The Wearable Robot was developed by the Tsumaki Telerobotics Laboratory at Yamagata University. It can sit on your friend’s shoulder to give you a sort of physical presence during a remote teleconference. It does so by looking where you look, kind of like that awesome Predator laser.

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Anything that the robot sees will be transmitted to the wearer thanks to some handy goggles. Seems sort of like Avatar version 0.1.

[via Plastic Pals]

You might wonder why Dubai. The main reason is that with the current economic crisis, a lot of buildings under construction haven’t been completed. The city is littered with cranes that aren’t building anything anymore. Needless to say, this creates an eerie, surreal backdrop for these images.

Delsaux’s series of photos is called The Dark Lens and is worth a gander over at Fubiz. These are my faves.

[via Fubiz]

But if the wearers get within “hugging distance” of each other, all of the heart containers fill up! Awwwwwwwwwwww, what a cute way of getting you to buy two shirts at once. Love (and radio frequency detection) at work.

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You can get the 8-bit Dynamic Life shirts at ThinkGeek for $18 to $25 (USD) per shirt (price varies depending on size); in addition to everlasting love, you need to 3 AAA batteries for each shirt. But what if your special someone is a something? ThinkGeek’s got you covered – instead of buying another shirt, you can get a Transmitter Pack. Place it near your blow-up doll favorite object and watch your life max out when you get near it.

[via Kotaku]

This mask erases any ambiguity regarding which side Darth Vader was on. That’s the most menacing frown I have ever seen.

Makes one wonder why this wasn’t the version used in the trilogy. Maybe because Anakin became good in the end? You can read more about the making of the helmet at eFX’ website.

[via Wired]

The idea is that you place your dirty clothes in the Swirl, which can be push or pulled via its detachable handle or even better, kicked along to where you get water. Once you’ve added water and detergent to the Swirl, you can now go home, knowing that your clothes are being washed as you roll or kick the ball home.

Makes a lot of sense doesn’t it? Of course the efficacy and efficiency of the Swirl as a tool for washing clothes is debatable; the swirling patterns on the ball are supposed to help with that.

I think the Swirl – or something like it – could work as an actual product, but they should remove the toy aspect in the final product. Can you imagine how hard it would be for a kid to kick or roll around a durable plastic or steel ball that’s filled with clothes and water?

[via designboom via Design Launches]

StarQ’s ifit Sports sells for 280 yuan (appx. $41 USD), and instead of a Balance Board, comes with a floor mat that’s more reminiscent of a Dance Dance Revolution controller than something for intended for fitness or sports games. Here’s a shot of the ifit controller compared to the just slightly more simple and compact Wii Balance Board.

For your first position, place your right foot on 2, your left foot on 26, your left hand on 8, and your right hand on 1 – GO! Actually, this thing might be better suited to a game of electronic Twister.

And while the system comes with 80 mini-games, most of them look about as exciting as watching paint dry. Activities include standing on one leg, standing on the other leg, and walking in place. Wow, how much fun is that?

Here’s some video of the slippy floormat controller getting all bunched up during gameplay. Looks like more fun than humans should be allowed to have.

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And from the looks of this clip, there’s even a foot-powered version of Tetris. While I can’t read Chinese, I’m pretty sure it should be called Footris. Or Shitris.

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If you really want one of these, you’ll probably need to make your way to China and dig around the schlock shops to get yours. Or not.

[via Trendy Net via GamOvr]

The cake artists over at Seattle’s Jet City Cakes created this amazing desert that looks exactly like the original Pac-Man arcade cabinet. Every little detail is there, from the miniature red joystick, to the coin slots, to the teensy little ghosts, cherries and power pills on the playing field.

The birthday cake was made for someone who simply goes by “Dad”, so if you stole this cake (you wouldn’t steal a cake now, would you?) you could give it to your own father. Or if you’re a dad, you could keep it and chow down for yourself. Wakka-wakka-wakka.

[via Geek Crafts]

The design team of Keung Caputo created four foldable suites, each with a cardboard bed, pillow and intricate cardboard details, cut with lasers and backlit with LEDs. Of course, the biggest problem with the cardboard hotel is that while your upper body is protected from the elements (unless it rains), your legs stick out. Eh, whaddya want from a cardboard box?

Each of the four cardboard suites features a different theme, and a welcoming, warm environment for its guests. I think I’d stay in this neon purple room with a cut out of what looks like the Taco Bell chihuahua.

According to the artists “Once (a room is) chosen, the selected hotel suite will be set up on location. Within seconds, what looked like a stack of cardboard, turns into a habitation.”

The Five-Stars Cardboard Hotel was recently featured at New York’s Miyako Yoshinaga gallery, but has since moved on. If you’re lucky, you might find the suites at highway underpass near you.

[via Shelter Pop via Ponoko Blog]

Kwon Sunman’s Rug With Scale is a neat-looking scale that looks like a shaggy rug. In addition to looking all warm and fuzzy, the scale will track your weight and can also display your target weight in comparison to your previous weight and goal weight.

I use a scale regularly and wouldn’t mind something like this that’s nice and soft underneath my feet instead of the typical cold metal or glass scales out there. Too bad it’s just a concept design at this point.

[via Yanko Design]

Your partner may not want to wear it once she or he (yes, there’s a version for men) finds out that the shirt is called “b!tch c(.)ntr(.)L”. Russian shop MaryJane is selling the shirt for 1290 rubles (approx. $42 USD) for both the men’s and women’s versions.

[via Flop culture via Loot Ninja]

You might have to crop and do a little editing on the colors of your pictures to really get that retro look. Urban Outfitters is selling the Snap Shot for $10 (USD) for a set of 5 frames.

[via swissmiss]

In an interview with CNN, Horizon co-founder Taras Wankewycz said that they want every home to have a HydroFILL – with increasing capacities every year – so that we can finally free ourselves from non-renewable energy resources. Every home will be a hydrogen station, and we’ll be able to generate hydrogen for our own use, powering everything from our vacuum cleaners to our cars.

But here’s the other problem I have with Horizon’s vision: you still need electricity and water in order to generate hydrogen. Right now early adopters can either plug the device in (which makes no sense as it doesn’t really liberate you from current energy options) or buy an optional solar panel add-on to the HydroFILL, which begs the question – why not just develop a small-scale, cheap and easy to use solar station? No need for water or electricity. I’m just thinking out loud here, and obviously all Horizon has right now is proof-of-concept, something to show everyone that hydrogen can be harnessed in a simple and affordable way. Let’s check back on them in a few years time and see if they’ve secured the support of other electronics companies.

Those of you who already want to have their own hydrogen station and hydrogen-powered gadgets can check out Horizon’s online store.

[via Boing Boing]

Henry has been amassing a virtual army of miniature metal mecha in his laboratory over the last few years. Each one is lovingly handmade by Henry, and I only wish I could have one sitting on my desktop right now. Be sure to check out the album below to see some of the best models from his collection.

And if you want to see more, head on over to Henry’s website for more pics. And if you happen to read Chinese, you might actually know what he’s talking about.

[via Mobile01]

Projectors beam down the field, while a camera tracks the movement of the reflector. The Sportpong software was built using vvvv, a “multipurpose tool kit for real time video synthesis.”

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Frankly I’d rather play with an actual football, but then that wouldn’t be nerdy at all.

[via The Awesomer]

You can pre-order the game at Direct2Drive or Steam for $45 (USD). Steam subscribers can also choose to give away their free copy of Bioshock to another Steam subscriber.

This, my friends, is what we call a good deal.

[via Digital Battle]

Basically each set consists of basic rectangular and square LEGO bricks and a bunch of colored paper – I also saw translucent paper in one of the sets – and templates for cutouts. It seems a bit gimmicky to me, but then again it does make a good gift for kids, because it exercises their creativity. The paper lets them create complex shapes or objects without the need for the non-basic LEGO blocks.

I’m a bit disappointed though that the special puncher – which makes holes that are compatible with the nubs on LEGO bricks – is sold separately;  how else are you going to connect the blocks to the paper without punching holes? Glue? There are currently three different themed sets for sale at the Muji online store; price for each set varies from ¥2,300 to ¥2,900 (appx. $26 to $36 USD). The puncher costs an additional ¥1,200 (about $13).

[via Josh Spear]

At least that’s what DocPop would like us to think in his watercolor illustration titled The Notorious P.A.C, commissioned by for nerdcore rapper Beefy by his girlfriend. And check out Blinky masquerading as Tupac. It’s the official East Coast vs. West Coast video game feud, and Tupac will be turning blue just as soon as Pac-Man downs a few crack rocks (a.k.a. power pills). Of  course P.A.C. better watch his back. I heard Inky and Clyde are waiting outside the maze with guns.

Check out more of DocPop’s Pac-Man watercolor Ghost in the Machines series over on Flickr.

Created by a group of students for Simon Fraser University’s School of Interactive Arts + Technology (SIAT), the weBlimp is a remote-controlled flying machine that’s driven through crowd collaboration. A camera and audio sensors installed in one room react to the crowd’s movements and convey those to the blimp’s flight controls in another room.

According to its creators, the weBlimp’s control mechanism “conceptually miniaturizes participants and places them inside the gondola of a remote controlled blimp.” As you can see by the video below, it’s really a pretty ridiculous way to control the thing, and produces what I wouldn’t call the most controlled flight you’ve ever seen. But it still looks like fun.

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At least they didn’t fill their airship with hydrogen, cover it with highly flammable paint then hit it with some static electricity.

[via GreenDiary via NOTCOT]

Created by artist Martin Postler and Ian Ferguson of London’s Postlerferguson, these one in the photo above was created for an art exhibition back in 2008. You too can have your own paper arsenal, thanks to Postler’s series of papercraft weapons that are available for purchase.

In addition to the original AK-47 design, there’s a paper M4A8 carbine, an mp5, an Uzi, and a grenade (also known as a “Mills Bomb”). All you need is some glue, scissors, and a lot of patience to build your own life-size weapon models.

Keep in mind these are not easy things to put together, and they require some serious paper cutting and gluing abilities if you want them to look as good as the pictures. Each of the models is available over at gestalten for €19.90 to €19.90 (appx. $20 to $27 USD) each.

Paper bullets not included.

Even though these handmade German wooden robots measure just a little more than 6-inches tall, they should do a great job stinking up your entire room. Can you tell I don’t care for the way most incense smells? But I guess its better than the greasy oilcan aroma that most robots leave behind.

You can get your hands on these odoriferous little robots over at GeneralRobots, where they sell for €39.99 (appx. $54 USD) each.