The Amazing Slime Picker-Upper
The SWITL (translated) can pick up and deposit mayo, ketchup and other oozes and lay them down again with precision. [Via Pink Tentacle]
Made in Japan
Creepy shoulder-mounted telepresence robot
TEROOS lets a distant friend accompany you and see/hear through the robot’s camera and mic. A mini directional speaker allows the robot to whisper in your ear, which is even more weird. [Via JWZ]
Hacking a Geiger Counter
Akiba from Tokyo Hackerspace has been understandably interested in geiger counters of late. The day after the nuclear problems started occurring at the plant, geiger counters started popping up on Ustream. After that, Pachube set up special accounts for radiation data feeds in Japan (thank you Pachube). Unfortunately, geiger counters were sold out everywhere. The […]
“Skeletonics” Exoskeleton Is Kinda Like Stilts For Your Whole Body
All the primary source material here appears to be in Japanese, in which I am sadly illiterate, but word on the street is that this is a college-level student engineering project. It’s called Skeletonics, and I want to describe the technology as a “passive exoskeleton,” because it does not have any servomechanisms and just amplifies the speed and reach of the wearer’s natural movements. That would be opposed to an “active exoskeleton,” which, you know, would be one that actually adds power to a movement. I dunno what good it may be, but it sure looks like fun. If nothing else, you could build one and sell rides in it at the county fair. [via Hack a Day]
Kaiju anatomical drawings
For those curious about the inner workings of kaiju beasties like Gamera (top) and Guiron… The anatomical features of Gamera and his foes are detailed in a set of illustrations found in one volume of the KaijÅ«-Kaijin DaizenshÅ« movie monster book series published by Keibunsha in 1972. [Via Pink Tentacle]
Foot-operated elevator button
I’ve wanted a door “knob” that worked like this for years. Would’ve been especially nice in some of the large chemistry and biochemistry labs I’ve worked in, where the “gloves on or off” protocols for opening doors between rooms were not always clearly established and/or followed. [via Gizmodo]
Magnificent wooden manipulator arm
The latest of many truly outstanding wooden toys from Japanese YouTuber kinohagurama. [via The Automata / Automaton Blog]
