Emo jacket for the movies (Emo boy not included)

This one's from a research team at Philips Electronics.

Designed to enhance the emotional experience of watching a movie, the Emo jacket comprises 64 independent actuators, arranged in 16 groups of four, across the arms and torso. Eight of these, spaced 15cm apart and located on each sleeve, can create the illusion of being tapped in several spots. A pair of AA-sized cells is sufficient to keep the jacket juiced for an hour, though the team should be looking at extending this since most movies run for about 2 hours on average.

Lest you are worried, the garment won't actually punch you in the stomach. Instead, it's meant to let you experience the emotional experience of the characters in the movie. This is done via signals encoded on the DVD, which are transmitted on-the-fly to the jacket. Now if you are wondering whether the jacket comes with matching pants, the answer is no. We can guess why, especially when things start vibrating down south.

Via Newlaunches

Leyio: 16GB sharing... thing? Doohickey? Whatchamacallit?

How to explain the Leyio? It's kind of like a USB stick--a turbocharged USB stick, with alloys and big fins and laser beams. Okay, not exactly, but it is a 16GB USB stick with an OLED screen, detachable USB connection and wireless connection to its mates.

The Leyio contains a whopping 16GB of flash memory to store whatever you want. You can check through your files on the 128 x 128-pixel OLED screen, and share with other Leyios with a flick of the wrist.

Files are zapped to other Leyios via Ultra Wide Broadband (UWB) at speeds of 10MBps. You can also slide out the Shuttle, a detachable 2GB USB module, to share with non-Leyio users. Security is handled by minutia-matching fingerprint recognition technology, also used by the FBI.

Via CNET UK Crave

Finnish snow hotel offers cold comfort

Looking at pictures of the Snow Hotel in Kemi, Finland, sent chills down my wimpy California spine. The Web site promises that the invigorating 41-degree guest rooms will give you sweet dreams and a memorable sleeping experience. A night of chattering teeth and blue lips does, indeed, sound memorable, though not the kind of sunny vacation memories I personally long for.

Nonetheless, some people (those, say, who feel a strong kinship to the Snow Queen in Chronicles of Narnia) will undoubtedly enjoy the novelty and trendiness of igloo-like accommodations made entirely of snow.
Read more »

The DIY droid you're drooling for

You know what's cool? Modding your computer case. What's cooler than cool? Modding your computer case to look like R2-D2. Yeah, that's right. A real life-size R2-D2.

Frenk Janse, the creator of this mod, used a trash can that was on its way to the recycle bin, plus pictures off the Internet and a bit of know-how and creativity to work this little guy out.

And it doesn't just sit there, either. This droid includes fans and a Webcam, and even beeps and buzzes out of speakers Janse attached to the legs.

The best part? The entire thing costs less than $150. Now that's a Force to be reckoned with.

Via CNET Crave (via Techeblog)

Tata Motors revs up its Nano plans

The Tata Nano may be small in stature, but it could be a big deal for car buyers in India.

Mumbai-based automaker Tata Motors on Monday announced that the time has come for the commercial launch of the Nano, a diminutive design intended to put four-wheeled transportation in the driveways of ever more Indian families. Some analysts also say the Nano signals positive development in the Indian auto industry.

"Nano is good for India. It marks the country's coming of age," Abdul Majeed, auto analyst at PricewaterhouseCoopers, told ZDNet Asia in a phone interview.

When it unveiled the Nano in January 2008, Tata billed it as "the people's car", a step up from overcrowded, unsheltered scooters. (On Monday, for whatever reason, the "people's car" phrase was not to be found on the company's press material or the Tata Web site.)
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