Tag: Robots
Vintage-style Karakuri sake-serving androids
If you've always wanted a slave, but are too darned ethical to buy a live one, how about a handmade sake serving automata made from cherrywood and porcelain? These lovely little robots are all based on clockwork, and use…
Google and Milk Thistle saves family from death
My grandmother always swore milk thistle was the best thing for my screwed-up liver; she's mentioned it on many occasions over the years and I'm afraid I've always relegated it to the same category as the books I read…
How DialIdol.com hijacked American Idol (and could do same for any other dial-in vote)
American Idol, the US reality-TV program that allows viewers to vote as often as they like for whomever they like best, was hijacked many moons ago by DialIdol.com, which provides software allowing you to wardial for your favourite, indefinitely….
Aldebaran Robotics AL-05 humanoid robot
CES was festooned with robots last week, like the R2-D2 entertainment-bot, the Spyke spybot, and Honda's awesome Asimo. I didn't manage to hook up with French firm Aldebaran Robotics, which has been working on its own humanoid robot for a…
Cloning a steer from a steak
In Cloned Bull: the bum rap on cloned food, William Saletan addresses the technical issues of cloning beef. He mentioned a startling fact: ViaGen's 19-month old prize steer, Elvis, "was cloned from a side of Prime Yield Grade 1…
MHV4: Hydrogen Powered Car
Another environmental vehicle prototype: the MHV4 hydrogen-powered car from Taiwan's Mingdao University. No petrol whatsoever involved, and it runs for 40km per charge. Compact but with a little storage space (unlike the ultra-compacts), it seats two, is pretty cute,…
Make your own origami TV
If you're the kind of Hippyshopper that has a computer but no television, the Sharp Pencil Quality TV will be right up your alley. Instructions are pretty straightforward: download the template, cut it out, glue it together, wrap the…
How to Throw Away that Broken iPod
What to do with last year’s electronics? How to Throw Away that Broken iPod talks about the issues in exporting toxic trash to third-world countries: "ill-protected workers burn plastic off copper wires, releasing dioxins, and bathe old computer chips…
Powersheet provides power without wire
Capable of feeding up to 30 watts, the flexible power sheet prototype from Takao Someya, professor of engineering at the University of Tokyo, detects the power port on a gadget placed on the surface, and inducts power into gadgets…
How to save £1250 a month with solar power
Would you trade a red clay roof for a shiny black one – if it saved you £1250 a month in mains charges? California homeowners are outfitting their houses with solar panels, getting free power, and pocketing profits from…