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Walmart tests shelf-scanning robots in 50-plus stores
You may have seen stores deploy shelf-scanning robots before, but they're about to get one of their largest real-world tests to date. Walmart is expanding a shelf-scanning robot trial run to 50 additional stores, including some in its home state of Arkansas. Machines from Bossa Nova Robotics will roam the aisles to check for stock levels, pricing and misplaced items, saving human staffers the hassle of checking everything themselves. There will be technicians on-site just in case, but the bots are fully autonomous. Thanks in part to 3D imaging, they can dodge around obstacles and make notes to return later if their path is completely blocked.
Robot watches store shelves so you don't leave empty-handed
Few things are more annoying while shopping than finding out that a store hasn't bothered to stock what you want... assuming you know to look for it in the first place. A robot may just come to your rescue, though. Simbe Robotics is launching an autonomous robot, Tally, that scans store shelves and lets workers know when goods are running out or misplaced. Shops no longer have to make a human trudge through the aisles -- they only have to send someone out when supplies are low. Tally can work during normal business hours, and it even has a Roomba-like charging dock so that it can top itself up in mid-shift.
Finite Elemente's Hohrizontal 51 iPod / iPhone dock is its own shelf
The world needs another iPod / iPhone dock like it needs another billion gallons of oil floating around in the Atlantic, but there's something eerily seductive about Finite Elemente's latest piece. The Hohrizontal 51 is no average dock, and in our estimation, it's a design element first and Apple accessory second. Designed to be wall mounted and hold up to 55 pounds, this stunning shelf integrates an iPod / iPhone dock into itself, and the inbuilt speakers / video outputs make it even more functional. There's plenty of space for a bedroom-sized HDTV, and if you're careful, maybe even an iMac. Too bad the $660 MSRP all but eliminates the hope of you ever springing for one, but hey, if you ever needed encouragement to sharpen your carpentry skills, you needn't look further than the source link below.
BackPack shelf for your iMac proves there are always more places to store clutter
Call us crazy (our parents sure have), but we think this thing is awesome in a "this can't be a real item for sale" kind of way. TwelveSouth's "Mac exclusive" BackPack shelf attaches to the back of iMac and Apple Cinema Displays, providing a place for your Mac mini, hard drive -- or your Dr. Beverly Crusher figurine. They run $29.99, or you can get a six-pack for $150. Yes, a six-pack.[Via Gizmodo]
A BackPack for your iMac or Cinema Display
iMac or Cinema Display owners with limited desktop space have a new way of keeping Time Machine hard disks, USB hubs, and other space hogs off the desk and out of the way. Twelve South, a Mac-only accessory design house located in Charleston, South Carolina, has just introduced the BackPack (US$29.99 or US$149.99 for six), a small adjustable shelf that uses friction and gravity to stay in place on the aluminum arm that holds up the body of the iMac and Cinema Display. BackPacks adjust to the width of the arm, so you can install two of them if desired. While most Mac users will probably opt for hiding a hard disk, Twelve South shows BackPacks being used to display action figures and hold a flower vase (water in the vase is not recommended). My personal favorite in the BackPack gallery is a Mac mini perched behind a Cinema Display. BackPack is a clever and well-designed product, and is available either at Apple Stores or through the Twelve South website.
Genius soundshelf concept keeps speakers out of corners
You know the deal -- unless you buy some $50,000 loudspeaker, chances are you'll be doing your best to hide those front towers in the corner. Designers Witek Stefaniak and Anielka Zdanowicz from Poland have a better idea, and it has come to life (or to render, anyway) as the soundshelf. Put simply, these speakers have hollowed out innards where DVD / Blu-ray racks can be installed, giving them dual purpose in life. Imaginative souls could even envision a bookshelf or a rack for components, all ideas which sound infinitely better than just draping a shroud over the thing and pretending it's not there. Commercialization, please?[Via CyberTheater]
Tetris goes 3D, but better than Welltris
The best thing about this homemade Tetris shelf unit? You don't have to build it out of whatever pieces randomly fall out of the sky. The second best thing? It holds your stuff. Well, not your stuff-- not until you decide to follow the tutorial on Instructables and build your own set.We love gamer crafts to death, but they usually aren't functional. These shelves not only look like things that are in a video game, they also can be used for doing things.The first person to build a shelf set based on a layout from Mode B of Game Boy Tetris wins 1,000 DS Fanboy points. (Offer only applies to players who do not hurt themselves with tools while building shelves. Also, points will not be awarded.) Oh, and sorry if we offended any Welltris fans. [Via Siliconera]
Game stand provides a Wii bit of harmony
Tired of dark, dour DVD/game shelves looming over the sparkling purity of your Wii? This Wii-themed stand may be the answer you've been looking for. The white mini-tower holds twelve game, but is stackable, so that as you acquire more Wii games, you can just add another shelf. Genius! Now we just need to find someone in Japan who will ship a few over ... or we could just start painting shelves around the house. Hmm ....
RFID-enabled smart shelves heading into stores?
What could be more frightening than an uninvited shopping cart following you around with the Jaws theme song looping in your head? How about RFID-enabled shelves that peer into every decision you do (or don't) make while shopping for gifts, gadgets, or everyday necessities? Japanese outfits DNP, Tana-X, and SEARS (not to be confused with Sears), are developing an intelligent shelving system that tracks information on the amount of folks who pondered a purchase, how many tossed it in their carts, which items attracted little to no attention, and essentially anything else regarding the popularity (or lack thereof) of a stocked item. Information is also gathered on the kinds of products individuals purchase together (i.e. a PSP and a UMD in the same trip), and strategically located "POP" machines conveniently give detailed descriptions about scanned items to customers, while sneakily collecting data of its own for those oh-so-clever marketers behind the scenes. While we aren't sure which nations are targeted for primary testing in December, you should probably pack some RFID-zapping heat when perusing through the aisles this holiday season if this tin-hat-donner has you in a tizzy like it does us.[Via Textually]
Shiira v2 beta released
Remember that Shiira v2 beta preview that delusions of grandeur had at the end of July? Well instead of simply reading about it, now you can take your own copy for a spin, as a public, localized beta has been released. Shiira, if you haven't been following the coverage as of late, is an open source and uniquely feature-packed browser based on WebKit, the same web (and also open source) rendering engine that powers Apple's own Safari. Most of the new features that were previewed seem to be implemented, including the Shelf, Tab Exposé, a tab thumbnails option (instead of standard tabs found in Safari and Firefox), FullScreen Mode with a really slick and self-hiding navigation overlay, a palette replacement for the sidebar and more. When this first landed on digg, the download was only a PowerPC build, but it has since been replaced with a true Universal version. So what are you waiting for? Get downloading!
Design student crafts "Illume" LED display shelf
Need a way to spruce up the house, but don't quite have the coin for your very own talking mirror? Chris Owens, a design student at North Carolina State University, has crafted the perfect conversation piece using a common household item and LED lighting. While this was engineered for an assignment, the Illume LED display shelf has all the makings of a retail hit. The wall-mounted shelf has three platters which seem fairly typical -- until you place an object on them. Then each section illuminates as LED lights below are triggered by weight on the touch-sensitive panels, which makes putting things away -- especially glass or semi-transparent objects -- a bit more entertaining than usual. While an estimated price and release date is unknown, it seems safe to say that Chris has a bright future ahead of him (ahem), and if LED-infused furniture suits your fancy be sure to check out the Illume in action. [Via TechEBlog]
JVC's EX-A10 with "sake-soaked" wood cone speakers
Mmmm sake, nectar of the gods; if it wasn't for our interns being constantly embalmed in the stuff we might have seen the merits of slathering it onto our speaker cones -- no, really. In an apparent moment of clarity, JVC has seen fit to do just that with their new compact EX-A10 "home theater" system with unique "sake-soaked" wood cone speakers. It seems that after 20 years of trying, it was a deep tub of sake which finally enabled JVC to press acoustically-rich birch into speaker cones without splitting the wood. Besides the organic goodness, this desktop mini-system features JVC's K2 and CC Convertor technologies found in their top-end AC receivers which are said to improve sound quality for both CDs and compressed MP3 and WMA files and of course, an AM/FM tuner and alarm clock like any self-respecting shelf-system should. Now, don't get too hung up with all that "home theater" talk. Sure, it plays DVD video (and audio) discs, but the EX-A10 only manages two-channel decoding of Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound signals. It does, however, offer analog and optical audio inputs and component, S-Video, and composite outs for TV hook-up. Available now for a gimmicky-rich $1000 bills.
