1 Dec, 2008
While robots have certainly been around for a long enough time doing things like sweeping your floors and even conducting symphonies, up to now they haven’t been “human enough” to replace actual people. However, according to a new report from the National Intelligence Council, they should be able to by 2025. The report goes as far as saying that an influx of robo-workers could even “disrupt unskilled labor markets” and occupy jobs currently performed by migrant workers and hapless high school students. Additionally, the report asserts that new technologies could be used to augment human abilities as well as to perform other tasks such as caring for the elderly. Unfortunately, the report had no word on the progress of accompanying synthetic saliva glands for the inevitable robo-waiters, so no need to fret — yet.
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29 Nov, 2008
Tired of always having to hold that heavy phone up to your ear? Sick of being the target of your friends ridicule? Want to escape the indescribable pain of not being able to use both hands when you’re on a call? The Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth headset is here to help. Ready to win this baby? Here’s how it’s done.
We’ll put up a gadget on the site, and you can only enter it until the next gadget lands (usually within a couple of hours). If you miss your shot, sorry, we’re moving on to the next gadget. Good luck! Oh, and don’t forget the rules. (Yeah, there are always rules.)
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29 Nov, 2008
Look, maybe you don’t want to win the handsome Peek email device for yourself, but we guarantee there’s someone in your family who’d like it this holiday season. Or… maybe you want to get one and take a stab at hacking it to bits? Regardless, this is your chance to make off with one for free. Here’s how it all goes down.
We’ll put up a gadget on the site, and you can only enter it until the next gadget lands (usually within a couple of hours). If you miss your shot, sorry, we’re moving on to the next gadget. Good luck! Oh, and don’t forget the rules. (Yeah, there are always rules.)
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29 Nov, 2008
Do you love love love Gears of War 2? Want to own the ultimate collector’s kit? Okay. Here’s what you get: Gears of War 2 Special Edition game, GOW2 hooded sweatshirt, GOW2 novel, the first issue of the GOW2 comic book, and Beneath the Surface: An Inside Look at Gears of War. Ready to own this extremely rare box of goodies? Here’s what’s what.
We’ll put up a gadget on the site, and you can only enter it until the next gadget lands (usually within a couple of hours). If you miss your shot, sorry, we’re moving on to the next gadget. Good luck! Oh, and don’t forget the rules. (Yeah, there are always rules.)
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29 Nov, 2008
We’ve decided to end the Engadget Black Friday Giveaways with a blast from the past. Remember this guy? It seems like only a week ago that Apple was being accused of ripping off this LG and Prada collaboration with the iPhone. Ah… memories. Well, you can at least still impress some folks down at the local discotheque with this one — just make sure no one accidentally pours a vodka and Red Bull on it.
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29 Nov, 2008
Enjoy taking photos? Want to get them out onto the internets or into inboxes quickly? Then perhaps you need to win this Eye-Fi Explore card. With 2GB of juicy storage, you’ll be able to keep all sorts of painful memories laying around. Ready to nab it? Here’s how it works.
We’ll put up a gadget on the site, and you can only enter it until the next gadget lands (usually within a couple of hours). If you miss your shot, sorry, we’re moving on to the next gadget. Good luck! Oh, and don’t forget the rules. (Yeah, there are always rules.)
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11 Nov, 2008
Filed under: Robots
The inevitable has happened. Our friend, the loved and loving Mars Phoenix lander has gone quietly into that long, good night once and for all. Even though we joyfully joined the lander on its adventures as it Tweeted from beyond the stratosphere, and thrilled at its explorations, pitfalls, and pratfalls, try not to feel the familiar sting of humanity at the thought of our little robotic buddy facing that call to interminable sleep we all must answer one day. Let’s rest easy knowing that the NASA-spawned craft served dutifully and fearlessly right up to the end, when it was overpowered by a horde of space zombies and turned into an undead killing machine. We’ll miss you, pal.
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8 Nov, 2008
Filed under: Desktops, Robots
When robot builders try to put a human face on their creations, the results usually range between mildly creepy and downright disturbing. Sparky, the Self Portrait Artifact Roving Chassis, dodges that problem entirely by displaying the face of a real, live person on an Erector- and bungee-mounted LCD, creating a package that’s far more charming than iRobot’s ConnectR. Based on a Mac mini, the bot uses Skype for the video and chat, with a plugin enabling the disembodied head to steer the thing about the room, tossing out Max Headroom quotes all the while. A short vid below gives the basics of how to bolt one of these together, while full instructions are at the read link. We just wish they could teach us how to build ourselves a charming smile like that.
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6 Nov, 2008
Filed under: Cellphones, Robots
Robots are awesome, we can all probably agree on that. Robots made from iPhones are basically an extension of that awesomeness, crossed with an element of unimaginable, ludicrous fun, which is why we’re pleasantly surprised to see that such a device finally exists. Using a jailbroken iPhone 3G running some Ruby code, an Arduino CPU, a TA7291P motor, and 4 AA batteries, the creator is able to pilot the bot via WiFi from a nearby computer, all the while recording its view for later playback. The results look pretty cool, and trust us, you’re definitely going to want to check out the video after the break. As far as we can tell, by the way, the lyrics to the song in the video are “iPhone with keyboard,” which seemingly refers to this, um… iPhone with keyboard we saw earlier today — apparently from the hands of the same craftsman, who seems like a very busy guy. Especially if he wrote the song!
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