Gadgets, Gizmos, and Games for Geeks

Because what Trekkie doesn’t need Star Trek-themed dinnerware, Toynk is selling this officially licensed Original Series Enterprise NCC-1701 8-piece ceramic dinnerware set. Made by Ukonic, the set includes four plates resembling the Enterprise’s saucer section and four bowls printed with the ship’s NC-1701 designation.

Because why should anywhere be safe from killer robots of the future, researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have gone and developed MARVEL, a quadruped robot with magnetic feet it can use to climb metal walls.

Crafted in the shape of a Jawa Sandcrawler, this massive 64-oz tiki punch bowl from Geeki Tikis is just the vessel to get the Mos Eisley cantina rockin’. Available from Toynk, the set also includes a 2-oz Jawa mini mug for individual sipping and is sure to be a hit at your next Star Wars-themed tiki party.

Constructed by brilliant engineer Shane Wighton of Stuff Made Here, Jigzilla is a jigsaw puzzle assembling robot that uses machine learning to determine which pieces fit together and where. In the video, Jigzilla tackles a custom 4,000-piece all-white jigsaw puzzle made by Shane and manages to complete the whole thing except for the very last row.

A perfect stocking stuffer or White Elephant gift, the Bookie Cushion from Fred is a small whoopie cushion designed to be squeezed between the pages of a book. Obviously, it’s most appropriate for books like Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind or Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury.

Speedfolding, the name given to a pair of industrial robotic arms coupled with a ‘machine vision’ neural network called BiManual Manipulation Network (BiMaMa-Net), can fold up to 30 to 40 garments an hour. The robot, developed by researchers at UC Berkeley’s AUTOLAB, can pick up a garment laid before it in any random position and proceed to fold it in about a minute or two.

Aliens: they are among us. And when they’re not busy infiltrating our society wearing convincing human costumes, they’re up in their UFOs abducting cows with their tractor beams. And here to commemorate one of their favorite pastimes is this UFO Cow Abduction desk lamp/night light.

Constructed and sold by Etsy shop BlessingsConcrete, this concrete Millennium Falcon coffee table features a top-down silhouette of everybody’s favorite smuggling spaceship. I mean, unless you have a different favorite smuggling spaceship, although I wouldn’t share that opinion with Han Solo or Chewbacca if I were you.

UK print studio Dorothy reimagined a bunch of influential video games in the style of an oversized stamp sheet, with each game displayed in a minimalist abstract style along with the year it was released. The artwork celebrates 50 years of gaming and features a lot of the most celebrated games of the past half-century.

Felt artist Lucy Sparrow went and constructed an entire McDonald’s restaurant out of felt, complete with a menu board, food items, a drink machine, seating, and wall art. Wow. Would I try to eat the fries?

Designed and built by computer hardware manufacturer Cooler Master, the Orb X is an immersive gaming pod designed with luxury and comfort in mind. It kind of reminds me of Darth Vader’s meditation chamber, but with less wondering what the heck he does in there for hours at a time.

Because records were made to be broken, Mark Rober recently constructed the world’s longest Hot Wheels track in his new CrunchLabs warehouse. The track measures over a half-mile long and utilizes a series of switchbacks and boosters to achieve the record-setting length in a warehouse that isn’t anywhere close to a half-mile long.

Because nothing quite says Merry Christmas like meat-flavored candy canes (wait, that can’t be right), Archie McPhee has added yet another unusual flavor to its line of unusual candy canes, this time with brisket-flavored sugar sticks.

Does a traditional Christmas tree just not fit in with your design motif? Already have everything exactly where you want it and simply can’t spare any room for some bulky Christmas spirit? Well, the brand Aqestyerly has you (and your wall) covered with this minimalist wall-hanging Christmas tree (affiliate link).

Because things stopped making sense a long time ago, Microsoft is selling official Xbox Mini Controller Hoodies, so your gaming controllers don’t get cold when they’re not in your sweaty palms. They’re making them in black and white, but the first pre-order already sold out, so clearly, people want these.

Because who hasn’t dreamed of crocheting their own little Jedi army to take on the Empire, AlwaysFits is selling this Star Wars Crochet Kit. The kit includes everything you need to make your own Yoda and R2-D2, along with instructions to make more characters; you’ll just need to buy the yarn and eyeballs.