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R2-D2 Alarm Clock Requires X-Wing Bedsheets
Posted by Jesus Diaz at 10:07 PM on September 5, 2008
I hate, hate, alarm clocks. Especially after going out and having way too many straight bourbons. Like yesterday. But I digress. This R2-D2 Alarm Clock will wake you up with real R2 squeeks and electrobabbles. And while it doesn't have the same power as the much-lusted-after R2-D2 video projector, it projects the time on the wall, too, using lasers, or tractor beams, or probably just LEDs. [Wesco via Toyology]
You were up late working last night, and the alarm is already going off, cutting through your ears directly into your throbbing head. The good news? Your alarm clock is the Gun O'Clock, and your bedside table holds its IR pistol that shoots the alarm quiet. The bad news? The gun only works on the clock. Maybe today is a good day to try out some counselling. [
Were I an old geezer right now, my gadget-cravings would no doubt include this multifunction walking stick. It's adjustable, has in-built suspension, an LED flashlight, flashing signals and an alarm and is one bad-arse walking assistance device. Ok, so it's probably designed mainly for hikers and other outdoorsy-types, but if your grandma or grandpa is into gadgets and has walking troubles, then I can imagine they'd love this. Available now for US$31. [
Back when I was in college, one of my most frustrating experiences involved a roommate in my dormitory apartment who mistakenly believed that she would be able to wake up daily for her 8:30am lecture series. Said roommate could sleep through an elephant parade. Oh how I seethed in the mornings as I clutched my pillow to my head, begging for the noise to pleasepleaseplease just STOP. If only this alarm were available back then. The Silent Alarm Clock, designed by Johan Brengesjo, uses a wireless rubber ring that vibrates to wake you up in a tactile, noiseless fashion. Though it's just a concept device right now, somebody ought to make and market one right quick. Think of how many friendships it could save! [
As my mobile phone chimed early this morning, I thought to myself in a groggy haze whether or not the majority of people out there have ditched the trusty alarm clock in favour of the mobile phone alarm. After all, we already know that the mobile phone has taken a big bite out of the wristwatch market, and it only seems logical that a similar phenomenon is occurring with alarm clocks as well. So, the question is: do you use an alarm clock, your mobile phone, or something else entirely to wake up in the morning?
What if all of the cars in a parking lot were wirelessly keeping an eye on one another just in case a member of the "herd" was damaged or stolen? Sencun Zhu, an assistant professor at Penn State University, wants to make this concept a reality with his new Sensor Vehicle Anti-Theft System (SVATS). This is how it works: each car is given a coin-sized sensor that wirelessly calls roll with other cars inside a certain range. If one of these cars fails to respond to the roll or issues a "goodbye" signal when it is unlocked, the system will assume that the car has been stolen and would respond by alerting a base station.
The quest to protect ourselves and our property from thieves has given rise to some of the most bizarre and deadly devices ever conceived by man. OObject has compiled 10 burglar alarms that fit neatly in this category with devices that range from a mousetrap alarm that managed to capture a couple of schoolyard criminals "green handed," to a gramaphone alarm from 1939 that dials a telephone number and plays a message from the record when tripped. Ingenious. [
Shape Up from Fred and Friends is one of those 
The "Tyrant" concept by designer Alice Wang is the latest in a growing line of alarm clocks designed to torture their owners into facing the day. Instead of 
