The game uses a dot-matrix receipt printer, hacked to continuously print out a road, while a player uses a controller to keep a light beam (representing the car) in the center of the course. One wrong move, and the printer stops. Of course if you run out of the 50-meter roll of paper, it’s Game Over too.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Joshua Noble, Martin Fuchs, and Philip Whitfield (aka “undef”) built the game as part of the CreativeApplications.Net workshop at Barcelona’s digital culture OFFF festival. There’s a web-based version of the game over at undef’s website, but it’s not nearly as cool as the printer-based version in the video above. Of course, the game does seem just a little wasteful, with all the paper and ink that it consumes. I wonder what other games could be reproduced this way – pretty much any top-down or side-scroller with obstacles could work

[via Nerdcore via Neatorama]

The display features a dot-matrix of illuminated rocker switches spelling out the classic programming test phrase “Hello World.” It’s is supposed to speak to the beginnings of modern technology and the visual language of minimalism. I like how even old technology like light-up switches can be hacked together to form a screen of sorts.

The switches can still be turned on and off, but I want to know if they let people flip the switches to show other stuff, or if they’ve got it locked down. It would definitely be more fun if it were interactive.

It’s part of an exhibition called Fünf Räume at The Austrian Cultural Forum in New York City, where you can view it until September 5th.

[via Triangulation via Colossal Art + Design and Make:]

The latest version of Black Dice‘s Guru has got white LEDs that scroll the time across a dot-matrix display. You can also program a message, which is a bit retro. In addition to looking cool, they’re water resistant to 50 meters.

The Guru watch is available for £79.99 ($148 USD) from IWantOneOfThose. Black Dice also makes a cool white-on-white and blue-LED-on-white versions, which you can grab at the LED Watch Shop for $139 each.

[via GeekAlerts]

The Pop Hours is inspired by classic LEGOs, with each of the links of the chunky strap looking  like a LEGO brick. The buttons are touch-sensitive and if you look for them, you won’t be able to find them, since they’re masquerading as LEGO bumps. The oversized dot-matrix display can scroll the time, date, and a message, which is pretty standard for these kind of digital watches. While the product description says the display is LED, from what I can tell, it’s actually LCD (red-on-black, or also available in the more traditional black-on-grey.)

Pop Hours watches are available from Watchismo for $143(USD) and come in 11 different styles and colors.

[via Leet Lady]

Assuming the watch ever gets made, the Instant Trend would receive instant Twitter and Facebook notifications when paired with your smartphone via Bluetooth.

Messages and time would be displayed on a bright (presumably OLED) blue-on-black dot-matrix display, set into a modern black stainless steel body.

Reading time on the Instant Trend doesn’t have to be as challenging as most Tokyoflash watch displays either. Sure, you can use one mode which tells time using blocks which represent hours, 10 minute intervals, and single minutes. Alternatively, you can view the time with numbers, on a clever multiple time zone display.

As is the case with all of the watches up at the Tokyoflash product design studio, you’ve got to go and cast your vote if you want to see this watch produced. I definitely think this one deserves your support.

[via The Awesomer]

Each of Andrew’s Electric Window digital sculptures displays a variety of intriguing images as they sit there on your shelf. The LED dot-matrices gradually morph between a variety of geometric patterns, as well as 8-bit game inspired pixel art, including those ubiquitous Space Invaders.

Check out the video clips below to see a couple of the patterns in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

In addition to the red LED “Electric Window 3.xx” series, there’s also this cool blue version, “Electric Window 4.xx”, which looks like something that would be blinking in the background on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, but sadly does not include any Invaders:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Each Electric Window is handmade by O’Malley, and is powered by a custom-programmed Arduino circuit. You can get your hands on one of Andrew’s creations over at his Etsy shop for $125 (USD).

Created by Japan’s SeaHope, the Dual Touch LED watch has a display that can react to your touch. In finger trace mode, the LEDs under your digits follow your exact movements.

The other cool thing about the Dual Touch is that each one features a unique dual-color LED matrix that can change colors with a simple swipe of your finger. There’s a blue/green combo, a red/green, red/blue, orange/green and orange/blue duos too. Each Dual Touch watch comes in a slick modern stainless steel (silver or black color) case, and is protected by a durable mineral glass crystal.

In addition to the finger-touch mode, there’s also an animation mode that switches between 6 different patterns including the requisite “running human” pictured above. You can check out a basic Flash demo of the watch animation here.

You can find all of the different permutations for sale over at SeaHope’s online shop for ¥18,900 each (appx. $209 USD).

I was hunting around looking for something entirely different when I spotted these limited-edition Invaders’ watches over at Japan’s ebten for ¥18,690 (appx. $207 USD).

The watch features an red dot-matrix display of the current time. With a press of the button, “Space Invaders” scrolls across the display, then a giant animated invader dances across the screen. And when it’s done, it’s “Game Over”, man. And before you start asking, the answer is “No,” you can’t actually play the game, so your score is permanently set to 240 points.

Only 500 of these extremely hard-to-find watches were ever made, so you better head on over to ebten with your Yen and your Japanese to English dictionary in hand if you want one before they all vanish.

The STORM Faze watch features a unique dot-matrix LED display, concealed behind a plastic lens that sort of reminds me of the compound eye of an insect. Or maybe one of those dotty color-blindness tests. Either way, it’s bumpy and cool.

The Faze features a modern stainless steel case and band, and is water resistent to 50 meters (appx. 164 feet). Faze is available in red, slate and silver versions from STORM London for £119.99 (appx. $179 USD).

Seiji’s LED block alarm clock are interconnected using ribbon cables with enough slack in them to let you stack them pretty much any way you like.

You can even arrange the blocks into a vertical configuration, instead of the more typical horizontal orientation.

While they do seem a little derivative of Jonas Damon’s Open Edition LED clock, they’re just different enough to stand on their own. That said, I still prefer the less garish single color segmented LEDs on Damon’s original versus the red, white and blue dot matrix displays on these ones.

For the time being, you’ll have to admire these from afar anyway, as they’re currently only available in Japan.

Created by the husband and wife art team of Final Score Products, DOTRIX Mario combines canvas, wood, acrylic, metallic trim and artist’s ink to create its cool dot-matrix effect. The image is made from hundreds of dots of color on canvas, covered with an individual melted clear or colored acrylic dot to create a textured, glossy effect.

The artists then trim each canvas with a special silver-metallic foil, so it doesn’t need a frame. Each handmade piece takes as much as 75 hours to complete from start to finish.

DOTRIX art is available in 8×10 and 22×30 sizes, and Mario is just one of the pieces currently available in their Etsy shop (personally, I might have to get my hands on Monopoly’s Rich Uncle Pennybags). Custom designs are also available.

Singapore designer Hans Tan created the Idea of a Clock II using a green LED bulletin board to display the current time using a lengthy textual description. For instance, at 12:29, the clock reads “This is the idea of a clock that tells you the time using words at exactly twenty-nine minutes past twelve”.

Now that’s just a bit too wordy to offer at-a-glance time checking, isn’t it? By the time you’re done reading the entire message, the time probably will have changed.

Idea of a Clock II is a limited edition timepiece, with pricing available upon request of the artist.

[via Dustbowl]

Developed by researchers at the Design Media Lab at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), the device uses a dot-matrix array of solenoids attached to a flexible Spandex skin. When sent the proper signals, the solenoids move in and out to create characters which rise and fall from the surface.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I’m not sure of the real world applications for this display technology, but it’s definitely unlike anything I’ve seen before. Perhaps it would be useful for creating braille displays for the visually impaired, or maybe just for cool wall clocks, like the example in the video clip.

Builders Vern Graner and Rick Abbott of The Robot Group used a Parallax inkjet print head kit and the EFX-TEK Prop-2 controller board to bring their wondrous creation to life. As each ball leaves the hopper, it’s loaded onto a rotating platform, and sprayed with tiny ink droplets.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The best part: the balls it prints are used as ammunition for the group’s other dastardly invention, the pneumatic, ping pong ball firing PONGINATOR!

[Nuts N Volts via Hacked Gadgets]

The clock offers alarm capability, and can be automatically set via a radio signal (although it’s possible this feature only works in Japan). Measuring in at about 4-inches wide and 2-inches deep, It’s just the right size for a desktop or bedside table.

Alas, this is yet another one of those wonderful items which appears to only be available in Japan. If you’re willing to do a little translation, you might be able to coax the guys at Visions Coax into shipping you one. Retail price for the clock is ¥7875 (appx. $73 USD).

[BTW, these look a heck of a lot like these dot-matrix LED clocks I featured a while back. Only those ones came blue or green dot patterns - but I now prefer the white one.]

Perfect for labeling boxes, temporary signage, creating impromptu artworks or modern graffiti, the tape comes in either a dot-matrix or segmented style. Just grab a permanent black marker and mark out the appropriate white portions of the tape to reveal your message.

Designed by rAndom International for Suck UK, the tape should be available soon. Prices will range from £5.00 to £7.00 (about $10 to $12 USD) a roll.

[For some reason, all this talk about tape made me think of Flight of the Conchords].

Apparently, CTU’s technology hadn’t come along quite as far as it has today.

Seriously, I don’t know what’s funnier, the AOL and Prodigy references, or the old brick cordless phone.

[CollegeHumor via Digg]

Ammon’s Proof series of digital watches features a custom dot matrix LCD panel, contained beneath a flat mineral crystal lens. Each watch is housed in a stainless steel body, and mounted to a thick leather strap one of several different neutral colors.

The display is available three variants: light grey on black, black on light grey or my personal favorite, black on red. All models include time, day, date and chronograph features as well as backlighting for night time reading.

Ammon Proof watches are available from WatchesGiant for $120 each. While you’re there, be sure to check out their Fanatic models too, which include alarm functionality and a larger display that shows both date and time information simultaneously.