Today is Alan Turing’s 100th birthday. He’s seen by many as the father of both computer science and AI. If you’re struggling to solve today’s Google logo then imagine the insight needed to create a working Turing machine out of LEGO. That’s what Jeroen van den Bos and Daby Landman at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica […]
Today is IPv6 Day
Today is IPv6 Day – a day when major internet players enable the IPv6 systems permanently. The old system, IPv4, isn’t getting switched off yet and the two systems will run in parallel for a while. Although IPv4 is still in place, the IANA ran out of IPv4 addresses to asign to devices like smartphones, […]
Impressive LEGO Strandbeest
Are you familiar with strandbeests? They are a strange mix between art and engineering. The Strandbeest is the creation of Dutch artist Theo Jansen who has “evolved” the design over the years. He said; “Over time, these skeletons have become increasingly better at surviving the elements such as storms and water, and eventually I want […]
HTC’s new Desire C includes an NFC variant
The headline news is that HTC is launching a Desire C model today. The HTC Desire C. Featuring Beats Audio™ phone might come as a surprise to people who thought HTC was putting all its eggs into the “One” range. The HTC Desire C seems to be trying to be a bit of everything for […]
Sony’s HX8 Bravia is magic
I need a new TV. The thing is – I’m holding off finding a replacement because I believe the current fad for 3D will pass. The next generation of interesting TVs will be connected devices; TVs that I can use to connect to the internet. Step forward Sony with their Bravia line. The flagship model […]
Building a real life mecha
The video below shows what a small team in a garage can do. This isn’t a DARPA funded project or a big corporation showing off their tech. Nevertheless, this real life mech looks to be remarkable. It looks like some of the key motion control aspects of the build challenge are well and truly solved. […]
Could you build a Portal Turret? Yes; here’s one
This is an academic project – the creation of a real life Portal Turret. Watch the video and listen as it even sounds like a Portal Turret. It’s a gun that sweetly asks you to come closer. It’s also a gun that tracks you as you move and shoots you. The good news is that […]
Real life transformer
It’s worth watching as this RC car drives on screen. What’s the fuss about? That would be a fair question to ask if you hadn’t seen the title of the post. The car really transforms. I think the bar is higher now. Can it transform from car to standing robot quickly? How mobile and agile […]
Really real? A Star Trek Phaser
Boing Boing is reporting that somechap has managed to build himself a Star Trek phaser. The video is below and it’s a little odd. The title seems third party and it appears on this YouTube channel. On the other hand, the claims of the phaser aren’t very high – he’s had to fill the garage […]
Festo’s flying and morphing shape – new robots ahoy
I was impressed by the Festo team at The Gadget Show Live this year. I even managed to capture (some) video footage of their robot bird as it flew gracefully around the stage. A new video from the company shows off their “SmartInversion”. This is a flying geometrical band, filled with hellium, that moves through […]