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Play Whac-A-Mole on these weather-predicting smart ceramics
Most consumer IoT devices we've come across are made out of dull plastic, so excuse us for getting a bit excited over these porcelain smart mugs and vases at IDF in Shenzhen. Yes, porcelain, courtesy of Chinese ODM Thread Technology who's integrated Intel's tiny Edison computer module into these white ware pieces. And thanks to the translucent nature of the ceramic material, the company's able to add a simple 12 x 16-dot LED touchscreen underneath the inner wall. Once turned on, you can scroll through features such as weather forecast, music (either from a phone via Bluetooth or from the 4GB of onboard storage; built-in speaker), WeChat notification (voice playback and reply supported), dice and even a simple Whac-A-Mole game. Both devices have a conductive charging mat as well.
Shapeways glass vase: 3D printing at its finest
Who says pottery will never be trumped? As 3D printing becomes an increasingly viable solution to producing -- well, just about anything -- Shapeways has introduced a glass vase that would look just lovely on your mum's kitchen table. Oh, in case you missed the whole "putting two and two together bit," this is a glass vase created with a 3D printer. Traditionally, 3D printers haven't delved into the world of glass, but it's clear from this that it's not only possible, but a great material to use when looking to craft stupendously detailed gear. The colors you see were added after the fact, so in theory, you could get one in any color you so desire. Too bad a price point isn't readily available...
Pixel casting machine creates pixelated vases for our pixelated flowers
We're going to give it to you straight: if we had the room for this beast, we'd totally kill for one. It's a pixel casting machine, meaning that it creates beautiful, pixelated ceramics -- like the ones you made in grade school, only way, way more awesome. Hit up the source link for creator Julian Bond's website where you can see many more photos.
ECS stuffs Atom, ION and Blu-ray into a vase for all the right reasons
This is really more of what we'd expect out of some slightly deranged basement hacker, not a company like ECS at a major tradeshow, but we'll take any entrants in the burgeoning "nettop in a vase" space we can get. To be serious for a moment, this is actually a pretty interesting illustration of the future afforded by small, low-power components: ECS has stuffed a full Intel Atom 230 system, including NVIDA ION graphics, 1GB of RAM, a 2.5-inch HDD and a Blu-ray drive into what looks like a family heirloom. There's even room for a couple USB ports, Ethernet and HDMI plugs on the bottom, which keeps the main body uninterrupted other than the tray-loading drive. Basically, we're floored.
