automation
Robots
Automatic Dice Machine Records 1.3 Million Rolls a Day
2:40AM John Herrman | And now, an ingenious solution to a problem that you didn’t know existed: the Dice-o-Matic can make over a million dice rolls a day, supplying genuinely random results for an email-based card and strategy gaming service. More »
Gadgets
Voice Controlled Homes: Not Just All About What You Hear
12:30PM Adrian Covert | It’s hard to notice anything special about this Kentucky home, but if you pick up a phone or walk up to any computer mic in the house, you can control music, thermostat, security and lighting. More »
Random Stuff
Automated Carillon Is Powered By Mac, Scary Tambourine Doll and Christmas Cheer
4:00AM Jack Loftus | This bell rig, called a carillon by we cultured folk, is a late post-Christmas creation that puts and nice bookend to the holiday. Just ignore the crazy, twitching tambourine-playing doll. More »
Gadgets
Philips Makes Pronto Home Control Mega-Remote More Mega: TSU9800
6:52PM Kit Eaton | It’s been a long while since we mentioned Philips range of Pronto home-control remote systems, but Philips hasn’t forgotten them: it’s been making the mega-remotes even more mega with the upcoming TSU9800. With a bigger touchscreen (6.4-inches, folks), and an dock that also does ambient lighting, it can also be mounted on the wall of your swanky Wi-Fi-enabled remote-controlled house to let you switch on “audio/video servers” for which it gives “feedback information such as album/DVD art and song information.” Philips has also updated the software used to program the remote through a PC, and now ProntoEdit Professional 2.0 lets you drag and drop design your configurations and user interfaces for the 9800. Swish indeed: which is why it’s due to cost US$2,400 when it’s out in September. Press release below. More »
Home
Students Build Robot Muffin Maker, Prompt Re-Write of Song
12:45AM Gizmodo US Edition | Do you know the Robotic Muffin Maker, the Robotic Muffin Maker, the Robotic Muffin Maker? Well: you do now. Built by a Industrial Electrical Technician students Carl Boucher and Dominic Dussault, there’s almost no other info about the project. But no matter: forward to about 1:30, and check out the neat mini-industrial ballet that is this thing in action. And then fantasise about munching on its output— an endless (ok, sort of) supply of fresh-baked muffin. I want one. [Makezine] More »
Gadgets
Automated Whiteboard Shuns Projectors, Mystical Beings
10:52PM Mark Wilson | A shameless celebration of all things mechanical and most things lazy, the automated whiteboard is powered by two belted motors from an old scanner/printer while an electromagnet is employed to stick the marker to the board at only the correct times. We’ve always wondered how the local coffee shop writes their menu so neatly. Now we know…though we retain our suspicions of gnome activity (who, incidentally, plan to take over the world after they obliterate man through 1,200 calorie coffee drinks). [Sprites Mods via Newlaunches] More »
Design
I-Shovel: The Autonomous Snow Shovelling Robot
6:00AM Sean Fallon | If growing up in upstate New York has taught me anything, it’s that shovelling snow really, really sucks. The I-Shovel is a new device that promises to automate this task—much like the Roomba and the Husqvarna lawnmower have done for other annoying chores. According to the project website, the I-Shovel can automatically detect snow accumulation and clear the driveway when it deems that the snowfall is significant enough to be cleared. More »
Robots
Fully Automated Robo-Restaurant Tested (Verdict: Delicious, Fun, No Bloody Tips)
10:00AM Jesus Diaz | A BBC News crew went to Germany to try ’s Baggers, the robotised, fully automated restaurant in which there’s not a single waiter in sight and plates float over your head on steel rails to reach your seat, Futurama-style. And apparently, they loved it.
Gadgets
WiiMote Curtain Controller Project is Like Resident Evil: Drapes
12:30PM Jason Chen | Standing up and manually closing curtains is for old people and luddites. What we roll with is of the mechanical variety, preferably hooked up to something like a WiiMote to give it that extra bit of nerdiness. This WiiMote curtain project is exactly what we mean. Sure, it’s not 1:1 arm to curtain movement, but that’s exactly the point of not wanting to close the curtain with your arm, manually. Isn’t it? [Hasse.nl] More »
Robots
