Protect your spine and your vision!

If you’re a member of the “terrible posture group”, you might like this next gadget, the Visomate USB Vision and Posture Reminder. It might not fix your posture instantaneously, but it’s probably worth a try. Or you could just stay hunched over the computer your entire life and end up with 20/1,000 vision. It’s your choice.

The little pod-ish device sits on top of your monitor. It will gently remind you to keep your distance, you know, monitors need their personal space just like you. Don’t worry, it won’t beep obnoxiously, spray you with unremovable ink, or turn off your computer. Instead, a simple LED will start flashing. Once you’ve leaned to close, you’ll notice a red LED flashing and sit back. Once back in the “safe zone” a solid blue LED will go on. I just hope you can actually read the text when you realize you’ve been to close to the screen for the past few years. If you’ve got USB ports to spare, why not get this? I mean there’s a possibility it’ll end up helping you. Admittedly, I’d like this a lot more if it had a few more features, namely have a USB hub built in. I thought everything had one of those these days.

$26 will get you the Visomate USB Vision and Posture Reminder. Sure, it’s a tad pricey for something you could do yourself, but unlike yourself, the Visomate won’t forget to remind you unless you unplug it.

Product Page

Killer Robotic Insects

According to a Wired magazine article military forces around the world are starting to develop the so called MAVs (Micro Air Vehicles) to be employed on different types of military operations. “If you feel something crawling on your neck, it might be a wasp or a bee. Or it might be something much more dangerous.”

The MAVs will not be used for massive destructive endeavors but rather for specific and tactical missions, like getting inside buildings to destroy the power supply. Fred Davis from the Air Force Research Laboratory commented: “This means preventing the target from carrying out its mission, rather than destroying it (…) for example, can be put out of action by destroying its tires; a MAV can do this by squirting them with few milliliters of a catalytic de-polymerization agent, causing them to disintegrate rapidly.”

Apparently the British Special Forces already use MAVs for recognition missions. Those are called WASPs, they cost $3000 each. Isreal is another nation trying to develop MAVs. According to some newspapers they are using nanotechnology to create robots no bigger than hornets that are able to photograph, chase and kill military targets.

Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister commented to Reuters: “The war in Lebanon proved that we need smaller weaponry. It’s illogical to send a plane worth $100 million against a suicidal terrorist. So we are building futuristic weapons.”

It looks like in the near future we will have Terminator-like warfare going on, and this is not a comforting thought at all.

Reference: Wired and ABC News

Mousetrapper Advance

This is an interesting extension to your keyboard, a way to physically use your mouse without physically touching it, the Mousetrapper Advance. The aim of the Mousetrapper is to help prevent (or at least relieve the pain of) RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury).

The Mousetracker attaches to your keyboard and your mouse slots into a special cradle at the side. Now to move the mouse you use special scroll bars that are located below the keyboard, this should in theory reduce the amount of movement between keyboard and mouse (I know when I’m blogging my right hand is forever moving between the two).

To me it looks like an interesting idea but does have the drawback of only working with a Microsoft Mouse. The MouseTrapper website looked professional enough however the order form (which strangely accepted credit card numbers without disclosing the price) had no security at all.

Spy Cameras of the Future!

One limitation of traditional cameras is the fact that they must be long in order to have an optical zoom, which is composed of several lenses that bend and focus light. Digital zoom is available for spy cameras and mobile phones, but such zoom makes the image blurry and with low contrast.

A new technology developed at the University of California at San Diego could solve this problem, though. The technology involves optical lenses folded together like origami. Current prototypes are already producing the same image quality as that of a 6-megapixel camera, despite being much thiner.

Joseph Ford, an optical engineer involved on the project, commented: “Traditional camera lenses are typically made up of many different lens elements that work together to provide a sharp, high quality image. Here we did much the same thing, but the elements are concentric mirrors folded on top of one another to reduce the thickness of the optic (…) our imager is about seven times more powerful than a conventional lens of the same depth”

Just to get an idea of the effects of such technology consider that cell phones using the folded optics technology will be able to focus on objects as mush as eight times more distant than the current maximum.

The performance of spy cameras will follow alike, as you can imagine. By the way if you are looking for some spy gadgets check out the Mini Wireless Spy Camera or the Spy Tie!

Via: LiveScience

Spyke - Make your own WiFi Spy Robot

It’s another robot with a cutesy name, SPYKE the WiFi Spy Robot. It’s due to be sold under the Meccano brand name which is pretty appropriate as you’ll have to make him your self.

Once constructed you’ll be able to control Spyke from any Internet enabled PC, he incorporates VOIP and a web-cam so you’ll be able to send him on dangerous spying missions and watch the results from the other side of the world. When SPYKE is running low on robot juice he’ll use his auto parking system to dock with his recharging system.

You should be able to make your own Skype in September 2007 with a price point planned at under $300. More info (but not a lot more) over at Spyke World.

BMW Inflatable Bubble Tent

Could this be the way BMW drivers go camping in the future (actually have BMW drivers even heard of camping), the BMW inflatable bubble tent.

The unique item attaches to the back end of the car, allowing campers to make use of the inside of the car, and is inflated is by a low-voltage fan hooked up to the car’s cigarette lighter. All-in, the Air Camper can accommodate two people.

Credit to Winding Road & Get Outdoors.