Posts Tagged ‘belgium’

Twoddler lets your toddler twitter and summon the Fail Whale #cute

Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News on December 5th, 2009

So you think your baby's all Twitter-ready with that Kickbee while chilling in the womb? Nah, only practice makes perfect, so the folks at Belgium's Hasselt University came up with the Twoddler: a hacked Fisher-Price activity board with buttons linked to predefined Twitter messages. Obsessive parents can put photos of themselves on the buttons, so that whenever those buttons are hit the Twoddler tweets something like "@mommy I miss you." We like this idea, but then again you'll never know if it's just someone else's kids bashing the buttons -- you'll still feel good anyway. Watch some Twoddler action after the break.

Continue reading Twoddler lets your toddler twitter and summon the Fail Whale #cute

Twoddler lets your toddler twitter and summon the Fail Whale #cute originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceHasselt University  | Email this | Comments

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

No Comments


Stolen Belgian iPhones Traced to Russian Black Market [Crime]

Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News on December 2nd, 2009

Remember that $3M iPhone 3GS heist in Belgium last month? Burglars nabbed 3,000-4,000 handsets. Now, according to blogs uncovered by Cult of Mac, they're being offloaded in Russia (where the 3GS isn't available) in batches of 100—cash only.

Problem is, Interpol has a list of the phone's International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI), which carriers can use to block the devices. We had already warned against grabbing an iPhone in a Belgian back alley…you can add Russia to that list. (I much prefer back alleys in the Netherlands, anyway). [Cult of Mac via PC World]




, , , , , , ,

No Comments


Optical Sensor-Laden Skin Gives Robots a Softer Touch [Robots]

Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News on December 2nd, 2009

As robots become more involved in delicate tasks such as autopsies or surgeries, we need their touch to be as precise and sensitive as possible. To have that, we'll need to give them a skin-like surface full of optical sensors.

Existing sensors, which are essentially pressure switches don't detect subtle changes in pressure or texture, which translated into an extreme scenario could mean you'd get your bones pulverized by a robot hand. Ok, maybe nothing that extreme, but as the pressure switches are not sensitive enough for some tasks, the folks at the Ghent University in Belgium decided to use a polymer-based optical "skin" instead. They're still working on a prototype, so don't get too excited about upgrading your killer robot just yet. [New Scientist via Pop Sci]




, , , , ,

No Comments


LAb[au]’s f5×5x5 framework sculpture mesmerizes on video

Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News on October 28th, 2009

It's been nearly three full years since we've seen anything hot and fresh from LAb[au], but thankfully, said drought is decidedly over. By using a combination of aluminum, Plexiglas, LED lights, determination, wit, stepper motors, critical thinking and IR tracking technologies, the f5x5x5 sculpture was created. Dubbed a "kinetic and luminous framework," the installation is part of a larger '16n' project designed to confront architectural problems (like congestion and flows) with spatial sensing technologies. We know, that's all pretty deep -- but if you're just lookin' for a good time, we'd recommend heading past the break, mashing play and dropping your kudos in comments.

Continue reading LAb[au]'s f5x5x5 framework sculpture mesmerizes on video

Filed under:

LAb[au]'s f5x5x5 framework sculpture mesmerizes on video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

, , , , , , , , , ,

No Comments


Researchers use Bluetooth to track festival goers, make fun of their ‘hippie dancing’

Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News on July 4th, 2009


A team from the University of Ghent in Belgium is lacing the site of this year's Rock Werchter festival -- Brussel's equivalent of Woodstock '97 -- with Bluetooth scanners (36 total, they cover a range of 30 meters each). While you're rocking out to the likes of Bloc Party and Mastodon, the researchers will be tracking your every movement, whether it be to the mosh pit, the beer tent, or the Job Johnny. As you've probably assumed, the researchers are primarily looking for ways that retailers can monitor customer flow (read: sell you more crap) although there are certainly going to be results applicable to the world of law enforcement. Of course, this is Bluetooth: you always have the option of disabling it on your phone, and if you don't they'll only be able to discern your MAC address. Besides, if you're not doing anything illegal, you have nothing to fear from the surveillance state -- right? And if you are up to no good, well, that's why they invented the Dazer Lazer.

Filed under:

Researchers use Bluetooth to track festival goers, make fun of their 'hippie dancing' originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

No Comments



SetPageWidth