Most kids just see the soda can hit the bin and get taken away by the garbage man, but what happens after that? Dr. R.E. Cycler is here to explain just that. The R.E. stands for “robotic environmentalist”. Basically a child puts a can into this solar-powered bot and gets to watch it being crushed.

So now your kid knows – and as the GI Joe cartoons used to say, “knowing is half the battle.” Now your child can rest easy and not toss and turn all night worried about the recycling. Apparently this is a large problem. I hope they don’t get any ulcers.

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The bot was designed by Florida Robotics and built in May 2011. The idea is to get kids excited about recycling. I get that. But so what? A can is crushed. If your kid doesn’t know that cans are crushed and you can’t tell him or her, now we have to build a robot to do it in a demo. To crush a can!

Half these kids have probably seen their drunk uncle or frat-boy brothers crush cans on their head. Show a bot doing that! Drink it down and crush that thing into oblivion on it’s hard robot head. That might be interesting. It might even be a good new robot sport. Which bot can crush a can into the thinnest density?

But this bot? Even with the charming Furby-like voice, kids are going to forget this the minute after they see it and go back to their games and Facebook pages. Then they’ll grow up to be good little accountants or something, instead of a friend to robotics and the environment. All because this bot is lame and they could have been exposed to something much cooler.

Meh. Maybe I’m just grumpy, but I want kids to get excited about robots and science.

[via Fast Company]

They’re called the boomCAN speakers, and while it’s slightly annoying to type the name, if you’re looking for something to power your smartphone, mp3 player, tablet, netbook, or laptop on the go, then these might be what you need. They come with USB rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which should provide up to 7 hours of continuous playback.

The cylindrical speakers themselves feature 40mm drivers and measure 2.5″ in height, 2″ in width, and look pretty portable. Scosche sells them for $24.99 each, so for two, you’ll spend about $50.

[via Ubergizmo]

One thing that annoys me a lot when I’m out, however, is when I see plastic bags and beer cans and all sorts of other trash just wash up on the shore.

Maybe these guys saw the same thing and decided that they should do something about it. And do something they did with this surf board that’s made out of 72 beer cans, some polyurethane, and a whole lot of epoxy.

The board is a collaboration between artist Rich Morrison and surfboard maker Gary Seagraves in Morrison’s Enviro Surf Art series. The 6’2″ surfboard features a rocket fish design with twin fins and a swallow tail. Morrison says that the beer cans were collected from a local bar in his neighborhood.

I wish I can give it a go or two on that surfboard. Even though I’ll probably still fall off or flip over, at least I can say that I once surfed on a board of beer cans–and that it was good.

[via Treehugger via Dvice]

The robot is controlled using a Wii-mote, and can be made to walk, roll and revert to its default – Alcobot? Beericon? – mode.

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Tajima’s “much to improve in future” remark sounds ominous. But surely such a loving family man wouldn’t think of installing surveillance equipment or weapons to his beer can robot right? RIGHT?

[via GetRobo via io9 via Geekologie]

I think it sucks that animals have to pay for our human ways (and mistakes.) That said, the Eco Can is a much appreciated welcome change from all the usual polluting stuff that a lot of companies crank out these days.

The reusable Eco Can resembles those one or two aluminum ones that we guzzle every day to get our daily sugar fix, but without the added pollution: it’s made from PLA, which is a type of corn starch, so it’s also biodegradable to boot. It also features a screw top lid and a ring top style drinking lip so you can enjoy any drink the way you enjoy your regular can of soda. It’s also double-walled, so it keeps your drinks either cool or warm as you like them.

They’re available in four colors: black, red, blue, and green. Blue for water, green for grass, red for the flames for when you burn your waste, and black for the soot and remaining carbon remnants of your burnt up trash. Just sayin’. These Eco Cans are available for £12.99 (appx. $21 USD) each from Firebox.

[via Coolest Gadgets]

Hand-built by some guy simply going by the name “Marcn,” this isn’t any ordinary can of beans. It’s a can of HEINZ BEANZ, baked beans in a deliciously rich tomato sauce! All kidding aside, what you’re looking at is actually a custom mini amp, perfect for electric guitar or keyboard practice. It gets its juice from a USB port, and there’s a guarantee that all beans have been removed.

Want it? Head on over to marcn’s Etsy shop now. I have a funny feeling there aren’t a whole bunch of these being made.

The design can actually be printed on a sheet of paper, cut out, folded, and glued together into the shape of the trash can or recycling bin that we all know so well. The design uses a single sheet of paper, but it would be pretty easy to scale it to a larger size, so that you could have an actual trashcan made out of paper.

These papercraft constructions are really neat because anyone can try them out. Once you get tired of them, you can just recycle them in another papercraft trashcan.

You can grab a copy of the PDF trashcan template here.

[via Designboom]

The set includes sixteen cans of Final Fantasy XIII “elixir”  – which is some sort of Suntory lemon-flavored concoction with three-times the normal amount of caffeine and royal jelly. Mmm… royal jelly donuts. The boxed set also includes a commemorative metal chalice (I like to call it a Final Fantasy pimp cup). Only 30,000 of this set will ever be made, and each set comes with a serial number plate to prove you’ve got an official one.

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While the individual cans can be found in Japan for about $2.50 to $4 (USD) each, the guys over at NCSX are now bringing the full 16-can limited-edition collectible into the U.S. for the whopping price of $165.90. That’s largely thanks to the cost of shipping this heavy mutha’ across the globe.

I’m just gonna order a 6-pack of Chocobos and call it a day – maybe a whole case.

But seriously the tops of canned drinks can be really dirty; one commenter on Boing Boing Gadgets agrees with me and gives the thumbs down to the Bottle Tops as well. But the others say that it’s perfect for beer for a couple of reasons – one, because it keeps the carbon dioxide from escaping, so you don’t have to worry about not being able to empty huge cans of booze, and two, because if you cover the can itself the bottle top makes it look like you’re drinking an energy drink. In other words, it keeps the fizz in and keeps the fuzz out.

But the dagger ended up to be the product’s quality: several commenters claimed that the edge of the bottle tops wore off after a while and couldn’t snap on cans anymore. It’s cheap though: $10 (USD) at Taylor Gifts for a pack of 12.

Of course you can also use it to stop people from eating your food, or to remind them that . Decorate it and then place it in your kids’ bathroom, so when they go to brush their teeth in the morning, you can greet them even if you’re actually still asleep. Record a spooky message or just plain scream into the can, hide it in your friend’s fridge, and wait for the shrieking and cursing. The possibilities are not endless, but they are many.

The recording can fridge guard lets you record messages up to ten seconds long. It’s powered by 3 AA batteries (not included). You can get it for £6 (appx. $9 USD) at Drinkstuff.

[via Gadget Blog]

Brought to you by the fine weird minds of Bandai Japan, the Mugen Beer Can simulator hangs on your key ring, and plays an electronic sample of the sound of opening a can of the cold frosty stuff when you flip its pop top.

At least you won’t be spilling beer all over yourself when you have too many of these.

Single Mugen cans of are available for pre-order over at Gizmine for$17.99 (USD) each, but if you want to share some with your friends, you can grab a six-pack of can simulators (including a couple of fizzy non-alcoholic soda cans) over at eTraders Place for $55. Expect the Mugen beer can simulator to start shipping late this June, just in time for those backyard summer barbeques.

The soda “potions” are a tie-in for the PlayStation Portable’s Dissidia: Final Fantasy, which is schedule for release in Japan this month. There are two different flavors, with two different designs, for Light and Dark characters.

Unfortunately, Final Fantasy XI’s deliciously insulting Doctor Shantotto is the odd tarutaru out, and gets no potion. You can celebrate the rest of the characters, and relive the franchise’s long history with this ad, though.

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For relaxing times… oh, you know the rest.

[Suntory via Play-Asia]

The beverage bearing R/C tank doesn’t really care if you drink Bud Light or Bawls, but it will make sure your thirst is quenched, thanks to its 4 built-in can holders.

Not only can it deliver delicious drinks, the little tank can fire 6mm BB bullets at targets up to 90 feet away. That’s right, don’t mess with my Brewskis! Thankfully, there’s a flashing warning light that lets you know to get the heck out of the way. Of course, these Engrish warnings from the manual don’t make me feel too warm and fuzzy about the safety of this thing.

Did I happen to mention that it’s amphibious? Yep, the tank can travel on land or in the water, thanks to a retractable 4-wheel drive mechanism.

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When you get near a body of H2O, just flip a switch on the remote and the wheels retract as the tank converts to boat mode (although they do get in the way of the drink holders when stowed).

So what’s not to like? You can find the beer-toting, gun-packing, land-driving, water-floating R/C tank here for £44.99 (appx. $92 USD).

[via CoolBuzz via Tech Digest]

This rechargeable electric scooter holds up to 24 cans of your favorite beverages, along with 8 pounds of ice right under your bum. There’s even a cup holder right between your legs so you can have a can of the cold stuff for yourself. If sitting on a cooler doesn’t sound very comfortable to you, there’s an optional padded seat that bolts on for about $30.

The three-wheeled vehicle can hold up to 300lbs and propel you down the road at up to 14 miles per hour. You’ll be able to drive about 15 miles on a single charge. While I’m not certain if this thing is street-legal, it’s probably fine for tooling around the parking lot at the stadium, delivering cold brews to your buddies.

You can find the 14 M.P.H. Cooler at Hammacher Schlemmer for $499.95.