This is a remote-controlled helicopter that works in tandem with a NeuroSky MindWave Mobile EEG headset. It reads the waves running through that skull of yours and translates them into flight commands for the helicopter itself. The Puzzlebox Orbit is spherical, with the outer rings protecting the rotor blades from hitting walls, furniture and other obstacles. The whole system works with a docking pyramid, which acts as the relay between the EEG headset and the Orbit helicopter itself.

Yes, the helicopter can still work with just an app on a smartphone or tablet, but it’s really this EEG-based interface that makes this so unique. Of course, it’s going to take some practice, but fun toys like the Orbit can certainly help with your concentration and focus. They’ve already reached the fundraising goal of their Kickstarter campaign, so they’re just working on getting ready for some mass production. You can still get one of the early units by pledging at the $189+ level, getting delivery some time next month.

Check out puzzlebox.info for the latest information on this project.

[Source]

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Basically, this experiment is to see how well they can service working satellites using robots via remote control. Many satellites are launched without the expectation of really extending their lives beyond whatever fuel they get initially, but salvaging and continuing their service could really help with NASA’s shrinking budget.

A series of special RRM tools are being developed for various functions related to the maintenance and repair of satellites. These include the ability to remove and replace caps, open and close valves, handle wiring, and transfer fluids (like fuel). In order to fuel up, the module needs to provide extra protective thermal blankets. It also needs to be able to manipulate wiring, valves, caps and so on in a reliable and precise manner.

Early tests look promising. Space may be the final frontier, but we need to know how to extend our trip too. The video below demonstrates some of this work. There’s no sound, but us Canadians (I see the Canadarm!) tend to be a quiet bunch.

[Source]

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Coming from the same developers who created Kik, the Clik app works like this: load up the ClikThis.com on your smartphone, or scan the home page with your QR scanner app which will send you to iTunes for download.  Once the app is installed, load up ClikThis.com again on your desktop, the site will show one massive QR code. Scan that code using the Clik smartphone app and now you are linked.

The Clik app basically lets you search for YouTube videos, look at the trending videos, and so on. If you tap on a video, it’ll start playing in your computer’s browser. As I understand it, all the app is doing is telling the browser session which video to play based on the YouTube ID. That’s pretty restrictive in scope, but the SDK could theoretically be used for other web content too. It just needs to be coded.

I still don’t get why you’d want this, especially since it’s so much easier browsing for YouTube videos on a computer using the full site, but at least Clik is free and it might be a novelty thing for parties to make your smartphone into a sort of remote control DJ.

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Toy helicopters have been around for a while, but it seems that they have really surged in popularity these last couple of years. Even so, the control scheme has remained largely the same. Force Flyers changes that, because you fly these ‘copters with a wave of your hand.

On display at the 2012 Toy Fair in New York City, the Force Flyer helicopter doesn’t look like anything special until you see the control scheme. You get fitted with a glove-like sleeve where you have a thumb control for throttle and you tilt your hand to make it turn. We’ve all had the experience of “flying” toy airplanes by running around the room; this is a more technologically advanced version of that old pastime.

Realistically, since the remote control is really only using an accelerometer, it probably wouldn’t be all that difficult to devise a smartphone app to do the same. In any case, this little flying machine gets about 10 minutes of flight time on a 20 minute charge. For $50 in May, it will make a nice toy you can smash into the wall and collect the pieces up afterwards.  The larger outdoor version will sell for $100. But for serious flyers, the E-flite blade mCPx heli is the way you want to go (video far down below).

[ source, Photo: engadget ]

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If you ever dreamed of traveling the sea like Captain Nemo or Jacques Yves Cousteau, the Aquabotix Hydroview Submarine may help you get there.

The 10-pound submarine can be yours for just $2,995, shipping and handling included. It’s a tethered device with cable lengths between 50, 150, or 300 ft. It also comes in 2 models; the Hydroview Sport and Hydroview Pro, with a Pro version diving deeper: up to 150 ft compared to 75 ft of Sport. The Pro version also glides faster (5 knots forward and 2 knots in reverse, compared to the 3 knots forward and 1 knot reverse of the Sport), and the battery lasts longer too: 3 hours versus 2 hours with Sport. The pictured model is the Sport (perhaps in this red color), and the Pro version will be painted Amber. It’s unclear which of these two models has got priced, but good chances are the Hydroview Pro by Aquabotix than the $2,995.

The unmanned submarine is equipped with a 1080p camera and dozen high-powered LEDs for lighting. The tether cable comes to a controller brick that in its turn can be connected to your Apple or Android smartphone or tablet via WiFi. Using WiFi netbooks is also supported and that’s where the undersea fun begins.

Some practical uses for this class of submarine can include things like inspecting boat hulls. For me, I would load it with some little torpedoes and start an underwater war in my pool. Certainly that would be much more fun than hull inspection. Or make a blockbuster film for your next installment of Jaws in the open waters. Specs don’t say how much these submarines are hardened against the shark’s bite though, but in any case, the footage will be priceless.

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I really like R/C helicopters from a hobbyist’s perspective, but you can see how useful they’d be for more practical purposes too. Drones are used all the time in a military context and now one sheriff’s office in Texas is getting its own drone copter, complete with the ability to get weaponized.

The Shadowhawk helicopter has been acquired by the Sheriff’s office in Montgomery County in Texas. They say that it is being used as a safety asset, equipped with a remote video camera, infrared heat-seeking, and onboard GPS. It can be used to monitor situations where a human presence might not be the best idea.

The 50-pound UAV is built by Vanguard Defense Industries and while it is capable of carrying weapons, the Sheriff says that they have no plans to equip it with pellet guns, bean bags, or frickin’ laser beams tasers. Instead, the application is more toward tracking down criminals or assisting SWAT teams. What do you think of the concerns in relation to Big Brother-esque ramifications?

Check out the local news coverage for a video.

The post Drone Copter For Texas Sheriff Can Be Weaponized Too appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Anyone who has ever played with a remote-control car has dreamed of this moment. Forget about those tiny 1/18 scale models. What if you could drive a real deal BMW down the road using nothing but your smartphone? That’s the dream that has been realized by a couple of keeners.

An Jiaxuan teamed up with one of his buddies to outfit a brand new BMW (yes, the real car) with the ability to be remotely controlled using a specially designed app for the Nokia C7 smartphone. Remember that the C7 uses the same Symbian^3 platform as the Nokia N8, so you could likely do the same thing with that device too. You know, if you had the same kind of hackery skills as An Jiaxuan.

What’s crazy is that they were able to achieve this feat in just 20 days of programming and testing. They started out with trying to remotely control a little toy, then an air conditioner, then the room lights, then a DSLR camera, and ultimately the full-sized BMW.

Better still, they were able to confuse the heck out of a traffic cop trying to write the “driver” of the red BMW a ticket… only to see that there was no one in the driver’s seat at all.

[My Nokia Blog via Symbian World]

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Logitech Harmony 300 Remote

Another device from the “simple” department, today Logitech unveils their Harmony 300 Remote replacing the clutter from your coffee table.   I don’t know if it will be easy enough for grandma to configure, but the Harmony 300 does use a web-based setup that supports over 225,000 devices – even to control your iPod in a dock with IR sensor.

The remote will replace up to four other remotes to get you watching TV with just the press of one button.  Shipping in the U.S. and Europe next month, it will sell for $49.99.

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