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tengu allstars: the little led singers get a makeover

tengu_allstars_rotten

Remember Tengu? You know, the little LED guy who moves his pixel block mouth to the sounds it hears?
Well Tengu is back, and this time, he’s got some new looks. Tengu Allstars are Crispin Jones’ latest creation. These new members of the Tengu family get some serious attitude thanks to the addition of hair and little accessories. There are…

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June 16th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: cool toys gadgets interactive just plain fun

moving pictures: motionportrait technology can make a moving cg face from a single picture

motionportrait-2

Japan-based MotionPortrait Inc. has developed a way of making a three-dimensional image of a person’s face based only on a single headshot. What’s really impressive about MotionPortrait technology is that the CG face moves and can make all sorts of expressions in a fairly realistic manner. And remember, that’s just based on a single source image.

The source image is…

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June 3rd, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: future tech just plain fun strange + wonderful technology

diamond-covered watch: so many diamonds, so little time

This diamond-encrusted LED watch is so madly, deeply, insanely blinged over with diamonds that you can barely see what time it is. In fact, the diamonds cover the face of the watch so you have to read the digital display through a diamond screen.

The watch is a collaboration between high-design and art house Gourmet and the jeweler Christian Tse.…

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September 21st, 2008 comments stumble it! digg it! author: karen m.

filed under: design timepieces

getting organized was never this much fun

I was surfing around the recesses of the Interweb today, digging under rocks to bring you fun new stuff from around the globe, when I stumbled upon something that just jumped out and beat me over the head. Nope, they’re not particularly gadget-y or game-y, but when I saw these goofy little organizer tabs, I was so enamored that I…

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September 12th, 2008 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: just plain fun

image metrics emily cg facial animation blows my mind

The other day, I showed you guys what I thought was some really impressive computer generated facial animation. Then, the guys over at Image Metrics sent me a video clip of their latest CG creation, Emily, and I was bowled over.

Emily is a truly monumental achievement, recreating every nuance of human facial expression, even though what you’re actually looking…

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August 20th, 2008 comments (8) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: digital imaging technology

karlsson station hologram: the clock has two faces

Karlsson Hologram Clock

Here’s a nifty clock that’s a bit more dynamic than what you’d typically see hanging on your wall. Depending on the angle you view it from, the face either shows simple hash marks or numerals around the dial.

Named for its similarity to clocks which appear in train stations around Europe, the Station Numbers Hologram clock was designed by Dutch…

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July 7th, 2008 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: design timepieces

faceapi: 3d head tracking with any webcam

FaceAPI Head Tracking Software

Here’s some pretty cool news which could provide entirely new ways to interact with your computer or game console. This new technology will enable automated 3-dimensional tracking of heads and faces using a webcam along with some very special tracking software.

Seeing Machines faceAPI is a developers’ toolkit which provides easy head tracking on all three axes. When combined with…

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March 19th, 2008 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: computing interactive

computer cases get faces

Ross McBride PC Face Concept

Now I know many of you out there are holding your breath with anticipation of the next slick industrial design to come out of Apple at this week’s MacWorld show, but while you guys wait, I came across this unique computer design that I actually thought was worth a mention.

Product designer Ross McBride created this concept for a tower…

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January 15th, 2008 comments (2) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: computing design

robot artist draws portraits

Artist Robot by Sylvain Calinon

This humanoid robot holds a pen in its hand and can draw an image of any person who stands in front of it.

Created by robotic researcher Sylvain Calinon, the robot recognizes when there’s a face in its field of view, then snaps a digital photo and extracts the major characteristics of their visage. Once that’s done, the robot turns…

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December 28th, 2007 comments (6) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: interactive robotics

crispin jones’ tengu: led faced virtual companion

Crispin Jones Tengu for Solid Alliance

SolidAlliance, makers of wacky things like USB drives that look like sushi and other edibles, has just revealed their latest creation.

The Tengu is an interactive device that displays an animated face using an array of LEDs. Designed by UK artist Crispin Jones, the Tengu reacts to auditory stimuli like music or speech. Depending on the sounds it “hears,” it’s…

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August 2nd, 2007 comments (2) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: gadgets interactive just plain fun

robot can understand several people talking at once

Robot Audition Three Speakers

Here’s a pretty impressive demonstration of a complex new speech recognition technology. The robot in this video clip is able to listen to three people speaking at the same exact moment, understand exactly what they each said, then process the data dynamically.

Be sure to have your speakers turned on for this video clip or you’ll miss how it works.…

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July 28th, 2007 comments (1) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: future tech robotics

piggy bank eats coins for lunch

Banpresto Face Bank Eats Coins

Actually, there are no pigs involved in this bank. Rather, just another case of a bizarre gadget from the streets of Japan.

With its oddly misshapen wedge of of a head, Banpresto’s Face Bank is a rather disturbing looking device. Using an object sensor in its eyes, it detects your approaching hand and starts to chow down on any coin…

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June 8th, 2007 comments (1) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: gadgets strange + wonderful