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Augmented reality teddy bear teaches kids about being a doctor
Kids frequently don't need much more than their imagination to bring a teddy bear to life, but what if they had a little boost? That's what Seedling hopes to do with Parker. The teddy by itself is the same sort of fluffy companion you likely had as a child, but an augmented reality app for iOS turns the bear into something much more. If you want to play doctor, you can look at Parker's insides to cure a stomach bug or ease a sore throat. You can create magic forests and sea gardens using the AR camera. And importantly you're rewarded for being kind: the more you take care of Parker, the more the bear uses AR to 'transform' the world around you.
ICYMI: Robotic teddy bear, electric glue formula and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-47994{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-47994, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-47994{width:570px;display:block;}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-47994").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Teddy Ruxpin is all grown-up with the artificially intelligent Diro robot that can act as an alarm and keep your kid entertained. London installed solar-powered recharging benches in public spaces that also monitor pollution and noise levels. And not one but two glue formulas are making waves: There are the powdered small glue balls that become sticky when pressed together and the MIT hydrogel that's made mostly of water, is super flexible and can conduct electricity.
Become a cuddly teddy bear with Oculus Rift and Adawarp
Adawarp, a two-man Japanese tech startup, is in the long-distance bear-hug business. The company's Telepresence virtual reality technology transports one person, wearing an Oculus Rift, into the body of a robotic teddy bear, with real-time movements, sight, voice and all, no matter how far apart the bear and user are. Turn your head and the teddy bear turns his, and use an Xbox controller to articulate the bear's arms, as MIT Technology Review reports. Users can talk through the bear's speaker system, hear responses through a microphone and see out of its eyes (each one encircled by a fine layer of fuzz, of course).
Google Maps on web and Android adds bus routing for Japan, guides teddy bears quickly (video)
Virtually anyone who's been to a Japanese city knows that subways and trains might be closely associated with their country, but also that they only form a part of the mass transit picture. With that in mind, Google has quietly rolled out an update to Google Maps data for Android and the web that supports bus navigation in Japan, including schedules. It's a simple addition, but an important one for those who can't always get to where they're going on rails -- like teddy bears, according to Google's video. We just want to know who makes that kawaii case for the Galaxy Nexus.
Fujitsu's social robot bear is the supertoy of Kubrick's dreams, almost (video)
Ah, the Fujitsu bear cub social robot. What child or elderly person should go without a "people-friendly terminal" with snuggly-soft fur and a camera in lieu of the ever-popular button nose? The little guy made the rounds briefly earlier this year, but this is our first time making acquaintances. The duo waved at us, waved with us, laughed with (at?) us, and then at some point, decided to arbitrarily fall asleep and ignore us -- just like our actual friends! The representative told us this prototype -- with a reported 300 actions from 12 actuators (three face, three neck, and six in the body), 13 skin touch sensors, hand grip sensors, a tilt sensor, and a microphone -- is a ways off from hitting the childcare / nursing home market. For now, enjoy the pictures below and footage after the break... and if all this seems eerily familiar, hey, we're with you. A wink and a nod in that direction can be found via the second video. %Gallery-104247%
Fujitsu's robot bear designed to win over the elderly, but we're on to it
Man, what is it with Japan, robots, and the elderly? We've been hearing about projects like RI-MAN and Ninomiya-kun for years now. And sure, it looks good on paper -- design an ultra-realistic (or ultra-cute) robot, stick it in a room with the unloved elderly person in your life, and forget about the lot of 'em. The problem? Apparently the aforementioned "olds" don't like it one bit. In fact, it seems that they'd prefer a stuffed animal. Not to be outdone by this admittedly low-tech solution, Fujitsu has built a prototype Teddy that features a camera for face tracking, a network of touch sensors, and a catalog of 300 responses to various stimulus -- "which range from giggling and laughing, waving its paws around, and pretending to fall asleep complete with recorded snores," according to SlashGear. Another possible use for the as-yet-unnamed bear would be for school children. Who wuvs our cuddly robot overlords? We do, don't we? Yes we do...
Acer's custom Aspire One netbook: Heinous, exemplified
If the Acer Aspire One netbook above makes you feel uncomfortable, even angry, then you're probably not a Japanese school-girl. Hell, even if you are we hope you have the good sense not to paste stuffed animals, taffeta, and frills to your Atom-based netbook. That's what UMPCs are for.
Caption contest: Teddy bear torture -- the photographs the FCC didn't want you to see
Hide the children, folks. We've just uncovered some atrocities, and we don't think they're appropriate for the preschool-and-under crowd. The FCC is performing unspeakable acts of torture upon this Step n' Shine "Snuggle n' Shine" bear, and we think it's time the public knew about it. More gruesome pics after the break.Chris: "We're going to ask you one more time: where is the spurious 2400MHz radiation coming from?" or "Repeat after me: Bounce has a fresher scent than Snuggles. That's all you have to do."Paul: "How about now, huh? Do you still 'wuv us vewwy much?' Didn't think so."Don: "I see you, Tickle Me Elmo. You won't get away with this!"Josh T.: "Reaction to Build-A-Bear's new competitor was mixed."Nilay: "Where is the one they call 'Teddy Ruxpin'?"Josh F.: "This was to be my final hit, but let's be clear about this. There's final hits and final hits. What kind was this to be?"
Conceptual teddy bear phone shown off in Japan, could totally sell for $199 on contract
We've seen some bizarre -- bizarre -- handsets in our day, but this one is just too darn cute to call weird. The conceptual Kuma Phone was recently shown off in Japan by Willcom, and according to local reports, the audience in attendance absolutely adored it. The GSM teddy bear, er, mobile can hold up to four speed dial numbers, boasts a built-in vibration function and allows users to answer / terminate calls by "pressing the tail." An accompanying pamphlet suggested that it would run around $500 should it ever hit mass production, which leads us to wonder if they plan on using Boyds / Vermont Teddies or something.[Via textually]
Complicated DIY project leads to Twittering Teddy Bear
Sheesh -- and we though it was something special when Teddy Ruxpin went digital. Today's mesmerizing bear just isn't remarkable unless it talks, and to make it extraordinary, it needs to vocalize your Twitter messages. The mad scientists over at 2pointhome were able to implant a circuit board, USB Bluetooth adapter, 9-volt battery and a host of other goodies into an animatronic Teddy, and after coding in a few things and pairing it up, the animal was yapping in no time flat. Head on past the break to see a video of the operation, but be warned, as it's not for the faint of heart.[Via DailyWireless]
Navirobo guides you toward your wits' end
In the time-honored tradition of creepy robotic teddy bears usually from Japan, we bring you the Navirobo from iXs. Instead just spewing audible navigation instructions, the 9.8-inch Navirobo sits on your dash and raises his furry paw to point you toward your destination. He can even turn around and mock you by pointing at a turn you missed and then do a little happy bear dance once you arrive. Annoying? You betcha, so we understand why this prototype took a skull shot en route to Mos Burger.
Bandy the MP3-playing teddy bear
Kids love teddy bears, and kids love music, so what better way to get the little ones begging for your product than by combining two of their passions into one adorable package? Certainly not the first bear-inspired audio device we've seen, Mogoon's MP3- and WMA-playin' Bandy (not to be confused with the ice hockey-like sport of the same name) trumps most other offerings by featuring a built-in SD slot for loading up tunes or serialized versions of its fictional pre-history; 27 minutes of said history are pre-installed on an internal chip. Knowing that Bandy is bound to end up in some pretty dirty / dangerous predicaments, Mogoon also made the bear dust-proof, splash-proof, and able to withstand falls from up to two meters, ensuring at least a few days of usage before your kids manage to break it. The fun begins this fall -- in Europe, at least -- for around €69 ($88).[Thanks, Sven N.]
USB teddy bear holds data, scares children
Generally, when someone makes a teddy bear-themed gadget, his/her intention is to overwhelm bystanders with cuteness. But whoever created this little guy, whose head has to be removed in order to access the internal USB drive, must have watched one too many Tim Burton movies. No word on how much it holds or if there are any plans to make these available for purchase, but with your own bear, a thumb drive, some thread and a closet full of skeletons, you can probably make your own without too much effort.
The pink teddy bear gun
"What we have here 007: an ordinary gun, as you can see. But upon closer inspection -- put that down! Now, as I was saying, upon closer inspection it actually fires small pink teddy bears into the air, which parachute down safely to the earth. What's it for, you say? Why, it's a nascent Japanese wedding tradition of course, taking the place of tossing bouqets of flowers into the air. And would you please return it intact this time, James?"[Via Uber-Review]
