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This self-strumming guitar can shred like no other
The Circle Guitar can potentially strum the strings 32,000 times a minute.
ICYMI: VR Mars bus tour, self-assembling nanowire and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-456992{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-456992, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-456992{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-456992").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Lockheed Martin is encouraging kids to get into STEM with a Mars Experience Bus, with giant displays that look as though they're actually driving on the surface of Mars. Rice University created nanotubes that quickly self-assemble into nanowire. And Yamaha created an acoustic guitar that can store and loop back reverb and chorus sounds. We are also collectively irritated by the latest smart mattress with sensors inside, designed to catch your partner cheating, on your own mattress, when you're not at home. Ugh. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Gittler's all-titanium guitar has no neck or body, demands more than the intro to 'Stairway' (video)
"An out of this world guitar playing experience." That's what Gittler promises from its aircraft-grade titanium axem and has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund production. Based on Alan Gittler's original 1978 design, which is now housed at MoMA, it maintains the same simplified structure, coming from the mantra to strip away "all that is unnecessary and redundant." That's resulted in a guitar body that lacks both a neck and body -- although an acrylic guitar neck can be added, if needed. Guitar enthusiasts that pitch $2,000 into the Kickstarter coffer will land one of 250 "classic model" Gittlers, although they'll have to follow that up with another $1,995 payment to receive the instrument. There's no volume controls, although the makers have managed to squeeze on knobs for both bass and treble. The funding goal stands at $80,000, although it's hard to put a price on good shredding.
Griffin's StompBox available to order, virtual guitar shredding now a go
Remember that Griffin-made StompBox we showed you back in January? Well, it's finally hit the market, so you can free up those virtuoso hands and get to pedal-pounding wicked sound effects. The four button foot controller works with Frontier Design's iShred LIVE app for iOS, connecting your instrument via an included GuitarConnect cable to a 1/4-inch jack. The device is "designed to work with... a guitar, bass guitar, electric violin and keyboard," so your virtual jam band session is all but guaranteed. This musical f/x dongle is available to order now for $99.99 online, or you can just head to one of Apple's boutiques to snag it. Sadly, the effects switcher doesn't come bundled with a copycat of Slash's hat, but that shouldn't stop your credit card from indulging in this latest bout of Gear Acquisition Syndrome.
Griffin StompBox pedal board brings authenticity to iPad rocking
Users of the iShred Live iOS app (no relation to this thing) now have a pedal board to do the job of, well, a pedal board. Up until recently, the app allowed players to connect their electric guitars to an iPhone or iPad, and use said device as an amplifier, with a near endless array of pedal effects at their fingertips. Looking for a way to make the experience more authentic, Griffin teamed with the folks at Frontier Design Group to create the StompBox, which, according to Griffin's website, "effectively recreates the experience of an actual pedal board." It features four separate foot switches, which can be assigned particular effects by the user, and connects to the iPad or iPhone with a 1-meter-long dock connector cable -- guitar connection cables are sold separately. Now the future Peter Framptons of the world can scale back on setup time and concentrate on making their guitars talk.
Famicom electric guitar gives the NES Paul a run for its money
If you liked the NES Paul, you'll flip for the Family Computer Guitar, an impeccably hand-crafted working electric guitar done up in a retro-tastic Famicom style. You might take a look at the body and think, "Huh? Where'd the other controller go?" Check out the other end where you'll find the headstock, a.k.a. the other controller, cleverly placed as if it were removed from the console. Paper templates were used to ensure accuracy when shaping the controller and console parts, which were later painted and adorned with decals to yield a most authentic look. Anyone who gets to rock this axe better have a list of Famicom jams ready. (They should also give a listen to Paul Miller's Valentine's Day Gamecube smash single for inspiration.)[Via Engadget Japanese]
Tiger Electronics' Power Tour guitar rocks out with lights and sensors
While your teenage daughter might prefer something a bit more sophisticated, and your male child is probably rippin' it up right now on Guitar Hero, Hasbro's Tiger Electronics is coming out with an axe designed to let little tykes learn their favorite tunes without all the complicated (and pricey) lessons. The Power Tour electric guitar will come with 12 pre-loaded songs, and the string-free instrument will rock a bevy of sensors on the fretboard and body, which will allow youngsters to play along as they follow the light patterns with the music. Additionally, it's slated to have an aux input, allowing users to plug in any song they choose and jam along, but there's no word on whether or not that sweet pictured amp comes along in the bundle. Nevertheless, this kid-friendly guitar could actually find its way into quite a few musically-challenged adult hands as well when it lands in August for a currently undisclosed price.[Via Yahoo, thanks Adam]
