Technabob » danger

Beetlecam Wildlife Robot Gets Up Close and Personal With the Lions

Range — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:26:04 +0000

Since they don’t have feelings (yet), it’s an obvious use for robots to send them into the battlefield to disarm bombs and IEDs. However, this is the first time that I’ve seen a robot used to do something that could be equally as life-threatening: getting face-to-face with untamed wildlife.

The BeetleCam was created by Will and Matt Burrard-Lucas and was designed to take closeup photos of the wildlife of Africa, including elephants and lions. The trouble is that there is a DSLR in there. This means that if those temperamental animals decide to squish it, they’d loose a few thousand bucks, depending on the camera they chose to use.

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It actually has a Canon 400D under the hood, so that’s not too bad. I have to say that the BeetleCam has already managed to snap some amazing photos, since it can be remote controlled from a Range Rover at about 50 yards away, its operators safe from attack – assuming lions don’t eat Range Rovers.

[via Make]

Avurt Im-5 Says Don’t Stand So Close to Me

Technabob — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 21:39:07 +0000

While this strange pink device might look like some sort of modern hair dryer, it’s not. In fact, the Avurt IM-5 is all about keeping people out of your face, not in it.

You see, the IM-5 is actually a high-tech update to the old can of pepper spray. Instead of using a spray can filled with aerosol propellant, the gun uses compressed nitrogen to fire a nasty blast of pelletized PAVA pepper powder at attackers from up to 40 feet away. And just in case you have lousy aim, it’s got a laser sight to make sure you don’t miss. It can even rapid-fire up to 5 shots to take out multiple assailants.

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The $300 device certainly isn’t as dangerous to handle as a Taser, but you’ll probably want to check with your local law enforcement before you start shooting at irritating coworkers with one of these.

[via WIRED]

Sidekick Id Revealed

Technabob — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 16:01:34 +0000

Thanks to a leaked rebate form, we now know exactly what the new Sidekick ID messaging device looks like.

From the look of these images, the new model will come in several bright, candy colored finishes which should appeal to the teen market. The T-Mobile Sidekick ID is at the low-end of the line, costing about $99 (after $50 rebate and contract.) While skinny on price, the phone is expected to include all of the most popular features including AIM, Yahoo! and MSN Messenger clients, e-mail, a web browser and a phone. The device is also said to deeply integrate T-Mobile’s “myFaves” feature. The Sidekick ID is should be available around April 18th.

[via Engadget]