The best gadgets are simple, elegant, and change your life in ways you don’t expect Five years ago my Gadget Freak column began with a simple mission. To explore brave new technologies, to seek out new gizmos and gear, and to boldly go where no gadget column had gone before. Now that mission is over. This […]
Read more…
Greatest gadgets of the last five years (and maybe of all time)
October 31st, 2008 — blog, irobot
Tethering the Wii
October 31st, 2008 — blog, irobot
The Wii game console is a perfect example of what the book describes as tethered technology. In designing the architecture of the Wii, Nintendo did not want users to use the Wii for purposes other than playing Wii games. It took a step even further, creating different regional and country codes and segmenting the market so that some games could not be shared. This, however, did not deter creative hackers who constantly found ways to get around the closed engineering. The hackers discovered bug
Read more…
Guards in California Prisons, Assisted by the Recon Scout Robot
October 31st, 2008 — blog, irobot
I think that after watching Prison Break, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) decided they need to add some robots to assist the guards. Back to being serious, these guys signed a deal to help test ReconRobotics’ robot scouter. Dubbed the Recon Scout, it’s not meant to patrol and spy on prisoners, but it’s rather used as a remote-controlled grenade meant to during confrontations or standoffs. I’m not sure how useful it’s going to be, but I do know the ReconRobot
Read more…
Bored of cleaning your house? then, leave it for Roomba!
October 31st, 2008 — blog, irobot
A lot of people are getting bored of cleaning their houses, including me but Roomba 580 is the solution! It’s a robot but not a normal one .. It can clean your house automatically, it’s an electronic vacuum ! Pics Advanced Features Automatically returns to its self-charging Home Base to dock and recharge between cleanings Wireless Command Center allows you to steer and control Roomba from across the room. New Virtual Wall Lighthouses (3) confine Roomba to one room until the ent
Read more…
before the 13th
October 31st, 2008 — blog, irobot
ok, i am tired of playing around, editing my layout because seriously im not good at it. but god thank you effy for helping me out yesterday, it was very kind of you to actually do that. for the past few days, ive been doing a lot of stuff other than “”studying”". i watched a few DVDs. the latest was Irobot starring mr will smith. i adore will smith man! he’s a good actor ever since i saw him acting in independence day. i too watched some soppy dramas. dont laugh! i was extremely bored! haha as
Read more…
iRobot Transphibian, High Speed UUV Hunt Mines, Other Underwater Threats (w/Video)
October 31st, 2008 — blog, irobot
iRobot’s website includes two interesting underwater robot pilot projects I hadn’t seen before — the iRobot Transphibian AUV, a highly flexible underwater robot that can crawl as well as swim long distances with the strength to carry large cameras, sensors and other items. Its ability to crawl allows it to scope out and neutralize undersea mines in shallow areas where other undersea robots are unable to venture. CNET’s MilitaryTech noted the ability of the Transphibian to hunt mines as a Kamika
Read more…
iRobot Roomba® 560 Vacuum Cleaning Robot
October 31st, 2008 — blog, irobot
I’m a very fastidious housekeeper (what else can I do with myself while I’m dying of unemployment boredom?) and I have a Dyson which most of us know has the ability to clean the floorboards as well as the carpet on top, so you can consider me to have been truly pissed off with what crap that my roomba found in my already very clean house when it came to live with me. I’ve had one of these for a few months now, and rate it as one of the best gadgets ever invented. There’s something about it that
Read more…
Perhaps the funniest Amazon.com review ever
October 31st, 2008 — blog, irobot
While searching through Amazon.com for a better litter box for my pair of furballs, I came across a review of the Cat Genie. After I stopped laughing, I realized I’d found a challenger to Tuscan Whole Milk for the title of Funniest Review Ever. Here’s the entire Cat Genie review, verbatim: An expensive way to smell poo Cat Genie takes the small unpleasantness of daily cleaning the litter and it saves it up and releases that unpleasantness as one big unscheduled, unpleasant inconvenience e
Read more…