Saturday, August 16, 2008
Robots
Snake-Like Rescue Robot Will Scare the Sh*t Out Of You, Then Pull You From the Rubble
11:00PM John Mahoney | If I was trapped in a pile of earthquake rubble, I’d do just about anything to get the hell out as soon as possible. But if this cilia-covered rescue snakebot squirmed it’s way up my leg, I think the chances of heart failure might need to be factored in. It’s called the Active Scope Camera, and it was conceived by researchers at Japan’s Tohoku University, all of whom are clearly fans of War of the Worlds. It’s a fibre-optic camera wrapped in a layer of tiny cilia bristles, which allow for millipede-like locomotion that’s creepy, creepy, creepy in this video. More »
Gadgets
Brunopasso: The Sports Car of Espresso Machines
10:00PM Sean Fallon | Inspired by high-end Italian sports cars, designer Tadahito Ishibashi came up with the Brunopasso PD-1–an espresso machine that looks like it should be hauling arse down the highway. Outside of its sleek curves, the illusion is enhanced with dashboard-style gauges and a beechwood lever. But that is not where the similarities end–much like a sports car, the Brunopasso does not come cheap at US$850. With Ferrari putting their brand on everything from laptops to Segways these days, I’m sure they are kicking themselves for missing out on this one. [Brunopasso via Tuvie via DVICE]
Vehicles
Mini Corvette Engine Runs at 11,000 RPM
10:50AM Sean Fallon | It may not sound much different that a weed-whacker, but I can assure you that if this 1/6 scale replica of the 1964 Corvette L76 327 cubic-inch V8 was put into a tiny car, it would give a Leprechaun the ride of its life. The mini four-stroke engine was fabricated from scratch by a guy named Jim Moyer, and it can hit a staggering 11,000 RPM when opened up. Impressive. More »
Design
Weighing Seat: A Chair That Weighs Fatties, Farts
10:30AM Sean Fallon | As if you didn’t already feel fat enough, how does sitting on a chair that doubles as a scale sound? Indeed, the Weighing Seat concept from the design team at Atypyk reminds you of how fat you are getting every time you sit down to eat. It could very well be the most effective diet you have ever been on. Either that, or it will force you to start eating your meals standing up. But look on the bright side, you can finally start weighing your farts. Ever been curious about that? What, just Jason and I? Come on guys, admit it. [Atypyk via Likecool] More »
Cameras
Vivid Gallery of High Speed Photography
10:10AM Mark Wilson | No, high speed photography is by no means a new idea; we just very much enjoyed this Flickr collection by user nebarnix. A large gallery of objects frozen in motion with a 500-nanosecond flash, a visual cacophony of exploding eggs and firecrackers captured mid-pop await those who hit the link. Oh, and there’s a great shot of a Pabst Blue Ribbon eating a hollow-point bullet: More »
Gadgets
Lamp Made Out of its Own Packaging
9:50AM Mark Wilson | Reviewing gadgets on a normal basis, you really come to realise how incredible wasteful all the packaging is. Something is shipped to you in a box that’s packed with styrofoam. Inside it, you find another box packed with more styrofoam and whatever good you ordered. But this Package Lamp is different. It has no extra packaging because it is the packaging. More »
Phones
Sprint Instinct Application Updates Go Live
9:30AM Matt Buchanan | If you’re rolling with the Instinct, you might have already noticed your applications prompting you for an update. If they haven’t yet, they will soon. Some of the app improvements include a less sucky browsing experience on Yahoo, Hotmail, Best Buy and YouTube; faster, more responsive Sprint TV/radio; performance improvements for the Music Store; less crashy Picture Mail; and a bunch of other fixes. Deep down, we were kinda hoping they’d replace the browser outright. [Instinct Insight via Mobile Burn] More »
Peripherals
Tie Fighter Advanced X1 Webcam: Vader Records Your Private Moments
9:10AM Sean Fallon | The cat is out of the bag–Darth Vader is a sick, perverted voyeur. First he sat atop your computer monitor and watched your every move. Now he his getting serious and starting to record the action (or lack therof) by using his Tie Fighter as a webcam. In addition to capturing audio, video and images, it also features sound effects from the movies. Just don’t be surprised if your private moments end up all over the internet. Vader just can’t be trusted with a YouTube account. Available soon for around US$33. [Play via Technabob] More »
Peripherals
Rohos Logon Key Converts Any USB Stick To a Mac Login Key
8:50AM Jason Chen | Rohos Logon Key is a bit of software that can convert any USB key you have into an actual “USB key” to unlock your Mac. The software sits in your login screen and detects the serial number of your USB key (which is unique, but might not be too easy to duplicate) as the identifier to log you in. Quite cool if you need a convenient way to secure your files from friends and relatives, but probably isn’t strong enough to deter any professional data thieves. [Rohos via MacNN via TUAW via Everything USB] More »
Software
