This unassuming looking prototype might not look like much, but it’s actually the EZ-REM-0001, the very first remote control to require no batteries at all. Power to the remote control is generated using the tiny vibrations caused by pressing the buttons on the face of the remote. The device uses a combination of a sound vibration power generation device, an RF remote control, and a specialized power supply that can drive the circuit with very little power. This new technology was developed as a joint-venture between Japan’s NEC Electronics and Soundpower.

While this might not seem like much, the notion of powering your electronic gadgets simply by using the power generated through button presses is pretty groundbreaking. Perhaps someday we’ll see other devices that can convert your physical movements into renewable energy for electronics. While I don’t know if vibrations will ever generate enough power to send radio waves, you might someday juice up simple electronic devices by simply pressing the power button.

Cool stuff, Maynard. Very cool stuff, indeed.

[via Tech-On!]

There are cakey versions of the Gamecube, an NES, an Atari 2600, a TurboGrafx-16, a Sega Genesis and a Nintendo Wii all gathered around for a game of Duck Hunt on an edible TV. More pics of these delectible consoles can be found over on BFedRec’s Flickr cakes album.

NEC’s Tasting Robot has achieved the unique distinction of the “world’s first robot sommelier” in the 2008 book of records. The robot is designed to be able to quickly determine the flavors and composition of a bottle of wine using its internal “taste” sensors. I’d still like to see it distinguish the finer points between a bottles of MD 20/20 , Night Train and Thunderbird.

I find it kind of ironic that a wine-tasting robot would make the Guinness Book. Shouldn’t it be a beer-tasting robot?

[via Daily Yomiuri via DVICE]

A dedicated video game fanatic going by the name of sengoku has decided to part ways with his massive collection which is almost like a self-contained museum of gaming history.

The auction includes a huge array games, consoles and accessories including Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari Jaguar, Atari Lynx, Coleco ColecoVision, Coleco Gemini, Coleco Telstar, Commodore 64/128, GCE Vectrex, Mattel Aquarius, Mattel Intellivision, Mattel Odyssey 2, Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Xbox 360, APF TV Fun, Miscellaneous Handheld Games, Miscellaneous PC Games, SC Eight Thousand, Sega Pods, Miscellaneous TV Games, NEC Turbo Duo, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo NES, Nintendo Nintendo 64, Nintendo Super NES, Nintendo Virtual Boy, Nintendo Wii, Sega Dreamcast, Sega Game Gear, Sega Genesis, Sega Master System, Sega Saturn, SNK Neo Geo, SNK Neo Geo Pocket, Sony Playstation, Sony Playstation 2, Texas Instruments TI 99/4A and even the VM Labs Nuon (go Nuon!)

To put the size of the auction in perspective, the picture below just represents the Sega Dreamcast items in the auction. There are similar amounts of gear for many of the other systems as well.

The collection includes a whopping 1768 video game items, including a number rare games and accessories. The seller has estimated the value of the collection at $14,639, but the entire lot can be your for the low, low “Buy-It-Now” price of $10,979. Of course, you’ll have to drop over $1,000 to ship this massive collection to your house.

The list of items is so long that it won’t even fit in the eBay listing, but you can check out the full detail of everything in the collection here.

The company’s “super-transmissive natural light TFT” (ST-NLT) displays are designed for use in environments where there is an abundance of bright light. Initially designed for use in industrial applications, such as outdoor kiosks and brightly-lit warehouses, the displays could be used for other applications, such as portable devices, in the future, due to their low power consumption levels.

ST-NLT displays feature vivid color output in even the harshest light environments, and come in sizes ranging from 5.5 to 15 inches, and from 320 x 240 up to 1024 x 768 resolution.

[via RegHardware]

In addition to being waterproof and dustproof, the NEC Shield Pro ??????? portable can withstand sub-zero temperatures and survive a drop from up to 3 feet when closed (and powered off). The system features a 12-inch touch screen which doubles as both a tablet as well as a laptop screen. Build to meet theIP54 standard for protection from the elements, the machine is expected to hit stores this coming January in Japan and is priced between 250,000 yen and 300,000 yen (appx. $2,165 to $2,600 USD).

[via Plastic Bamboo]