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.

What’s better than a remote-controlled truck? Why, a remote-controlled truck with a hidden remote-controlled helicopter inside it, that’s what! The Silverlit Heli-Mission SWAT Truck is a full-function toy truck, the rear section of which flips open to reveal an indoor helicopter on a rising launch platform.
What’s not entirely clear is whether you have a separate controller for the helicopter or use the same one as for the truck. All we know is that it’s a 3-channel system and uses the same contra-rotating blades as other toy choppers that makes piloting them relatively simple. Still, we never see the helicopter land back on the truck launch-pad in the video below, so you likely need some skill to get it back into the transport solely on propeller-power.

Still, we won’t allow user-ineptitude to blind us to such a fantastic toy. The Silverlit Heli-Mission SWAT Truck is apparently “coming soon” priced at £59.95 in the UK ($99).

NKK Switches have announced a new control that integrates a compact 96 x 64 OLED display. The OLED Rocker has a 0.92-inch monochrome OLED panel with broad 180-degree viewing angles, and offers both up/down navigation as well as push-enter functionality.

The control joins NKK Switches’ existing display-control range, which already features a color-OLED button. However that control is only a push-button, and requires a far deeper panel mount.

NKK envisage the control as being used in home automation systems, scrolling through different options and perhaps replacing a whole bank of lighting or audio/visual controls. It’s also IP64 rated for resistance to dust and water, meaning it can be installed in industrial locations. No word on pricing, nor general availability.

If the thought of remotely controlling you Rovio robot webcam from a cellphone is appealing, but you don’t have a BlackBerry, then AndRovio may be the solution. Poignant Projects’ app runs on Android devices, and allows full control of Rovio including live webcam viewing, camera position control and snapshots.
As well as moving the Rovio around your home or office from wherever you have an internet connection, you’re also able to adjust the height of the webcam-neck, turn on or off the robot’s lights and set home points. There are also on-screen warnings should the WowWee robot’s IR obstacle detector spot anything in the way, plus you can capture snapshots from the camera and turn on a low-light mode.

A 3G connection is preferred, but AndRovio will work over EDGE if that’s all you’ve got. AndRovio is currently available to download through the Android Application Market, direct to your smartphone, priced at $0.99.

If it feels like a long time since you first saw the Hillcrest Labs Loop Pointer, that’s because it has been. We first spotted the motion-sensitive ring controller back in November 2006, but the company has only now released it for direct consumer purchase. Your money gets you a wireless controller with four buttons and a scroll-wheel, that you tilt and gesture with to control your HTPC or presentation.


Initially intended as a concept device to showcase the company’s motion-sensing technology, the production Loop will support adaptive tremor removal which apparently monitors each user’s specific tremors and learns to ignore them. The controller is roughly the size of a DVD and weighs 4.9oz; it’s powered by two AA batteries, and has a range of up to 30 feet.

No specific drivers are required for PC or Mac, with the controller recognized as a standard mouse; all you need do is plug in the USB receiver. It’ll also work to navigate the PS3’s menus and control the Kodak Theatre HD Player. The Hillcrest Labs Loop Pointer is available now, with an MRSP of $99.