By Andrew Liszewski

If you remember, last year Panasonic set a world record for “the longest distance covered by a battery-operated remote-controlled model car” with their small Evoia robot which was powered by a couple of their EVOLTA AA batteries. It ended up traveling an impressive 14.82 miles around the LeMans race circuit after 24 hours, but now they’ve created an even bigger challenge.

Their upcoming EVOLTA World Challenge III, which begins on September 23rd, will see their new robot, Robo-Garage, tackling the 310 mile route from Tokyo to Kyoto Japan. Now obviously a single set of batteries isn’t going to last anywhere near that long, which is why the new bot will be making pit stops at recharging stations along the way. So given it’s not expected to finish the course until December 10th, I assume the challenge is a publicity stunt to demonstrate how often and reliably the batteries can be recharged. We’re rooting for you little guy!

[ Panasonic EVOLTA World Challenge III ] VIA [ Akihabara News ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Even though cars aren’t really our focus, we’ve been covering the Chevy Volt’s progress for over 2 1/2 years now, and as we inch closer and closer to the vehicle’s official release date, it’s become clear that the car is going to have a much wider appeal than to just those looking for an eco-friendly alternative to their daily commute. In addition to developing the technologies that make the Volt’s electric propulsion and extended range capabilities possible, General Motors has also used the Volt as an opportunity to advance how a driver interacts with their vehicle. In the same way the iPhone changed how we all interacted with our cellphones, the Volt has the potential to do the same for the automobile. And in the same way the iPhone has become an important tool to draw new users into the Apple fold, I think the Volt will do the same thing for General Motors as the company rebuilds after their bailout.

So after reading and writing about the Volt for years now and seeing it progress from the original concept to its more practical current form factor, it was a surreal experience to finally be able to climb into the driver’s seat, hit the power button and pull away in almost complete silence. But while I was only able to spend a limited amount of time exploring the vehicle recently, including taking it for a short ride, I did walk away with quite a few impressions of what many believe is the car that helped save the General. More after the jump.

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By Andrew Liszewski

It sounds like the type of device you’d see shilled on late-night TV or in the back pages of Popular Science, but the CoolSculpting system from ZELTIQ has just been approved by the FDA and could soon be a service offered by your local rhinoplastic surgeon. In essence the device kills fat cells under the skin by freezing them without damaging the skin itself, and once ‘dead’ the frostbitten fatty adipose tissue will then naturally be removed from the body VIA its metabolic processes.

With the CoolSculpting procedure, a specially designed cooling applicator is applied to the desired area of fat reduction to extract energy (cooling) from the underlying fat tissue without damage to other tissues. The applicator cup uses a gentle vacuum pressure to draw the tissue between the cooling panels. During the procedure, the applicator delivers precisely controlled cooling conditions that have been proven to target and eliminate fat cells in specific areas of the body. When fat cells are exposed to precise cooling, they trigger a process of natural removal that gradually reduces the thickness of the fat layer.

The ZELTIQ system controls the rate of energy extraction or cooling during the procedure. The result is a reduction in fat bulges that is visible in most patients in two to four months. The fat cells in the treated area are gradually eliminated through the body’s normal metabolic processes, similar to how fat from food is eliminated.

It’s not designed for serious weightloss, but it seems like a relatively painless way to reduce those love handles you’ve been trying to hide all Summer.

[ ZELTIQ CoolSculpting ] VIA [ Medgadget ]

By David Ponce

So, we start off the week with a special for a Lenovo laptop, the G460. When all is said and done, you’re looking at a 32% discount.

Lenovo direct store is offering its Lenovo Essentials G460 Core i5-430M 14-inch LED-backlit Laptop (06774CU) in Black starting at $949 – $50 off – $250 stackable coupon (expires September 20 or after first 200 uses) = $649 plus FREE shipping.

This Lenovo G460 Essentials Laptop is equipped with 4GB DDR3 memory, 500GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-RW optical drive, 6-cell battery, Intel HD graphics, HDMI, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS.

[ Lenovo Essentials G460 For $649 ] VIA [ LogicBuy ]

By Andrew Liszewski

My hats off to Apple for somehow managing to spawn yet another accessory line. This time around it’s watch strap cases designed to house the 6th generation iPod Nano, turning it into a wristworn timepiece. So far the options have been pretty sketchy in my opinion, but the Linq from Incipio features a full housing that will not only protect the Nano, but ensure it doesn’t get accidentally dislodged while worn. It will be available in 5 colors including a gray not pictured above, though when and for how much is unknown.

[ Incipio Linq ] VIA [ The Gadgeteer ]

By Andrew Liszewski

It might not make for great stage demos like the iPhone, but I’ll be damned if these low-tech silicone oven shields aren’t the cleverest invention I’ve seen all week. While you can get oven mitts made from silicone that do the same thing, I like that these oven shields stay permanently attached to the racks so they’re always there to protect your fingers from burns (if you’re the forgetful type) since they stay cool to the touch in temperatures up to 450F. Unfortunately at one point they were available from quite a few online shops like Amazon for about $10 each, but they seem to be disappearing or going out of stock. Anyone know a reliable place to buy these?

[ Silicone Oven Shields ] VIA [ CraziestGadgets.com ]

By Andrew Liszewski

It’s packing tape, but made awesome with those classic baddies from Space Invaders. 3M are you paying attention? You could corner the market on novelty themed adhesive tapes with some well thought out product tie-ins. If you need suggestions just give me a holler. $4.79 for a pack of three rolls from Officeworks.

[ Space Invaders Packing Tape ] VIA [ Foolish Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I think more busts have been made of Beethoven than any other figure in history, and I’m sure it has something to do with his hair. At about 6 inches tall this one’s on the small side but manages to be far more useful than just a decorative element for a music studio. The holes bored into his chest facilitate a 2 watt speaker inside with volume, bass and treble controls located just below. He’s powered by 4xAAA batteries or your PC’s USB port, and includes a double-ended audio cable for connecting it to any device with a headphone or line out jack. ~$38 (£25.00) from Urban Outfitters.

[ Beathoven Speaker ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

According to wireless goodness, the Excalibur Wireless News Ticker, which was recently approved by the FCC, lets you stay on top of news and other events via a scrolling text display, not unlike what you’d find at the stock market. Since the Excalibur’s interface and display are pretty basic, all of the setup is done via a PC app which lets you add and customize RSS feeds which are then streamed to the display with an included USB dongle.

There will also be a couple of custom branded versions of the device in conjunction with The Weather Channel and Fox Sports that are designed to focus on weather and sports respectively, though I assume they’ll be able to display regular RSS feeds as well. It’s powered by a set of 4xAA batteries which will hopefully last a while given the ‘no frills’ nature of the Excalibur, and while pricing hasn’t been announced yet, it’s expected to be available in time for the holiday season.

[ wireless goodness - Excalibur Wireless News Ticker ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]