Tag: German

This robot ape from the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) could be considered a cross between a humanoid and a quadruped. Most of the time it moves around on four limbs, but it can stand up on its hind legs too.

While it seems like a simple task, teaching a robot to catch a ball that’s thrown into the air is much harder than it sounds. But it’s no problem for the DLR’s robot, Rollin’ Justin, who’s been trained to catch balls in his grippy robo-hands.

I’m amazed every time I see blind people walking around on their own using only a cane to guide them. But what if there was also a way to make the sight-impaired “see” the surrounding geography?

If you never managed to get that iPhone you wanted, or just plain love iPhones, why not get yourself the MyBrett, the cutting board that’s supposed to look like an iPhone. Actually at this size, it looks more like an iPad.

The QLOCKTWO is a gorgeous modern timepiece uses letters, not numbers to tell you the current time. Designed by Biegert & Funk, the QLOCKTWO displays text that describes the current time using statements like “IT IS NINE O’CLOCK” or “IT IS FIVE PAST TWO”.

Some of my fondest childhood memories involve doing (or more accurately, attempting to do) tricks with an old Duncan Butterfly YoYo. So when I saw these whimsical YoYo lighting fixtures, I said to myself – hey, I need one of those!

Look at these cool led lights, designed by Jörg Schieber for German company chameledeon. Minimal and elegant, they work with a remote switch and cycle through 16 different colors, so you can set the mood in your living room without having to get up from the couch.

Ok, they only cost more than a “low-end” Ferrari, say an F430 — but at $180,000 for the system, these monstrous speakers certainly aren’t for the frugal. MBL’s 101 X-treme speaker system cranks out sound using a set of four custom built towers.

If you like the idea of computer accessories made from natural materials, but thought those Oooms wooden memory sticks were a bit too rustic, check out these refined beauties. Handcrafted in Germany by Thalbach Design, each wooden USB flash drive is made from quality hardwoods and delicately sanded to a smooth finish.

Remember those puzzles that had tiny steel balls that you had to try to get into little holes? Here’s a series of watches out of Germany that remind me of those favorites from my childhood. The Abacus series of watches has no hands at all.

Nintendo modder MisterXausDE crafted this custom Nintendo Wii case which features bright LEDs that can change colors. By combining a standard Wii shell with a see-through XCM Hot Rock case, he was able to preserve the main design features of the Wii, while adding a cutout Wii logo and a color-cycling disc slot loading mechanism.

I’ve written about some out of this world speaker designs in my time, but never anything quite like these speakers from Germany’s MBL. Their 101 E Radialstrahler Reference speakers offer a striking sculptural design that makes them look more like something you’d see at a power plant than something that would crank out world-class audio.

I really like the simple colorful design of these compact music systems from Germany’s Sonoro Audio. The Sonoro Cubo is a compact, all-in-one sound system, complete with FM radio, CD player and auxiliary input for your portable media player.

This strange looking speaker features two tubular audio pods which can be adjusted into a variety of positions, letting you aim the sound where you want it. The makers of the B-Speech Twiddle claim their unique tubular shafts ensure optimum sound delivery wherever you aim the speakers.

I’m not sure what to make of the industrial design of this funky wireless speaker from German electronics maker Grundig. To me it looks sort of like some kind of vacuum cleaner or other household appliance, but the Grundig PSW5000 is actually an outdoor wireless sound system.

Don’t let the decidedly old school design of this car radio fool you. Beneath its surface, the Becker Mexico 7948 radio is loaded with modern technology. While it might look like a radio from the 60’s or 70’s, the Becker Mexico has a plethora of tricks up its sleeve.