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gakken gmc-4: 4-bit microcomputer kit won’t play crysis

gakken_gmc-4_microcomputer

Sure, you might have just gone off and bought yourself a brand new 27-Inch iMac this week, but if that system seems like overkill for your needs, you could can always go to the opposite extreme. This computer kit not only doesn’t run any programs that you’d ever care to use, it doesn’t let you…

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October 22nd, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: computing retro technology

gakken mm circuit micro race car drives around the world to the left

gakken_mini_racer

This diminutive race car from Japan does one thing really well – it drives around in a circle, over and over again.

While it’s not quite as exciting as watching hillbillies turning left a NASCAR race (sarcasm), at least you get a front-row seat to this tiny little race whenever you want.

Just load the…

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April 5th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: cool toys just plain fun

gakken kagaku no tamago sound activated ufo robots dance to the beat of a different drummer

ufo_sound_robots

These little UFO-shaped robot dudes respond to the sound dance around your place, guided by the sounds they hear.

The Gakken Kagaku No Tamago UFO Robot (say that 10 times fast) comes in easy-to-assemble kit form, and is controlled not by a traditional remote, but by the sounds you make – think of these guys…

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February 19th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: cool toys interactive just plain fun robots technology

gakken sx-150 analog synthesizer is a hacker’s delight

Gakken SX-150 Analog Synthesizer

The Gakken SX-150 is a little analog synthesizer kit that came packaged in a recent issue of a Japanese DIY science magazine. Now, these funky mini synths have started to show up around the globe, leaving all sorts of interesting beeps, blips and squeals in their wake.

Originally included in an issue of Otonanokagaku (Science…

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September 27th, 2008 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: audio hacks + mods technology

your own mini theremin

Gakken Mini Theremin

The Theremin is quite possibly the strangest musical instrument ever made. Invented in 1919, it was one of the world’s first electronic instruments. The Theremin produces its otherworldly sounds without ever touching it.

Soon, you’ll be able to get your own miniature Theremin to put on your desktop.

Japanese science kit maker Gakken has created…

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July 5th, 2007 comments (2) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: strange + wonderful