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Shrimp-inspired robot claw could punch through rock
Shrimp may be small, but some of them can pack quite a wallop. One of the pistol shrimp's claws, for instance, delivers such an explosive amount of force that it creates a shockwave of superhot plasma that can take out prey or create impromptu shelters. It only makes sense, then, that scientists hope to harness that power. A team has developed a robot claw that mimics the pistol shrimp's basic behavior to generate plasma and, potentially a valuable tool for underwater science and industry.
See the pretty pixels sprouting in Devolver's indie garden
Devolver Digital's indie garden at Gamescom features a lineup of games that the publisher has curated over a few years for mass-market consumption, including three that we're particularly excited about: Not a Hero, Titan Souls and The Talos Principle. Each one is wildly different, but they all carry a similar theme. Not to bring the mood down or anything, but that theme is death. Not a Hero stars a bearded dude with no special powers, but he does have a gun. The problem is, everyone else has a gun, too. It's a twist on the classic pixelated platformer in that the environments have depth, allowing players to sink behind outcroppings in the walls to hide from flying bullets. It's lighthearted, fast-paced action featuring a humanoid blue bunny gang lord. Not a Hero comes from OlliOlli studio Roll7, and it's due out on PC in early 2015, with PS4 and Vita versions in the summer. Titan Souls has been a favorite of ours since E3, when it was awarded one of the coveted Joystiq E3 Selection stickers. It's all about one – you have one arrow, one life and you fight one giant, punishing enemy at a time. The only thing more than one in this game is the number of times you'll die. Titan Souls is by Claw and it's due out on PC, Mac, Linux, PS4 and Vita in Q1 2015. The Talos Principle is a slower burn than its companions, offering a serene, 3D puzzle experience similar to Portal or what we've seen of The Witness. Between the shape and light-manipulation puzzles, it approaches death, religion and other deeply introspective topics from a philosophical angle, offering a mix of narrative and riddle. The Talos Principle is in development at The Swapper studio, Croteam, for PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS and PS4.
This is what it's like to operate an arcade claw machine using just gestures (video)
We knew gesture cameras will be making their way to computers and mobile devices this year, but seeing one on the classic claw crane was a pleasant surprise for us. This IDF tech demo was courtesy of a Guangzhou company called The Best Sync, and according to Intel VP Doug Fisher, it only took three days to develop this project using Intel's RealSense technology -- as represented here by the Creative Interactive Gesture Camera (co-developed by SoftKinetic). The gestures were simple: move your hand in one of the four directions to position the claw, and clench your fist to drop it on the dolls. The joystick replacement didn't make the game any easier, but it seemed like everyone still had fun with it. Well, at least this author did, as you can see in our video after the break.
Lichborne: Proving grounds, proc rate bugs, and more patch 5.4 news
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Lichborne for blood, frost, and unholy death knights. In the post-Cataclysm era, death knights are no longer the new kids on the block. Let's show the other classes how a hero class gets things done. Patch 5.4 continues on the test server, introducing new class changes, new features, and more. Today, we'll keep looking at what the latest changes are, both those specific to death knights and those that affect death knights. Do proving grounds prove useful to death knights? What's the latest one weird bug that does weird things for death knights? Read on for the answers to these and other questions. A ghoulish energy While most of the major death knight class changes appeared done a few weeks ago, Blizzard just dropped another one that should be a nice game changer for unholy death knights. Gnaw and Leap, as well as their Dark Transformation equivalents, no longer have an energy cost. This means more energy available for Claw, and the ability for death knights to use those two skills freely without having to worry that they won't have the energy.
Addon Spotlight: Readers' addons
Along with the usual questions about addons to use for specific tasks, and the like, we receive a decent number of readers' own addons that they ask for us at WoW Insider to take a look at. So here, we have a compilation of reviews of addons created by our very own WoW Insider readership! All of these addons have been sent over to me by our readers, and if you want yours featured in a future round up, do email me on olivia@wowinsider.com! I have to say, I'm really impressed with these addons I've featured today. I would love to have a go at creating an addon of my own, and it occurred to me that we could have an addon spotlight addon creation brainstorm, and go through the process as a sort of collaborative effort! What do you think, dear readers? Anyhow, let's get started with the reader addons from programmers who actually know what they're talking about! Claw Claw, created by Jpapertowels, is described as an addon for cat and bear druids that simplifies gameplay and maximizes DPS by doing all the decision making for you. Claw uses an advanced priority list developed by the people over at the SimulationCraft project and improved by Jpapertowels for ease of use in actual gameplay.
Insert Coin: Cardboard Robot brings craning, plucking and learning with a dash of whimsey (video)
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Cardboard Robot has lowered it's crane claw boom on all the Kickstarter money business, and said "Hey, let's have a little fun here, too." It's a robotic arm kit consisting of four stepper motors, a controller, USB computer connection, and a structure made from corrugated cardboard with a claw or smartphone camera mount. While able to pick up small objects like socks and stuffed animals or crane a smartphone around, the fanciful bot's main function seems to be the fun of piecing it together, with its pliable surface also safer for working with kids. To that end, the mech's maker said that not only would it be easy to build, but the source code would be included for tweaking and with every $3k raised, one of the kits would be donated to a US school. So, if you want your own carton-y bot arm kit for learning and light plush toy duty (assembly required), the minimum pledge is $175 -- check the Kickstarter source to see how to pony up, or the video after the break.
Revenge of the quadrocopters: now they move in packs (video)
In case you didn't find the original quadrocopter chilling enough, the GRASP Lab out of the University of Pennsylvania has gone and added a bit of cooperative logic to the recipe so that now multiple little drones can work together. Also upgraded with a "claw-like" gripper that allows it to pick up and transport objects, the newer quadrocopter can team up on its prey payload with its buddies, all while maintaining its exquisite balance and agility. Skip past the break to see it on video.
Wiimote controls giant claw, brings man and machine closer
When your job is to sit in an office all day, controlling a 15-ton robotic arm, things can get kind of boring. Thankfully, some ingenious operators decided to fool around with the arm at their disposal and managed to implement Wiimote controls. Judging by the YouTube video after the break, taking the thing for a spin with the Wiimote looks like it works quite well, as the gigantic yellow claw pretty much follows the movements of its operator exactly.If we weren't sure the giant claw cost more money than we could ever hope to see, we'd suggest playing the world's largest crane game, or a bit of Let's See How Far We Can Throw This Minivan.[Via Make]
Video: RB2000 featured in new, improved Robo Catcher
Ah, a childhood favorite revisited. Years back, our hearts were taken by the one and only Robo Catcher, and now it seems the famed toy snatching game has seen a revamping that features JR Robotics' RB2000 as the main grabber. The entire unit has also been freshened up in the design department, and the addition of a joystick control system brings it up to speed with all of its "just a claw game" rivals. Hop on past the break for a look at what you're missing out on here in the states.
Video: DIY Wolverine could totally take the Star Wars Kid
Maybe it's just us, timid bloggers sent recoiling at the mere touch of particles from what you call the Sun. But we're finding it hard to watch the video of this Wolverine fan without feeling a bit awkward, dangerously awkward. No doubt, the craftsmanship of his Wolverine claws is superb; a flex of the bicep releases the claws with the satisfying metallic shink of Adamantium blades locking into battle mode. Nevertheless, we hope this guy won't be sitting anywhere near us in the theater this weekend. See what we mean after the break.Update: Er, the video has been pulled. Perhaps the cardboard finally won?
Scattered Shots: Wrath of the Hunter
Welcome to Scattered Shots, where Daniel Whitcomb is totally making plans to walk with rhythm so that he can attract the worm.So with Wrath less than a week away, we got our work cut out for us, so to speak. Luckily, 3.0's early release has given us time to learn to handle our pets and respec to take advantage of new talents, but now the big push is upon, as 10 levels and a whole slew of new zones opens up for us. When you step off the boat or zeppelin in Borean Tundra or Howling Fjord, where will you go? What will you do? Here's a few quick Hunter specific tips to getting started in the Wrath of the Lich King.
Scattered Shots: Autocast bugs and other animal handling issues in 3.0.2
Welcome to Scattered Shots, where Daniel Whitcomb loves his Hunter Judgement, but wishes he got the cool looking shoulders too. So between 3.0.2, the Scourge Invasion, and Hallow's End, my Hunter's seen a lot of play as I've been going after the title and the undead armor and playing with all the new changes on a live server and all, and in that time, I've had some chance to see how stuff works out when it's thrown into the crucible of live server playing. Most of my observations have ended up focusing around pets, which is probably to be expected. After all, they've changed quite a bit. Here's what's I've learned from 3.0.2 in the last few weeks about managing your pet:
Hunter Beta News: Tranquilizing Shot explained, pet focus system adjusted
Good old Tranquilizing Shot seems to be getting a lot of attention in the beta world yesterday. Ever since it was bought back to prominence when it inherited Arcane Shot's old dispel mechanic and the ability to dispel PvP enrage mechanics, people have been wondering what exactly it will be able to do in PvE. Lead encounter designer Daelo clarified the other day with some information on how enrage type effects will work in Wrath:
Wrath Beta Patch Notes: Hunter
By now, I am sure you've heard that the Wrath of the Lich King Beta is going live and the patch notes are up. There's a rather extensive section devoted to Hunters on this iteration. We have a few more insights into the pet talent trees that were announced at the Worldwide Invitational, as well as a few changes to existing talents and a nice Steady Shot buff.
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.
Breakfast Topic: Should Blizzard support Hunter pet diversity?
While looking over the new "fake" pet skills page at Petopia earlier today, one of the biggest things that struck me is that the whole Thorns skill that the temporary Crab pets get for the lowbie Hunter taming quests would be a great thing for normal Crab pets to get. Right now, They're stuck learning nothing but Claw, placing them right near the bottom of the pet pantheon - very close to Sporebats, who can't learn any special abilities at all. My two high level Hunters tamed a Carrion Bird and a Boar, respectively, so I'm lucky enough to have a good selection of skills to use, but I think there should be more options for people who love their offbeat pets like Sporebats or Hyenas or Crocs. They can even use some of the old rumored alpha skills for pets that popped up around the time of Burning Crusade's alpha. I'm hoping that Blizzard shows more types of Hunter pets some love in WoTLK with a wide selection of new skills, be it thorny shells for Crabs, a Cannibalism-type skills for Raptors, or anything else that lets us see Hunters fighting alongside fewer Cats and Ravagers (or in the case of arenas, Scorpids). What do you think? Should Blizzard focus a bit more on a wider variety of options for Hunter pets? Or should Hunters just take what they can get and be grateful for it? If the former, what types of new pet skills would you like to see?
PTR Notes: Dashing raptors
The always interesting Mania's Arcania has more great news for Hunters from the PTR blog. Apparently in 2.2 (and right now on the PTR), Raptor family pets will be able to learn the Dash ability. Previously, I believe, Dash was primarily available from the cats in STV (Bhag'thera, the elite panther down there, gave Dash rank 2). But now Raptors are getting in on the speedy fun, too.Now, Raptors can already learn to both Bite and Claw (they can Growl and Cower, too, but those are the standard pet abilities that every pet has), so you might think a third ability would make them a little OP. But it turns out Raptors have been getting the short end of the stick for a while-- Cats can do all those things and Prowl, and Boars even get an extra Charge ability. Heck, even Tallstriders can Dash, so a Raptor doing it is no problem.Bears, it seems, are stuck with the short of the stick, as they only have the Bite and Claw. But Bears get extra HP and Armor, plus a lumbering bear isn't exactly sprightly, so Bear-owning Hunters don't have much to complain about. If you're a Raptor kind of Hunter, make sure to stop by the pet trainer after 2.2, because your pet, clever girl, has picked up a new skill.
