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Latest Gear Live Videos
Wear Your Tunes
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech, Music, Portable Audio / Video, Transportation,
Imagine earning your B.A. degree just by creating a prototype. That is almost what German designer Joonas Saaranen did by combining music with mobility. His Reppo II is a hardshell backpack that would be great on camping trips, bicycling, and even exercising. Inside are speakers and an amplifier. It took him about 8 months to build and his focus group seemed to think he had a dynamic idea. We do, too and hope he moves it along to reality.
Read More 
| ubergizmo
Gallery: Wear Your Tunes
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JVC Releases Active Speakers
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, Design, Misc. Tech, Music,
JVC has unveiled its new series of Active Speakers. The SP-A440 was built with 2 sets of 1.3-inch drivers for what should be excellent and simplified surround sound. Stands are included for turning the speakers into different positions and angles. At a size of 61.5 x 63.0 x 61.5 mm and a weight of 163g, they are available in black, red, silver and white, and come with an AC adapter, and input and connecting cords for $79.99.
Read More | AudioCubes
Gallery: JVC Releases Active Speakers
Belkin Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, USB, Design, PC / Laptop,
The new Belkin Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger seems to be all the rage across the Internets over the past couple of days. After checking it out, we think it’s with good reason. After traveling to events like CES and SXSW, we know how much power outlets and USB chargers are a commodity. Belkin solves a bit of that here by providing a surge protector that offers three power ports alongside two USB charging ports. Very clever, as we know that we have been left charging devices - that support USB charging - using the AC adaptor. Good job there. It also frees up the USB ports on your laptop when you are on the go, which we know is particularly important if you are toting around a MacBook Air.
You can pick one of these up for $25 from Belkin’s product store.
Read More | Belkin
Gallery: Belkin Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger
Why settle for a simple Scooba to wash your floors when you can get a ReadyBot to clean your entire kitchen? The prototype loads your dishwasher, cleans up the mess on your counter, and even takes care of leftovers. Created by a group of engineers from Silicon Valley, the team hopes to have them on the market in approximately two years. They also say that being made of commonly available parts, the bot will be affordable for us common folk. We say, “Sign us up.”
Read More | ReadyBot
Gallery: ReadyBot Does Dishes
Boomerang to Launch With Endeavor
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech, Science, Transportation,
Can a boomerang work in space? That’s precisely what astronaut Takao Doi will find out when Endeavor takes off March 11. Doi is bringing two paper ones created by Yasuhiro Togai, a champ at the sport and space fanatic who taught him how to throw them. Although he believes they will not return, he wondered how they would react without gravity in the ISS. One is 13cm and the other is 20cm. It will be interesting to see if they are tested at the same time as the paper airplane we told you about a couple of months ago.
Read More | Pink Tentacle
Gallery: Boomerang to Launch With Endeavor
You will some day be able to find your lost car keys with only your PC. University of Tokyo researchers have come up with Memory Goggles. They can recognize and organize visual information of objects after a certain amount of training. They also have an LCD screen built-in so that you can double check the item. The glasses need the aid of a computer tied to the user’s back, which the scientists say will become smaller in time. The team is also hoping that the goggles will be capable of processing information in future robotics.
Read More | neoseeker
Gallery: Goggles Remember for You
If you can’t seem to compete on Flickr, you might want to check out Facecloud’s beta. The site welcomes both amateur and pro photographers. You can upload family photos, artsy stuff, or your cat staring into your camera. To kick off the site, they are sponsoring a Spring Photo Contest. Prizes are in real cash: $100.00 for first place, $50.00 for second, and $30.00 for the third place winner. Upload your images through March 31 and they will be judged on the basis of merit and member comments.
(Thanks, David)
Read More | Facecloud
Gallery: Facecloud Welcomes All Photo Bugs
Robot Gymnast is Super-Coordinated
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech, Science, Videos,
This automated gymnastic bot is more talented than most humans we know. Earlier studies showed that walking robots needed pressure sensors on the soles of their feet. Take this a step farther and this one features a layer of urethane foam which have been embedded with LEDs and photodiodes. When the light disperses in the foam it is detected by those diodes. All we know is that the robot is incredibly impressive as it goes through its acrobatic routine.
Read More | BotJunkie
Gallery: Robot Gymnast is Super-Coordinated
If you really want to wow the neighbors, add a Tempest Gas Torch to your porch or patio. The effect is somewhat magical, for the flame inside the ceramic glass spirals around instead of simply flaring up. Recommended for mounting anywhere outside, Travis Industries is hoping that everyone will want their own Tempest. We dig the cleverness of the design and want to know what it will do with/to marshmallows. Contact them for price and availability.
Read More | Travis Industries
Gallery: Gas Torch Flames in Spirals
It looks like SOTAB 1 isn’t the only bot that will soon be attacking oil spills. Designer Ji-hoon Kim’s OSP robots may look like Roombas but love the water. Each has a computer system that plans and controls its motions, a GPS system and radio antenna to communicate with its fellow modules, boom connectors for hooking up to others, a solar panel to collect energy, and an inflatable boom that rolls out for protection. With their small size, they can be moved quickly to the site by boat or helicopter. We hope this is one prototype that becomes real before the next large oil spill.
Read More | Yanko
