By Evan Ackerman

3D printers are not quite home appliances yet, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a use for them. Sometimes, objects you want simply don’t exist. Shapeways does the expensive part for you, taking your design and printing it out in 3D and mailing it to your door. They print in durable plastic which can be solid or flexible, or even transparent, and the printing resolution of 1/10 of a millimeter allows you to print things like functional gears and other moving or interlocking parts. Shapeways prices designs by the volume of material used… The candle holder in the picture above, for example, costs $80.

Of course, with the expensive part (the printing) taken care of, we’re still left with the difficult part: making a 3D design. Shapeways accepts all kinds of file formats if you already know what you’re doing with that, but if you don’t, they have an online 3D design creator that makes it easy (as long as you stick to the templates, anyway). And once you get good at it, Shapeways will even sell your designs on their online store.

After the jump, I’ve posted a couple YouTube videos showing how the design and printing processes actually work. Read the rest of this entry »

By Evan Ackerman

iRiver’s Wave Home is, I guess, primarily a VoIP console. But it’s got a touchscreen, it’s got internet, it’s got an OS that supports a variety of widgets… Really, it’s more of a specialized laptop than a VoIP phone. The touchscreen is 7″ and 800 x 480, and there’s a 1.3 mpx tiltable camera for video conferencing, stereo speakers, 1 gig of SD expandable flash memory, and a wireless remote/handset that lives in a slot in the back.

I played with the Wave Home for a while, and the user interface is pretty slick. In addition to VoIP and videoconferencing, you’ve got SMS/MMS, contacts, a diary, access to widgets, a web browser, location aware information like traffic and weather, internet radio, and of course all of your multimedia.

There isn’t any specific pricing or release dates, but it’ll probably be available in late summer at a target price of less than $400, possibly as a subsidized accessory when you subscribe to a plan from a VoIP provider.

By Jonathan Kimak

Now when I say closer, I mean that scientists have actually made something appear invisible, it just happens to be nano sized(one billionth of a metre). It’s still a step in the right direction, the direction of absolutely awesome invisibility suits and laser guns and women in tight, form fitting clothes. Well, 2 out of 3 at least.

Researchers at the University of California in Berkeley have created a material that bends visible light around nano-sized 3-dimensional objects, rendering them invisible. The material is artificially made and has properties smaller than the wavelength of light which allows for the unique effect.

An interesting point is how one professor chose to explain cloaking bigger objects like people.

In order to have the ‘Harry Potter’ effect, you just need to find the right materials for the visible wavelengths,” says Prof Hess, “and it’s absolutely thrilling to see we’re on the right track.

[ BBC News ] VIA [ Engadget ]

By Jonathan Kimak

The Seascout is a prototype rescue craft designed and created by Andre Harley. He created the prototype using the Lego mindstorms robotics NXT kit. The Seascout will use GPS to track anyone who has fallen into the water. It will scoop the person up and take them to safety. It will also have radios so that the person in the water can communicate with someone on the shore(or boat). It is also intended to be able to work in situations and weather that a human lifeguard would not be able to handle.

So now we have robots that can serve beer and robots that can save you when you get drunk and fall into the ocean. Forget about terminators taking over the world. We’re being taken over by helpful and cute Wall-Es.

[ Andre Harley ] VIA [ Gizmodo ]

By Jonathan Kimak

You may be tired of waiting in extremely long lines for rides like Disney’s new Toy Story Mania. The long waits are especially annoying when the ride itself lasts only a minute. Well, if you have some spare time and a shed full of scrap metal you can do what John Ivers did and build a fully functioning roller coaster in your backyard.

The ride is called Blue Flash and has 180 feet of track and a 360 degree loop. The ride is longer than the wait and you can pretty much go again and again until one of your relatives jumps on it while you are re-experiencing your lunch and hurling it into the trash bin.

VIA [ Offbeat earth ]

Video of the awesome ride after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Evan Ackerman

Kinda like last Friday, there’s no really gadgetry going on here, but these guys are just SO CUTE and alien-y I had to post about them. They’re nudibranchs, a type of sea slug, and they’re some of the most flagrantly colorful animals on the planet. The colors are partially to help them blend in on coral reefs, and partially to communicate that they’re poisonous. National geographic has a mind bending gallery by David Doubilet that you can check out here, and I’ve posted some of my favorite pics after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

By Luke Anderson

Shoes and technology aren’t generally two things that go hand-in-hand. However, since the inception of Nike + iPod, it has been a little more common to hear people talking about both in the same breath. As far as I’ve seen, Nike is really the only shoe company trying hard to cross-brand their products with tech gear. Well, they’re at it again, only this time they’ve decided to team up with Japan’s KDDi Communications.

When Nike teamed up with Apple, they created a very useful product. This recent partnership is not nearly as exciting. In fact, they’re apparently just shoes that bear some sort of resemblance to the KDDi Infobar 2 phone. I’ve heard of people buying shoes to match a particular coat or dress, but don’t you think buying a pair to match your phone is a bit much? They’ll be on sale in December in Japan for around $155.

[Mobile Fashion] VIA [Newlaunches]

By Ryan Nill

Questionable fashion gets an “Eco” twist in this chunky ring that features haute horticulture. The large porcelain fashion rings actually come with compost and seeds; you grow your own fashion statement. It takes about 15 days for the ring’s seeds to sprout and mature, after that it will be ready to wear. Sure, they’re dangerously green, maybe a little less than dangerously stylish. They also are dangerously expensive, with prices between 70 and 120 Euros.

[ La Bague Gazon ] VIA [ Red Ferret ]

By Ryan Nill

Just as I predicted in 2004, here is a chair whose seat is made entirely of plush pandas. It is probably disgustingly expensive, in addition to be disgustingly cute. But it is also limited edition, so some enterprising person will either have to go for broke or end up gluing little sister’s entire collection together. It’s your choice.

Made by design group Estudio Campana in Brazil, it is apparently commentary on complex socio-economic ideals. I am torn between dearly wanting one of these and my extreme disgust for people who make art and then write an essay on it.

Hit the jump for more pics.

Read the rest of this entry »