I hope you all remember the arcade game Pacman! It was an arcade game that was a huge hit in the 80’s, so much so that it even took its developers by surprise.
As you might recall, the object of the game was to gobble up as many dots as possible, avoiding the four ghosts (who had names, but I can’t remember them now).
The original Pacman ghosts were computer-controlled, but in this version of the game developed by a Dutch student, Wim van Eck, the ghosts are “controlled” by insects.
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The bipedal robot, for so long it was the holy grail of roboticists. Honda most famously produced some of the first walking robots with the “P” series, which has evolved into Asimo. Most of the bipedal robots today employ the zero moment point (ZMP) algorithm. This gives them kind of a stiff-in-the-knees walk and a permanent semi-crouch. Recently this has been applied to robots who, if you look closely, are really nothing more than a bunch of servos bolted together. Another entry into this category is “PLEN” from the Japanese company Akazawa. 
Too lazy to take the time to vacuum your house, or just want to confuse your pet? Dyson’s robotic vacuum just might be the thing for you.
Suppose you are a traveling salesman with a yen for the local anchorwoman. You spend day after fruitless day on the road, only to come home each night to a lonely hotel room. You sit there in your underwear drinking beer and watching the sub-par anchorwomen of whatever godforsaken town you happen to be in tonight. Well fret no more because the Japanese company Novac has released a television tuner for Skype software. It enables your computer to broadcast TV shows via the internet. With a laptop and an internet connection you can watch your local shows no matter where you happen to be.
This is one of those pointless but cool gadgets that I love. A pen with a built in shredder.
