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ICYMI: Magic robot fingers, borked Tesla Autopilots and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-512653{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-512653, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-512653{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-512653").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: A Korean startup is set to launch a crowdfunding campaign for its home smartening "robotic fingers" -- internet-connected gadgets that push analog buttons so you don't have to. The self-driving cars of the future could look like terrestrial BORG cubes if designer Tommaso Gecchelin has anything to say about it. And speaking of the future of self-driving cars, Tesla recently announced that it will dumb down its "Autopilot" feature to prevent customers from abusing the technology. And don't forget this awesome Judge Dredd-inspired short film from Corrior Digital and Parrot drones. If you come across any interesting videos, we'd love to see them. Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
'Robotic fingers' make your dumb appliances smarter
Naran, a South Korean startup, has developed a series novel devices that transforms analog, push-button devices into internet-connected tools for your smart home. The devices, dubbed "Microbot Push" are low-power Bluetooth gadgets that pull commands from an internet hub and physically push analog buttons on, say, your old blender or the toaster oven. That's a radically different functionality than conventional "wall wart" IoT-enablers -- like the Brio or Nyrius -- which simply control the electrical circuits that power your appliances. Additionally, the Microbots can either be manually activated through the associated smartphone app or be automated in much the same way that IFTTT works. Naran plans to launch an Indiegogo campaign for the devices on November 9th.
