of 11, are building bots with 3D printers.
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You know when there’s a business idea that is just so simple, and fantastic, and obvious you wonder how we’ve existed on this planet without someone creating it before? Well, one of those ideas has surfaced, it has to do with key-cutting, and it is so simple it is genius.
We’ve seen a 3D printer make objects out of soft materials, and one that uses titanium powder. This 3D printer made by researchers at North Carolina State University is somewhere in between: it uses a liquid metal alloy that is stable at room temperature.
According to the university’s press release, Dr. Michael Dickey, Colin Ladd, Ju-Hee Soand John Muth were able to make freestanding structures out of an alloy of gallium and indium. At room temperature, the alloy reacts with oxygen in the air, forming “a ‘skin’ that allows the liquid metal structures to retain their shapes.” Watch the video below, but I must warn you: it will make you want to play Sims.
According to the researchers, the printer can not only stack metallic beads together as shown in the video; it can also inject the alloy into a polymer template to assume a specific shape. The template can be dissolved to free the printed metal structure. The alloy is also conductive, meaning it can be used to connect electronics. I wonder if the alloy can be used with carbomorph to print complex gadgets.
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The Chinese-developed IOE3-Kanban camera features a 100-megapixel charge-coupled device (CCD) chip capable of producing 10,240 x 10,240 pixel images. The light and compact camera should greatly boost success in the fields of disaster monitoring, aerial mapping and intelligent transportation systems where ultra-high-resolution imaging is key.
When a night out involves bringing two smartphones, a music player, a 7-inch tablet, and a 10-inch tablet, then you know you’ve got a problem. Most people are addicted to tech these days, and it ruins more social events than you think.
This reality is what prompted Digital Detox to come up with a camp offering for adults addicted to their gadgets called Camp Grounded.
It’s a three-day camp where the usage of digital devices isn’t allowed at all. It’s described as a gathering “where grown-ups go to unplug, getaway [sic] and be kids again.” Typical camping activities are scheduled throughout the weekend, from bonfires and sing-alongs to capture the flag and archery.
Other activities include writing sessions and creative workshops. Digital Detox held the first Camp Grounded this past June, where each slot cost $350(USD). You’ll be surprised to know that all slots sold out. No word on timing for the next Camp Grounded session, but you can get on their email notification list here.
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