technabob » remote control

car launching: exactly what it sounds like

lambert v. — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:42:59 +0000

Think Gay Wilkinson’s anvil launching antics were crazy? 3 months ago, Bob Moravitz and his family and friends went beyond launching a small piece of metal – they launched cars. And a pickup. and a camper with a boat in tow. And two school buses. KARE 11’s Joe Fryer calls it “Crash for Clunkers”.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. I’d like to add that boredom is its father. And for people whose needs are mostly being taken care of, daddy reigns supreme: “The idea was inspired last year by boredom and a strong desire to drive something off of a cliff. So Bob’s son Rick and his buddy Jake figured out a way to turn big cars into remote-controlled toys.”

Rick and Jake rigged the vehicles so they could remote control the steering and the throttle. Brakes? What brakes?

The insane…ly fun event lasted for 8 hours. Moravitz didn’t charge spectators for their show, but he says they got enough donations to cover the insurance that he bought for the event. Redneck geeks sure are crazy.

[via KARE 11 via nfttu via Make:]

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

technabob — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:22:55 +0000

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 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!]

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

technabob — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:14:30 +0000

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 the car follows along. The vehicles stick to smooth surfaces using a reverse-fan mechanism that creates suction between the bottom of the car and the wall or ceiling.

Each car has a set of photosensors mounted into it that detect the light beams’ position and tell the car which direction to turn. Place the light beam in front of the car, and it follows, place the beam at the back of the car, and it turns around and starts following the light again. And if you thought that all sounded cool, wait til you get a load of this…

Convinced? The guy in the skintight blue suit has me sold already. In action, the cars are actually pretty cool. Here’s a good video clip showing off how the Aero Spider Laser works. And more people dressed in silly outfits for no particular reason. You gotta love Japanese marketing.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Aero Spider Laser cars start shipping early this month, and are available over for pre-order over at Hobby Link Japan for ¥6,000 (appx. $65 USD).

joker racer: drive r/c cars with your web browser or iphone

technabob — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:04:45 +0000

Joker Racer is a new service which lets you race remote-control cars from across the internet.

The system uses a custom wireless computer that receives digital information via a Wi-Fi connection and translates your maneuvers into servo control signals for R/C cars. There’s also a USB jack for a compact webcam. Joker Racer lets you use a web browser to drive cars on a closed course, and watch POV video from tiny cameras on-board each car.

There’s even an iPhone app coming in 2010 that lets you control cars using the iPhone’s motion sensors. In addition to being able to drive their remote-hosted cars, in future you’ll be able to buy your own Joker Racer R/C Server hardware for your own racecars.

Here’s a couple of videos showing off Joker Racer in action…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Joker Racer’s website recently wrapped up its initial beta and is moving on to a full release in early November. For now, you’ll just have to sit back and enjoy some of the site’s pre-recorded clips and maybe remotely control the course webcam.

[via TechCrunch]

coke can spy cams: i’d like to teach the world to snoop

technabob — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:22:04 +0000

As digital video cameras keep getting smaller and smaller, you never know where one might be hiding. Next time you walk into a room and there’s a Coke can sitting on the table, you might want to check that it’s not a spy cam.

These Coke can spy cams each have a tiny little video camera and DVR built inside. And while the Coke Zero can looks just like The Real Thing, I’m not quite as convinced by this can of “Caco-Cola Clossic”:

Each camera conceals a pinhole camera that can capture VGA (640×480) resolution video images in AVI format. Data is stored in the can’s internal 4GB memory, so it’s completely self-contained. Just pop off the hidden panel to reveal a USB connector, and jack the can into your computer’s USB port to pull down any captured video. While plugged in, the can’s internal rechargeable battery will juice up at the same time.

Both the Coke Zero and Caco-Cola Clossic spy cams are available over at ChinaGrabber, and will set you back between $53 and $62 bucks a can. Have a Coke and a smile and say “cheese”!

toys for big boys: iphone remote controls honda civic, blackberry remote controls f1 car

lambert v. — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:40:55 +0000

Man, these are smartphones indeed. The wise – and probably bored – folks at the University of Berlin made a one-of-a-kind iPhone app which they called iDriver, which allows them to control a Honda Civic via Wi-Fi. But it’s not like our German friends just coded the app and then began playing real-life Hot Wheels; the car – which has been nicknamed “Spirit of Berlin”- was modified and fitted with a ton of electronic equipment as well.

Here’s iDriver and Spirit of Berlin in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Praise Apple and the iPhone! Well, not really. Upon reading about iDriver at 8bitfix, commenter Solidsnake72 took time off from sneaking about and shared the video below. It starts small, but an insane turn of events comes about 2 minutes into the clip:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Blackberry FTW! Although RIM’s smartphone loses points for using Bluetooth, which of course has a limited range, I think we can all agree that controlling a real F1 car is infinitely more fun than controlling a station wagon, even if said station wagon has lasers onboard.

Update: as nobbi points out in the comments, the Blackberry video is (almost) certainly a viral marketing stunt. Can anyone confirm this? At least no kids on balloons were involved. And thanks to gusto for the tip!

lego control concept: why did it take so long to come up with this?

technabob — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:15:22 +0000

Of all of the universal remotes out there, this LEGO-brick-inspired concept design is my new favorite.

Instead of using programmable “soft” keys, Craighton Berman’s LEGO TV Remote uses physical keys that you arrange and snap into place on the surface of the remote.

Sure, it’s completely impractical for anything more than a single device, but I want one now.

[Fueled by Coffee via reubenmiller via swissmiss]

magic wand remote control changes channels with a flick of the wrist

technabob — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:37:29 +0000

If you’re tired of your boring old button-covered remote control, you might want to check out this fun new remote that looks (and works) like a magic wand.

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!

snatch this computer remote control for your iphone and ipod touch

technabob — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:15:41 +0000

I need to start out by saying that I will resist every juvenile urge in my body that tells me to make fun of this app’s name. That’s because I think it’s too cool to make fun of its somewhat unfortunate moniker…

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).

ric-rolled: mascots to soon be replaced with robots

technabob — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:02:29 +0000

If you thought that the derelicts they have walking around city streets donning smelly mascot costumes and trying to hand you flyers for hot dogs and prepaid cell phone cards weren’t creepy enough, have I got something for you! Pretty soon, those guys will be replaced by robots.

Thanks to the brilliant devious minds of Japan’s RT Corporation, this new robot known as RIC (Robot Inside Character) will soon be wandering the streets and aisles at trade shows, terrorizing children and old people to the point that they really will need to buy some Robot Insurance.

RIC might look cute and cuddly on the surface, but under its skin, it’s something that Sarah Connor would want to crush under an industrial press until the lights go out in its eyeballs. The good news is that you could probably overpower the thing if it ever ran amok. Thankfully, it only stands about 4 feet tall, and weighs about 15 pounds. It’s controlled by 20 Futaba servo motors and can be upgraded to as many as 30, based on the specific use case (and how many weapons you plan to attach).

If you’ve got 2,000,000 yen (appx $20,000 USD) lying around you can get your own RIC and set it loose on unsuspecting children and grandparents.

[RIC (translated) via ROBOTS DREAMS]

runaway r/c ramen noodle cart: why? why not?

technabob — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:56:52 +0000

The latest in a long line of strange and wonderful gadgets from Japan, this remote-controlled vehicle is modeled after one of those Ramen noodle carts you might see on the streets of Yokohama (mama).

The tiny noodle cart runs on 4 AA batteries, and can cruise along at up to 5 kilometers per hour. Luckily, it’s not really a runaway cart, and can be stopped, started and steered with the included RF remote control. Now if you scroll down, get ready for the world’s most annoying, seizure-inducing animated GIF image…

You were warned. Why they couldn’t actually shoot a video of this thing in motion and upload that to YouTube, nobody knows.

Priced at ¥1380 (appx. $15 USD), the runaway noodle cart is currently available only in Japan over on Rakuten. I’m hoping the guys over at Strapya-World decide to export these to other countries like they have with other such goodies.

blu-link remote for ps3 finally solves the bluetooth vs. infrared debate

technabob — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:52:21 +0000

PS3 owners rejoice! There’s finally a low-cost solution for operating both your PS3 and your other home theater components from a single universal remote control.

For those of you out there who have put their PlayStation 3 at the center of their home entertainment system because of its stellar Blu-ray player, you know what a pain it is to control both your PS3 and your other A/V devices because of Sony’s choice of Bluetooth instead of IR as their remote communication protocol.

The new Blu-Link remote combines both Bluetooth and infrared capabilities in a single remote control. While it’s not as full-featured as higher-priced universal remotes, the six-device remote does have built-in support for hundreds of brands of consumer electronics, plus it can “learn” infrared commands from other devices as well. It’s also got all of the specialized controls for interacting with Blu-ray discs, as well as dedicated PS3 control buttons. With one of these in hand, you really can think about throwing your Sony Bluetooth remote out in the trash bin.

Priced at just $49.95 (USD) it’s really a great deal if you want to finally pare down from multiple remotes to a single control. You can order the Blu-Link now over at Interlink Electronics.

remote controlled spider climbs walls, ceilings

technabob — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:32:34 +0000

If I saw this giant creepy spider scurrying across my ceiling in the middle of the night, I’d be on the phone to Orkin faster than you can say “spiderpig”.

Now you too can freak the hell out of your significant other with this oversize remote-controlled spider with glowing LED eyeballs. No Boundaries’ infrared R/C spider not only can make its way across your floor, it can climb walls or even move on your ceiling. I suppose climb is actually the wrong word. You see, my spidey sense is telling me that this guys legs don’t actually propel him along. Instead, a powerful fan creates enough suction to hold the plastic arachnid in place on horizontal or vertical surfaces, and movement is acheived through tiny wheels on the bottom of the bug. C’mon, really? What’s the last time you saw a spider with wheels and light up eyes. And right now doesn’t count.

Still, this creepy (non)crawler looks like it could be fun for at least 3 or 4 minutes – or until the cat kills it, whichever comes first. You can grab one over at UK Gadget shop I Want One of Those for £29.99 (appx. $49 USD).

remote-controlled rat: because you can never have enough rodents

technabob — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:45 +0000

Live in a rat-infested fleabag of an apartment? Well even if you don’t, you can still scare the beejezus out of your roommates with your very own remote-controlled rat.

With its light-up red eyeballs, I wouldn’t necessarily call this rat-on-wheels “lifelike”. But its hairy body and quick moves are probably enough to freak out your pals – especially if you drive it around with the lights off in the middle of the night.

So if you’re feeling like a dirty rat, head on over to TaylorGifts and you can grab one for about $25 bucks (USD).

shake control: environment-friendly wiimote for your tv

lambert v. — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:00:29 +0000

Winner of the 2008 red dot design award, the Shake Control presents a unique and environment-friendly way of controlling television sets. It may also be frustrating enough that people won’t want to watch TV anymore. Instead of using batteries, the Shake Control is indirectly powered by the user; a magnet generates current whenever you give the controller a shake.

Users just press and hold the corresponding buttons located at the side of the remote while shaking the controller. The power button is located on one side of the remote, and miscellaneous controls are on the other side.

To make it blatantly obvious that it was inspired by the Wii-mote, channel and volume changing is gesture based, i.e. by shaking the remote in a specific direction.

No doubt, the Shake Control is aesthetically pleasing, and the fact that it doesn’t need batteries is a big plus. But shaking the thing every time you want to change the channel? I think I’ll just wait for Flick Control.

[via Gadget Grid]

mini r2-d2 drives around your desktop, where’s c-3po?

technabob — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:05:15 +0000

Is that a lightsaber unit in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me? That’s the question your friends will be asking when you whip out this tiny little motorized R2-D2 and he starts tooling around your desk between your coffee mug and your iPod dock.

The miniature R2-D2 doesn’t just sit there. Nope, it can tool around any smooth surface, maneuvering in spinny circles just like its full-size brethren. The little droid includes an infrared remote that lets you drive forward, spin backwards. And of course, the remote looks like a tiny lightsaber, natch.

All the while you drive Artoo around, he makes authentic movie sounds and blinks a red LED eyeball on his turning tin-can shaped head.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I must have one. Now.

You can get your grubby little mitts on your own mini R/C R2-D2 over at ThinkGeek for just $29.99 (USD).

giant remote controlled rms titanic: hopefully there are no tiny icebergs around

lambert v. — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:40:38 +0000

First we had the watch, and now we have a model. The 6-foot long remote-controlled RMS Titanic is a faithfully reproduced 1:150 scale model. It took 400 man-hours (that’s about 1600 dog-hours, or 879,592 mosquito-hours) to assemble. It has over 300 handmade parts, which include the fiberglass hull, stained white maple planks, and mahogany parts for the ship’s superstructure. The rest of the ship is made of injection-molded plastic.

It has three propellers that are powered by three 550-watt motors, giving the ship a cruising speed of 5 mph on “calm water”. On rough, icy seas, it will dramatically sink, whilst a recorded orchestra plays. Kidding. The ship has two rechargeable batteries that lasts up to 3 hours between charges. I don’t know where all the Titanic love is coming from, but one thing’s for sure: Titanic love ain’t messin’ with no broke fellas. It sells for $2,500 USD at Hammacher Schlemmer.

[via Likecool]

robo-q optimus prime and bumblebee: tiny transformers

technabob — Sun, 31 May 2009 11:40:47 +0000

Just because you’re a robot in disguise doesn’t mean you have to be huge. These tiny little versions of two popular Transformers autobots prove quite the contrary.

The latest in TakaraTomy’s Robo-Q series, these palm-sized Optimus Prime and Bumblebee robots are just too cute to be capable of any real destruction. Now the picture above doesn’t really give you a good idea just how tiny these Transformers are. But this one should…

Each miniature walking robot comes complete with an IR remote control (with built-in robot recharger), and they can be set to operate on different channels so you and a friend can play at the same time. The tiny Robo-Q robots can automatically detect obstacles and navigate through tight corridors using infrared sensors. And while I’ve never seen Bumblebee and Optimus Prime playing soccer, each Robo-Q includes a little ball you can kick around in case you always wanted to play a round of robo-ball.

You can find both Robo-Q Transformers over on Japan’s HimeyaShop for $47.00 each.

[via TFW2005]

cool.con reflexology remote control fixes what ails you while you channel surf

technabob — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:10:37 +0000

Nope, this spiky orb-shaped device isn’t some sort of controller for the latest Sonic the Hedgehog game. It’s actually just a universal remote control – in a really weird package, with a really weird secondary purpose.

The cool.con remote control fits neatly into the palm of your hand, and features a bumpy exterior that’s designed to provide a pressure-point massage to your hand as you sit on the couch flipping through your favorite channels. They’ve even provided this handy palm reflexology diagram to help you get the greatest phony health benefit out of your channel-surfing experience.

Who knew you could get rid of a stomach ache while you watched Law and Order:SVU? Or that you could fix that case of chronic bronchitis as you flip over to an old re-run of Matlock? Who knew?

Currently, the cool.con controller is available only in Korea, where it’s available through Funshop for 15,500 KRW (appx. $13 USD). Maybe the same guys will come out with a hand-massaging iPhone case – I might actually buy one of those.

buglabs open-source modular gadget factory: the modder’s gadget

lambert v. — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:23:46 +0000

Bug Labs’ very geeky product is the perfect Modder’s Day gift. You see, BUG is a set of tools that lets you mix and match its components to build your own gadget, like LEGO but a hundred times geekier. Each BUGbundle includes a BUGbase, a touchscreen module, an accelerometer and motion detector, a GPS module with remote antenna, and a breakout module.

BUG runs on open-source software – BMI (Bug Module Interface) and a Java-hosted component runtime called OSGi. Users can create apps for their BUG gadgets using the Dragonfly SDK, which can be downloaded from Bug Labs’ website.

Like LEGO blocks, you can also buy additional modules and combine them with what you already have to create new BUG gadgets. Pictured below is a BUG gadget made of a BUGbase (as its name implies, its the base for all BUG gadgets), a BUGview touchscreen LCD module, and a BUGSound, an audio module equipped with a speaker, a mic and 4 mini stereo jacks. In other words, it’s a BUGPod Touch.

The only downside to BUG is that its a bit expensive: the BUGbundle costs $579 USD; additional modules sell for $60 – $120 USD depending on the module. But I think its a worthy product for those with the right skills and the knack for modding and inventing. Ben Heck can probably create the gadget equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife with the BUG system. Here’s a video of BUG in action from OhGizmo.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can buy the BUGbundle at ThinkGeek or at Bug Labs’ online store; additional modules are available at Bug Labs’ store as well. For more info and more geek porn, check out Bug Labs’ website, community, and Flickr page. It’s what? Oh Mother’s Day. Huh. Hmm. Maybe you should get a Mom Translator instead. Or make one using BUG.