meccano
Latest
MMO Family: Is the Google generation losing its inventive spirit?
I was witness to an interesting juxtaposition over Christmas vacation. On one end of the breakfast table was my laptop, with an article about an inventor who warns that the "Google generation" of children is growing up "brain dead" and without the ability to invent and create. But right next to it was my son's laptop, and he was deeply engrossed in a game of Minecraft with his sister and two cousins. Are our children really losing their inventive spirit because of the internet? Should kids put down Minecraft and pick up Meccano instead? Let's take a look at inventor Trevor Baylis' concerns.
Gears of War 3 toys bring the carnage down to a child's level
Gears of War 3 the video game may be targeted at mature adults, but Gears of War 3 the toy? Ages 8 and up. Sure, the kids pretending to shove chainsaw bayonets into Locust chest cavities may get the hands-on enjoyment of alien mutilation, but at least they're not watching it on a screen.A series of Gears of War 3 toys were spotted at the Toy Fair in New York, produced by Meccano and including the Armadillo APC (£24.99), the Centaur Tank (£34.99) and the King Raven helicopter (£39.99). The toys are still being approved by Epic Games, with plans to hit stores in August.
A lava lamp and a Nexus One tested under 3 Gs of force (video)
Neil Fraser, a true pioneer of science, wasn't satisfied with just wondering whether a lava lamp will work on Jupiter. He opted instead to build a freaking centrifuge in the middle of his living room, strap an innocent lava lamp and a Nexus One to one end with counterbalancing weights on the other, and spin that monster up to find out for himself. His instrument was able to generate 3 Gs of lateral force (despite the Nexus One's G-Force reporting 2.0 Gs due to a bug, now reported to Google), which is comfortably above the 2.5 G gravitational pull that one might experience on the solar system's biggest planet. So, did the goo keep its mojo under pressure? Did the Nexus One survive the ordeal intact? Click past the break to find out.
New Spykee models to be announced at CES 2008
Word on the street is that your favorite build-it-yourself bot is about to get some wacky new siblings. If you'll recall, the Erector-branded, Meccano Spykee is a DIY bot which incorporates a webcam, VoIP, DAP functions, and other robotic accessories which make it slightly more friendly and interactive. Well now the day-glo automaton is getting a handful of new playmates in the form of the Spykee Cell, Spykee Vox, and Spykee Miss -- three sassy new models that plan to slowly motor their way to world domination using only their good looks, "special light and sound effects," and concealed-yet-deadly laser vision (note: we're not sure that they have laser vision). Additionally, some of the bots are getting equipped with Bluetooth and voice-activated functions. The new entries to the line are set to be unveiled at -- you guessed it -- CES 2008, where the faithful Engadget staff will be poised, hands ready, cameras charged, to pounce on and photograph the new subjects. Until then, we can only dream.
Meccano to unveil WiFi-enabled Spyke Robot Set
Meccano is all set to unveil a WiFi-controlled, Erector-branded robot kit at CES. The Spyke certainly improves on Meccano's earlier metallic attempts at robot sets: this little fella is capable of feeding a webcam video stream to a PC over the aforementioned wireless connection, as well as climbing stairs with its triangular tank-track; that's right parents, your staircase can no longer keep your kids safe. These basic specs combined with the teaser image on the right should be enough to perk up the ears of all the consumer robot enthusiasts out there -- who are now no doubt waiting to hear how competitively priced the Spyke will be in comparison to Lego's Mindstorm series of robot kits -- but unfortunately there's no other information (availability, pricing, etc.) about the Spyke as of yet. Don't fret though, because when CES kicks off in a couple of days, all will be revealed.[Via Robot Gossip]
