Origami Spacecraft to Fly Home

January 20, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Origami-Space-Craft
The guys over at the University of Tokyo are creating a paper airplane which will fly from the international space station, back home (hopefully). Astronauts will launch it soon. A few problems exist though. First is that when a shuttle hits the atmosphere it is travelling at around mach 20 which causes it to get seriously hot and use those heat deflecting tiles across the shuttles belly.

So, a paper airplane will be thrown out of the space station, which is travelling at speed it’s self, and yet they expect the plane to land safely. Apparently this will be achieved by treating the paper (in some mystical way) to make it be able to withstand the extra heat. Now I don’t expect to see the airplane fly through the atmosphere at mach 20, but it should still be going quite fast to get hot.

No launch date is set and they are hoping a hand written message on it might make it in to the hands of someone on the ground. It will be cool if that happens!

Via: Inventorspot

Filed Under: Gadget Toys

Mario Quilt

January 19, 2008 by 2 Comments

mario_quilt
The Mario Quilt is designed by Crafster and has pixelated type icons of Mario, Bowser and others sewn in to it. It looks 8-bit style and 1.5 inch squares make up the 8′ x 8′ sized quilt.

Via: Technabob

Filed Under: Home Gadgets

3D Optical Illusion Machine

January 18, 2008 by Leave a Comment

3d-optical-illusions
This machine was created by a Japanese engineer. It creates optical illusions instantaneously.

A Japanese engineer developed a machine that creates 3D optical illusions in real-time. Put simply, an object rotates while different scans are synchronized, and the following outcome is more than meets the eye. Video after the break. Click here for first picture in gallery.

Check out the video demonstration after the jump.

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[Read more…]

Filed Under: Concept Gadgets

Evolta Mega Battery

January 18, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Panasonic_Evolta
Panasonic have created Evolta which is a mega battery. The battery is a step up from Oxyride. If you remember Oxyride, they are batteries that run at 1.7V (for the AA versions) which is slightly larger then normal. Two of those batteries powered a car with a light passenger for 1.23km trip. So, they are fairly powerful. It makes you wonder what kind of output the new Evolta’s will give out.

Another step up is that Evolta batteries have a shelf life of 10 years. They will not lose any power or performance if sat there unused.

No details are readily available yet, but expect to start seeing these batteries around April time.

Via: DigitalworldTokyo

Filed Under: Tech News

Philips GoGear MP3 Player

January 18, 2008 by 1 Comment

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GoGear is made by Philips. The latest MP3 player with this brand is the SA2845 which is due out the first quarter of this year. They have a relatively low price of $29 – $49 and the player is very compact and looks rather cool. It has an OLED display, USB 2.0 connectivity and an FM tuner built in. On the storage side there is sufficient too with it having 4GB built in which is enough for a good amount of albums to be stored.

Via: Funponsel

Filed Under: MP3 Players

Rolling Clock

January 18, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Rolling Clock
The rolling clock is just as unique as the cube clock we wrote about a couple of weeks back. This clock has a weight inside which causes the clock to roll around the desk with the time hitting the table. The time on the clock isn’t accurate either. No minutes can be found and it uses a simple way by saying, it’s almost 7pm etc…

The rolling clock is 9″ in diameter and costs $179 from gnr8.

Via: 7Gadgets

Filed Under: Gadget Clocks

Continuum Solar Car

January 18, 2008 by Leave a Comment

continuum-solar-car
Students at the university of Michigan have created a solar powered car named the Continuum which is capable of speeds up to 90MPH. To achieve that the car is built as slim and light as possible to reduce weight and drag. The solar system which generates power to the wheels has had an upgrade from previous similar models and it uses parabolic mirrors to concentrate the suns energy. A number of previous versions required the driver to lay down so the car could be as flat as possible. This version manages to allow the driver sit down, and still reach a fairly impressive top speed.

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Via: TechChee

Filed Under: Cool Gadgets

Radio Controlled Hovercraft

January 18, 2008 by Leave a Comment

RC Hovercraft
The Radio Controlled Hovercraft is capable of running across land, water, ice or snow. It has a dual cushion to provide lift, but keep the air tucked away inside. It has 3 motors inside and 2 propellers to keep it hovering and moving.

It’s the perfect office type toy for those with boring jobs.

Via: MadaboutGadgets

Filed Under: Gadget Toys

Shadow Projector

January 17, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Shadow Projector
The Eveal Shadow Projector creates the impression of sunlight streaming in to your house by projecting an image of the out doors (looking through a window) on to any internal wall. The image is animated and the branches of the tree’s sway in the breeze. However, it does cost $380 which seems a bit crazy to just change the ambient mood of your room.

Product Page Via: PC News

Filed Under: Home Gadgets

Signal Blocking Bag

January 17, 2008 by Leave a Comment

mobile-bag-blocking-signal
Sometimes it is nice to have some space as we are constantly bombarded with communication in the form of emails and the mobile phone. Switching off your phone might not be a way you want to keep calls away, so this little signal blocking bag could be ideal. When you do not want to be disturbed, just put your phone in the bag and all signals will not reach the mobile. It’s dimensions are 104 * 93 * 4mm and any modern mobile phone should squeeze in quite nicely.

The bag costs just under $14 and is available from ChinaVasion.

Product Page Via: Gadgets-Reviews

Filed Under: Cell Phones

Head Mounted Display by Vuzix

January 17, 2008 by Leave a Comment

VIZUX_AV920_HMD
Vuzix have introduced their HMD (Heat Mounted Display) which is ideal for those who love computer games or movies. It allows you to be more immersed in the game or movie although you might look a little crazy in the process of using it. It is compatible with most video games consoles such as the Wii, 360 and PS3 although if you plan to use the Wii I can see some serious accidents happen while almost blind to the real world, waving that controller around.

The screen is powered by a lithium ion battery for about 6 hours. It has a 640 x 480 resolution which sits about 6.35 CM from your eyes. It will cost 59,900 yen when launched (About $600 USD).

Via: Akihabaranews

Filed Under: Displays

Laser Target Alarm Clock

January 17, 2008 by 2 Comments

laser-target-alarm-clock
Unlike the fire alarm bell clock which is designed to scare the life out of you each morning, the Laser Target Alarm clock is designed to make your brain be a little more active and alert. To switch off the alarm it requires that you hit the bullseye with a laser gun. The alarm will keep sounding till you hit the target.

Product Page Via: Gizmodo

Filed Under: Cool Gadgets