BaseballBat
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Adidas' RBZ baseball bat can boost your swing speed and power
There are plenty of gadgets out there to help you improve your baseball skills, including motion-sensing connected sensors. But Adidas wants to take that to a whole different level, for recreational players and college-level athletes alike. Meet the EQT X3 RBZ, a bat designed to increase the speed and power behind a player's swing. To make that possible, the sporting goods company is relying on materials like carbon composite and precise weight distribution throughout the bat, while a new EQT grip tape control aims to provide a tighter fit in players' hands. For being a baseball bat, the EQT X3 is as sleek as it gets -- and it would probably look great next to your Nike Vapor 360 glove. Adidas is launching the RocketBallz bat tomorrow for $400, in celebration of this year's College World Series.
iRobot's DARPA-funded mechanical hand can take a beating, lift 50 pounds
Most companies might think twice about inflicting blunt force trauma upon their carefully crafted prototypes, but most companies just don't love baseball the way iRobot does. While developing a mechanical hand for DARPA's Autonomous Robotic Manipulation program, iRobot took a metal baseball bat to its three-fingered prototype. No need to cringe, though -- the artificial appendage came away virtually unscathed. The hand's durability comes from its flexible feelers, fingers molded from soft polymers with embedded tactile sensors. Rather than bending at metallic joints, these digits are pulled tight by inexpensive cables made from fishing line -- not only can they take a beating, but should one snap, they're easy to replace. The soft fingers can pick up small objects, such as keys or credit cards and can hold about 50 pounds before slipping up. The hand's current iteration is in use on a DARPA test robot, but you can see the prototype take its licks in the video after the break.
PS3 violence spreads to Hawaii
A bat-wielding SUV driver allegedly attacked two brothers in Big Island, Hawaii for their PlayStation 3 on Saturday. According to KPUA News, the attacker stepped out of the car and hit one of the brothers with the bat before being disarmed by the other brother and fleeing the scene. Frankly, we're getting a little tired of having to report on the continuing violence and theft surrounding the PS3. We understand there was a lot of hype surrounding the launch and the system's high price makes it attractive to thieves, but you would-be criminals should know that the system's after-market value isn't what it once was. Oh yeah, and crime doesn't pay. [Via PS3Center]
