Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation

We came for the car, we stayed for the promoter. Takara Tomy’s previously announced AeroSpider RC car, which mystically scales walls and cruises upside-down, is finally shipping this month in Japan. Cool though that may be, the real news here is the overgrown 4-year old used to show off just how amazing this minuscule vehicle truly is. Head on past the break to see what we mean — trust us, we wouldn’t lead you on like this for nothing.

[Thanks, Clyde]

Continue reading Takara Tomy’s wall-climbing AeroSpider RC car ships this month

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Filed under: Home Entertainment

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/Panasonic_s_EZ_Touch_multitouch_remote_control_concept’; Panasonic is looking to reinvent the remote control with its EZ Touch Remote prototype that it is showing off here at CEATEC. Rather than rely on a touch-screen interface that forces one to look down at a remote (and away from the object of one’s entertainment), the concept puts the visual feedback where it belongs: on the screen. The remote can sense left- or right-handed users and adjust the interface appropriately, moving important triggers around based on where one’s thumb may (or may not) be. Dual touch pads allow for multitouch data entry and zoom manipulation, while gestures allow for quick scrolls, making this one of the most intuitive and drool-worthy remote controls we’ve seen in a while, or ever. We’re so into it that we’ve provided a full gallery and three videos after the break.

Continue reading Panasonic’s EZ Touch multitouch remote control concept hands-on and video

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Filed under: Peripherals

It’s a mouse, it’s a television remote control — really, besides a bag of chips and a great Belgian lager like Budweiser, what else is needed for a sedentary lifestyle? The C@T-one (get it, cat one?) ships with a 2.4GHz wireless USB dongle and should work with your PC-based media center or FORIS.HD TV. ¥12,600 (about $120), problem solved.

[Via Impress]

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Filed under: Robots

So it’s a full $59 more than we were expecting, but with Wall-E’s tremendous success at the box office, we have a feeling Disney can get away with it. The Ultimate Wall-E remote control robot is now up for pre-order, promising kids and adults-longing-to-be-kids alike hours upon hours of fun. For those who missed this creature frolicking on video, here are the highlights: he can chat with his owner, dance, play music, dazzle you with those eyes and even sense / avoid obstacles. Unfortunately, all $249 will buy you is a place in line, as this fellow isn’t expect to ship until October 16th.

[Thanks, Toadlet]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Robots

Tmsuk is back with even more crazy humanoid antics, this time demonstrating a shopping robot that can be controlled from far, far away. The modified TMSUK-4 humanoid showcased in Kitakyushu, Japan was actually being controlled by an elderly lady in her home via an NTT DoCoMo video-capable cellphone. Essentially, the technology enabled her to see through the eyes of the robot and presumably control its movements via the keypad. We are told that she was able to successfully browse the hat section and finally make a purchase, but who knows how many innocent bystanders were unknowingly mauled in the process.

[Via Pink Tentacle]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Wireless

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Household

Pictured above, dear readers, is all the proof you need that a universal remote really is the best option if you have 4+ units that you use on a regular basis. This borderline-comical storage unit has enough room for four of your favorite clickers and one ice cold beverage, but oddly enough, there’s no basket for holding your day-old tater tots or marginally stale Fritos. Still, it does boast a built-in panel that will automatically buzz a lost remote in case you misplace it, which totally makes up for any other oversights in design. Of course, we’d recommend putting the $59.98 that this costs towards a decent universal remote, but at least this piece is less embarrassing than the infamous Remote Wrangler.

[Thanks, Juergen]

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Filed under: Robots

While they may be lacking in technical prowess, Crabfu bots never are lacking in charm, and this here remote controlled Tortoise bot charmed our very pants off. Video is after to the break, but be sure to be on your guard for Tortoise bot’s war of attrition with an indifferent kitty — you may just end up trouserless, and we can’t be held responsible. Hrm, that didn’t come out right.

[Via technabob]

Continue reading Crabfu strikes again with Tortoise RC bot

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Filed under: Home Entertainment

Whittling down the amount of remotes in one’s living room has long since been a challenge for the amateur home theater builder, and while there are some decent universal solutions on the market, the RF4CE Consortium is hoping to make things painfully simple. The group has been formed in order to “drive the adoption of an open radio frequency (RF) entertainment control specification based on IEEE 802.15.4.” If you’ll recall, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard that standard called, as it’s also used in MaxStream’s XBee Xtender. Notably, Freescale is hoping to incorporate its Synkro technology into the specification, and in an ideal world, we’d see said protocol filter into DVD players, AV receivers, set-top-boxes and all manners of components. Let the IR-to-RF transition begin, we say.

Read - Sony’s RF4CE Consortium release
Read - Freescale’s RF4CE Consortium release

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals

Though we’d certainly like to see a few hands-on shots of this beauty just to quiet that annoying doubter in the rear of our mind that this is merely a concept, AMEX’s RM-mp1 is reportedly the real deal. Said remote features wireless USB, support for Windows Media Center, a built-in touchpad / laser pointer and a black or white motif. Beyond that, details are admittedly scant, but we’ll certainly be crossing our fingers that this mystical device crosses the waters to America in short order.

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Filed under: Home Entertainment

ESPN’s unleashing The Ultimate Remote, developed by tvCompass, complete with 2.2-inch QVGA LCD screen and 802.11 b/g WiFi stuffed in a 6.5 oz package. It’s certainly a serious contender with the Harmony One — and priced like it, at $300. The marketing info claims no PC is required for setup, recharging via USB, an internet browser with real time access to scores, fantasy info and TV listings for broadcast, cable and satellite from click365’s wireless partners. There’s even a messaging feature for texting from remote to remote, email, or to a cellphone. We got a glimpse of it at Microsoft’s booth during CES, and while it claims “Advanced Microsoft Windows operating software” it’s not talking about SideShow. It reminds us a lot of the Ricavision VAVE100 MCE/SideShow remote, but with a slightly different feature set. Father’s Day is coming up and suddenly walking over to the computer (or keeping a laptop or PDA/phone on the couch) is sounding like a lot of unnecessary work. Check after the break for a bigger pic with keypad breakdown, or head to Amazon to preorder.

[Via Electronista]

Continue reading ESPN unveils The Ultimate Remote, is WiFi worth $300?

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Continue reading Remote-controlled whiteboard hack is as practical as it is pretty

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Filed under: Home Entertainment

var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/Video_Touchless_B_O_remote_control_prototype’; Isn’t it nice to watch a sexy concept makes its first, quivering steps towards retail? You’re looking at the graduation design project of Joris van Gelder: the Remote for B&O. The idea was to create a remote control for kitchen use. As such, it’s meant to be (mostly) touchless in order to keep the remote free from bacteria or ether, depending upon your situation. The remote responds to finger gestures and lifts and falls in concert with the volume. Two videos after the break: the first showing the concept followed by the working prototype.

[Via BEOWorld, thanks JK]

Continue reading Video: Touchless B&O remote control prototype

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Filed under: Robots

Finally, a robot that “gets” us. Researchers at Toshiba in Japan have created a talking bot that can be used as a voice-activated universal remote in addition to formulating plots about terminating humans. The 5-pound, 11-inch-tall android is called ApriPoko, and is capable of learning how to control electronics by watching you and asking questions about your behavior. When you use an infrared device, the robot senses the signal and asks the user “What did you just do?” If you say something akin to “I turned on the TV,” it will commit the command to memory, and you can operate those functions by voice. Apparently, the little guy is still in the R&D stages, but there are plans to turn this technology into a consumer device — one which the company swears will not kill you in your sleep.

[Via Pink Tentacle]

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Filed under: Transportation

After this, you’ll never have the same mental image when hearing “remote controlled car” again. Ever. Resident engineer and all around madman Dr. James Brighton took a break from his rigorous teaching duties at Cranfield University and whipped up a RC Hummer H3 — as in, the man converted an actual Hummer H3 into a remotely controlled toy. Amazingly, the conversion was completed in just a month, and it’s reportedly able to “climb a 407-millimeter vertical wall, traverse a 40-percent side slope and operate in up to 610-millimeters of water.” Hit up the read link for a few more images of this guy having the time of his life.

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Remember that intriguing KP-900 that came our way courtesy of the FCC late last month? Turns out, this creature is getting all official on us today, with Universal proudly proclaiming that its newest IR / RF dual-use remote will be debuting at the Electronic House Expo in Orlando next month. The multifaceted gizmo is made to be retrofitted into any home that could use a wall-mounted home automation controller and a sophisticated home theater remote, and it should be hitting authorized dealer locations next month for $599. Not bad, not bad at all.

[Via Widescreen Review]

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Remember that intriguing KP-900 that came our way courtesy of the FCC late last month? Turns out, this creature is getting all official on us today, with Universal proudly proclaiming that its newest IR / RF dual-use remote will be debuting at the Electronic House Expo in Orlando next month. The multifaceted gizmo is made to be retrofitted into any home that could use a wall-mounted home automation controller and a sophisticated home theater remote, and it should be hitting authorized dealer locations next month for $599. Not bad, not bad at all.

[Via Widescreen Review]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment

While the corporate IT world has long had access to remotely-controlled power for servers and data centers, it’s pretty cutting-edge stuff for home theater, with PS Audio releasing the first line of Internet-connected power management devices. Ranging in price from $600 to $1,995 and scheduled to release in Spring 2008, the four products in the PowerPlay line differ in number of switchable and isolated plugs, but all offer a web interface to toggle power, schedule reboots, and monitor power quality. There is an RS-232 port for hardwired power control as well as IR blasters for turning devices back on after a reboot. Now you can reboot your TiVo without ever stepping foot in the house.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras

We’ve seen some fairly intuitive home security creations in our day, but this little wonder ranks pretty high up there. Utilizing a couple of cameraphones, a microcontroller, solenoid relays, a photoresistor, wires galore, a soldering iron and a robust picture messaging plan, this cameraphone activated cameraphone can be used to snap pictures of a pre-defined location whenever you get curious. We could even see building an entire fleet if you’re really paranoid, but by the time you add all those additional lines, you may be better off just pulling the trigger on a bonafide CCTV system. Nevertheless, feel free to follow the read link and hack until your heart’s content, and check out a video of this setup in action after the jump.

Continue reading Cameraphone remotely activates cameraphone in DIY venture

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Following up on the RICA 100 that Ricavision unveiled in May is the VAVE100, which doesn’t deviate too far from its past siblings in the design department, but does offer up a 2.4-inch QVGA LCD, a shiny green MCE button and SideShow functionality. As we’d expect, this thing is a Class 1 (~50 meters promised) Bluetooth device with A2DP support, and it comes with its own docking station, a BT transceiver and a power charger. The remote enables users to control over 20 different components from up to 50-feet away via IR, and the buttons are backlit to keep you from fumbling around in the dark while trying to switch tracks. Unfortunately, you won’t be using one of these to control your new gear (you are asking for new gear this year, right?) until next February, but you will save $25 by pre-ordering now for $274.

[Thanks, Ronald]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!