HPI’s G-Dog Robot Kit Ain’t No Aibo, Big Dog

Yo, suckers! You want this robot dog to guard your home? You’re a nut! Mr. T only likes Big Dogs or hot dogs! HPI’s little G-Dog thing is way too small, like Murdoch’s stupid dog Billy. And it’s some kind of kit, so you got to be putting all those fiddly parts like plastic pieces, three-axis acceleration sensor, servos and 7.2V nickel hydrogen batterys together. With no spark-welding, man! But if you’re into this crazy robot stuff: I ain’t gonna stop you. You’re gonna have 15 x 5.3 x 7.5 inches of robot with some crazy motion processing software stuff, and it’s gonna be doing robo-doggy do on your desk. What’s it gonna cost? Cool it: we don’t know the price. But you can get it from July, in Japan. [Robot Watch]


December 5, 2007
Gadgets

Power House Kit: Your Action-Figures Are Going Green

It is high-time that your Star Wars figures, Gi-Joes, and Barbies woke up from their fantasy worlds and realised that in the real world, there are limits to the power we can consume. The first step in their education would be to move into one of these Power Houses and learn what life would be like without fossil fuels. With each kit you can build a small model house complete with solar panels, a windmill, greenhouse and a desalination system —but the lesson in sustainable living does not end there.


September 6, 2007
Cameras

Kiddie Green Screen Makes Special Effects Accessible

The Rip Roar Creation Station is a cheapo green screen setup for kids and impoverished filmmakers. It’s got everything you need to make it look like you’re standing in front of a volcano, when you’re really standing in your parent’s basement: camera with LED lighting, a mic, two green screens, tripod, and software. It’s the perfect thing to either teach your kids about special effects or take your mediocre YouTube comedy shorts to the next level. It’s available for preorder on Amazon now for $130. [Product Page via PopGadget]


August 27, 2007
Uncategorized

Loopwing Wind Power Generator Set Generates Fun, Looks Like A Weapon

There is so much wind knocking around on our planet it would be a shame not to use any of it. Tamiya & Loopwing’s wind power generator supplies enough energy to drive a small toy car, for some serious, environmentally friendly fun.

The kit supplied is flat packed, so you will have to get your DIY skills on. The pack of fun consists of two gears, a capacitor that will not take you back to 1985, a small steering module for your diminutive vehicle and a wind powered charging station. Exposing the assembled kit to 5miles/s winds for 5minutes will give you, a massive, 3.5hours of drive time. We are not sure if $30 could be spent any wiser.


August 7, 2007
Uncategorized

DIY Nixie Tube Clock Kit Lets You Go Retro

MAKE’s got three different DIY kits that you can buy to build your own Nixie Tube clock. If you’re not familiar with Nixie tubes, you’re obviously not reading us often enough. You can buy your own kit for $150, which is a small price to pay for something that’s too bright and will keep you awake at night. Plus, you can pretend you live in a retro-futuristic Bat cave instead of the neo-Victorian three bed/two bath your wife picked out. [MAKE via Shiny Shiny]