CyberCarpet

As a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, it's always been a puzzle how Captain Picard and his crew of merry men could traverse the virtual worlds of the Holodeck without ever bumping into a wall. Now we know. The CyberCarpet is a project envisioned as a platform suspended over thousands of tiny spheres, which in turn float over a treadmill mounted on a turntable. Anyone walking on the 5m platform will keep walking back to the center without ever noticing. Hopefully, this won't be light years to completion.

Via Singularity News

Price: N.A.
Availability: Project in progress between Cognitive and Computational Psychophysics Department of the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tuebingen, and the Institute for Applied Mechanics of the Technical University of Munich
Device: Walking platform for virtual worlds
Basic specs: N.A.

Desktop Sushi Robot

Imagine having your own personal sushi chef. Now imagine having the next best thing--your own sushi-making robot. At 50 Nigiri pieces a minute, you'll be the envy of your neighbors. Need we say more?

Goes well with the Katsutare Zara Soy Sauce Plate and Sushi Specs

Price: N.A.
Availability: Nasaco
Device: Sushi making machine
Basic specs: 3,000 pieces/hr, 350 x 480 x 700mm, about 40kg, hopper capacity 8kg, feeding amount adjustment 18 to 25g/each rice ball, touch panel equipped in Japanese, English or Chinese versions

Episode III Darth Vader Voice Changer

A moment please for a snigger. With Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith just around the corner (May 18 for Singapore), vendors have been busy with their own kind of revenge, dropping Star Wars gizmos on eager-beaver fans which include this Darth Vader Voice Changer helmet. Don it and you'll instantly sound like the dark one, with voice conversion, breathing mode and five Darth Vader quotes to draw from. Since it's said to be adjustable for all head sizes, we're betting that some of our more loony starry-eyed colleagues will quietly purchase this online for some closet moments. May the Force be with them!

Get the closeup | box image

Price: US$36.99
Availability: Ships May 1, StarWarsShop.com
Device: Star Wars collectible
Basic specs: Helmet, mask, chest plate, voice adjusts to three different pitches, helmet size for 5-year-olds to adult, five quotes comprising "The Force is with you", "You don't know the power of the dark side", "Don't make me destroy you", "Your powers are weak", and "There is no escape"

Scent Dome

The Japanese have been there, done that. However, US-based TriSenx seems to be enjoying the sweet smell of success with its personal olfactory device. UK broadband provider Telewest is apparently already testing ScentMail to let people send aromatic emails. Meanwhile, Utah-based Dimension's Edge is ready to release a new virtual basketball game which, when hooked to a Scent Dome, will reward players with whiffs of popcorn or hot dogs when points are scored. Moms will probably be more interested in a software package that lets kids learn the alphabet through scent recognition, such as a whiff of apple for the letter A. If Scent Dome takes off, we're expecting Internet advertisers and spammers to smell this a mile away.

Via Popgadget.net

Price: US$369
Availability: TriSenx
Device: Tangible user interfaces
Basic specs: 5.5 inches tall, utilizes 20 base aromas to mix-and-match scents

TasteScreen

Though finger smudges and accumulated dirt may probably add a tangy, dust-coated flavor, it's hard to imagine anyone eager to titillate their taste buds by licking their LCD monitor. Dan Maynes-Aminzade, who developed the controversial TasteScreen, seems to think otherwise. A specialized USB device with 20 plastic flavor cartridges, sitting atop your monitor, drips controlled quantities of flavoring down your PC screen, coating it with a thin liquid residue that the user samples by touching his tongue to the display. Certainly puts new meaning to the "lap" in laptop, if the TasteScreen ever gets implemented on portables. Thanks, but we'll stick to scent dispensers anytime. That's Dan himself lapping up his screen, by the way.

Price: N.A.
Availability: Concept
Device: Edible user interfaces
Basic specs: N.A.

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