Miscellaneous Gadgets
Gadgets which we don’t have a specific category for (yet)
Conceptual Gadgets, Military Gadgets, Miscellaneous Gadgets
Cloaks of Invisiblity are now a reality
Okay, before you get too excited about getting some magic invisibility cloak like Harry Potter, you should know that so far, this technology has only made one thing invisible: a bump on a gold bar.
Yes, it is a bump that is only 0.00004 inches high and 0.0005 inch across, which you probably wouldn’t see in the first place, as it can only be seen with a magnifying glass.
Still, it is a start, and these researchers at Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology was able to cloak this tiny bump, could prevent its detection at nearly visible infrared frequencies. I’m not talking about camouflage, but the cloaking effect was visible in 3D from all angles.
Miscellaneous Gadgets
Mistletoe Pocket Ashtray
Want something absolutely zany if you are a regular smoker? Perhaps you might want to check out the Mistletoe Pocket Ashtray that offers a colorful method of disposing of your cigarette butts. After all, if you happen to be in a fine city like Singapore, nonchalantly flicking the butt to the street will more often than not result in being slapped with a summons on the spot. The Mistletoe Pocket Ashtray allows you to do so in a dignified manner, sliding the cap aside to see half a dozen cigarette-shaped holes, making it a snap to just pop the ciggy in and close it up. Made from tough and heat-resistant ABS plastic, the Mistletoe Pocket Ashtray comes in orange, lime green or pink colors, retailing for $9.90 a pop. It would make for an interesting cellphone ornament, don’t you think so?
Miscellaneous Gadgets
Coffee Inhaler can keep you awake, without the percolator.
Clearly, there must be a demand for legalized inhalants, as a company known as Le Whif has made inhalable chocolate. This company has also invented a coffee inhaler.
I suppose that this product is for those who like what coffee can do, but don’t want to drink it. I must admit that I fall under this category of people, and this is why I drink Mountain Dew. What you are seeing here is the bhong that holds lipstick-like containers that are then pulled open, inserted in the mouth, and then inhaled.
The sticks can deliver 100 milligrams of caffeine, which is the drinking equivalent of a cup of espresso. Apparently, you can get nine hits on an individual stick, but this is “depending on how hard they inhale”. I wonder what happens if you don’t inhale?
Miscellaneous Gadgets
Augmented Reality Scavenger Hunt in Tokyo
I love the idea of using augmented reality to create a scavenger hunt, and I’m glad that someone finally did one last weekend. I wish I could have been a part of it, but the Crimsonfox project took place in Tokyo in the central district of Shibuya.
In order to play this game, the 200 players had to have an iPhone and an App available at the Japanese App Store. The goal of the game was to find the secret hints in order to find the real-world hideout of the secret society of the Moonlights.
Man, does that sound mysterious. I’ve got a video of this after the jump, but I must admit that it is really quick, and it should have been in more detail. However, it’s enough so you can see how it works. The players hold up their iPhones, and they can see how far away the clues are. Then, once they got close to the clue, only a phone can reveal the code that will get you to the next clue.
Miscellaneous Gadgets
Spiderpodium flexible travel dock
For those of you that have a smartphone of some kind, you might want a more convenient way to watch all of those videos. Sure, you could just hold onto it, but that’s not nearly as much fun. It’s much nicer to just kick back and pretend you’re back home sitting on your comfortable couch watching a movie on your TV. Well thankfully although this stand will make your phone look a little creepy, it’ll make it so that you can watch videos while you’re away from home in true comfort.
Miscellaneous Gadgets, Toys
Make music with your Lego
I’ve never heard of the phrase “steampunk musician” before I wrote this post, but Yoshi Akai apparently is one. He wrote a master’s thesis on turning color into sound, and he has invented a way of turning Lego into music.
This Lego Sequencer MR II, which uses the famous brick to make different sound combinations. You can watch a video of this Lego instrument in action, and I’m not certain why the other half of this device looks this way.
Apparently, putting the bricks in certain places, along with certain colors of bricks alters the sound. In fact, you can make all sorts of combinations in stacks of bricks for all kinds of rhythms. It reminds me of one of those Casio keyboards back in the eighties, but instead of buttons, you have to connect Lego bricks together.
Electronic Gadgets, Miscellaneous Gadgets
Tropicana creates an artificial sun
Ever seen the movie Insomnia? In the film, Al Pacino investigates a murder in an Alaskan town, but there is never any night. As it so happens, he arrived during the time where there are six months of daylight.
I always wondered if the film would have been scarier had it taken place during the six months of night. I think Christopher Nolan, the director of the film, had to make the dark Batman Begins to make up for the daylight of Insomnia. I hope I never have to live in a night that last six months.
I bring this up because a town of Inuvik was in that perpetual night, until Tropicana came to town. The orange juice company hooked up a gigantic helium balloon with about 100,000 lumens to make an artificial sun. You can see the video after the jump.
Conceptual Gadgets, Miscellaneous Gadgets
Pixel-bots will rock your world
Curious Displays from Julia Tsao on Vimeo.
Okay, I usually like to have a still shot of what I’m reporting, but could only find this video. However, a picture wouldn’t say a thousand words on this, and this video speaks volumes.
These are the pixel-bots, which remind me of that supposedly top secret MIT project with the swarming robots that I reported on a while ago. Granted, the individual units here don’t exactly fly, but the designers create what is clearly the next best thing. I’m certain that these Pixel-bots are just as conceptual as that MIT one, but since they made this cool video, you might as well watch it.
