Gadgets

Gadgets

DelFly Micro Dragonfly Is Smallest Creepy Autonomous Spybot Yet

Posted by John Mahoney at 9:20 AM on July 24, 2008

We told you the tiny DelFly II robotic dragonfly spy cam was just the beginning, and we were right. The same Dutch roboticist is now unveiling the DelFly Micro--with a wingspan of just 10cm and a weight of 3.07 grams, it's the first to be smaller than an actual real-life dragonfly. Granted, the dragonfly being used for comparison is Borneo's Tetracanthagyna plagiata, which has a frankly horrifying 20cm wingspan--the largest in the world, no less. But still, now you're even less likely to realise those annoying bugs whizzing around during your protest march are actually just autonomous insectoid ornithopters keeping an eye on you--nothing to worry about. See it take to the air, complete with live eye-in-the-sky video feed, below.


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Gadgets

Amazing Wii-Like 3-D Controller Interface Built With Foil, Wiring, Resistors and Arduino

Posted by John Mahoney at 7:17 AM on July 24, 2008


What you're looking at here is an actual Wii-like 3-D controller interface that can track objects like your hand in real time. It may look a little shoddy, but what's amazing is that this very functional 3-D interface was built by a hobbyist with parts most DIYers can find in their couch cushions--six resistors, aluminium foil, wire, a cardboard box, and an Arduino microprocessor to crunch the numbers. That's it. It couldn't be more simple. But how'd he pull it off?

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Gadgets

SlyDial: Avoid Annoying Conversations by Going Directly to Voicemail

Posted by Sean Fallon at 6:00 AM on July 24, 2008

If there is one thing I can't stand it is getting into long-winded conversations with people on the phone. This is especially true if that person happens to be annoying. If I am forced to initiate the call, I find myself muttering a silent prayer that they won't pick up, but the fact of the matter is that annoying people are always available. The good news is that SlyDial has come up with a solution to this problem with a service that allows the caller to go directly to voicemail.

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Gadgets

Pour Thing Keeps Sticky Sodas Off Your Gadgets

Posted by Sean Fallon at 3:55 AM on July 24, 2008

Spilling soda is a death sentence for gadgets. Even if it still works, that damn thing is going to be sticky forever. The new "Pour Thing" helps prevent spills from awkward 2-litre bottles using a container that can be manipulated with an easy push. To be honest, it seems that this thing could actually cause more spills than it prevents because you would have to put it on the edge of a table to finish it off. Plus, the physics of the swinging action could catch someone off guard if they are not paying attention. Using 2-litre bottles sucks anyway--I say stick with nerd-friendly cans. Available for US$19.95. [Solutions via 7 Gadgets]


Read More »

Gadgets

DelFly Micro Dragonfly Is Smallest Creepy Autonomous Spybot Yet

Posted by John Mahoney at 9:20 AM on July 24, 2008

We told you the tiny DelFly II robotic dragonfly spy cam was just the beginning, and we were right. The same Dutch roboticist is now unveiling the DelFly Micro--with a wingspan of just 10cm and a weight of 3.07 grams, it's the first to be smaller than an actual real-life dragonfly. Granted, the dragonfly being used for comparison is Borneo's Tetracanthagyna plagiata, which has a frankly horrifying 20cm wingspan--the largest in the world, no less. But still, now you're even less likely to realise those annoying bugs whizzing around during your protest march are actually just autonomous insectoid ornithopters keeping an eye on you--nothing to worry about. See it take to the air, complete with live eye-in-the-sky video feed, below.


Read More »

Gadgets

Amazing Wii-Like 3-D Controller Interface Built With Foil, Wiring, Resistors and Arduino

Posted by John Mahoney at 7:17 AM on July 24, 2008


What you're looking at here is an actual Wii-like 3-D controller interface that can track objects like your hand in real time. It may look a little shoddy, but what's amazing is that this very functional 3-D interface was built by a hobbyist with parts most DIYers can find in their couch cushions--six resistors, aluminium foil, wire, a cardboard box, and an Arduino microprocessor to crunch the numbers. That's it. It couldn't be more simple. But how'd he pull it off?

Read More »

Gadgets

SlyDial: Avoid Annoying Conversations by Going Directly to Voicemail

Posted by Sean Fallon at 6:00 AM on July 24, 2008

If there is one thing I can't stand it is getting into long-winded conversations with people on the phone. This is especially true if that person happens to be annoying. If I am forced to initiate the call, I find myself muttering a silent prayer that they won't pick up, but the fact of the matter is that annoying people are always available. The good news is that SlyDial has come up with a solution to this problem with a service that allows the caller to go directly to voicemail.

Read More »

Gadgets

Pour Thing Keeps Sticky Sodas Off Your Gadgets

Posted by Sean Fallon at 3:55 AM on July 24, 2008

Spilling soda is a death sentence for gadgets. Even if it still works, that damn thing is going to be sticky forever. The new "Pour Thing" helps prevent spills from awkward 2-litre bottles using a container that can be manipulated with an easy push. To be honest, it seems that this thing could actually cause more spills than it prevents because you would have to put it on the edge of a table to finish it off. Plus, the physics of the swinging action could catch someone off guard if they are not paying attention. Using 2-litre bottles sucks anyway--I say stick with nerd-friendly cans. Available for US$19.95. [Solutions via 7 Gadgets]


Read More »

Gadgets

Science! T-Shirts Justify Spiting God

Posted by Mark Wilson at 3:45 AM on July 24, 2008

Anyone reading Gizmodo already knows that science is cool. But just in case those around you are questioning the fact—crazy people who probably wear tinfoil hats and fear falling off the edge of the Earth when visiting Disney Word—you can pick up one of these fantastic Science! shirts. Starting at US$17.50, nothing says those biochem classes were worth it like an endless stream of babes passionately undulating in front of a porta-potty. [Science! via boingboing]


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Gadgets

Be Buried In an iPhone, Vista or Boobies-Inspired Coffin

Posted by Jason Chen at 2:15 AM on July 24, 2008

A company called Creative Coffins offers a service where you can choose themed caskets designed however you like, leading the nerds at T3 to mock up some interesting ones with the concept. Would you want to be buried in an iPhone casket? A Vista casket? How about GTA4, Halo, or an SNES one with an eject button on the side? If these are too tasteless for you, you could easily design your own and have the company plaster it along the exterior. We'd probably choose the Goatse design as a metaphor for the gaping maw of hell we're undoubtedly headed for after making poop jokes on Giz for more than two years. [T3]


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