Engadget

HTC Evo's battery deflects a bullet, earns 'Life Saver' badge (video)

Vlad Savov — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 15:10:00 EST

We knew the HTC EVO 4G was a pretty super phone, but we didn't know it was an actual superhero. A nightclub valet in Atlanta was recently the victim of two disgruntled patrons' wrath, falling in the middle of a five-shot bullet volley, but luckily for him, he had his EVO in his chest pocket. While the phone's glass shattered on impact, its battery did not and absorbed much of the impact of the one bullet intent on ridding him from this mortal coil. The fortunate chap is still with us, uninjured but stupefied by the event, and he promises he'll never buy another brand's phone again. See the video report after the break.

Continue reading HTC Evo's battery deflects a bullet, earns 'Life Saver' badge (video)

HTC Evo's battery deflects a bullet, earns 'Life Saver' badge (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visualized: high speed photography at mega low shutter speed produces stunning images

Laura June — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:01:00 EST

The high speed photographs of Lex Augusteijn are taken at a shutter speed of 1/10th of a second. The above image makes a bullet appear shockingly beautiful. Augusteijn controlled the flash, camera, and the gun with his laptop. Hit the source for more photos.

Visualized: high speed photography at mega low shutter speed produces stunning images originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry stops bullet, at last proves itself useful beyond BBM

Paul Miller — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:21:00 EST

We kid, we kid. There are many excellent reasons to choose a BlackBerry as your main handset in the year 2010, but we've got a brand new item to add to the list: bullet stoppage. A woman in Ohio was sitting with her gun-handling boyfriend at a restaurant when the gun went off and hit her leg. Lucky for the both of them, the BlackBerry in her pocket intercepted the bullet -- rather sufficiently, though to the considerable demise of the handset. It seems as if it was helped along by a neoprene case of some sort, but it's still pretty impressive for such a point blank attack. Love is a battlefield, folks.

[Thanks, Tommy G.]

BlackBerry stops bullet, at last proves itself useful beyond BBM originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Movie Gadget Friday: Runaway

Ariel Waldman — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:08:00 EST

Ariel Waldman contributes Movie Gadget Friday, where she highlights the lovable and lame gadgets from the world of cinema.

Previously on Movie Gadget Friday, we tapped into the near dystopian future of fear in Brazil. Keeping on that 1980's near-future vibe (but with a slightly more sentient twist), this week we check out Michael Crichton's Runaway, starring Tom Selleck, Gene Simmons, Cynthia Rhodes and Kirstie Alley. Filled with circuitry and hardwired chips, the movie reinforces wholesome family values by featuring warranty voids as the gateway hack to murder.

Leaping Insect Robot

Measuring in around the size of a human head, these six-legged, spider-like, autonomous robots are mechanical in movement but shockingly precise in killing prey. The autonomous insects have the ability to propel themselves up to seven feet in the air, allowing for attacks on unsuspecting victims. Dual-functioning, the legs are able to crawl and grasp a multitude of surfaces, albeit awkwardly and rather slowly. After programming targets into a mainframe, the robots are able to identify and kill victims by injecting them with acid via a probe before short circuiting and eventually exploding into a ball of flames. Sadly, the robots lack any sort of remote control, making human errors in target-programming unable to be edited.

Continue reading Movie Gadget Friday: Runaway

Filed under: Robots

Movie Gadget Friday: Runaway originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IBM patents bullet dodging bionic armor

Ross Miller — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:24:00 EST

Your science fiction fantasy may be coming a reality, if IBM has anything to say about it. The company was recently granted a patent for bionic body armor, originally filed last March, that's intended to bestow the wearer the power to dodge bullets. The device works by constantly emitting electromagnetic waves that bounce off any fast-moving projectiles, and it uses the data to calculate risky trajectories. If the object in question is determined to be a threat, muscle stimulators activate and cause the wearer's body to contort in such way to avoid being hit. It works under the idea that a sniper typically fires from a distance, given the armor time to detect the oncoming bullet and react accordingly. Check out an image of from IBM's filing after the break. Here's hoping it can detect lasers, too.

[Via The Firearm Blog; thanks, Chris!]

Continue reading IBM patents bullet dodging bionic armor

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wearables

IBM patents bullet dodging bionic armor originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Vissumo touchscreen takes 9mm bullets like a champ

Darren Murph — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 03:07:00 EST

It's not often that even rugged gadgets can withstand the force of a flying bullet, but whatever Vissumo has baked into its unique touchscreen technology, well, can. In Vissumo's Test Video #99, a firearm wielding employee unloads a few 9mm rounds into the panel (exciting, we know), and then he proceeds to prove that the touch functionality it started with is still there. We're not sure what it says about your choice of living location if you can think of just how helpful this would be in your everyday life, but regardless of all that, you simply have to see the vid after the break. Go on, give it a look.

Continue reading Video: Vissumo touchscreen takes 9mm bullets like a champ

Filed under: Displays

Video: Vissumo touchscreen takes 9mm bullets like a champ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 03:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RAZR stops a bullet, its owner reports "feeling lucky, punk."

Joseph L. Flatley — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:17:00 EST

New Orleans resident Ronald Richard was mowing the lawn when he felt a hard object hit him in the chest -- precisely where he'd been keeping his pink Swarovski-encrusted (just kidding) RAZR. It was only after Richard took off his sweater that he discovered the .45-caliber slug and realized that the phone had literally taken a bullet for him. According to paramedics, the angle of the bullet and the modest stopping power of the cellphone were all that stood between the man and serious injury or even death. Instead, this lucky gent got away with little more than a fairly significant bruise and an excuse to pick up that Aura he's been coveting.

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola

RAZR stops a bullet, its owner reports "feeling lucky, punk." originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RAZR stops a bullet, its owner reports "feeling lucky, punk."

Joseph L. Flatley — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:17:00 EST

Filed under: Cellphones

RAZR stops a bullet, its owner reports "feeling lucky, punk." originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP iPod not as heroic as previously believed

Darren Murph — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 10:40:00 EST

This certainly won't go down as the first (or last) time that a shocking photograph and antsy storytellers blow an event out of proportion, but the HP iPod that reportedly saved the life of Kevin Garrad of the 3rd Infantry Division was actually nothing more than a battle scar. Kevin's body armor is actually the unsung hero, as he didn't even know he was shot until he fished around for his Pod and found a mangled piece of white / chrome kit instead. He did mention that he missed having his tunes on tap for the battlefield rituals, and certainly didn't mind it lessening the blow of a bullet to his armor, but it looks like Apple (or should that be HP?) will have to remove this now-nullified crowning achievement from the trophy case.

[Via The Raw Feed]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Portable Audio

HP iPod not as heroic as previously believed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Apr 2007 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MacBook Pro takes bullet like a champ

Jeannie Choe — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 16:23:00 EST

We're not exactly sure what Apple's impact test procedures are for MacBook Pros, but a bullet in the side makes quite the statement. A mugging victim in Brazil avoided a trip to the ER thanks to his trusty bodyguard, a seemingly bulletproof MBP. According to the image holder (who isn't the victim or MBP owner), the lappy continues to function, although it isn't clear to what extent. Obviously, popping caps to to the top, bottom, or not-so-centered spot on the side might result in a less a heroic outcome, not to mention a busted machine. As far as brawn goes, MBP ain't no Toughbook, but at least it took one for the team.

[Via Random Findings]

Filed under: Laptops

MacBook Pro takes bullet like a champ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Feb 2007 16:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US Air Force getting Matrix-style camera to see bullets in slo-mo

Darren Murph — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 08:16:00 EST

Apparently, the US military forces have hired some seriously good R&D help, as we've seen the Navy's 8-Megajoule railgun, the Army's war-tested iRobots, and now the Air Force has something of their own to boast about. Nova Sensors of Solvang, California has designed the Variable Acuity Superpixel Technology (VAST) system, which is reportedly capable of tracking "anything slower than a bullet," but the shifty part is that this camera can home in on speeding shells as well, hopefully lending a hand in protecting soldiers in the years to come. The machine focuses on heat bursts emitted in the infrared range by moving bullets in order to detect an incoming projectile; ideally, it would be connected to "active armor" that could move, expand, or otherwise protect an individual or a entire platoon if a stray (or purposeful) bullet was headed their way. The system includes software that "mimics the fovea in human and animal eyes," and essentially provides high-resolution focal points of the incoming shells while making everything else low-resolution in order to showcase what's really ~~important~~ life-threatening. While we're fairly certain these guys won't be coming out with a commercial rendition suitable to block those laser-guided office missiles that nail you in the kneecap every morning, be sure to click on through for a short demonstration of VAST in action.

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Misc. Gadgets

US Air Force getting Matrix-style camera to see bullets in slo-mo originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Feb 2007 08:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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USB AirSoft turret mows down unsuspecting office mates

Darren Murph — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 12:15:00 EST

Where else but the good ole US of A would we revel in crafting items that not only utilized that oh-so-lonely USB port on the rear of your leased laptop, but had the potential to "deliver welts" to unsuspecting co-workers? While the pre-packaged USB missile launchers are quite the novel desk adornment, this DIY job seriously brings the heat (and the pain). While the modder responsible here envisions a more robust, costly, and dangerous version in the future, his 1.0 edition features a $19 electronic AirSoft gun, the turret base from an aforementioned USB missile launcher, super glue, and the usual compliment of assembly tools. After disassembling the launcher and tapping into its base, a bit of fancy wire work is required to affix the more powerful AirSoft gun to the rotating turret. A few more screws and finagling, and you're all set to demolish the fun at your annual holiday bash, all for just around $70 and a few hours of your time. So if you couldn't handle boot camp, but still have a passion for mechanical sentries, be sure to hit the read link for the full skinny.

[Via HackADay]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

USB AirSoft turret mows down unsuspecting office mates originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Dec 2006 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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