Hasta La Gadget!

The US military spends billions of dollars each year beefing up wartime tech, but a low-budget hacked RC car recently served as an unlikely hero, saving six soliders’ lives in Afghanistan. The home-built rig, which included a wireless security camera mounted on a Traxxas Stampede remote-controlled truck, cost about $500 when it was built in 2007. Since then, Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Fessenden has used it to locate roadside bombs, until it tripped a detonation sensor during a patrol last month, in turn saving Fessenden and fellow troops from coming head-to-head with 500 pounds of explosives. Unfortunately the RC cam didn’t survive the attack, so Ernie, the solider’s brother who built the first model, is currently working on a replacement. Sure, a half-grand may seem like a laughable sum compared to the Pentagon’s annual budget, but if the proven gadget gets enough attention, perhaps Chinese-made toys will play a role in entertaining our kids, and protecting our troops.

Cam-wielding RC car used to investigate roadside bomb, saves lives in Afghanistan originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen some mind-blowing footage from RED’s EPIC, as one might expect from a $39,500 camera with a 5K sensor and up to 120 fps video capture (at 4K). But video shooter and all-around photo wiz Vincent Laforet got to take an exclusive early look at the company’s new Canon EOS mount, which pairs the EPIC-M with Canon’s enormous collection of top-quality glass, including the 600mm f/4 L lens Laforet used for his shoot at Mono Lake in California. That lens, used with a 2x Canon teleconverter and the RED’s multiplication factor, yields a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 3400mm, which as you’ll see in the video below, enabled some pretty incredible video captures. RED has yet to officially announce availability for the Canon EOS mount, but has shared that it will cost $2,000 (pennies compared to the EPIC’s $58,000 kit price), and will be constructed of titanium — tasked with the critical responsibility of reducing movement during those extended-lens shoots. Jump past the break for Laforet’s sample video, or check out his blog post at the source link for the full rundown.

Continue reading RED EPIC scores a Canon EOS mount, Laforet gets some extraordinary footage (video)

RED EPIC scores a Canon EOS mount, Laforet gets some extraordinary footage (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

Nobody with binocular vision would consider replacing a functional natural eye with a digital camera. But Tanya Vlach’s vision is monocular, after losing one of her eyes in a car accident. A matching ocular prosthesis gives the San Francisco native a normal appearance, but it’s unable to provide vision — in its current state, at least. Vlach turned to Kickstarter for donations that would allow her to install a unique, waterproof in-eye camera, theoretically capable of transmitting 720p HD video wirelessly to a mobile app, and zooming and capturing still images using a blink-activated sensor. Features also on the wish list: facial recognition, a dilating pupil that changes based on light, infrared / UV capture, and geotagging, just to name a few.

The embedded camera obviously can’t replace a natural eye, but it certainly brings more life to an otherwise useless cosmetic shell. Vlach needs to raise $15,000 by August 3rd in order to achieve her funding goal and commission an engineer to design the new optic. Donations of less than $5,000 will be rewarded with a variety of small-ticket items, while a pledge greater than that amount will net the donor their very own “souvenir eye camera” — whatever that means. You can jump past the break for a video explanation from Tanya, who may very well be on her way to being the first human to use a digital pseudo-bionic eye.

Continue reading Insert Coin: Prosthetic eye digital camera (video)

Insert Coin: Prosthetic eye digital camera (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We all knew it would come to this, right? Tech corporations have apparently taken a cue from the blogosphere and started tearing down their own devices for all the world to see. Sony’s in-house gadget site SGNL opened up the company’s Bloggie 3D pocket camcorder, thankfully enlisting the supervision of Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit. But while he does seem genuinely intrigued at taking apart and explaining the way the 3D camera works, there’s not much in the way of the depth we’ve come to expect from the site, and Sony manages to make the whole thing a not-so-subtle plug for a newish device. Now who wants to buy a disassembled camcorder? I hear Sony’s selling one cheap.

Continue reading Sony tears down Bloggie 3D, iFixit helps (video)

Sony tears down Bloggie 3D, iFixit helps (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 09:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Panasonic introduced us to its Skittles-like array of candy-coated camcorders, they gave us a taste of the little things, but left us hanging on price and availability. Well, if you’ve been slobbering over the specs since February, you can sate your appetite soon, because the HM-TA20, HM-TA2, HX-WA10, HX-DC10, and HX-DC1 will hit stores starting in early July. The Flip-style, 1080p HM-TA20 rings in at $200, while its less rugged little brother, the HM-TA2, will run you $170. The upright and rugged HX-WA10 will do 1080p video and 16-megapixel stills for $350, and you’ll drop $280 on the HX-DC10 for the same functionality without the weather-proofing. For the same look at an even lower price, you can shoot 14-megapixel stills on the HX-DC1 for $200. Hungry for more? Full PR awaits you after the break.

Continue reading Panasonic’s new suite of colorful camcorders hits stores this July, gets priced right now

Panasonic’s new suite of colorful camcorders hits stores this July, gets priced right now originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 01:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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