There are many principles guiding the design of the Humble Hacker, including hand separation, versatility – the keyboard is fully programmable – and an alternate keyboard layout. Programmers and keyboard enthusiasts, if you recognize some elements in the Humble Hacker that are similar to other alternative keyboards, that’s because dmw was influenced by the best of them, including the TypeMatrix 2030 and the Happy Hacking Pro.

Now for the bad news. In the process of building the first prototype of the Humble Hacker, dmw realized that his invention is quite expensive, “rapidly approaching” the price tag of Art Lebedev studio’s display-filled Optimus Maximus keyboard. The case alone cost him $200 (USD), and the circuit board will set him back $250. Hopefully he’ll find a way to lower the cost and mass produce the Happy Hacker. Check out the link below or the product website for more info.

[via Geekhack via This 8-bit Life]

Cubelets snap together to form robots that can move, turn, detect or emit light or sound, as well as motion or temperature, they can also perform simple logic to determine what adjacent blocks should do. The blocks hold together magnetically, and automatically know what to do without any programming or wiring needed. At this point, there are 15 different Cubelet components you can work with, with more on the way.

The Cubelets kit is available from ModRobotics and you can pre-order it for $160 (USD). For that price, you get six Cubelets, two sensors, two “action” blocks, and two “brains” with a battery pack. The large kit costs $520 and includes 20 pieces. They’re designed for kids eight and up and run on rechargeable batteries. (Charger sold separately for $15.)

Sure they’re expensive, but how else are you going to build your robot cube by cube? The possibilities are pretty endless. Once the price comes down and more blocks become available, I’d love to see what can be accomplished.

[via TechCrunch]

Apparently, NAO can also walk and learn to handle different surfaces via its built-in algorithms. The new model has a 1.6 GHz Intel processor (located in its head) and a secondary CPU in its torso. It has four microphones to track sounds and runs speech recognition software as well. Its two 30fps HD cameras will scan its environment for obstacles and also recognize faces and shapes. In addition, the robot’s movements have also been optimized so that it can avoid collisions. There are also capacitive sensors on the top of the robot’s head, allowing users to provide stimuli for Nao to react to.

NAO has prehensile hands, allowing it to grasp objects. It can walk on a variety of different surfaces and it has a ‘fall manager’, which protects the bot when it does fall to the ground. It supports Wi-Fi and is completely programmable. NAO’s built in 27.6 watt-hour battery should keep it running for as much as 90 minutes on a charge.

There’s no word on how much the latest NAO will sell for, but the last-gen model sold for a whopping $15,999 (USD) over at RobotShop. This isn’t surprising given the amount of technology in this little robot – it’s clearly not a toy. At this point NAO is only available for educational and research customers, but there are plans to make it available to (very wealthy) consumers in 2012.

[via PlasticPals]

First up is the Optimus Popularis, a compact keyboard with everything but numeric keys. The Popularis is one awesome looking keyboard, with each key offering full programmability, and a tiny, full color screen.

Each key is made up of a 64×64 pixel grid, which can support 262,144 unique colors, and a frame rate of 10fps. That’s right, you can display animation on these keys!  Each one can be set up with custom images for different languages, or special keys to launch specific applications or functions when switching applications. Lebedev says it’s “A million keyboards in one,” and he’s totally spot on. Here are just a few sample configurations:

One thing to note is that the keys this time are made using a backlit LCD screen instead of individual OLED screens, which seems like a better approach these days. Though it’s not clear if each key has it’s own individual LCD panel or if there’s just one large LCD behind the keyboard, and the area between the keys acts as a mask. Either way, it still looks awesome. I also love how the new keys are more like those rounded keys found on a Mac keyboard, which is more what I’m used to these days anyhow.

A quick glance reveals a fully customizable display bar between the function keys and the main keyboard, which can be used to display pertinent info like what track you’re listening to, or how many emails you have waiting.

Programming is accomplished with a sophisticated configuration app included with the keyboards – and it’s compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 8 and Mac OS 10.5.1 or higher too.

So now that you’ve wiped the drool off of your current keyboard… the pricetag. The Optimus Popularis isn’t cheap. The pre-order price is 31,500 rubles, which works out to be about $1086 (USD) or 747 (EUR) at today’s exchange rates. Pricey, but sexy as all get out. If that’s too rich for your blood, and you still love the concept, check out the Optimus Mini Six add-on keyboard instead:

The Mini Six is exactly what it sounds like – a small external keyboard with six programmable LCD keys on it. It supports the same programmability,  and animation capabilities of the full-size keyboard – though it only can handle 65,536 colors. The Mini Six is selling for for 10,900 Rubles, or about $376(USD) or $258 (EUR). Both the Popularis and Mini Six are built from aluminum and plastic components, and have a nice slim profile.

Art Lebedev Studio started to take pre-orders for both the Optimus Popularis and Optimus Mini Six today, with the Popularis shipping June 1, 2012, and the Mini Six not shipping until November 1, 2012. But there is an advantage to that long pre-order wait, as the retail prices will be more than 30% higher once released. Yeouch! Lebedev, does plan on showing off the prototypes at the 2012 CES show next month. I definitely plan on stopping by their booth to see these awesome looking things up close and personal.

Probably the coolest thing is that the new Bigtrak XTR can even be controlled using your iPad, iPhone or Android device. It can also be controlled from your PC or Mac over Bluetooth. Surprisingly, the iPhone app is already available, long before the actual Bigtrak XTR can be yours.

The XTR has a spacious loading bay which conceals the programming keypad, letting you use it to carry objects around, and deliver them to your friends. It can even detect when a load is added or removed. While the render above shows the XTR carrying a can of Coke, this think will be the perfect beer-bot. It would be really cool if you could control it with Siri, but I don’t know if that’ll be possible.

In addition, the Bigtrak XTR offers several add-ons, including an IR gun, adjustable wireless camera and even a missile launcher you can fire remotely.

There’s no word yet on pricing for the Bigtrak XTR, but Zeon Tech expects to release it sometime in 2012. For more info, be sure to sign up on the Bigtrakisback website to be notified once it’s available. I’m hoping I’ll get a chance to play with one once it’s released. If nothing else, I want to mount a laser pointer on it so I can mess with my cat.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The robot kit is developed by RoMeLa at Virginia Tech with help by Purdue University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Robotis Co. The line of bots have been in development since 2004. The open source design is intended to encourage geeks to toy with the hardware and software to create their own mods. There are numerous software implementations for the kit with C++, Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB, and more.

CAD files are available publically for the design and construction of the bot. The thing is rumored to cost about $8,000 (USD) to build which is about half the price of competitive products on the market. The bot is 17.9″ tall, weighs 2.8kg, and has 20 degrees of freedom. Its controller is an Atom Z530 processor with 1GB of RAM, 4GB of storage, and it can run Linux, XP, or Windows 7.

[via I, Bioloid via Plastic Pals]

The RedPost/Mini is a compact digital signboard that leverages an inexpensive Android OS device from China, combined with RedPost’s unique Sign App. They come in a 7-inch version, with an 800×480 screen, a 600 MHz Rockchip+ CPU or a 10.1-inch, 1024×600 version with a 1GHz Zenithink processor. The 7-incher runs Android 1.5, while the 10-incher runs Android 2.1. The bigger one also handles 802.11n in addition to 802.11b/g Wi-fi. Both models include a nicely handcrafted walnut wood frame for display.

The 7-inch RedPost/Mini sells for just $99 (USD), while the 10-inch sells for $169. Both of those prices assume a one-year contract with RedPost – whose digital poster service helps businesses get the message out across as many digital signs as they want. Signs can include images, videos, Flash, and just about anything else you can put on a computer screen. And if you don’t want to subscribe, hardware prices jump by $100, but you can still grab the open-source Sign App and run it without the network.

You can find more info and order the RedPost/Mini here.

[via RedPost/Blog]

Priced at just $89.99 (USD), the DFRobotShop Rover is an Arduino-compatible (ATMEga 328-based) robot that runs on treads like a tank. The compact kit gives your everything your need to get started, including the assembled circuit board, robot frame hardware, and a Tamiya motor gear box and tread and wheel set. The robot is powerful enough to carry a payload of 2kg (appx. 4.4 pounds) without any problem.

All you need is to grab the Arduino programming software, hook up a MiniB USB cable, and some AA batteries, and you’ll be able to build your own robot tank army on a budget. Maybe the government should buy some of these to do menial tasks.

You can get your hands on the DFRobotShop Rover kit as well as a variety of accessories over at RobotShop now.

[via GoRobotics]

The new Optimus Popularis keyboard design features higher resolution keys than the previous model, and will sell for “less than $1000″, which is about $600 bucks less than the Maximus. Each key features a 64×64 pixel programmable display, and rounded-corner keys that are more what you’d expect on a new computer compared to the old model. In addition to the programmable keys, there’s a nifty full-color display which can show widgets via your computer’s USB connection.

Now according to Lebedev, they’re not using OLED this time, but it’s unclear what the display tech will be. Whatever it is, it looks cool.  I can’t wait to get my hands on this bad boy when it hits stores early in 2011. Pre-orders start later this year.

Check out the full-size image, and more details over at Lebedev’s blog.

The design of the compact Miniguru keyboard strips down the computer keyboard to its primal essence, eliminating any extraneous buffer space around its perimeter. They keyboard features unique ergonomic features which ensure that your index fingers always stay put on the F and J keys in the “home row”. By incorporating a laptop-style navigation nub that can be positioned with your thumb, you never need to reach for your mouse.  A thumb-activated “swirl” key lets you quickly access cursor navigation keys overlaid within 1 key of the home row positions.

The Miniguru can be custom configured to your exacting standards. Using their online configurator, you can select colors for the keys, the base, symbol keys, and even the shape of the enter key. Plus, you can decide between three key-switch types: clicky, tactile and linear (which also sound like rejected Pac-Man ghost names). In addition to customizing the keyboard itself, you can also use a software tool provided by Miniguru to reassign keys to your liking and store that profile in the keyboard’s internal memory. You can even share your layouts online with other Miniguru users.

While they’re targeting a Q4 2010 release for the Miniguru, there’s no word yet on a final release date or price. For now, you can find more details over on their website.

[via Likecool]

The original’s various moves were very limited, but you could play them back. The new version will allow you to store up to 32 programs. Add-ons include a digital camera and a rocket launcher, which will be available separately for $20 (USD) each.

The BigTrak, Jr’s. manufacturer didn’t mess with the original Milton Bradley design too much, although it’s about half the size and the aforementioned program storage and add-ons. There’s no video yet of the Jr., but here’s some footage of the original to keep you occupied while you wait.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The BigTrak Jr. will be available soon and will cost $40 (USD).

[via CrunchGear]

You’ll never guess what its last weapon is. Brace yourself for 5 minutes and 11 seconds of increasingly absurd weaponry and dinosaur slaughter:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The music was so bad but somehow it made the video much more awesome. And now I can’t get the stupid guitars out of my head. You can still find the Tomy i-SOBOT at Amazon for $250 (USD), which incidentally is $50 more than its price when we featured it almost 2 years ago. Weapons not included.

[via Topless Robot]

The Wand remote control can convert up to 13 different hand gestures into infrared remote signals. Just wave the wand in the proper direction in the air, and it’ll issue commands to your IR-controlled gadgets. Of course with just 13 gestures, you can only program 13 commands from your remotes. Oh well, that should be enough for changing channels, adjusting volume, or switching between inputs on your TV, right?  It’s also got a nifty feedback system which provides “pulses” that confirm your gestures as well as let you know when the battery is running low.

Just imagine yourself as a wizard or warlock, donning one of those pointy wizard hats, and wearing your flowing silky wizard robe, wildly gesticulating  in the air with your magical wand – only this time, it’s to flip channels between The Real Housewives of Orange County and Dance Your Ass Off. Perfect.

Here’s some video of The Wand working its hocus pocus in case the diagram above didn’t get the point across…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

And if you act now, as an added bonus, The Wand ships in this schmancy storage box so you won’t lose it. Now how much would you pay?

You can find The Wand over at UK gadget shop(pe) Firebox for £49.99 (appx. $80 USD). Currently, it’s only available in the UK part of their shop, and not in the U.S. side. Boo. Hopefully that’ll change soon. Maybe you can wave your real magic wand and make that happen. Abracadabra!

Every day that I use my iPhone, I discover yet another cool trick that I never knew I could do the day before. This time, it comes in the form of a little app called Snatch, which lets you turn your iPhone or iPod Touch into a completely programmable remote for interacting with applications on your Mac or PC. Just install the included server software on your computer, make sure that your iPhone and computer can see each other over the same Wi-Fi network, and you’re all set.

For starters, Snatch provides you with a wireless trackpad and scrollpad interface for working with just about any program on your computer. The trackpad even supports multitouch actions like a two-finger scroll or two-finger tap. But the real power of Snatch is hidden beneath the surface in its robust remote editor, which lets you create custom graphical buttons and assign them to any key, button or mouse action on your computer. The app can store up to 8 screens of remote control buttons, and provides an easy-to-use graphical editing screen for creating new layouts.

In addition to being able to build your own interfaces, Snatch offers a library of over 20 remote templates including Adobe CS3 palettes, a Hulu remote control or a PowerPoint slideshow controller among others.

You can get your hands on Snatch over at the iTunes App Store for $3.99 (USD).

The BlinkM from ThingM (I just love saying that) is a compact module that contains an ultra-bright RGB LED and a microcontroller that you can program from your computer.

You’ll need an Arduino I/O board to program your BlinkM, plus a 5-volt power supply to juice ‘em up. The ThingM guys have alread created a handy drum-machine-like sequencer application for Macs and PCs so you can easily program each one to any color, or to a color sequence of your choosing. There’s full 24-bit color control, and you can program up to 49 commands in sequence. And with a single two-wire network, you can connect up to 127 BlinkMs together to do you bidding. There are even 18 built-in light sequences, so even if you’re not that creative, you might already have one that does what you want.

There’s also source code available for you to do custom-programming to your heart’s content. Here’s a video of a couple of cool lighting effects ThinkM’s Tod Kurt put together using a bunch of BlinkMs:

BlinkM LED modules are available now over at the Adafruit store for $13 (USD) a piece. What’s the most creative thing you would do if you had a bunch of these modules? Me, I’d build an ultra-low res television.

[via Adafruit Blog]

United Keys OLED keyboard keep their prices on planet Earth by including only monochrome displays, and letting you program just 9 of the keys.

Each keyboard comes with a 3×3 matrix of custom keys, each of which contains a tiny 0.7″ yellow OLED screen with a bright high-contrast 64×64 pixel display. The keyboards ship with a OLED Manager software (Windows XP/Vista only) which lets you create custom icons and save macro functions for each key. The coolest part of the software is that you can set the keys to load in a unique profile for each application (as well as a default key set), so you can set different macros and icons for Photoshop than you do for Excel, and so forth.

The only real downside to OLED screens are their relatively short life span. With just a 40,000 hour display life (at 50% brightness), you’ll end up throwing this keyboard in the trash after about 4-1/2 years of continuous use.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

United Keys keyboards are available in either a full 103-key keyboard ($249 USD) with the function keys on the left side, or in a standalone 9-key keypad ($199 USD), which you can set on either side of your current keyboard. While they’re definitely no Maximus, they’re definitely the cheapest OLED keyboards you can get at this point.

[via OLED-Info]

[Looking for something more colorful and don't care if it's OLED? Don't forget about the Luxeed RGB LED keyboard.]

The AREXX YT-3000 (aka “YETi Walker”) is a bi-pedal robot which can be programmed using your PC or an remote-controlled via an IR interface. It’s powered by an ATMEGA8 microcontrolller, which can be easily programmed in C to do your bidding.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

In its basic configuration, the YETi is a simple walking machine, but can be expanded with additional sensors and modules such as an ultrasonic obstacle detector and an external LED display.

The basic YETi Walker kit is available from TheRobotShop for £69.99 (appx. $114 USD).

Thanks to the fine folks over at ThinkGeek, the brightly colored programmable keyboards are ready to make their way onto your desk now. For those of you didn’t read the original post, now is as good a time as any to check out this wild keyboard in action in this video clip from Luxeed.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Each light-up keyboard is powered by 430 individual colored LEDs, all of which can be sequenced using the included Windows software (now in English!) The sky is truly the limit for making your own colorful keyboard creations.

Available in a black or white key models for $199.99 each, you’ll need to drop an additional $34.99 if you want a numeric keypad (no LEDs in that add-on BTW). Sure, it’s no Optimus Maximus, but then again, you could buy 9 Luxeed keyboards for the price of one of Art Lebedev’s wonderkeyboards.

Ready to light up your keyboard? Head on over to ThinkGeek and get yours now.

Out of the box, there are three “standard” robot designs, HUNO, DINO and DOGY. HUNO is a humanoid robot, capable of walking on two legs, and can perform moves like walking, jogging, headstands and kicking.

DINO is sort of like a dinosaur, standing on two legs with a third appendage that resembles a tail. The prehistoric robot can move much faster than HUNO, and can thrash its tail about.

Last but not least is DOGY, a four-legged mode which simulates the movements of a robotic canine. Thanks to its extra legs, it’s the fastest of the bot modes, and can be programmed to run, sit, lie down or other dog-like movements.

Additional modules let you build even more complex robots. If you have enough you can create some really cool custom robots, like this awesome spiderbot…

The kits come in either a simple black design, or a clear body loaded with programmable LEDs inside under the see through shell, letting you easily create your own disco ‘bots. Best of all RoboBuilder is encouraging its users to share designs and programming on their online community.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

U.S. pricing for RoboBuilder kits isn’t known but Korea’s Funshop has started offering kits from KRW 450,000 to 660,000 (appx. $433 to $634 USD).

[RoboBuilder]

The latest Open Source creation from Evil Mad Science Labs, “Peggy” gives you the parts you need to make a pixelated grid of LEDs in any design your little heart desires.

Peggy is named for her 25 x 25 pegboard which can hold up to 625 LEDs in place for your custom signs. It’s able to drive just about any LED you’d like, and can be run off of 3 ‘D’-cell batteries or on an optional AC adapter. The kit includes the pre-populated circuit board, battery pack and a photosensor which lets you automatically turn off the display in daylight. And yes, the whole thing is driven by a fully-programmable micro-controller, so you can create animations, blinking and flashing displays if you know what you’re doing.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to buy your own LEDs, and will need some basic soldering skill and a soldering iron to create your own signs. The kit is available from the EMSL Shop for $80 USD. You can also pick up a batch of LEDs while you’re there. (For those more adventurous, there’s a bare-bones version of the board without the electronics already installed for $50).