That’s right. No nuclear fuel rods here, just good old fashioned fast feet on a wheel. This odd looking contraption called the HPS Hamstar was actually created out of an 3-liter soda bottle, with a hamster cage grafted into the middle of it. The whole thing is air-tight, so it doesn’t leak. In case you’re worried about hammie expiring from lack of oxygen – don’t. The HPS Hamstar has air hoses running into it to keep him breathing and happy. As happy as an underwater hamster in a wheel can be, that is. Here’s a video of the Hamstar’s maiden voyage, in case you don’t believe this ridiculous story:

If you’re interested in seeing how the HPS Hamstar was built, you can check out the project website here.

[via Obvious Winner via Geekologie]

The cylinder has got rotating sections, allowing users to adjust each of the settings of the camera. Instead of having buttons all over the place, this simplified  interface makes it easy to find the right setting and to change it without getting lost in a bunch of menus.

It makes you wonder if we’ll see something like this on cameras pretty soon. From what I’ve seen, the trend has been to remove all buttons and go for a touchscreen interface, but I still think physical buttons are needed for key functions you want to operate without having to look at the screen.

[via designboom]

The moving contraption gets around using a pair of motor-driven wheel rings, which surround a central seat for its driver. Because of this design, the seating compartment can move independently from the wheels. Top speed for EDWARD is about 25MPH, and its two-wheel design allows for it to spin on a dime. It also has a sophisticated control and vertical stabilization functionality that ensures the passenger stays parallel to the ground when activated. The driver can even drive upside-down (assuming they’re buckled in tightly.) Or as the creators put it EDWARD includes “inbuilt dynamic lateral stability and slosh control to prevent ‘gerbiling’ or tumbling in aggressive braking or acceleration maneuvers”. And we all know how important it is to prevent “gerbiling.” Yeesh.

But enough tech talk. Be sure to check out the video clip below to see the EDWARD in action. It sure looks like fun to drive, although it might induce just the slightest touch of nausea with all that rocking and spinning action when slosh control is deactivated.

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Upside-down driving, FTW!

[via Fancy]

The wheel will work on the Xbox 360, PC, and PS3 game consoles and will connect to the Xbox with no wires. It needs a USB cable for the PC and PS3. The wheel has the Porsche crest on the center and has paddle shifters behind the wheel. The pedal set you see here is apparently optional.

The buttons on the wheel glow to change between Xbox and PS3 modes. You can connect the wheel to a table using the clamps that are included. Along with the pedal set a gear shifter and stand are optional. The wheel alone is $249.95. The wheel and the pedals is $499.95. Both can be found over at Fanatec’s web shop. I wonder if they are that much better than the Logitech G25 or G27.

As I got older, and racing games got better I started to use racing wheels for my driving game fetish. I typically play with a crazy expensive Logitech racing wheel with its own shifter, clutch, and force feedback and it’s fantastic. The problem is finding a place to attach the thing since the coffee table is too low and using the wheel in my lap is not good.

Thrustmaster has unveiled a new wireless racing rig called the Ferrari Wireless GT cockpit 430 Scuderia Edition. Basically, it’s a racing wheel on an articulating, weighted frame – with pedals in the base. You can adjust the fame for kids and adults to enjoy. The thing uses wireless connectivity for the PC and the PS3, which makes it extra handy. The wheel is modeled after the real wheel from the 430 Scuderia car.

The downside here are the lack of a gated shifter, clutch pedal, and force feedback. Man, if it had all those things it would be perfect. The cockpit will sell for about $270 (USD).

The Wheel Driver concept was created by Japanese designer Yuji Fujimura. The interesting thing is that the driver is seated inside the wheel, kind of like General Grievous’ vehicle in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

It would be pretty amazing to see a bunch of these single-wheeled motorcycles on the roads someday.

[via DVice]

But wait, there’s more! With your iPhone’s Bluetooth you can connect to the wheels sensors with an iPhone app. The App will tell you your speed, direction, and distance traveled and will pull data from the Internet to inform you of traffic conditions, and even the smog levels around you. That’s a big plus if your already an avid biker and like to keep track of your daily trips.

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The Copenhagen Wheel is currently expected to be available some time next year with an estimated price range of $500 and $1,000 (USD).

[via Cnet]

The Cool Rider isn’t quite as schmancy as a Segway, but it still looks like a fun way to get around. The vehicle features a powerful single-wheel drive system that can pull you along the streets at a zippy clip.

The battery-powered motor can hit a top speed of 12 mph, and can run for about an hour per charge. The battery pack is removable too, and plugs into any wall outlet. The other unique thing about the Cool Rider is that you can detach the standing sled from the back and just use it to pull you on your skates or rollerblades.

While the $1250 (USD) retail price isn’t exactly pocket change, the Cool Rider does sell for about 1/4 the price of a Segway. Sold? Then head on over to Opulent Items and plunk down your credit card. While you mull it over, why not watch this Cool Rider video clip…

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Gotcha.

BTW, Did you notice that none of the people in the photos are wearing a helmet or knee pads? I don’t know about you, but the whole thing looks just a little bit dangerous to me.  I’d have to bet these things aren’t street-legal anywhere around here.

[via 7Gadgets]

The sit-down electric YikeBike tops out at 20km/hr (appx. 12 MPH). An electric chainless drive powers the bike up to 10 kilometers (appx. 6 miles) on a quick 30 minute charge. While that’s not a ton of range, it’s certainly enough for most urban commuters to get to and from work. It’s also great for short haul travel from public transportation sites like trains and buses.

And thanks to an innovative lightweight folding carbon composite frame, you can carry the YikeBike up to your office during the day for a recharge (and to protect it from theft on the street). The whole thing weighs just 9.8 kg (appx. 21 lbs.) which means it won’t break your back carrying it around either.

If you can get past the annoying song in this commercial, the YikeBike actually looks pretty cool…

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Here’s a better (and far less irritating) video that shows off the YikeBike being put through its paces on a variety of challenging terrains. It’s surprisingly agile, given its unassuming looks.

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Expect the YikeBike to start shipping sometime in 2010. Final pricing hasn’t been set yet, but it’s likely to run between €3500 and €3900 (appx. $5180 to $5772 USD). You can reserve one now with a €100 (appx. $148 USD) deposit here.

Murata’s Seiko-chan (Murata Girl) self-balancing unicycle robot first came onto the scene back in 2008, but has recently been upgraded so it can tool along 3 times faster than the original. An ultrasonic sensor and camera help Seiko keep on the straight and narrow, avoiding obstacles along the way.

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Seiko-chan can now turn on a 2-centimeter radius, and can even balance itself on a narrow balance beam (I’d love to see her make her way along a tightrope someday).

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If you happen to be attending the CEATEC show in Japan from October 6th through 10th, you’ll be able to see Seiko-chan up close and personal. Other than getting bloggers like me to write about them, I can’t think of too many practical uses for a balancing unicycle ‘bot, can you?

[via Robonable via Plastic Pals]

MonkeyLectric’s Monkey Lights snap onto the spokes of your bicycle and provide an amazing, colorful light show as you pedal through the streets at night.

You’ll have no problem being seen in the dark with a couple of these strapped to your wheels. Although you might end up causing an accident as drivers are mesmerized by the trippy kaleidoscopic patterns.

Each MonkeyLight is a self-contained circuit with 32 super-bright full color LEDs, and comes pre-programmed with thousands of dazzling lighting effects and patterns. Plus, MonkeyLectric offers a full schematic and instructions for installing your own applications, in case you want to hack in your own designs.

Just tie-wrap a Monkey Light board to each of your bike’s wheels, pop in 3 AA batteries, choose your lighting patterns, and watch it go as your wheels turn. The faster your tires spin, the cooler the effect.

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You can grab the Monkey Lights for $64.99 (USD) per wheel over at the MonkeyLectric store.

Designed by Ron Arad and Frances Pellisari for Austria’s Viteo, the Freewheeler produces high quality stereo sound indoors or out. The speaker measures in at about 22.8″ tall x 9.8″ wide, making it just about the same diameter as the tires on a Mazda MX-5 Miata (and about 2x as thick).

Just roll the Freewheeler around your house, and it’ll play your tunes remotely. Simply plug your audio source into the included transmitter, and a built-in FM receiver and rechargeable battery pack lets you wheel the mobile sound system up to 656 feet (200m) away from the base station.

A pair of coaxial speakers mounted inside the lacquered wood enclosure provide true stereo sound. Frequency response is 52 – 21,000 Hz, with a maximum output SPL of 112 dB. A single charge of the battery should give you about 8 hours of play time.

It all sounds really cool, no? Well here comes the bad part… The Freewheeler must be created solely for the uber wealthy. I’m hoping this price is a typo, but according to retailer MadeInDesign, the speaker sells for over $21,000 (USD), making it just about as expensive as that Miata I mentioned earlier, complete with four tires and a spare.

Orbitwheels move sort of like inline skates, but a wheel rotates around your feet, instead of under them. The large donut-shaped wheel whirls around sideways, letting you do all sorts of crazy tricks and spins with relative ease.

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Unlike Rollerblades or skates, you just step into the Orbitwheels, so you don’t need to tie any laces or fasten any buckles to get going. Of course with any sporting good that has you hurdling down the sidewalk willy-nilly, protective pads and a helmet are a probably a good idea unless you plan on breaking some bones.

Orbitwheels are available for pre-order now from NewDaVincis for $159.99 a pair.

The Lip Mystic displays time using three concentric circular discs, the outermost one containing hours, the middle one showing minutes, and the inner one indicating seconds. As the wheels turn, they align behind a metal window which highlights the current time. Now I see where Seiko got their inspiration for their recent Discus watch.

The Mystic features a stainless case with a Swiss quartz movement and a leather band. The case design of the watch is actually based on an original 1970s design, revamped using modern components and manufacturing techniques. You can find the Mystic over on Watchismo for $299, in several different case and band colors.

Whether you’re just a hot shot and want to show off your moves, or you’re sick of taking a face plant on the curb when skating in the dark, the LED skateboards are sure to draw attention. Depending on the model, you’ll get anywhere from 29 to 54 bright LEDs embedded into the wood deck.

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The boards are fabricated out of Canadian 7-ply hard-rock maple, and include grip tape and a thin lithium ion rechargeable batter mounted under a protective plate on the bottom of the board.

Photon sells Light Boards either as a standalone deck, or as a complete skateboard with trucks and wheels. Prices range from $110 for a deck to $200 for a fully-outfitted skateboard.

[via Geekologie]

Unlike some of the more cryptic modern watches coming out of Japan these days, the Seiko Discus is actually quite easy to read. A set of three numbered discs continuously rotate to display hours, minutes and seconds. The wheels are are partially masked by a frosted glass face with a clear glass window highlighting the current time. If you can’t figure that out, a tiny pair of green arrows on the glass make it even more obvious what time it is.

The Discus is part of Seiko’s Moving Image series, a line of automatic timepieces with decidedly contemporary styling. It’s available in two versions: one with a stainless body and white face, and another with a black metal body and a smoked glass face.

While the Discus is not officially for sale in North America, I was able to find a couple over on eBay, priced at about $890 each.

The liquid cooled SLI-Machine Wheel PC is loaded into an 18-inch wheel from a Porsche Cayenne, then wrapped up in a Bridgestone Dueler H/P radial tire to round things out.

An intense green neon backlighting system gives the computer a bright glow as soon as the lights go out.

The system was sponsored by nVidia to show off their SLI video performance platform. Now all they have to do is make a networked set of four of these and bolt them on to my car. Then I’ll really be driving in style.

[via GizmoWatch]

The Lampex Lex module screws onto the spokes of your bicycle, and produces rapidly flashing sequences of LEDs to display your messages. The device connects to your computer’s USB port, and can be programmed in English, Japanese or Chinese characters using the included message creation software. It’s even waterproof, so you don’t have to worry about wet roads damaging it. You can see a video clip of the Lex in action here (and no, I have no idea what the deal is with the guy in the horse head at the end of the video).

The Lex module is available for pre-order from Japan’s Digital Cowboy for ¥3980 (appx. $35 USD).

Developed by Hirose-Fukushima Robotics Lab, the Roller-Walker robot walks like an insect when in walking mode, but then can transform itself into a rolling, wheel ‘bot when it’s instructed to. You’ve definitely got to watch the video clip to get the full effect – it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen a robot do.

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I’m assuming that this dual approach allows the robot to deal with more challenging terrain when in walking mode, then move around more quickly on flat land in wheel mode. It’s all very cool stuff indeed.

[via Robots.Net]

A recent filing by Microsoft reveals a new model number “WRW02″ for the racing controller (the original version was model number “WRW01.”) The latest controller has it’s been listed with the FCC as “New Equipment,” which is a designation usually reserved for entirely new products, not just minor revisions to current ones. For comparison, here’s the original FCC submission from 2006.

The strange thing is that the photos taken for the FCC testing of the new version (right image) looks virtually identical to the current wheel (left image.) Can you see any difference? I sure can’t.

It’s possible that the revision is just “under the hood,” and could be anything from improvements in the force feedback motors, to the wireless connectivity, to some other circuit changes.

If you do find yourself in the market for one of these wheels, you might want to wait a few weeks, and see if the new version starts showing up on store shelves.