Cybernetic Human Robot – the real iRobot
Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology has showcased its most spectacular robot at the Digital Contents Expo in Tokyo today, the “cybernetic human” HRP-4C. The humanoid can’t move her legs, but the way she moves her arms, head and facial muscles is unbelievably human-like. The following video shows her acting:
Samsung 3.3mm thick 40″ LCD TV
If you want your one-time TV hanging experience to be as smooth as possible or if you have a habit of bolting down fire escapes in the middle of the night, then Samsung’s recently-unveiled 3.3 millimeter thick 40-inch LED TV might be right up your alley.
There’s not a whole lot of info other than that the TV contains a 40-inch, 120Hz panel, a total thickness of just 3.3 millimeters, and a contrast ratio of 5000:1 – pricing and availability (and weight) are unknown, although Akihabara reports that Samsung is looking to get the TV on the market as soon as possible.
[via Akihabara]
The BlackBerry Wristwatch
Real, and available to pre-order. The BlackBerry wristwatch is finally available! Created by Allerta, the watch, officially named the inPulse smartwatch for BlackBerry, will set you back $150 when it’s released in February, 2010.
What does this watch do? Lots! Its primary raison d’etre is to alert you of incoming BlackBerry messages—calls, texts, BBMs, calendar events, etc.—when your BlackBerry proper is, say, hidden in your pants pocket buried under a pile of car keys, chewing gum, quarters and dimes and pennies, pens, and a bunch of bottle caps.
It has a 1.3-inch OLED display, like the Zune HD , with a battery that’s rated to last around four days—plenty of time for you to get back to your home base and charge her up (via USB) again.
[ Article Source : CrunchGear ]
Ultra Smooth Titanium Mouse
Showcased at Dutch Design Week 2009, the “ID Mouse” from the house of Intelligent-design is a Bluetooth mouse for all who demand perfection at their fingertips. Finished in hand-formed grade 1 titanium and high-quality plastic (resin), the wireless mouse integrates a 3-button neodymium scroll wheel for smooth and brisk scrolling on the web. Compatible with Window XP/Vista/7 and Mac OS X, the sleek mouse runs on two AAA batteries and allows laser tracking. Ideal for both left and right handed users, the ID Mouse can be obtained in white and black color for about $1,200.
[ Article Source : the Design Blog ]
Light Vase – Illuminating n’est ce pas?
Flat Lighting
Korean based Designer DMO has created a series of lights within a cool almost 2D lighting piece. The LED lights are housed within the structure itself giving off a pleasant and clean glow. Minimalistic in it’s very nature, their new lines of products were showcased at 100% Design last month.
Working like a Machine? Kahn empathises.
The Body Machines below is based on a poster by the artist Fritz Kahn from 1927. After a hard day at work I couldn’t help but relate to the subject who revealed all for this picture. Kahn cleverly depicts the nervous system as a complex electronic signalling system, complete with buttons, charts and busy workers. Fritz Kahn’s books and illustrations explored the inner machinery of the human body, using metaphors of modern industrial life. Kahn turned the brain into a complex factory with light projectors, conveyor belts, secretaries and cinema screens; he showed the journeys of blood cells as locomotives encircling the globe; and he compared bones to modern building materials such as reinforced concrete.
[ Article Source : LikeCool ]
Goldplated Staples
These 14 Karat Goldplated Staples by Studio OOOMS are the perfect addition to any lavish stationary cupboard. Intended primarily as a form of jewelry, these luxury pieces can be applied to clothing (or just about anything) with the help of your average stapler. Of course you can also impress your boss by turning in your next report decked out in gold. He will feel you, but may not be so happy when you return your expenses form.
[ Image Source : LikeCool ]
Sony’s Vision for 3 Dimensional Displays
Sony is demoing a Stereoscopic 3D display at the Digital Contents Expo that takes place in Tokyo right now. Two of the 360 stereoscopic displays were displayed to the general public, and the tech is pretty impressive. Whilst the specs aren’t that great (96×128 resolution, 24-bit color palette), this is just a first prototype.
Here’s how Sony thinks we one day could use the display:
[ Article Source : CrunchGear ]
World’s First Bendy eBook – for Flexible Reading
Tire maker Bridgestone isn’t the first company that comes to mind when thinking about electronic paper, but the company has been experimenting in this field for quite some time now. Today, Bridgestone claimed that it has developed the world’s first flexible e-book reader [JP]. The device, pictured, uses electronic paper (instead of, say, an LCD) and will display the content on the screen even after you turn it off.
Bridgestone says the prototype has a 10.7-inch-screen, is just 5.8mm thick (Kindle 2: 9.1mm) and can display color pages. The device can be bent to some extent since the circuit board and the electronic paper are flexible. First tests with end consumers will begin in spring of next year, but Bridgestone already said it doesn’t plan to commercialize the e-book reader at this point.
Bridgestone sees furthur uses for its digital paper – as prototyped below:
[ Article Source : CrunchGear ]