Yes, you heard me right. This awesome prop, created by special effect artist Robert Haiduga of Nephalim XFX is based on the T-800′s endoskeleton arm in Terminator 2, and it actually moves. This is a custom-built animatronic arm, and each joint moves thanks to a total of 12 servos. Movements are programmed on a PC and stored on an SD card. It even comes with sound effects to make it more authentic.

Including its base, the arm measures about 43 inches long, and appears to be made using metal components to really make it look like a robot. Each finger can move individually, and the wrist and entire arm can rotate as well. In action, it’s sufficiently freaky to induce nightmares. But enough talking, it’s time for showing. Here’s a video showing one of Nephalim’s Terminator arms in action:

Pretty awesome, no? So why aren’t there 1000 people lined up to buy one? Well, since each arm takes many, many hours to build, they’re not cheap. You’ll need to pony up $3600 (USD) if you want your very own Terminator arm. And then on top of that, you’ll need to spend millions on a security system to keep Skynet from stealing it.

[via eBay]

The arm can perform human-like movements and the arm still functions fine, even after someone tried to bash it in. The arm has 52 motors and miniaturized electronics. The joints and actuators are designed to dissipate energy in the case of a collision, making it sturdy.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

This could mean that making anthropomorphic robots is closer than previously thought. Does this mean that Terminators are coming soon? Probably not, but systems like these could lead to many innovations in prosthetics and in robotics.

[via IEEE Spectrum]

This love-child of Luxo and iPad is one of the more unique – and potentially useful – tablet contraptions I’ve seen so far. The stand conveniently mounts to any desktop and provides you with a handy articulating arm for using your tablet with one hand.

I could totally see this coming in handy at work when I want to check something on my iPad while sitting at my desk. Of course, thanks to a flexible mounting bracket, it doesn’t just work with iPads. It’ll actually work with any tablet or e-book reader from 140mm (5.5″) to 255mm (10″) tall, just as long as it’s at least 145mm (5.7″) wide, which should mean the iPad and iPad 2 will fit nicely in either portrait or landscape modes.

The tablet sits in an adjustable cradle that can be tilted in just about any direction or angle you want, then locked in place to prevent movement when in use. The articulated arm measures appx. 95cm (37.4″) long when fully outstretched, but that includes the length of the desk clamp, and it can be compressed down to as little as 53cm (20.9″) when fully retracted.

So this all sounds pretty spiffy, right? So here’s the bad news. The only place I can find this device is in Korea, where it currently sells for the totally reasonable price of 54,000 KRW (appx. $50 USD). If you want to try and deal with getting one imported, you can head over to the Early Adopter Shop [KR] and give it a whirl. If you speak Korean, you might just be able to make it happen. Hopefully someone here in the States will find the manufacturer of these and import a batch. You can find something similar over at ergo 101, but you’ll end up paying about $300 for theirs.

It’s called the x-Ar from Equipois and it won’t make you superhuman, but it will help make lifting heavy things easier. It’s designed for people who always have to lift stuff with their arms, like assembly-line and construction workers.

The x-Ar is designed to make your arm and whatever it is lifting feel like it weighs next to nothing. It attaches to your shoulders and torso, and redistributes the weight away from your arm. The clever device uses technology inspired from steadicams to help you lift more without getting fatigued. Personally, I’m most amazed by the exoskeletons that allow people in wheelchairs to walk again.

[via CrunchGear]

The Quik Pod, if you are not familiar, is a monopod that you can connect your dSLR to, and then you can hold the thing out away from you to take a better pic without needing help. The big downside that I see is that there is no way on most cameras to see the LCD so you can line up the shot.

The arm is very strong (as is evidenced by this video of one being run over by a truck), so it should be able to support your dSLR without any issues. Retracted, the Quik Pod is 18-inches long and extended it is up to 53-inches. The top mount it universal and should fit any camera. Quik Pod retails for $49.95 (USD) and you can order one here.

Seriously, this is just a prank empty box that you can get from Prank Pack. Still, it makes you wonder. I’m sure that I could see some people using this, especially the multi-device option. Put an iPhone, a Crackberry, heck, even that old cell phone that you no longer use on your arm.

The fake box mentions that the iArm *only* weighs 4.5 lbs and is fully adjustable. The best part of this is when they should that you can mount a plate on your arm. Now that’s really funny. Naturally, the iArm will hold up your iPad and eReader as well (if it actually existed.)

[via Presurfer]

Orchestrated by Dr. Petar Kormushev and Dr. Sylvain Calinon at the Italian Institute of Technology (I didn’t think they even know what pancakes were in Italy), the Barrett WAM 7 DOFs manipulator robot arm, or as I like to call him – “Flippy” – could someday be fixing my flapjacks. At this point, Flippy is just learning the basics of maneuvering the pan and doesn’t know how to work with anything other than a fake pancake, but he means well.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

As you can see from the video, Flippy is still working out the kinks, but after about 50 attempts to get it right, he’s now able to flip his artificial pancake disc reliably. Now all he needs to do is pour batter into the pan, put it over a flame, and come over to my house for breakfast this weekend.

[via WIRED]

Sariel says that the most complex part of this was obviously the hand with all of its moving parts. The arm is fully articulated as well, and uses a combination of electric motors and pneumatic valves for movement.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I’m amazed at how little time he needed to make this, though if you watch the preceding video, you’ll notice that the arm isn’t that easy to control. Still, the range of movement that has been achieved is impressive. The arm can fully rotated. The index finger and the thumb can be independently controlled from the other fingers. It can exert a maximum pressure of 20PSI.

All that’s left for Sariel is to build a LEGO Terminator!

[via Nowhere Else]

It is expected to be released in the next couple of years and will be foldable for transport. The first model will be like this tabletop rendering but future models might have wheels and harnesses (really? harnesses?) for additional mobility.

This is a clean site so I don’t want to imply other less savory uses that folks might find for this item. I think this quote from the manufacturers, in conjunction with the above photo, will suffice: “Handy has a very, very firm but soft grip and its ability to oscillate up and down at select speeds is quite satisfying.” Mm-hmm.

[InventorSpot via UberGizmo]