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Scattered Shots: Why certain pet families are so popular
Scattered Shots is for Hunters. David Bowers is caught in a Freezing Trap this week, so Daniel Whitcomb -- who did not set the trap, he swears to the Light -- is substituting for him. You hear it pretty much all the time if you've ever slightly dipped into the world of Hunters. If you want to play in the big leagues, conventional wisdom says you're pretty much stuck with a select handful of pet types (also known as pet families): Ravagers, Cats, and Raptors for PvE, Scorpids for PvP. But do you know why those pet families are so desired? What it really comes down to is Hunter roles and abilities.
COM-BAT swoops in to gather data on reconnaissance missions
The University of Michigan's COM-BAT most definitely isn't the first mechanical animal to get its inspirations from the bat, but it's probably the best equipped to play a vital role in modern day warfare. A select group of Wolverines have been blessed with a $10 million grant from the US Army in order to concoct a "six-inch robotic spy plane modeled after a bat [that] would gather data from sights, sounds and smells in urban combat zones and transmit information back to a soldier in real time." Purportedly, the critter will eventually boast a bevy of sensors, miniature microphones and detectors for picking up nuclear radiation and poisonous gases. Even more interesting, creators are hoping to implement "energy scavenging," which would enable the bat to stay charged from wind / solar energy along with vibrations and "other sources." So much for being nocturnal, eh?[Via UberGizmo]
Wii Warm Up: Wiimote accessories
Fishing rods, tennis rackets, baseball bats, guns -- a year from now, you'll probably be able to transform your Wii remote into a car and zoom around your living room. But are any of the shells and add-ons necessary? Are they useful? We're curious what you think. Which ones (if any) do you want to try, or even buy, and which do you find completely superfluous? Obviously, all Guitar Hero-related paraphernalia is exempt on grounds of being both awesome and necessary. We're talking about straight-up shells here.
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]
New inspection bots inspired by bat sonar
With all the world domination posturing by robots, you wouldn't think they'd be so dang good all this humanitarian and safety-related stuff, but it seems if they aren't busy pulling somebody out of a building, they're inspecting those very buildings for structural integrity. These new bots by the University of Strathclyde fall into that latter category, and use bat-inspired echolocation to navigate and inspect their surroundings. The robots report back to a mission control computer which manages the group of robo-inspectors based on the collective findings. There's also a camera on board each bot, along with a magnet to test for corrosion. It doesn't look like these bots will make it to market for another 10 years, but when they do they're expected to make the job of inspecting nuclear installations and gas pipelines a whole lot more fun.
