Technabob » octopus

Robotic Octopus Creeps into Our Lives

Conner Flynn — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 22:30:00 +0000

The octopus is capable of some incredible movements because they have large brains, fine motor control, and almost no bones to hinder them. So it makes sense that researchers would want a robo-octopus to study. That’s what the Octopus Project is about – a bunch of oversized kids playing in the bathtub with their new toy.

It’s a European project intent on “investigating and understanding the principles that give rise to the octopus sensory-motor capabilities and incorporating them in new design approaches,” so this roboctopus with eight soft tentacles will help them learn all of the finer details.

The big tentacles in front of the cephalopod are actuated by a shape-memory alloy that changes length when heated, without the aid of servos or anything else. The other six arms are silicone with a steel cable inside. The cable is attached to a series of other nylon cables. By manipulating those nylon cables, the tentacle can wiggle and even grip things. Hopefully not human throats.

The seas of the future are looking like a dangerous place. I raise a toast to our new robo-tentacled overlords and laugh at them since I am sticking to solid ground. Let them eat the sailors.

[via IEEE Spectrum]

Get Your Own Octopus Throne of Tentacles (Only $53,500!)

Hazel Chua — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:00:52 +0000

Most people dream of being royalty because of the perceived prestige and fame that came with. Not to mention, the wealth. But we all can’t be kings or queens, nor can we be princes or princesses if we weren’t born with the blue blood.

But you can be the king (or queen) of your very own throne, albeit the octopus kind.

Maximo Riera’s handmade leather Octopus Chair is sort of creepy, but it does have a certain look and feel to it that reminds me of thrones – or a chair for an evil supervillain.

But keep in mind though: having this piece of furniture won’t bring you any prestige, though you might gain some fame as being the ~~loony~~ person who bought a chair with an upholstered octopus for about $53,550 (USD).

And if you can afford such a thing, then I doubt you’re after the “riches” part of being royal.

[via Oh Gizmo!]

200lb. Octopus Cake: Cthulhu Would Approve

Range — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:14:48 +0000

This crazy looking 200-pound cake looks like an octopus. While I rarely eat any cakes, this gigantic one made me smile, and mutter a prayer to the almighty Cthulhu!

Karen Portaleo from Highland Bakery is behind this mammoth cephalopod. I’ve actually rarely seen cakes this big and elaborate in person. But despite it’s artistry, those tentacles and suction cups make me not want to eat it at all.

The full gallery of this cake is available here with other cool cakes. It was made for the Georgia Aquarium, so I guess that it’s relevant. There’s a definite creepy quality to this cake, so I wonder if Karen was thinking of Cthulhu while she was making it, or maybe just Zoidberg.

[via Make:]

USB Octopus Hub: a Long Time Coming

Lambert Varias — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:30:10 +0000

While everyone (mostly Brando) was going crazy making all sorts of gadget designs like panda paper shredders and white bread wrist rests, the obvious connection between the multi-tentacled octopus and anything that has to do with wires or cords remained untapped. So I think I speak for everyone when I say: USB Octopus Hub, we’ve been expecting you. You’re actually a sensible mash-up.

The hub is available at Gadget 4 all for only $10 USD; the only colors available as of now are white and black. As if it matters.

[via monkeyzen]

Octopus Trap Speakers May Only Look Versatile

Alisha K. — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:21:09 +0000

In what has to be one of the oddest trends I’ve seen, Japanese company Bird Electron has produced a set of speakers built to resemble octopus traps. As you might have guessed, octopus traps are used to catch octopi. These speakers, apparently, are designed to catch attention instead of 8-legged sea creatures.

They’re pretty enough if you can get past the origin of the design. I’m no vegetarian, but I’m not sure I want a reminder of food sources sitting around on the shelf.

The trap speakers are 50mm and work on a bandwidth of 50Hz to 4kHz at 83dB. But who wants the specs? What I want to know is this: will they still function as actual octopus traps if you take out the speaker bits and refit them to their original purpose? If so, that would make these speakers simultaneously more sinister and more awesome.

[Bird Electron via Akihabara News]