Archive for January, 2012

Pie in the sky? The canceled Eye3 robot camera.

(Credit:
Kickstarter)

Fancy having your own self-guided flying camera mount? One that could get your Canon dSLR soaring over your house and neighborhood for only $2,500?

Kickstarter fans would, so much so that they ponied up triple the $25,000 funding goal for the Eye3 hexacopter, powered by the open-source APM2 autopilot platform.

After all, flying drones, military and civilian, can record stunning footage for a lot less than the price of a helicopter camera crew.

But Kickstarter has poked its finger in the Eye3, pulling the plug on funding.

Kellie Sigler, the woman behind what was billed as “a professional quality yet affordable flying robotic camera platform,” wrote: “Kickstarter ended this project. We don’t really know why. They haven’t contacted us with any reason….or any info at all aside from that it has been canceled.”

It may have a lot to do with allegations that the Eye3 was basically fake because it’s too similar to existing products.

The vehicle was described as “a low-cost kit that practically anyone can assemble,” requiring only “basi… [Read more]

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(Credit:
Boxx Corp.)

We’ve seen electric bikes before, but we’ve never seen anything like the Boxx.

This contraption, which looks like an oversize suitcase that sprouted handles–or a MacBook Pro on wheels, if you ask me–is actually a new all-electric bike made by a Portland-based company called Boxx. Its unique design certainly makes it stand out from the crowd, but so do its eco-friendly features.

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The Boxx, is an emissions-free vehicle, can be charged using a standard household outlet system. It … [Read more]

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Alonso’s N+ew stools

(Credit:
Rodrigo Alonso)

They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and this certainly seems to be the case for Chilean artist Rodrigo Alonso.

Alonso is the mastermind behind the geeky chairs pictured above. They’re made from pieces of old tech donated by Chilean recycling company Recycla.

The graphic designer creates the stools by pouring epoxy resin into a mold filled with the e-waste; the legs are made from cast aluminum. Alonso produces the chairs in limited editions, but he also takes special orders. Since no set of e-waste is alike, each piece is original and dyes can also be added to the resin to add color.

For Alonso, the project is more than just a piece of furniture or work of art. The chairs, which are called N+ew for No More Electronic Waste, is also about recycling e-waste. Though consumer electronics companies are slowly becoming more eco-conscious and more recycling programs are being put in place, the amount of e-waste is still expected to rise exponentially by 2020, especially in developing countries.

Before you chuck your old phone or computer, check out some of these e-recycling tips or do like Alonso and get creative with your old tech. … [Read more]

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Perhaps you, like us, spent the week watching the live feed of the world’s longest lab experiment, waiting for the next drop of pitch to fall. If so, you missed out on some pretty groovy stuff. Luckily, we’ve rounded up this week’s top Crave stories for you to enjoy right here.

(Credit:
JumpFromPaper)

• Thanks to the ingenuity of two Canadian teens, Lego has boldly gone where no little plastic man has gone before.

• Do robots have souls? Find out in this recently unearthed short film by Jim Henson from 1963.

• All of a sudden, we feel like taking a trip to Helsinki’s airport.

• Now up on the ones and twos, DJ tree rings.

• … [Read more]

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No spacesuit required: The Lego man floated some 15 miles above sea level.

(Credit:
Video screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET)

Why build a Gingrichian lunar colony, which would cost billions, when you can send a man nearly into space for only $400?

That’s what Canadians Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad did with an albeit plastic man from Lego and a modified weather balloon.

The 17-year-olds from Toronto bought an $85 weather balloon online and rigged it to a Styrofoam box equipped with three point-and-shoot cameras and a wide-angle video camera.

They threw in $160 worth of helium from a party supply store, a dash of superglue, and voila, a Legonaut was born.

The toy ascended 80,000 feet over Ontario, recording the awesome footage in the video below, before floating back to Earth some 97 minutes later on a homemade nylon parachute.

It landed near Rice Lake, some 75 miles away from the soccer field where it was launched. A GPS-enabled cell phone onboard told the boys where to go.

The project took about four months of planning on Saturdays, but it wasn’t homework for the pair of 12th graders at the Agincourt Collegiate Institute.

Ho, who has dreams of being an entrepreneur, decided to try his hand at astral toy tourism after watching … [Read more]

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A pocket watch for today’s distinguished geek, and it could be yours.

(Credit:
Tokyoflash)

Do you know what time it is? That’s right, it’s that time of the week known as the Crave giveaway, and this week’s prize just happens to offer a pretty cool way of keeping pace.

Up for grabs is the Kisai Rogue Touch Pocket Watch, a modern take on the classic pocket watch. Made by Tokyoflash, it features an always-on touch display, as well as an LED backlight, and comes with a spring-hinged mineral crystal lens cover.

Though it looks like you need to understand some futuristic language to tell time, it’s actually quite simple. The outside ring features 12 blocks that represent the hour, while the minutes are marked by the 60 smaller dots just inside the ring. There’s even a second set of rings, in case you want to keep track of a different time zone, and you can rotate through the watch’s various functions (date, alarm, and so forth) using the touch display.

Normally, the Tokyoflash Kisai Rogue Touch Pocket Watch would cost you $169, but you have a chance to get this geeky accessory for free. There are some rules, though, so please take the time to read them carefully. There will be a test.

Or get yourself a snack in the kitchen.

(Credit:
Helsinki Airport)

Instead, there’s everything passengers would need to complete a modern home including a kitchen, dining room, children’s playroom, media lounge, and a home office with HP computers. And as you’d expect in Finland, there’s lots of wood, sleek design, and Eco-friendly features.

According to the airport’s Web site, the “cozy” lounge is meant… [Read more]

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Novatiq's Scorp recon robot will get some cool accessories including wire cutters.

(Credit:
Novatiq)

As machines that let first responders look at dangerous objects become increasingly common, Novatiq has started producing a throwable recon robot with the relatively low price tag of roughly $11,300.

The military-grade Scorp was announced last year with slightly different specs. At 13 inches long and 7.7 pounds, it’s compact and light enough for backpack portability.

It’s also tough enough to be thrown into buildings and dangerous areas, just like the lighter 110 FirstLook from iRobot.

The spybot can supply a 360-degree real-time video feed.

(Credit:
Novatiq)

Both machines are remote-operated, roll on treads, and have flippers that enable them to climb stairs, train tracks, and other obstacles. Both can move around for up to six hours on a battery charge.

The Scorp can roll at up to 5 mph and receive commands from its wearable controller up to a distance of 1,650 feet. If it loses touch with the signal, it will automatically backtrack until it’s reestablished.

The spybot has a tilt camera on each side, can relay real-time 360-degree video, and can be fitted with various sensors and a robotic arm. It can also carry payload… [Read more]

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(Credit:
Video screenshot by Bonnie Cha/CNET)

In 1927, Professor Thomas Parnell of the University of Queensland in Australia set out to teach his students a lesson, and that lesson is still going on today and has at least another 100 years to go.

The physics professor wanted to demonstrate to his pupils that solid material could have viscous properties, so he used tar pitch, a derivative of coal once used to waterproof boats, in an experiment to prove his point.

At room temperature, pitch appears to be solid and can even shatter if hit with a hammer, but despite its look and feel, pitch can also flow at room temperature–just really, really slowly.

To conduct the Pitch Drop Experiment, Parnell melted some pitch into a glass funnel with a sealed stem and allowed it to settle for three years. In 1930, the funnel was unsealed, clearing the way for the pitch to flow freely, but it sure did take its sweet time.

Eight years went by before the first drop of pitch hit the beaker below, and it was another nine years before the second drop hit. Parnell passed away in September 1948, but a third drop was recorded in 1954, before the Pitch Drop Experiment was stored away in a cupboard.

John Mainstone took over the project after a colleague discovered the "weird" object in a cup… [Read more]

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Can you tell what time it is?

(Credit:
Tokyoflash)

Remember those Magic Eye posters that were popular back in the ’90s? You know, the ones where you’d focus your eyes on a 2D image and then boom, out of nowhere, a 3D image would appear? Well, that’s the inspiration behind a new watch by Tokyoflash.

The Kisai Optical Illusion watch is the latest geeky accessory from Tokyoflash, and at first glance, the face of the watch just looks like a dizzying maze of lines. But of course, there’s more than meets the eye.

As with the Magic Eye images, after staring at the display for a bit, you should be able to make out the hour and minutes presented in digit form. Tokyoflash says the time will be easy to see once you’ve trained your eyes, but if that’s not the case, you can simply tap the touch screen to reveal the time.

The touch display also has four “hot zones” that you can tap to navigate though the time, date, alarm, and backlight.

The Kisai Optical Illusion is available now in your choice of silver or black and with a natural or green display. The company is currently selling the watch for $179 with free shipping as part of a launch special, but starting Friday, the price will go up to $199.

[Read more]

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