Todays & Tomorrows Technology

Not, perhaps, the sort of thing most SlashGear readers will be able to try at home, but if you’ve ever wanted to see a 15 tonne hydraulic grapple controlled by a humble Wiimote then here’s the video for you. Simon Wittber of Australian firm Transmin is lucky enough to have not one but two remote-controlled grapple arms, each toting a vicious looking six-claw pincer, and so he and his team decided to link up Nintendo’s controller for some afternoon entertainment.


Each grapple can make roughly twelve revolutions per minute – that’s about 72kph or 45mph – and has a sixteen meter reach. The team used Python to link the Wiimote (via Bluetooth) into their normal grapple control system.

As an aside, Simon’s voice-over and the choice of music is perfect. He sounds like just the sort of calm, level-headed person you’d want wielding a 15 tonne grapple with the casual flick of a Wiimote.

Created by Paul Fryer last year, this “Chess Set for Tesla” takes 32 working vacuum tubes and turns them into chess pieces. Each tube slots into a port on the custom board, lighting up to show their identity via a glowing icon on the top.

The pieces range in size from 10cm to 15cm, while the board itself measures 48 by 50 cm and is 17cm deep. There’s what looks to be a lid, which will hopefully prevent your cat from jumping up, knocking over the pieces and bending all the pins.

Seven copies of the set were produced, and presumably went on sale, but we doubt there are any left for purchase. Even if there had been, this beautiful game is unlikely to have been cheap.

MDI have been working on their air-powered engine for years now, and Edmunds Inside Line were lucky enough to take the 2010 AIRPod prototype for a spin. Distinctively designed, the AIRPod throws out internal combustion in favor of running from compressed-air, a full tank of which – refilled in just two minutes with the right infrastructure – is good for 90-125 miles with a single occupant.

Air compressed to 2,900psi sits in carbon-fiber tanks behind and underneath the driver, while steering is managed by a joystick and acceleration/braking by regular pedals. While the bubble-car design might suggest it can only accommodate one, in fact there’s a rear-facing bench in the back that’s enough for up to three to catch a ride. Maximum speed for the prototype is 30mph, but the commercial model – expected to go into production by the end of 2009 – will reach 50mph.

After climbing in through the lift-up front hatch, the driving experience is “like a hyperactive Jack Russell terrier” with dire acceleration made up for thanks to a tiny turning circle and nimble steering. Happily the production model will have softer suspension, as the prototype is unpleasantly bouncy, and hopefully some way of cooling things down inside as the expansive glass and lack of air-conditioning make for quite the mobile sauna.

Still, it’s set to reach France by the end of the year, priced at €6,000 ($8,380) which will be reduced by half thanks to eco-friendly subsidies. MDI are also working on a dual-power version, which will use the air engine together with a tiny “supercharger” which heats the air and thus boosts performance.

I’ve no doubt this video will be all over the place before long (if it isn’t already) but we’re suckers for transforming tech here at SlashGear. Apparently created for the French postal service, to publicize their new home printing service for shipping labels, it shows a MacBook option that, while cool, could get expensive after a while.

In the video, the user’s MacBook transforms into a Star Wars-esque spacecraft after he attempts to organize a shipment, complete with Transformers-style robotic noises. It’s not the first time we’ve seen such adverts – Citroen’s C4 commercials are a good prior example – but we still love them.

Perhaps even funnier are the discussions the video prompted in the 9to5Mac comments, about how this isn’t actually a real MacBook (pre-transformation, of course). It has the screen bezel of a pre-unibody model, but the keyboard of a newer machine.

If you ever needed proof that the Japanese love their robots, then the viewing figures for this video of Hina should convince you. Already racking up over 100,000 views in just 24 hours, the clip shows Hina making a cup of coffee – including measuring out the beans, grinding them, adding the water and even pouring it.

Hina stands 36cm tall and has 21 degrees of freedom, two gyroscopes and an acceleration sensor. Her antenna are actually the swinging pig-tails you see in the video. It’s not entirely clear whether these were pre-programmed movements or done in real-time – a modified SEGA Saturn twin-stick controller is used – but either way, it’s impressive.

A copy of the video (embedded below) has been viewed more than 100,000 times on Japanese portal Nico Nico Douga. It’s brilliant stuff, and I now know what I want for Christmas.

You might not realize it, but you’re probably sleeping wrong. Thankfully Zeo are around to tell you the error of your ways, and since we won’t take anybody seriously unless we’re paying them a subscription and they’re offering us a wireless-enabled alarm with LCD display, that’s part of the deal too. Measurements are taken via a headband you wear during the night, which sends data to the alarm and rates your quality of sleep as a “ZQ” number.

ZQ is affected by how long you stay in REM phase sleep, deep sleep or light sleep. Those ZQ readings are stored on an SD card, which you can upload to Zeo’s website. The team there will then give you daily email guidance – or “personal sleep coaching” – suggesting ways in which you can improve your bedtime performance. Since the measurements are tracked and displayed every day, Zeo suggest you can use them to try out different relaxation techniques and instantly see what impact they have.

The Wall Street Journal’s Melinda Beck tried it out, and seemed impressed; however, she points out that Zeo have only apparently trialled the system on around 140 people so far. That means you’re basically paying to be a beta tester, and it doesn’t come cheap: the $399 sticker of the Zeo system includes six months of “coaching”; another six months is a further $99.

It may not put the fear of the Empire into any nearby planets, but steaks and chicken thighs should begin quivering at Bryan Tate’s custom Death Star grill. Currently up for auction on eBay, the grill has a vent built into the weapon-dish and a neat little Imperial Cruiser handle.

Bryan took two Weber grills, painting the inside with Krylon barbecue paint for heat-resistance and the outside with grey engine enamel. The vent on the top opens up and was custom-made, plus there’s a second vent underneath.

The auction ends on June 14th, and as of writing is just over $100 (having not met the reserve). Be warned, though, shipping the grill is going to add significantly to that: after all, it’s 36lbs in weight.