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Spin will test scooters with remote parking capabilities this spring
Spin will start testing 300 e-scooters that feature remote parking capabilities this spring in Boise, Idaho before bringing the tech to other markets in North America and Europe.
Cleopatra the tortoise gets a 3D-printed shell
Please don't jump on Cleopatra if you meet her. She isn't a real life red-shelled Koopa Troopa -- she's just wearing a 3D-printed prosthesis. See, Cleo the tortoise suffers from pyramiding, which means her shell has thick, pyramid-like growths due to poor nutrition. It also has holes and broken parts that could be injured and infected, especially since tortoises socialize and mate by climbing on top of each other. That's why Roger Henry, a student from Colorado Technical University, designed a 3D-printed shell for Cleo.
It's 'art' -- tortoises with back-mounted iPads
Only in Aspen, Colorado -- where many of the residents have much more money than common sense -- would you find this work of "art". It's three African Spurred Tortoises -- Big Bertha, Gracie Pink Star, and Whale Wanderer -- with iPads on their backs. A special mount holds two iPads on each tortoise's back, and the animals then wander aimlessly around the roof garden of the Aspen Art Museum displaying videos of the ghost towns of Colorado. Yep, that's art. The "artwork" by New York-based artist Cai Guo-Qiang titled "Moving Ghost Town" is part of the grand opening of the US$45 million museum, and it's not without controversy. Animal rights activists have started a petition on Change.org titled "Take the iPads Off the Tortoises", arguing that the tortoises are sensitive to the weight of the iPads. Fast Company art writer Carey Dunne apparently didn't notice that there are two iPads on each tortoise, saying in defense of the "artist" that "iPads ... don't weigh two pounds." Sure they do, when there are two of 'em stuck in a mount epoxied to the top of a tortoise. As of this morning, the Change.org petition was nearing 3,600 signatures, so apparently there are a lot of folks who think that Cai's artwork is not just stupid, but cruel as well. You can read more about the controversial exhibit in the Fast Company post linked to in the first paragraph or read comments from Lisbeth Oden of The Turtle Conservancy who was responsible for starting the petition.
Kondo aims lower down the food chain with cute turtle robot kit (video)
Kondo's bipedal robots have always filled us with a sense of awe, whether they're duking it out in the arena or practicing touchscreen moves. However, we'd never quite seen a Kondo bot that we'd classify as cute until this robot turtle came along. The Kame Robotto is apparently the first in the Kondo Animal series, and it's honestly a pretty simple kit -- nine servos, a tiny board and a 10.8V, 300mAh NiMH battery pack , plus software and a simple frame. That said, it's pretty amazing how tightly these off-the-shelf components come together to create a scuttling, waving little thing, and we dare you to watch the video after the break without feeling the slightest twinge of compassion for the bot. RT Robot Shop wants ¥39,900 (about $450) for the creature, which is reportedly limited to 100 pieces -- if you happen to live in Japan, get your preorder (for July 15) in at the source link.
Sea Turtle gets new idle animation in patch 3.1.2
Patch 3.1.2 has added another entry into our list of things that are completely freaking adorable today. We didn't notice this on the PTR for some reason (likely because everyone was busy playing premades that lacked turtles) but jumping in place on a Sea Turtle does something really quite cool. Your turtle hides in his shell.The video embedded above comes from reader Enaress. There's not much more to say about it except that it's crazy awesome. Anyone who disagrees has no heart. Fact. YouTube frame is green to celebrate the turtleosity of the video.
MMORTS Saga registration keys on offer
Gamershell has been given 25,000 registration keys for the upcoming MMORTS Saga, continuing the trend started by FileFront earlier this year. If you're not quite ready to take on another beta, familiarize yourself with Saga by checking out the trailer and repeat to yourself "Giant war tortoise" until the launch hits.With currently two MMORTS titles on the horizon, which has you more interested, Saga or Atlantica? Can two such games exist in the possibly overcrowded MMO market, or is there room for only so much innovation in the realm of gameplay? All these questions and more soon to be answered in the approaching months!
Crabfu strikes again with Tortoise RC bot
While they may be lacking in technical prowess, Crabfu bots never are lacking in charm, and this here remote controlled Tortoise bot charmed our very pants off. Video is after to the break, but be sure to be on your guard for Tortoise bot's war of attrition with an indifferent kitty -- you may just end up trouserless, and we can't be held responsible. Hrm, that didn't come out right.[Via technabob]
