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nec batteryless remote control: we don’t need no stinkin’ batteries

nec_batteryless_remote

How many times have you had to get your lazy ass off of the couch to get up and change the channel because the batteries in your remote died. Well thanks to some fine high-tech minds, someday you may never need to worry about changing the batteries in your remote again.

This unassuming looking prototype…

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November 17th, 2009 comments (3) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: future tech gadgets strange + wonderful technology

walky lets you control robots via finger gestures, turns iphone into a wii

finger_controlled_robot

Yuta Sugiura and his colleagues at the Graduate School of Media Design in Keio University had a valid starting point – most of the software or hardware input systems today have no direct correlation to the command to be executed, and so are not that easy to master. As high-tech items like robots become more…

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November 13th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: computing cool toys future tech hacks + mods interactive robots technology

gundam gun ballpoint pens might blast a hole in your paper

gundam_gun_ballpoint_pen

Fans of the classic Japanese Anime series Gundam will recognize these familiar items. Except instead of firing deadly projectiles, these miniature weapons fire ink onto paper. Well, they don’t really shoot ink, they just write like any other ballpoint pen. But they sure do look cool doing it.

These Gundam-inspired ballpoint pens are being released…

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November 12th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: cool toys just plain fun retro

grass covered mouse is always greener

grass_mouse

We’ve seen some strange computer mice over the years, and here’s a new one to add to the pile of unusual mousing devices. This one is covered with grass.

Created by Japanese artist Hanaoka, the Siva mouse is part of a series of grass-covered objects he’s produced for the world to enjoy. This mouse is…

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November 11th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: computing design strange + wonderful

aero spider laser cars drive on walls, follow laser beams, confuse cats

aero_spider_laser_takara_tomy

Takara Tomy’s latest remote-control car is definitely unique. Not only does the Aero Spider Laser drive on walls or ceilings, it goes where you tell it to using a light gun.

The gun-shaped controller projects a bright red light beam (not sure it’s really a laser beam) where you want the car to go, and…

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November 10th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: cool toys gadgets just plain fun

namco meet zippo: classic arcade game lighters

namco_arcade_game_lighters

Having cut my gaming teeth on the classic Namco arcade games of the 1980s, I just had to give these new Namco 8-bit video game cigarette lighters a mention.

Created in celebration of Pac-Man’s impending 30th birthday (boy, I feel old), these limited-edition series of Zippo lighters from Banpresto includes shiny, butane-filled versions of Pac-Man,…

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November 3rd, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: retro video games

tele scouter translator will literally let you see what someone is saying

tele-scouter-1

NEC aims to overcome language barriers with the Tele Scouter, a system that will process spoken language and display a translation on a retinal display. To maintain the portability of the gadget, NEC split the Tele Scouter into three parts: an eyepiece, a small computer and a remote server.

Aside from the display, the microphone…

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November 2nd, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: future tech gadgets interactive mobile tech technology

ropid jumps and runs and steals your heart

Ropid

Tomotaka Takahashi, creator of the high endurance EVOLTA robot, recently showed off his new robot, ROPID. The name is supposedly a combination of rapid and robot, so it was either ROPID or RABOT. The cute robot is about 15 inches tall and can jump about 3 inches high. It’s twisting torso also makes it an…

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October 29th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: cool toys interactive just plain fun mobile tech robots technology

nintendo dsi ll officially revealed: bigger on the outside, still the same inside

DSi-LL-1

The rumors were right – Nintendo officially unveiled the DSi LL, which is basically a Nintendo DSi but with much larger 4.2-inch screens, a 93% increase over the 3.2-inch screens on the DSi. The DSi LL also has 2 pens, a relatively jumbo sized 5-inch pen and a smaller pen that’s still slightly larger than…

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October 29th, 2009 comments (3) stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: media players mobile tech technology video games

sakasa master japan reverse voice recorder does exactly what its name says

sakasa_master_japan_voice_recorder

This odd little gadget from Japan is perfect for placing subliminal messages in the background of epic rock albums. It’s also good for recreating disturbing and surreal scenes from Twin Peaks and The Shining.

Even though the product description over on Strapya World says The things you can do with this machine have no limits!,” from what…

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October 27th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: audio cool toys strange + wonderful

facial recognition tech helps tvs save power

hitachi_facial_recognition_

This new technology from Hitachi automatically detects when you’re actually watching your television, then shuts the display off whenever you’re not looking.

By using advanced facial recognition technology, the monitor can tell when your eyes are on the TV screen, and keeps it turned on only when you’re actually watching. Jump to the 45 second…

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October 25th, 2009 comments (2) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: future tech technology

samurai warrior joystick won’t win any prizes for ergonomics

warrior_usb_joypad

Now I’m just fine with my DualShock 3 controller, but for those of you out there who prefer their joypads with a bit more character, you might want to check out this Samurai warrior USB controller.

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October 14th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: just plain fun video games

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