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Star Wars Instant Pots hit all-time low prices ahead of May the 4th
Williams Sonoma's Star Wars-branded Instant Pots have gone on sale on Amazon at some of the steepest discounts we've seen.
Sphero’s R2-Q5 ‘Star Wars’ droid is basically a goth R2-D2
Sphero just announced a new app-controlled robot a few days ago, the Mini, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have anything else in the works. The company has now revealed the latest member of its Star Wars family, R2-Q5, the Empire's version of the beloved R2-D2 character. As is the case with all of Sphero's toys, you can take charge of R2-Q5 via its Droids app for iOS and Android, where you'll be able to drive it, hear it make sounds and use it to play various mini games. You'll need to act fast if you want one for yourself: Sphero says the number of R2-Q5 numbers made is in the "low thousands," and Best Buy has an exclusive on it in the US, while John Lewis has that honor in the UK. Pre-orders are open now for $200/£200, with shipping expected to happen November 5th.
Meet R2-D2 and BB-9E, Sphero’s new ‘Star Wars’ toys
It's been nearly two years since Sphero introduced its app-controlled BB-8, a replica of the cute rolling droid that first appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. That toy quickly became one of the most coveted by fans of Disney's franchise, and it wasn't long before the company followed it up with a Battle-Worn Edition, designed to look as rugged as the character does in film. And today at IFA 2017, Sphero announced it is expanding its connected-toy universe with two more Star Wars droids, R2-D2 and BB-9E. Naturally, Sphero worked closely alongside Lucasfilm to bring these to life, just as it did with BB-8. The idea, as you might expect, is to make them as close to the real thing as possible.
Robot that performs surgery inside your eye passes clinical trial
The next time you go under the knife for retinal surgery, it may not be a human hand holding the blade. That's because a revolutionary surgical system developed University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, which just passed its first set of clinical trials, is able to perform these intricate operations better than even the steadiest surgeon.
The Future IRL: Everyone gets an R2D2
If you've spent any time on Kickstarter, you've already seen those questionable rolling trashcan bots mixed among promising pieces of tech. You might even start thinking truly useful home-based robots have arrived. And, hey, it's about time! The first domestic robots started cropping up in the '80s. But, while the Hero-1 might have inspired a generation of roboticists, public perception of robots in the home hasn't changed much since the Reagan era. Now a whole slew of bots, like Jibo, Pepper and Kuri are trying to worm their way into our hearts. Nearly all have the ability to broadcast what their on-board camera sees to a companion app. Some can even be programmed to map rooms, execute commands when they 'see' certain actions or people, and even complete sentry patrols. If you've been waiting for your very own R2D2, reality may finally be catching up with your dreams. Don't miss the next episode of Future IRL on February 21st, when we'll be looking at the future of home delivery.
ICYMI: Bot is my co-pilot
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: DARPA's autopilot system for military planes is being tested, this time in a Cessna Caravan turboprop plane. It's made up of a robotic arm and tablet with speech recognition, so communicating with the mechanical brain is supposed to be even easier. Meanwhile, ping-pong fans will want to know about new paddles that set the music based on the pace of the rally. A new product designed for gamers with haptic actuators is here, while just for kicks, the Price is Right celebration is here. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Robots can perform surgery inside your eyeballs
Doctors at Oxford University made medical history recently by successfully completing the first robot-assisted intraocular surgery. Robert MacLaren, Professor of Ophthalmology at the university, and his team managed to gently peel off a 1/1000th millimeter membrane from the inside of a patient's eye. To do so, the team relied on a cutting-edge medical device known as the Robotic Retinal Dissection Device, or R2D2.
Making your own functioning R2-D2 is a labor of love
Last year at CES, I remember seeing a life-size, fully functioning R2-D2 unit (minus the Leia hologram, sadly). I assumed it was hired out from a professional movie props unit or something similar; now I'm not so sure. Walking around SX Create -- the maker faire section at SXSW -- I bumped into not one, but two equally well-made replicas only to find they were handmade. In fact, there's an entire club -- funnily enough, called R2-D2 Builders -- dedicated to making them. What's more, the models I saw were built using a veritable menagerie of weird and wonderful items, including a good old lazy susan. But that doesn't mean building your own R2 comes cheap, or is a project for the faint-hearted.
ICYMI: A creepy mechanical centaur, flying R2-D2 and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-976485{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-976485, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-976485{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-976485").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The nightmare-like genius of Theo Jansen's Strandbeest inspired a Segway-like inventor to get creepy with personal transport. Comic-Con attendees will of course see R2-D2; but this time, he'll also be flying overhead. And a new 3D-printed robot is inspired by a species of mussel to jump and bounce without breaking.
Disney's retelling the 'Star Wars' film saga with Legos
There isn't a way to turn back time and prevent the Star Wars prequels from ever releasing (just ask Cher), but maybe Disney XD's upcoming crack at them could make the flicks palatable. You see, the channel is prepping the launchpad for The Force Awakens' December release with a Lego retelling of the entire story so far. The Hollywood Reporter notes that Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales will recount the narrative in five, 22-minute episodes, as told from the viewpoint of chatterbox C-3PO and his stubby companion R2D2 in a "brand new story."
SMS Audio is back with more 'Star Wars' special edition headphones
Last year, when 50 Cent's SMS Audio released a line of Star Wars-themed headphones, it was something for the fans. This year, 50's riding on some good timing. With the movie trailer for The Force Awakens still lingering in many people's retinas, SMS Audio is launching a second line of on-ear cans inspired by the franchise. This year it's R2D2, Chewbacca, Darth Vader and the TIE Fighter that get immortalized as headphones (joining Rebel Alliance, Stormtrooper, Galactic Empire and Boba Fett models from 2014). There's mention of passive noise canceling, as well as 40mm drivers to deliver the sound. Each pair costs $200 and will available sometime in Q2 this year -- much less of a wait than for the next movie installment, at least.
R2-D2 Dark Roast Edition makes your coffee astromech-style, puts brew into 'homebrew' (video)
Has there been a gaping R2-D2-shaped hole in your gadget life ever since the Motorola Droid 2 R2-D2 Edition bowed out? The good crew at Instructables knows your plight and has designed the R2-D2 Dark Roast Edition to give your astromech desires an almost literal jolt of energy. The team's do-it-yourself project modifies a BUNN industrial coffee maker -- no slow-drip home unit here -- with a float valve and a generous mix of aluminum, brass, copper and steel welded on top. If you're particularly ambitious, you can even make R2 bleep his delight when you've got a fresh pot lined up. Constructing a Dark Roast Edition requires a good amount of electrical and metalworking savvy, but it might be worth your time while you wait for C-3PO to reach stores.
The droid nobody was looking for: an R2-D2 MP4 player
We all know the story of how Artoo braved the sands of Tatooine to deliver Princess Leia's message to old Ben, but we never guessed that he encoded it as an MP4. Leave it to Toys 'R' Us to set the story straight: R2-D2 was a music player, C-3P0 was an overcomplicated set of earbuds, and MPEG-4 is apparently a galactic standard music format. Who knew? According to the droid's product page, it can hold up to 500 songs on 2GB of internal storage. There's also a questionable image (we're looking at you, Empire Photoshop brigade) promising video playback, photo storage, extras, settings and some sort of recording feature. We aren't sure if this choppy image can be trusted, but we're thinking about sending out some Bothan spies to investigate.
Refresh Roundup: week of September 5, 2011
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy! Official Android updates Verizon was spitting out new refreshes left and right this week, as we saw Gingerbread begin to roll out as OTA downloads on the Motorola Droid 3, HTC Droid Incredible, and -- get this -- even the Motorola Droid 2 R2-D2 edition. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Interestingly enough, Android 2.3 for the Droid 2 Global was already getting pushed out, but was pulled just a couple days later after a Microsoft Exchange encryption issue was discovered. We've been told the updates will resume "soon." [via Droid-Life] Finally, Verizon also pushed out one other software upgrade -- this time on its 4510L LTE MiFi. (Thanks, Matt) HTC continues to expand its bootloader unlock tool to more phones, region by region. This week the company enabled support for the EVO 3D in Canada and Europe. [via Phandroid] Unofficial Android updates / custom ROMs / misc hackery The Motorola Droid 3 and Droid X both now have access to an SBF -- System Boot File -- to act as a safeguard for anyone who manages to brick their phones. [via Droid-Life (1) and (2)] Recently we heard about the Honeycomb ROM for the HTC Flyer getting leaked by MoDaCo, but no screenshots were available at the time. This week, however, someone successfully grabbed a few images to share with the world (shown in the above image). The ROM appears to run on Android 3.2 with HTC Sense 1.1 for tablets as the featured UI. [via AndroidBugle -- thanks, Dennis] Let's talk a little more about leaked Sense ROMs. We've already seen Sense 3.5 working on the Desire HD, and now we have another device to add to the list: the EVO 4G. [via XDA] The first kernel for unlocked bootloaders on the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is now waiting for your download, so head over to the link for instructions. [via XDA] If you've been waiting and hoping for CyanogenMod 7 on your HTC Sensation or EVO 3D so you can shed the Sense UI, that time may be very close at hand. According to a member of the CyanogenMod team, an early alpha build for both devices may be available by the end of this weekend, so keep an eye out. [via Phandroid] Other platforms Two new unofficial ROMs -- one for Windows Phone Mango and another for NoDo --are now available for the Samsung Omnia 7. The Mango ROM improves the device's radio, camera drivers and motion sensors, in addition to a few other enhancements. [via WPCentral] Refreshes already covered this week Vizio rolls out Tablet software update, promises performance boosts aplenty
Inhabitat's Week in Green: hybrid hydrogen hovercraft, amphibious ice cream, and the transparent solar touchscreen laptop of our dreams
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Solar energy supercharged our power grid and gadgets this week as Inhabitat showcased a hot solar laptop set within a transparent case that allows sunlight to shine straight through it. We also saw a team of Japanese engineers' shoot for the moon with plans for a lunar photovoltaic plant, while back on earth Seoul officially launched the world's first solar-powered floating island. Scientists also used sunlight to create the perfect cup of joe with the Helios 4 solar coffee roaster, and now that the weather is finally heating up we couldn't help but share this sexy solar bikini -- which just hit the market! In other news, green transportation set sail this week as Volkswagen unveiled a hybrid hydrogen-electric hovercraft and the world's first amphibious ice cream truck cast anchor in the Thames. Meanwhile, a new mini electric Humvee was spotted just a few streets away in London, students at the University of Adelaide unveiled a crazy electric di-wheel car, and a group of scientists unveiled plans to harvest Helium-3 from Uranus to help propel interstellar travel. Enerkam also took a big step towards transforming municipal waste into fuel by securing a $60 million investment, and we took you for a ride on 14 of the world's most amazing subways. Last but not least, this week we officially unveiled 40 stunning finalists in our Bright Ideas Lighting Design Competition - from a gorgeous geometric chandelier made from cut and folded Tetra Paks to a living LED light that doubles as a terrarium and a brilliant lamp made from a broken blender. We were also shocked to hear the World Health Organization declare that cell phones may cause cancer, so we rounded up 5 ways to protect yourself from cellphone radiation. Finally, we showcased a steampunk R2-D2 made from recycled materials, and if you're stepping up your exercise routine to hit the beach this summer you won't want to miss the S770 Pinnacle Trainer -- an energy-generating exercise machine that produces watts while you work out!
Maker Faire 2011, in pictures: Arduinos, Androids, and angry robots (video)
The rapture has come and gone, but the Maker Faire powers on. Despite warnings of a May 21st doomsday, folks came out in droves for the annual celebration of all things DIY, and we were there to bring you the best in homespun inventions. This year's Maker Faire was light on robots and big on corporate sponsorship. Among the giants supporting the little guys were Google, ASUS, and HP, but El Goog's presence extended beyond its dedicated tents. The new Android ADK was big with at-home tinkerers this year, spawning a number of little robots and at least one DIY alternative. Perhaps no other trend proved more pervasive than 3D printing, however -- every time we turned around there was another MakerBot or RapMan pumping out everything from statuettes of attendees to cutesy salt shakers. There were robotic building blocks, a Heineken-themed R2-D2, DIY drones, custom keyboards, and a ton of repurposed gadgets, but it was an arena of destructo-bots, tucked away in the farthest corner of the San Mateo County Event Center, that really blew us away. We came away sunburned and bedraggled, but lucky for you, we did all the dirty work so you don't have to. To see what made this year's Maker Faire, hop on past the break for a video of our favorite DIY finds. %Gallery-124165% Myriam Joire contributed to this report.
Wookiees, witches and (Star) Wars: SWG breaks out Game Update 19
It's a busy day for Star Wars Galaxies, as Game Update 19 jumps to lightspeed with a trio of exciting events. First up is the return of Wookiee Life Day, "a time to reflect on the renewal of life and to remember those who have passed on." Wookiee Life Day was first introduced in the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special and has become a beloved fixture of SWG since its inception a few years ago. New features to the holiday this year include the ability to plant a Life Tree anywhere you like, four new paintings, a Wookiee Life Day robe, a collectible badge, and an R2-D2 ornament. Game Update 19 also brings the next chapter of the Witches of Dathomir, which began a little over a month ago. Players can travel to the planet of Dathomir and decide which clan of Force-sensitive Witches they'll align with: the Nightsisters or the Singing Mountain Clan. Finally, a new expansion pack to the trading card game is available, titled The Price of Victory. You can read up on Game Update 19 at Star Wars Galaxies, and travel back in the Massively time machine to revisit our chat with SWG's Teesquared on the patch.
Droid 2 R2-D2 edition launch kit makes emergency landing
It's getting awful close now, eh? Merely hours after hearing that Droid 2 R2-D2 edition launch kits were splashing down in select Verizon Wireless locations, in flies a foursome of images proving as much. Of course, we still can't promise you that these fellows will be available for the taking a moment before the 30th of September, but if you know someone at Big Red, at least there's a chance he / she may be able to get you a sneak peek starting now. Or, you know, you could just peek the gallery below. [Thanks, Anonymous] %Gallery-103247%
Droid 2 R2-D2 edition dummy units force-arriving at Verizon retail?
The little astromech smartphone that could (pilfer your wallet) is now touching down in at least one Verizon Wireless store, according to spy shots via Boy Genius Report. The Motorola Droid 2 R2-D2 edition launch kit contains just a dummy unit, not an extremely well-put together little Droid, so you won't find any lightspeed animation contained within. Still, if it's the faceplate you want see up close and personal, looks like you might get a chance at just that a tinge earlier than September 30th.
Droid 2 R2-D2 boot animation, live wallpapers leak out at light speed
Not willing to wait for the genuine R2-D2 edition Droid 2 later this month? Then it looks like you can now get the next best thing -- the Star Wars-themed boot animation and live wallpapers from the phone have already been dug out from the recently leaked ROM and made available for download. Those include the Millennium Falcon flying through an asteroid field, the always exciting jump to lightspeed, an interactive R2-D2, and everyone's favorite: the space slug. Head on past the break for a pair of videos, and hit up the links below to check out the rest (and download them).
