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Robot plays Angry Birds (or any other touchscreen app)
PyCon 2012 (a convention dedicated to the computer programming language Python) was held earlier this month in Santa Clara, CA, and one of the projects on display can be seen above. The "BitbeamBot" is a miniature robot that was designed to do one thing and one thing only: Play Angry Birds. Well, that's not quite true -- it was designed to interact with touchscreen devices, in order to "test" any number of tasks usually considered too repetitive for humans. As the developer says in the video below, if this thing was really testing, you'd just design tasks for it to do over and over again through an SDK. But playing Angry Birds is fun to watch, and the robot's actually pretty good at it. The original design for the robot was actually in Legos -- it's controlled with an Arduino and some homemade software. But eventually the creator decided to use Bitbeams for it, hence the bot's name. Very cool indeed. And I, for one, welcome our new Angry Birds-playing overlords.
Watch Nexus One get built, then beaten mercilessly
This might be the best entry yet in Google's Nexus One video series. Today's double feature is marked by the testing and manufacturing of the device, and while the all-white facilities and assembly lines can be interesting in their own right, we love nothing more than seeing just how Google and HTC stress test its labor of love. Watch it dropped, slammed, bent, poked, and detonated -- okay, maybe not detonated, and we unfortunately don't get to see any phones crack, but it's still good fun. The big game's not on yet, so give yourself a few minutes and hit up the two short videos after the break.
BUILT's Laptop Backpack keeps your files close, peripherals closer
Not one to just follow the crowd, BUILT has thrown an interesting twist on the oh-so-popular Neoprene laptop case. The Laptop Backpack enables users to tote their 12- to 17-inch machine right on their back along with textbooks, LAN party flyers and a copy of The Daily Bugle; you'll also find a couple of smaller compartments for storing peripherals and accessories. The material itself is water- and stain-resistant, and the pack is available in two sizes to fit all but the most atypical of frames. According to BUILT, the new wave of laptop carrying should begin today at $80 a pop.[Via BeSportier]
