The robot is called the GroundBot and it’s made by the Swedish firm Rotundus. It’s a remote-controlled, all-weather 2-foot sphere that can go through snow, mud and sand, and even roll uphill. It supplies a live feed to its operator via a pair of cameras. The operator sees the images in 3D on a remote screen. It comes with knobby treads for all terrain action or without, which is perfect on a runway.

The surveillance sphere is currently undergoing trials with the Swedish Defense Force for use in airports and other areas, like ports, that need this kind of mobile surveillance. It could also be used in urban mapping, remote terrain exploration, and post-disaster search and rescue operations.

For now, the GroundBot can only reach speeds of 6mph, so it’s not hard to outrun. As the technology improves, it will most likely get faster. I can foresee swarms of these things roaming the streets.

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[via BLDGBLOG]

The time is shown on an LED display underneath a translucent capacitive touchscreen. Simply flick your wrist to see the time, and swipe the screen to cycle through its functions, which include the alarms and a timer. It includes a motion sensor which registers movement and will automatically adjust the strength of its vibration alarm. So, for instance, if you are sleeping, it increases the intensity of the vibrations. You can also customize the length of the vibrations, allowing you to use them as a reminder.

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The watches were designed in Sweden and made in Taipei. The white version has sold out for now, but it’s still available in grey and red for $259 (USD). You can get one over at Mutewatch.

[via Uncrate]

The suite is called The Legacy of the River and it’s certain that you’ll be rocking to Daft Punk while you’re staying there. It also is a fitting celebration for the ICEHOTEL‘s 20th anniversary.

It’s safe to say that you won’t be able to book this suite before you see the movie next week, preferably in 3D in an Imax theater. Needless to say that a night in this suite will probably cost a bunch of money as well, but it’s still cool to see the photos.

[via We Heart]

I love how Husqvarna uses the words “compact” in the description of this robot, but I’m not sure what they’re comparing it to for size reference. It’s certainly impressive and a lot safer for construction workers than trying to do this stuff themselves. However, I’m a little concerned these things might become sentient and take over the world. This could someday be just the reason why we all need to bow down to our robot overlords!

The robot is definitely reminiscent of Skynet’s more rudimentary Terminators, but thankfully, this robot isn’t autonomous (yet). It’s basically a gigantic R/C controlled ‘bot, which is kind of awesome in my book. Here’s the corporate video, although I have to say that I’m disappointed that it’s just a series of stills, not a full-blown video of the ‘bot destroying stuff. Boo.

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[BotJunkie via Make:]

It’s not the quickest way to start a fire, and when you first fire it up it may seems like it’s not doing anything, but because it doesn’t use lighter fluid you’ll save a lot in the long run. That and your chicken barbecue won’t taste like lighter fluid anymore. Unless you actually put lighter fluid on it.

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You can order the Looftlighter at ThinkGeek for $80 (USD). I’d buy a low-powered version of this so I can use it for pranks.

[via Chip Chick]

Cladophora, which are found in beaches worldwide, produce cellulose with an unusually large surface area, “100 times that of the cellulose found in paper”, which in turn allowed the scientists to create batteries with a “dramatically larger amount” of conducting polymer. Conducting polymers are non-metallic conductors which can be used as battery material, but have proven quite impractical for various reasons. Until now, that is.

The algae cellulose-conducting polymer batteries made by the researchers in Uppsala University hold 50 to 200 percent more charge than similar conducting polymer batteries, and may someday compete with commercial lithium batteries… Charge times could also trump today’s rechargeables – the researchers managed to recharge their test batteries in anywhere from 8 minutes down to as little as 11 seconds. Are you kidding me?!

That’s not all, these batteries are so thin that the Swedish researchers are looking into novel applications for them, like embedding them into wallpapers or clothes equipped with sensors that react to stimuli. I’m looking forward to OLED newspapers, interactive novels, and holographic pop-up books, but hopefully this technology can also lead to laptops that literally last the whole day. Read the full article at ACS for more info.

[via LiveScience]

Designed by Sweden’s Industri Repro, the XBEE (XB Elegant Edition) offers a complete retrofit for the look of the Xbox 360, putting its guts inside a streamlined rectangular box that would look great in any media room equipment rack alongside your schmancy A/V components.

Each case can have up to three 120mm fans to ensure your 360 always shows off its green ring of life. And if any of you are still doubting that this is a real thing…

Sure, it’s not quite as cool looking in the real world as in the carefully staged product photo, but is anything ever? Also, it’s a bit larger than I would prefer. The builders claim they built it that way so they could fit the full-size DVD player, while still centering it in the case. The extra space inside should help with cooling too.

There’s no word if and when you’ll be able to buy an XB Elegant Edition case for yourself, but Industri Repro says it started production back in August 2009. More pics and a details can be found over at xbox-scene.  In the mean time, if you want to build your own, here’s what they have to say:

“If you want to build your own XBEE u need: Aluminum plates 25mm x 598mm x 100mm and 2mm x 568mm x 300mm and a working xbox360. Buy a press brake, laser punch machine and a CNC-Milling machine and a Anodization plant. Hire a bunch of efficient guys that know how to use the machines and it’s done!”

Simple enough, eh? For more info on the XB Elegant Edition, you can e-mail the Industri Repro guys here.

Unfortunately, the robot suddenly sprang into action and grabbed the man’s head. Let this be the 4th law of Robotics: Always approach a robot with a sense of trepidation.

Shia LeBouf The man managed to free himself from the robots’ grasp, but not before it broke four of his ribs. Public prosecutor Leif Johansson fined the company 25,000 kronor ($3,000 USD) for its “inadequate safety procedures”, but also acknowledged that the worker is partly to blame for what happened. Prosecutor Johansson is obviously a robot, as he did not fine or even reprimand the machine.

[via BB Gadgets]

Created by Torbjörn Lundell of Sweden’s GloFab, these unusual fixtures radiate an ethereal glow as light courses through their fibrous veins.

I like to think of GloFab like an illuminated textile. By weaving intricate patterns of fiber optic cable, then connecting them to a bright light source, these wondrous glowing sculptures come to life.

GloFab lighting is available as either a woven fabric or in a spherical design, and are available only on a custom-quoted basis at this point.

[via designboom]

The artist’s Low Res Man was fabricated from thousands of precisely arranged 1cm see-through acrylic cubes, then painted to look like a real person when viewed from a great distance. Upon closer inspection, he degrades into a low resolution, bitmapped shell of a man. The sculpture is loaded up with ropelights on the inside, so he lights up when plugged in.

Can you tell the difference between the real people and the fake plastic one in the exciting party shot above? I had a hard time myself.

[via Core77 (thanks for the tip, roadsidescholar!)]

The Lightspeaker Lamp from Sweden’s LYX Furniture and Light features a “tweeter” and “woofer” which reflect light instead of sound. There’s even a little “volume” knob which is actually a dimmer for the lamp. I also dig the coiled power cable that more like a telephone cord than a source of electricity.

Designer Michael Malmborg’s unique lighting fixture produces a soft white glow, since most of the light is reflected back into the frosted acrylic “acoustic” chamber.

[via Blue Ant Studio]