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Video: Microsoft's Future really does make your computer a big-ass table

by Thomas Ricker posted May 14th 2009 at 2:19AM

The problem with most so-called "homes of the future" is that they come off looking like a theme-park vision of the space age (read: the 1970s). The Microsoft Home, however, manages to piece together a realistic vision of our homes on a 5 to 10 year horizon -- a timeline just long enough to allow the nascent technologies of today to go mainstream. As such, it's no surprise to find dwellers interacting with the environment through gestures and voice to control interactive cooking surfaces in the kitchen and the digital wall paper in the kids' room. More prophetic perhaps, the promise that "one day your computer will be a big-ass table" appears to be coming true in the dining room. Take the tour in video form after the break.

Continue reading Video: Microsoft's Future really does make your computer a big-ass table

CMU researchers control microbots with mini magnets

by Darren Murph posted May 7th 2009 at 6:52PM

Pardon the alliteration, but we're excited about the proposition here. For years -- millenniums, even -- scientists have been trying to figure out how to manipulate minuscule devices with magnets, and at long last, we've got a breakthrough in the field. Metin Sitti, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, is credited with creating a new control technique that could allow microscopic machines to "one day deliver drugs directly to a sickly cell or a tumor." Essentially, the diminutive bots glide across a glass surface covered with a grid of metal electrodes, and you're just a click away (it's the Read link, just so you know) from seeing a live demonstration on how they can be used to "anchor one or more microbots while allowing others to continue to move freely around the surface." Good times.

SLAP Widgets add movable, tactile controls to your surface computer

by Ross Miller posted Apr 9th 2009 at 6:44AM

Looking to have the best of both worlds in terms of virtual and physical interfacing, Media Computing Group's developed the Silicon Illuminated Active Peripherals (SLAP) which, as the name suggests, consists of tangible widgets that can be placed anywhere on a surface computer and used for context-specific controls. Examples used are an Optimus-esque keyboard, a slider similar to those found on audio boards, and a knob for video editing. It's a clever approach, sure, but here's hoping future implementations will be able to include a sharper, higher resolution screen. Kindly direct yourself to the links below for video demonstration.

[Via Core77]

Read - Project website
Read - Video presentation

Brauswitch gives you eyebrow control, that Karate Kid look

by Darren Murph posted Feb 26th 2009 at 1:29PM

Forget controlling things with your mind, hands or feet -- how's about your completely underutilized eyebrows? Without any real output in mind, one Robert Carlsen designed the Brauswtich to give wearers the ability to control any number of things with just an eyebrow raise. Fully endorsed by The Rock, this apparatus contains a digital switch that can be activated when an eyebrow movement forces the tiny slit shut. Details behind the magic have yet to be revealed, but you can bet you'll see these infiltrating the likes of Spencer's Gifts, Hot Topic and Loose Lucy's when it's good and ready. Naturally, a demo video is after the break.

[Via MAKE]

Continue reading Brauswitch gives you eyebrow control, that Karate Kid look

Ferrari's Scuderia Spider 16M to integrate customized iPod touch

by Darren Murph posted Nov 10th 2008 at 2:28AM

We've already seen one luxury car concept utilize an iPhone for displaying automotive information as well as managing the entertainment end of things, but the photo you see above isn't just conceptual. In fact, Ferrari will build 499 of its ultra-limited Scuderia Spider 16Ms, and for those who choose, it can be outfitted with an iPod touch dock right in the center of the dashboard. The 16GB touch will feature Ferrari themes, images and sounds, and of course, fortunate buyers can remove the PMP after having it parked in the garage. There's no word yet on how pricey the iPod touch upgrade is nor how expensive the whip itself will be, but the standard iteration of the car rings up at $277,000. You know, just so you have a frame of reference.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Robodance enables Wiimote control of your WowWee Rovio

by Darren Murph posted Oct 14th 2008 at 9:22PM

Ah, Robodance -- how would we entertain ourselves without you? Just under a year ago, the software enabled robot lovers everywhere to control their i-SOBOT with an everyday Wiimote. Now, the same ability has been handed down for WowWee's Rovio. You heard right, the latest, baddest robotic sentry on the block can now be dictated with your Nintendo Wii controller, and you can even customize your own button assignments to suit your fancy. Hop on past the break for the demonstration vid.

[Via Hacked Gadgets]

Continue reading Robodance enables Wiimote control of your WowWee Rovio

Native iPhone app controls Packbot via WiFi, delivers streaming POV video

by Joshua Topolsky posted Jun 20th 2008 at 11:07AM

Sure, you love your iPhone, but did you ever feel like there was just one application missing from the home screen... besides MMS, IM, or a video recorder? If you're like us, that missing application was a full-featured Packbot control program replete with streaming POV video and a standalone, direct WiFi connection that doesn't require a proxy machine to pass along commands. Rodrigo Guiterrez and Jeff Craighead -- the brains behind this operation -- claim that next up they plan to utilize the phone's accelerometers and a fullscreen video display to deliver a "you are there" experience for bot-steering. Engadget and its team of armed Packbots can hardly wait. Check the video after the break to see it in action.

Continue reading Native iPhone app controls Packbot via WiFi, delivers streaming POV video

Microsoft adds twist to handhelds with force-sensing technology

by Darren Murph posted Apr 19th 2008 at 3:42PM

Surely you're not content with just multi-touch and built-in accelerometers, right? Microsoft Research is expecting not, as it's already working towards integrating force-sensing technology that will enable gestures to twist on-screen imagery without crafting UMPCs out of flexible material. Essentially, the gurus behind the idea feel that implementing said tech would "turn an otherwise passive component that just holds the device together into an active input surface." In the future, it's likely that auditory cues would enable users to know when they've applied enough pressure to cause a change, and of course, they expect it to work hand-in-hand with existing human-computer interfaces. Yeah, who needs keypads these days, anyway? [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via BBC, thanks Joe]

DS-controlled robot works six different ways

by Joshua Topolsky posted Feb 4th 2008 at 8:52PM

Sure, we've seen DS bots before, but some youngsters in France have taken the whole control issue to the "next level." Apparently, six engineering students decided to pull a fast one on a Pekee Robot (an open, modular, Roomba-like bot) which was collecting dust, and mainline DS controls into its tiny brain. The end result is a multi-use control rig based entirely on Nintendo's portable console, offering wireless command of the bot with the D-pad, touchscreen, motion sensors, and stylus strokes, as well as a target mode modeled after Super Mario 64 DS, and voice commands via the system's mic. You can watch the video after the break to see the little guy in action, but you might want to avert your gaze when he becomes self-aware, determines humans are inefficient, and goes on a kill-crazy rampage.

[Via DS Fanboy]

Continue reading DS-controlled robot works six different ways

DIY'er makes a pet access control system

by Joshua Topolsky posted Sep 5th 2007 at 12:11PM

If you're looking for a way to get your pups eating what you want, when you want, you might want to check into one DIY'ers clever solution for an RFID feeding scheme. The trouble all began when a gentleman named Mike Larsen needed to feed one of his dogs a special diet even though food had to be out constantly for his canines -- thus making that goal quite difficult to achieve. After discovering no commercial products to suit his needs (likely due to an apparent patent-hoarder), he decided to put his own solution together, using some RFID key fobs, a small proximity card access kit, a Radio Shack AC adapter, some loud buzzers... and a little bit of elbow grease. The system works by essentially "scaring" the special-diet-dog away from the food by the use of a loud buzzing sound, which isn't subtle, but certainly effective. Check the video after the break to see the system in action.

[Via Make]

Continue reading DIY'er makes a pet access control system

JWin's iPod bikini top sports wireless controls

by Darren Murph posted Aug 14th 2007 at 11:12AM

Although wearables that control your iPod are far from new, Korean-based JWin is hoping to lure in the beach goers by developing an iPod-friendly bikini top. Reportedly, the tops come with the play / pause, track, and volume controls sewn right in and communicate with a wireless dongle that you insert into your iPod. Interestingly, it's not stated whether the tops (and more importantly, the electronics) are waterproof, but we're sure those addicted to tanning won't mind either way.

Gesture-based television control developed

by Joshua Topolsky posted Jul 15th 2007 at 8:31PM

Seemingly taking a step backward for even the terminally lazy, a team of scientists have unveiled a gesture-based control system for your television which uses only its own system of hand signals. Similar to a previous concept developed by MIT, the system works by monitoring the "movements" of a slothful couch surfer, and then reacts to a set of seven hand motions such as clenching your fist ("start"), thumbs-up ("up"), and a sideways peace-sign ("channel"). The researchers say the software can also distinguish between actual "TV gestures" and the movement of pets or small children. In related news, a similar device is also in development which allows its user to control almost all features of your television and associated equipment using a single thumb, although those involved in development are unsure they'll find a market for this "remote," as it were.

[Via The Raw Feed]

DLO's HomeDock Music Remote mimics your iPod screen

by Darren Murph posted May 16th 2007 at 10:09PM

Gone are the days where you sat impatiently in another room flipping through endless tracks just waiting to hear the lead-in from Forever Young, as even DLO is joining the LCD-equipped remote game with the HomeDock Music Remote. Similar to the KeySpan, EWOO, and Popalive iterations, this RF remote dons a sleek OLED display (shown after the jump) that mimics the menus and text on your iPod's screen so that you can flip through playlists, scroll through albums, and see what's currently playing all without having your eyes glued to your Apple. The device also comes with a docking stand that can connect to your home stereo or TV, and doubles as a charging station when plugged into an AC outlet. Still, you'd have to be mighty lazy or incredibly burdened with disposable income to make this one worth it, as DLO's charging a stiff $129.99 for the kit.

Continue reading DLO's HomeDock Music Remote mimics your iPod screen

RemoteLinc wirelessly controls everything in your crib

by Darren Murph posted May 5th 2007 at 12:41PM

While it must be nice to own a home that's completely controlled by your voice, a clap, or a simple remote, getting this stuff up and running isn't always easy, and the INSTEON-compatible RemoteLinc doesn't seen to make things any less complicated. Sure, controlling your garage door, fireplace, kitchen appliances, home theater components, and six or so lighting schemes throughout the house may sound novel, but considering the extras required to make it happen with the RemoteLinc, you may want to look elsewhere for your home automation needs. The control only dictates items that are first connected to an RF-capable AccessPoint, which acts as a bridge between the item and the RemoteLinc, but hooking up a multitude of devices can get quite pricey when buying a SwitchLinc, LampLinc, or ApplianceLinc for every single unit. Still, it does boast of "Plug and Tap" ease when setting things up, and the remote itself will only set you back $49.99, but we'd be well aware of the necessary add-ons you'll need to make the magic happen before diving on in.

[Via CNET]

USB fish bowl: placeshift feeding, settings -- but not your love

by Darren Murph posted May 2nd 2007 at 5:26PM

As if crafting a glitzy fish bowl in the shape of an anchor wasn't enough to catch your eye, the Comfish bowl sports the same type of user-controlled interface as various other forms of life-in-a-box, but utilizes a USB connection in favor of WiFi. The tank manages to pull off the same kind of magic as the Wi-Aquarium, as the built-in USB port allows owners to supply power to the filter and control internal conditions such as bubble production and water temperature. Interestingly, the device also seems to sport an integrated camera, which purportedly allows the owner to watch the action on screen instead of having to wheel around and actually face your ferocious fish. The Comfish bowl looks to come in a variety of colors and shapes, so just in case the 49,000KRW ($52) pricetag hasn't reeled you in just yet, be sure to check out a few more pictures of the tank / interface after the break.

[Via AVing]

Continue reading USB fish bowl: placeshift feeding, settings -- but not your love