Posts in Gadgets

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Leg extensions turn humans into horses

Leslie Katz | May 06, 2009

(Credit: Kim Graham)

The notion of horse legs for humans just seemed strange to me--until I saw longshot Mine That Bird's gorgeously graceful sprint to the finish in Saturday's Run for the Roses. Now I sort of get why a human would want to approximate equine movement. Such strength, such speed, such hooves.

Seattle artist Kim Graham says her Digigrade Leg Extensions "give a person the uncanny and graceful appearance of an animal". Granted, they don't look all that comfortable, though the artist insists it takes just 10 to 15 minutes of walking to get used to them. They're made of steel, cable, foam, and rigid plastic and add 14 inches of height to the wearer--kind of like stilts with an animal twist.

Graham--a fine-art sculptor who has dabbled in special effects and fantasy-based mold-making--says the leg extensions work well on level surfaces, while sharp inclines are difficult and stairs are downright risky. Walking briskly is the best way to get around in these attachments, she says. Galloping, not so much.
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PD-100 Black Hornet: Ride of the Valky-weeeeee

Rich Trenholm | May 06, 2009

The ceiling fan's remorseless pulse blurs into the sound of helicopter blades, and for a moment, we're back in the war... well, actually, just watching video from a tiny remote-control helicopter. It's the PD-100 Black Hornet, the smallest video camera-equipped helicopter in the world.

Weighing just 15g, the minuscule chopper has rotor blades that measure a tiddly 10cm. It will hit 20mph in silence, plus it can hover and be piloted from the ground with a controller that includes an LCD screen. As well as displaying, recording and playing back images from its cameras, the screen can show flight status data and maps for mission planning.
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Filed under: Digital Cameras, Gadgets
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Say "Happy Mother's Day" with BBQ Branding Irons

Juniper Foo | May 06, 2009

Hands off! Help mum stake her claim. Credit: firebox.com)

Here's something that seems a little odd for a Mother's Day gift, but which somehow makes plenty of sense--BBQ Branding Irons. Given the countless times we remember our mothers yelling at us to "eat up!", "don't waste food!" or "finish those greens!", this is one strategic if novel way to get the message across right on the rump (the food's, not yours). Who knows, it may even spice up meal times with fascinating possibilities: "What diet?", "happy birthday!", "don't forget the garbage", "road kill!", "homework after this!", "no TV!"... you get the drift.
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Mother's Day shirt for the geeky mum-to-be

John Chan | May 06, 2009

(Credit: ThinkGeek)

Motherhood starts from the womb, so here's a gift for the geeky pregnant lady in your life. This maternity shirt has a print which looks like a computer's progress meter and says "Loading… please wait". Unfortunately, the meter doesn't actually move as the mother-to-be approaches delivery date, but that's something you could solve progressively using a white fabric marker.

The Loading… Please Wait maternity shirt is available from ThinkGeek for US$22.99. The online store ships to a few places in Asia, so check if your country is on the list.

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CoolCop body armor air conditioning

John Chan | May 05, 2009

You may feel cooler but your partner may not appreciate having that tube on his lap.
(Credit: CoolCop)

Most of us in Asia have to live with the humidity of a tropical climate. So as weird as this CoolCop contraption appears, I can identify with it. Essentially a flex hose similar to what's found on vacuum cleaners, the CoolCop attachment makes it easy to redirect your car's air conditioning into your shirt. The idea is that policemen in the US wear many layers of clothing including a bulletproof vest, so they still sweat in an air-conditioned car.

The company seems to ship only to the US, and the dashboard attachment serves mainly American police car models. But if you really need something like that for our region's over-30 degree midday temperatures, perhaps you can contact the company to check if it will send a unit here. Those so inclined could even try to mod one from an old vacuum cleaner.

Via bookofjoe

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