Mar 30

Watch-controlled robo-tot grasps small objects, the meaning of life (video)

Posted in: arduino, controller, robot, RobotApocalypse, texas instruments, ti, Today's Chili, video, watch, Wireless

It may seem like there’s an abundance of robot news lately, but we’re just trying to please our mechanical overlords deliver the latest in gadget and technology news. What we’ve got here is an Arduino-based robo-gripper that serves only to move around and use its 3D printed claws to grab tiny objects that we’d otherwise be too lazy to pick up ourselves. The robot, infused with a Texas Instruments CC1110 dev kit, is controlled using an accelerometer-based Chronos watch and can move in all directions by simply tilting the timepiece. If you want to take a gander at this little guy in action, check out the video past the break — it’s always warming to see humans having the upper hand against the machine.

Continue reading Watch-controlled robo-tot grasps small objects, the meaning of life (video)

Watch-controlled robo-tot grasps small objects, the meaning of life (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 29

Keyglove ditches QWERTY for one-handed computer control (video)

Posted in: arduino, concept, controller, keyboard, mouse, open source, opensource, qwerty, Today's Chili, video

We’ve seen some pretty ambitious hand warmers in our day, but this one takes the cake. Keyglove is an Open Source Hardware (OSHW) project that’s intended to eliminate those clunky keyboards and unmanageable mice from the computing process altogether, instead engaging a series of conductive sensors that, when touched together, mimic a keystroke. The mitt’s creator says the traditional mobile keyboard is “either too big to be portable, or too small to be easy to use,” adding that his solution would eventually become second nature just like touch typing. Keyglove is an Arduino and AVR-powered device that also incorporates an accelerometer to control mouse movements. It’s apparently fully customizable and allows for a total of 60 unique touch combinations — impressive, sure, but it took us long enough to figure out the home keys on the real thing. If you dream of a world full of one-handed typists, check out the video after the break, or follow the source link to find out how you can donate to the project.

Continue reading Keyglove ditches QWERTY for one-handed computer control (video)

Keyglove ditches QWERTY for one-handed computer control (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 21:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 21

Xbox Kinect on PS3 is Kevin Butler’s worst nightmare come true (video)

Posted in: controller, gaming, hack, kinect, Microsoft, mod, playstation, playstation 3, Playstation3, ps3, sony, Today's Chili, video
So here’s a dilemma that some gamers may have faced: do you want a console with great processing power but coupled with some glowing lollipops, or one with futuristic controller-free motion gaming at the cost of Blu-ray playback? Well, for us mere mortals it’s either one or the other, but Shantanu Goel went ahead to combine the best of both worlds: Xbox Kinect on a PS3. The video above is our man demonstrating his early software mod, which can currently recognize basic gestures like quickly pushing your hand towards the screen twice to activate the X button, as well as the usual waving around for navigation. While it’s obvious that this project is still at its infancy, Goel’s already working on beefing it up by adding full game profiles and skeletal tracking support, so with a bit of help from the community, hopefully it won’t be long before we get to liberally throw grenades in Killzone 3 without having to worry about damaging the TV. Maybe Kevin Butler will also see the lighter side of things, too.

Xbox Kinect on PS3 is Kevin Butler’s worst nightmare come true (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 15

RoboTouch brings a wired NES controller to a wireless iPad (video)

Posted in: Apple, arduino, controller, diy, hack, ipad, Today's Chili, video
RoboTouch brings wired NES controllers to a wireless iPad

Oh Arduino, is there anything you can’t do when put in the right hands? The hands in this case belong to a guy named Joven of ProtoDojo, and they whipped up the contraption you can see in the video below. Basically, it’s a wired NES controller that goes to an Arduino board, which in turn controls a set of servos. Those servos articulate conductive arms to touch the screen in just the right places. The whole contraption enables a rather playable version of Reckless Racing, making it feel all the more like the RC Pro Am successor it’s trying to be. Check it out in the video below, and then hope that Jovan hurries up and posts the instructions so we can start building our own.

[Thanks, Chad]

Continue reading RoboTouch brings a wired NES controller to a wireless iPad (video)

RoboTouch brings a wired NES controller to a wireless iPad (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 14

OCZ buys Indilinx, probably has designs on building its own SSD controllers

Posted in: controller, firmware, official, performance, solid state drive, SolidStateDrive, SSD, storage, Today's Chili

Indilinx, the company responsible for designing the Barefoot SSD controller, has today agreed to hand its future over to the capable lads and ladies of OCZ Technology in exchange for $32 million in common OCZ stock. The companies have announced a definitive agreement for the chipmaker’s acquisition, which OCZ is performing in order to gobble up a set of 20 yummy patents and patent applications while also expanding its presence in embedded, hybrid storage and industrial markets. Indilinx will continue its current operations, including providing controllers and firmware to other OEMs, and OCZ too will continue to use others’ wares, namedropping its long-term partner SandForce as among the outside companies that will be supplying it with SSD goodies. So it’s business as usual unless and until this partnership spawns some lightning-fast combination of software and hardware that forces us to hear that cursed “exclusive” word again. Ah well, best of luck of luck to them.

Continue reading OCZ buys Indilinx, probably has designs on building its own SSD controllers

OCZ buys Indilinx, probably has designs on building its own SSD controllers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 23:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 07

Veho’s Mimi all-in-one HTPC controller attempts to be a gamepad, looks overwhelming

Posted in: controller, HTPC, keyboard, Mac, mouse, PC, Today's Chili, usb, Windows, Wireless

So you’ve done it. You’ve bought a top-of-the line computer and turned your once-scary basement into the home theater of your dreams. But, since the HTPC is well, a computer, you’re probably still using the age-old mouse and keyboard combo. Veho, a company that once claimed to have the world’s smallest camcorder, recently announced a device called the “Mimi wifi Keyboard & Air Mouse with game controller.” A long name indeed, but suitable considering the number of buttons found on this Xbox 360 gamepad lookalike. It’s got everything you’d expect in an all-in-one computer-controlling unit — including a motion sensor to control the mouse, separate buttons for left- and right-clicking and a range of around 33 feet. The controller is compatible with both Windows and Mac via a USB dongle, but the customizable buttons will only work on a Microsoft machine. If you’re ready to take computing and gaming, along with your dignity, to a whole new level, hit up the source link to drop around 150 bones (£90) for this hybrid gadget.

Veho’s Mimi all-in-one HTPC controller attempts to be a gamepad, looks overwhelming originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 10:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 01

Force Dynamics 401cr test drive (video)

Posted in: controller, engadget show, EngadgetShow, feature, Features, new-york, Today's Chili, video

If you’re old enough to have spent any time in an arcade, surely at some point you splurged an extra couple of quarters to play a game in a seat that moved a bit, shook a bit, made some feeble attempt at making you feel like you’re really in the game. Kid’s play, that stuff (quite literally), but just like people don’t stop gaming as they get older so too such motion simulation tech doesn’t have to stay for kiddies. Enter Force Dynamics and enter the 401cr: a full-bore motion simulator that can not only generate over a G of acceleration but can spin you right ’round as many times as you like. We took it for a quite a few spins indeed, plus more than one crash, and we think you’ll want to check them out the video below.

Gallery: Force Dynamics

Continue reading Force Dynamics 401cr test drive (video)

Force Dynamics 401cr test drive (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 22

Kiss Controller lets you play a bowling game with your tongue… while it’s in someone else’s mouth (video)

Posted in: controller, game, gaming, Today's Chili, video

Oh, this isn’t weird at all! The Kissing Controller, an experimental project by one Hye Yeon Nam, is designed so that players of a bowling game can impart power and direction to their spherical projectile by performing the timeless act of smooching one another. A customized headset is required for one of the participants, acting as the input receiver, while the other straps a magnet to his or her tongue and goes to town with some literal full motion controls. Thrust is added to the on-screen ball in accordance with how vigorously you move your tongue around, something we’re sure your partner will appreciate. Video after the break.

Continue reading Kiss Controller lets you play a bowling game with your tongue… while it’s in someone else’s mouth (video)

Kiss Controller lets you play a bowling game with your tongue… while it’s in someone else’s mouth (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 06:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 19

GAEMS Xbox 360 traveling case gets sleek redesign, still won’t help you spell correctly

Posted in: 720p, case, controller, Games, gaming, LCD, LED, peripheral, portable, ps3, speaker, Today's Chili, xbox, xbox 360, Xbox360

The last rendition we saw of the GAEMS console-carrying case looked more like a giant lunch box than a solution to your portable gaming needs. If you’re still interested in bringing your Xbox 360 on the road, the company has redesigned the case and it now supports the fat and slim versions of the 360 and even the PS3-skinny. What’s new in this compact carrying case is the fact there’s actually room to store the console, controllers and power brick. It comes bundled with a remote, HDMI cable and power supply to power the speakers and LED screen. If you’re road trippin’ any time soon and want this beast, you can save yourself 20 bones by pre-ordering before April 20th and you’ll receive the $300 case come June.

GAEMS Xbox 360 traveling case gets sleek redesign, still won’t help you spell correctly originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 12:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 18

Guitar Shaped NES Controller is Ready to Rock

Posted in: controller, diy, nintendo, Tech Toys, Today's Chili, video games

NES Paul

This guitar-shaped controller for the original Nintendo Entertainment System will look wonderfully right next to the NES Controller Coffee Table we discovered a little while back. Over at Hack A Day, one user has built what she’s calling the NES Paul (see what she did there?) to be a controller that looks and feels like a guitar for a game she’s building at the same time that will feature video game music from classic games, called 8-Bit Hero. 
The controller is entirely hand-made, made from wood and a few other easily obtained materials. The wiring and button controls were all pulled from an XBox 360 controller that was disassembled and transformed into the d-pad, start and select buttons, and the A and B buttons on the neck of the guitar. 
The whole thing is pretty incredible for a DIY project, and with Guitar Hero now dead, you never know – maybe 8-Bit Hero will take off. She’ll have to find a way to mass produce those NES Pauls though.
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