Hasta La Gadget!

The granola girls over at Autoblog Green had the rare opportunity to test out the quirky little U3-X on a visit to the Honda R&D center in Japan. You remember: the self-balancing unicycle that fits in a car door and relies on an inclinometer (not gyroscope) to know which way is up. In essence it balances the rider like a broomstick held on-end in the palm of the end. Autoblog calls it “far more intriguing than a Segway” due largely to the Honda Omni Traction (HOT) drive system that allows the personal transporter to move forward, back, and left and right on a series of small wheels. Unfortunately, Honda wouldn’t let anyone peek underneath to see the magic. When turned on the U3-X stands upright making small motions to maintain balance. And as awkward as it looks, riding the U3-X “couldn’t be easier” — like a Segway you just lean ever so subtly in the direction you want to go. It will tip over if the rider leans too far or too fast but it’s apparently very simple and intuitive to keep upright. The 20-pound model tested was designed for indoor use only and booked along at an overdue-toilet-break pace of 4MPH. Check it out in the video after the break.

Continue reading Honda’s U3-X taken for an awkward squat (video)

Filed under: Transportation

Honda’s U3-X taken for an awkward squat (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In case you missed it, Sony’s got a thing for 3D with big plans to push the technology into your living room next year. While the first application will be applied to the flat screen TV, Sony’s obviously thinking about other displays judging by this tiny prototype set for reveal at Tokyo’s Digital Content EXP0 2009 on Thursday. The 13 x 27-cm device packs a stereoscopic, 24-bit color image measuring just 96 × 128 pixels viewable at 360-degrees without special glasses. If the prototype ever hits the assembly line then Sony envisions its commercial use in digital signage or medical imaging — or as a 3D photo frame, television, house for your virtual pet, or visualizer to assist with web shopping in the home. We’ll be on-hand for the unveil on Thursday with live coverage and hands-on, check back then for more.

[Via Impress]

Filed under: Displays

Sony’s 360-degree 3D display prototype makes virtual pets more lifelike, expensive originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s a saying that originated in the wild, wild west, and if our memory serves us correctly, it goes a little something like this: “If you can’t convince the cops to do their jobs, just install as many speed bumps as humanly possible.” Oddly enough, that very mantra has mirrored reality down in Mexico, with some 18,000 speed bumps established in central Mexico City alone. In an effort to cut down on pollutants emitted from legions of motorcars slowing and accelerating rapidly, Decano Industries is developing a “smart” version that collapses if your vehicle taps it gently enough. Granted, an actual speed sensor would be slightly more efficient, but we’re told that it reacts to the impact so quickly that it would seem as if you never even ran over the bump. As for speedsters? The bump would remain erect, increasing their road rage level ever higher. Still, the best advice on all of this comes from one Marielena Ramírez: “They should just get rid of speed bumps, not try to make them smarter.” ¡Viva la Revolucion!

[Via Autoblog, image courtesy of ScientificallyFormulated]

Filed under: Transportation

Intelligent speed bumps collapse to reward slow-pokes, cut down on emissions originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve already heard first-hand how Yamaha can make surround sound emerge from a single soundbar, and now the outfit’s wowing again here at CEATEC. It’s latest aural innovation was tucked quietly away within its booth, disguised as an advertorial for the show itself. Essentially, the banner you’re peering at above is a one millimeter thick speaker that’s made from cloth, and it definitely has the potential to revolution billboards and possibly even portable media devices. As you can clearly hear in the video just past the break, the flat sound waves emitted from the cloth cannot be heard unless you’re standing directly in front of it; even separate audio files playing back just a few feet away didn’t overlap with what we heard coming directly at us. There’s no telling if Yamaha will ever take this public, but if it does, there are about forty billion ad agencies in the greater New York area that would like to speak to it.

Continue reading Yamaha’s 1mm-thick prototype speaker is made from cloth, highly directional (video)

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Portable Audio

Yamaha’s 1mm-thick prototype speaker is made from cloth, highly directional (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The admittedly powerful TG01 has been carrying the flagship banner for awhile at Toshiba’s smartphone division, but if a brief look at CEATEC gives us any indication of what’s to come, we’d say you can look forward to hearing an awful lot more from Tosh in this here sector. Behind a small glass case, a smattering of smartphone prototypes were quietly sitting pretty in effort to be photographed. Naturally, we took ’em all up on the offer, snapping the K01, K02 and L01 and hosting them in the gallery below. We’re told that the lot is actually nearing production, with the K01 packing a 4.1-inch capacitive touchscreen, the K02 a 3.5-inch resistive panel (with an 800 x 480 resolution) and the L01 a 7-inch screen within a MID-like form factor. Each of the three are to be powered by Windows Mobile 6.5, though we wouldn’t argue if WinMo 7 ended up being the OS of choice. Video’s after the break.

[Via Electronista]

Continue reading Toshiba shows off slate of smartphone prototypes at CEATEC (video)

Filed under: Cellphones

Toshiba shows off slate of smartphone prototypes at CEATEC (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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