Awesome Case Mod

This case mod (origin unknown, likely Russian) is like an AtomPunk Norman Rockwell, or the Barbie geek dream house.  I love the little LED lamp, the cozy looking couch and chair, the little touches of home. I think that rug is one of those mouse pads.

I’d love to come up with a case mod, but I’ve got a case curse. As soon as I put a case on a computer, it breaks and I have to take it apart and fix it again. My microchips live wild and free.

The Human Body Used as a Conduit for Data

The ALPS device pictured above creates a modulated electric field capable of traveling through the human body, using it like a wire. They have it set up to transfer a photo from the unit, through your body, and into a handheld device.

It has obvious potential for things like having your cellphone pick up data from things you touch, ID cards, and in implanted devices.

(Via CrunchGear)

Glowing Liqour Pour Spout

This LED lit pour spout for your liquor is more than just a flashlight on top of a bottle. It uses the same physics as a fiber optic cable. The total internal reflection of the light in a fluid with a higher refractive index than air will keep the light inside of the liquor lighting up the curving stream and the liquid in the cup rather than lighting up the table. They make a great gift for anyone with a bar. Chances are they don’t already have one, and they are cheap enough that you can afford to give away a bottle of liquor with it. Video of a green one below:

Spoof Art | M. C. Escher Hands

CrunchGear had an unusually short and sweet caption on this photo, and I must admit, I don’t think I can improve upon it:

“Give a robot repairs, and it will operate for a day. Teach it to repair itself, and it will touch off a Robocalypse.”

The combination in machines of the dexterity for self assembly and the intelligence for self improvement will undoubtedly herald some very interesting and fast paced times. As apocalypses go, I can think of worse.

Segway Unicycle

If the Segway is so great at balancing itself, then why does it need two wheels?

This is the Enicycle, a Segway-like unicycle built by Aleksander Polutnik, a guy who couldn’t ride a real unicycle. There is some good design here, like the steering mechanism of leaning to pivot the wheel and shocks to keep the ride smooth, but I’m skeptical about the unicycle-like stance. That stance half way between standing and kneeling hardly seems natural. Here it is in action:

(Via Geekologie)

I’ve had the pleasure of racing on an off-road Segway, and I think they are a great concept with plenty of room left for innovation.

Related Post:

Cajun Crawler, the Segway with legs

Biomutualisms

I’m not sure the term is going to catch on, being a bit too attached to the biological, but Robert Full uses the term biomutualism to describe the way multiple disciplines working on related projects can create design inspiration greater than the sum of its parts. He explains it in the above Ted Talk by way of an example in his own studies on gecko adhesives, and how his cooperation with other disciplines is resulting in breakthroughs in materials sciences, biology, and robotics.

There is some great footage here of new discoveries relating to tails and how animals use them for everything from self-righting to guided flight. A must watch for anyone designing robots.

SteamPunk Computer Mods

The above SteamPunk computer casemod was commissioned as a giveaway for a new computer game. Jake of all Trades did a great job of it. I’vc seen quite a few SteamPunk computer cases go by recently, but this was the best. I wonder if it is water cooled?

Update: The above SteamPunk Flash Drive was a one of a kind piece.  I hope this inspires a wave of flash drives.

Update: Click the above mechanical flash drive to see its construction.

There’s even a company that makes steampunk skins for phones and Kindles.

I’ll update this post, and keep an eye on my Steampunk and Atompunk tags.

Go DiscoBot!

Here we have some video of the Australian 2009 hexapod dance off. There were some great conteders this year. I was rooting for the discobot all the way! It has some smooth moves, and a great outfit for a dance droid. Alas, the competition was won by the bot with the hat and cigarette. What message does this send to the little bots out there? They are all going to end up with intake vent cancer.

There Is No Fate But What We Make For Ourselves

Don’t fear the future. Technology all through the ages has brought both good things and bad, but most of us wouldn’t give up our electricity, or the motor just because of the losses along the way. Those societies which have survived and thrived haven’t done so by avoiding progress. The same can be said for fields like genetics and robotics. These fields will progress. It is our choice whether we guide their path, or some place like China does, but either way, technology is advancing, and it is doing so faster than any time in history. The changing face of war is hopefully leading us away from mutually assured destruction. The more intelligent machines get, the more the human condition improves, not in every way, but in general. In the above video, Jon Stewart speaks with P.W. Singer about our rapid move towards a robotic military. Below, Singers more in depth talk at TED. 

How to Levitate Objects With Your Mind (open Thread)

A few things I took note of recently:

Upon going through my logs, I was amused note how highly I ranked for the search term “how to levitate objects with your mind”. I’ve never written about any such thing, but it reminded me of a couple of recent products. For all of you aspiring psichokinetics out there, here are a few tools to help with your brain exercises:

• Neural impulse actuators are an emerging technology which begins to the gap between electronics and the mind. The first consumer versions are geared towards games, but can be hacked to do other things.  is a new (out soon) video game controller headset that reads brain waves in order to perform game functions. It isn’t going to replace your old controller in the short term, but may be handy for things like switching weapons and function keys. If I were severely handicapped, I would be filled with a lot of hope by these devices. I bet Stephen Hawking  would dominate with this (get well soon man).
• The Mind Flex (made by Mattell) Is a new game with a sensor that reads your brain waves and uses them to control a fan that flies a ball around an obstacle course. I’m not sure how much this gives you for those ‘real’ telekinesis skills, but it looks like a good party game after a few drinks. You can find the the Mind Flex on amazon.
• The Force Trainer works along the same lines, levitating a ping pong ball in a tube.
• On the levitation front, we have already posted the FunFlyStick, and the Levitating Coaster, which can levitate objects up to two pounds.

On another note:
RealView3D is a 3D scanner. Just place your object on the turntable, and the scanner will spin it and scan.

Rubik’s pepper mill.

This guy built an awesome mousetrap out of delicately balanced kitchen items and a strobe shutter camera to capture the whole escapade on film. Cute pictures.

Is someone always one step ahead of me? I plotted here to build a portable pathway out of moss to follow me around, but this guy did it.

Please consider this to be an open post as well. Feel free to post a link to your blog, throw up a link to something you think should be featured on this site, or talk about what is on your mind. All comments will be moderated, so don’t be spammy.

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