It’s based upon the phenomenon called phantom sensation, which occurs when two points on your skin are stimulated at the same time. Putting one in the palm and back of a hand, the researchers thought they could use this to make you believe that something was passing through your hand. They use a Wii-mote to sense the location of your hand. In their simulation, the device is activated when the user tries to grasp black falling balls.

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The strength of the vibrations can be adjusted, meaning that it could be used to simulate getting stabbed in a fighting game. Hopefully, it won’t hurt and there will be no blood. They think they could even simulate getting shot. This could be very useful in making virtual reality and gaming more immersive.

[via Diginfo.TV]

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]

Designed by Industrial Facilit and manufactured by Japan’s IDEA, the Analarm watch gets its visual inspiration from an analog tabletop alarm clock, but it fits on your wrist. These bold, modern watches have a vibrating alarm mechanism inside, and you set the alarm time just like you would on a tabletop clock.

I think the design of these is very cool, but I’m a little concerned that the watch face looks a little bulky for everyday wear. Still, the idea of being buzzed awake by vibration instead of an annoying beeping or loud radio does intrigue me. It’s an especially good idea if you share a bed, and don’t want to wake your significant other when it’s time for you to get out of bed.

You can order Analarm watch over at Retail Facility for £290 (appx. $450 USD) in either black/clear crystal or white/green crystal versions.

[via Creative Greed]

By sending precisely coordinated pulses through the water, the National Maritime Research Institute is able to generate  pre-determined shapes out of the waves. So far, all they’ve been able to muster is primitive shapes like hearts, stars, a musical note, and the letters NMRI. Someday we hope they figure out a way to create a real life version of the water creature from The Abyss.

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If you’re interested in how they did it, here’s a technical explanation (translated from Japanese). You can check out more videos of the wild wave action here.

[via Japan Probe via DVICE]

In between farming blueberry crops, Adam Claflin of MiddleCreekMerchants makes the little Wigglebot robots (shown above) from a few bent wires for legs, a coin battery for a body, and a pair of colorful LEDs for eyes. Add to the mix a tiny little motor for a head, and the little creatures can vibrate their way across your desktop.

Adam makes a variety of unique bug-like robots, including these tiny wonders that you can control with an ordinary television remote control.

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But the pièce de résistance has to be this awesome robo-caterpillar, which squirms around the floor using six interconnected motor segments for a body.

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The basic Wigglebot sell for just $10 bucks a piece, while the IR bot is a quite a bit more involved, selling for $75 each. And the crazy robotic caterpillar will set you back a hefty $175 – but it is oh, so cool.

Adam’s buggy little robots can be found over MiddleCreekMetchant’s shops over at the Makers Market or on Etsy. Bugspray not included.

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!]

Designed by inventor Wayne Poulton of Addject, Machine PP3 glides and spins along any smooth surface while his little bug-like red eyeballs light his way. His buddy bOb is only described as “a bit more skittery” than PP3, and buzzes along to keep him company on your desktop. With no 9-volt battery, he’d not likely to be as mighty as PP3, either.

Still, with his googly eyes, and vibraty metal ball feet, what’s not to like. You couldn’t possibly separate this dynamic duo, could you?

Both Machine PP3 and bOb can be found over at UK hobby shop AntiGravity for £9.99 (appx. $14 USD) each.

Fresh from the streets of Japan, the Yorozu Audio Sound Revolution kit lets you transform just about anything into a speaker.

Simply mount the Yorozu’s vibrating sonic transducer wherever you want it, and it’ll turn the surface into a conductive sound system. While the kit includes a cardboard milk carton that you can use for starters, pretty much any piece of cardboard, a window, a plastic water bottle or even a white board will work. While the speaker’s 1-watt amplifier (2-watt peak) won’t blow anyone’s eardrums, you’re probably buying one of these for the curiosity of it, not for the volume.

I couldn’t find a video of the Yorozu in action, but I did manage to dig up this clip of an OEM version of the same technology, which shows off how it works.

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And if you don’t live in Japan, no worries. The guys over at the Japan Trend Shop have been kind enough to start shipping these around the globe for all of us to enjoy. ($89 USD).

Just place the Karlsson vibrating alarm clock (£29.99/$59 USD) under your pillow (or wherever), and it’ll hum you awake with its vibratey good sensations. During the daytime, simply put the rechargeable clock module back in its charging dock to keep the batteries charged. No more running to the shop for more Duracells!

If you keep hitting the snooze, it’ll eventually try to wake you with an audible alarm, but this is one alarm you might not want to turn off anyway. There’s even a built-in flashlight in case you happen to lose it beneath the sheets. Buzz on over to Lazybone UK and grab one for yourself or that someone special (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

PEGA’s oddly-named “Vibrating Bag” adds rumble capability to your stock PS3 controller. Now they don’t specify if the vibration actually works when the game generates its feedback signal, or if the thing just continuously rumbles. But couldn’t your tired hands use a relaxing massage anyway?

In addition to adding some unwelcome bulk to the controller, the remote receiver that plugs into the console has a huge antenna sticking out of it, messing with your PS3′s sleek good looks.

If the contraption wasn’t off-kilter enough, it also has a built-in FM radio – ’cause there’s not thing I like to do more while playing a round of Uncharted than cranking up the Boomer and the Nudge morning show.

So if you really, really can’t bear to spend the bucks on a proper PS3 DualShock Controller, head on over to DealExtreme and take your chances.

The companies today announced an agreement which will enable Sony to include vibration feedback (a.k.a. “haptic technology,”) in their products once more. Although Sony insisted that it was for technical reasons, this lawsuit is widely believed to be the reason that rumble was omitted from the PS3′s SIXAXIS controller. Now that it’s all water under the bridge, it’s definitely possible that Sony could release an upgraded controller capable of both motion-sensing AND rumble. The settlement is reported to have cost Sony at least $22.5 million in cash between now and the end of 2009.

[via Joystiq]

The Samsung SCH-W559 phone provides users with a vibration that approximates the sensation of a key click when they interact with the phone’s touchscreen. The QVGA color touchscreen display also supports handwriting recognition. The quad-band phone also features typical media phone capabilities including a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth and audio/video playback. As the phone is currently not available outside of Asia, I’m hoping this feature will find its way into some products stateside.

[via NewLaunches]