Mgestyk Gesture Control System will put your mouse and keyboard out of business

Posted in Computers by Conner Flynn on November 6th, 2008


Mgestyk Technologies wants to bring gesture control to your home PC. They want to do it by using just a 3D camera and proprietary software. The Mgestyk gesture control system is can capture small hand movements and then translate them into commands. The commands can be applied to nearly all windows applications, but more importantly video games. It looks like it works pretty nice, but it looks like there’s some lag. It’s also a bit dorky looking shooting a gun. Pricing is expected to be around $150. No details on availability just yet, but you can sign up on their mailing list to get updates.

Control video games with your mind

Posted in Games by Conner Flynn on October 8th, 2008

Control video games with your mindSquare-Enix along with NeuroSky will unveil a mind-controlled gaming demo on Thursday at the Tokyo Game Show. It all works with a Windows PC and the MindSky headset. The PC runs Square’s software created specifically for the demo. The headset fits has earmuffs and an electrode that monitors brainwaves as you’re playing. Believe it or not, they say that the headset is even compatible with several different platforms.

No word yet on just how much control your brainwaves have over the game. According to Neurosky the headset monitors your level of relaxation and concentration. If you happen to be there, the demo will be in NeuroSky’s booth at TGS. This news will come as no surprise to those of us who have been controlling games with our mind already, by using it to control our hands.

Gyration MotionSense Air Mouse

Posted in Mouse by Conner Flynn on September 24th, 2008

Gyration MotionSense Air MouseMovea’s Gyration Motionsense Air Mouse weighs in at under 4-ounces and has fancy gyros and accelerometers inside so you can control your computer as if you were playing your Wii, by waving it in mid-air without the need of a wizard’s spell. The mouse uses 2.4GHz wireless technology with a 100-foot range and it’s got customizable buttons and gesture recognition. Two rotational gyro axes and three linear accelerometer axes detect your movements and it starts up in 20ms.

But if all that scares you, or if your arm tires, it has a standard laser mouse option. The Gyration MotionSense Air Mouse will be available in October for $100. One day we will have one motion device to rule all of our devices and our arms will be strong, where they once were weak.

Outel wireless USB remote control

Posted in USB by Conner Flynn on September 14th, 2008

Outel wireless USB remote controlIf you bought a laptop that doesn’t have a nifty remote control, the Outel Wireless USB Laptop Remote Control is a nice solution. It fits inside your laptop’s PCMCIA slot and will deliver full wireless remote control functionality. Just pop it out of the slot, plug the dongle into the USB port and you’re good to go. Great for controlling your music, video playback and other multimedia jazz from up to 30m away.

The best part has nothing to do with your laptop however. It’s all the fun you and your cat will have playing with the integrated laser pointer. It will cost you £15.59 and your cat will thank you, by chasing the pretty light and getting some exercise, while you sit and gain weight while using your remote.

Eizo may be the coolest remote/mouse ever

Posted in Remotes by Conner Flynn on September 13th, 2008

Eizo may be the coolest remote/mouse everThe Eizo C@T-one from Nanao Japan is a roundish mouse that also doubles as a TV remote. The wireless mouse works on the 2.4Ghz frequency, has a scroll wheel and an optical sensor which turns off automatically after 30 minutes in order to save power. It also sports a tilt sensor similar to the iPhone, so that when you tilt the mouse it activates the remote control.

It’s got all of your typical controls like power on/off, channel and volume control, mute etc. The device is powered by AA batteries which supposedly last for 3 months. The USB receiver is about the size of a pen drive and it’s compatible with Mac and Windows. Currently it’s available in Japan only for about $ 125.

Muso voice control for your iPod

Posted in iPod Accessories by Conner Flynn on July 16th, 2008

Muso voice control for your iPod
If having all of that music at your fingertips isn’t enough for you and you want a still easier way to access your music, this might be just the thing. The Muso is a gadget that plugs into the iPod, and gives you voice control.

It will synchronize with your iTunes library on the first use, without any training. It understands requests like “Play some Beatles”, “Give me Rap”, or even “Play me something like the last song”. It costs $159, and the battery lasts for 10 hours, which is plenty of time for you to have talked yourself hoarse, much to the dismay of those around you.

Remote control robot shops for the elderly

Posted in Robots by Conner Flynn on July 12th, 2008

Remote control robot shops for the elderly
Robot developer tmsuk has unveiled a remote-control robot that will give you a new way to shop from the comfort of your posterior. It’s a prototype of the telerobotic shopper, which is a modified TMSUK-4 humanoid robot that has a variety of cellphone communications technology. They had a demonstration on July 10 at the Izutsuya department store in the city of Kitakyushu, Japan, where it probably made the male robot wait while it tried on clothes and asked if each one made it’s ass look fat.

In the demonstration scenario, a grandmother unable to go shopping with her granddaughter sent the robot to do it for her. Using an NTT DoCoMo video-capable cellphone, the grandmother controlled the robot and did some shopping through the robot’s camera eyes. Surely this is a hoax. A grandmother who can use a cell phone AND a robot? The woman maneuvered the robot to the hat section, eyed what was available, and had her granddaughter model a few for her before deciding which one to purchase.

Remote Control Hummer H3 is life sized

Posted in R/C Toys by Conner Flynn on July 2nd, 2008

Remote Control Hummer H3 is life sized
Dr. James Brighton put a ton of hard work into transforming a gas guzzling Hummer H3 into a remote controlled vehicle. The project took around a month to complete, and it’s said to be the largest radio controlled vehicle.

If you want one, it’s going to cost you of course. At least $70,000. That’s one expensive RC car. It might be fun to have your friend inside while you control it, speeding up around cliffs and stuff. Just don’t wreck it. It’s not like you can just pick it up and dust it off and get going again.Check out a video below.

Remote Ray Gun channel changer

Posted in Remotes by Conner Flynn on June 25th, 2008

Remote Ray Gun channel changer
If you want a remote that says, “Freeze or I’ll turn your planet to rubble.”, or “Flash Gordon refuses to watch this crap any longer.” then this is for you.

Ray guns were a staple of Sci-Fi from the 40’s through the 60’s, isn’t it about time you changed channels with one? Damn straight. Cuz geeks are all about pretend, even when they’re watching some other people pretending to cruise through space on T.V. The price won’t zap you at only $18, but you’ll need to wait until August 16th when it’s available. This is great for fighting robots.

sPult: The simple TV remote

Posted in Concepts by Conner Flynn on June 23rd, 2008

sPult: The simple TV remote
We probably all wish that remotes were simpler in design and function. The sPult will make your dreams come true. It was designed by Yurii Smitana Perfilov, and inspired by the iPod’s scroll wheel, which makes it a breeze to channel surf. Apple should have thought of it first.

Simple and elegant. It takes away all the complications and just gives you the bare essentials, which is all most of us need. It also has a favorites selector, volume up/down button, mute button and power button. That’s it. Nice.

Nintendo DS + robot = awesome

Posted in Robots by Conner Flynn on February 8th, 2008

Nintendo DS + robot = awesome
Engineering students from France combined the two best things in the world, Nintendo and robots. The Pekee Robot pictured is controlled using a Nintendo DS Lite. The idea is a control rig based on Nintendo’s portable console. This enables wireless command of the bot with the D-pad, touchscreen, motion sensors, and stylus and also a target mode modeled after Super Mario 64 DS, as well as voice commands with system’s mic.

Check out the video after the jump. I’m sure it has a long way to go in some respects, but the robot is very responsive. It won’t be long at all before we get the nightmare scenario of invading robot hordes, their geek masters controlling them wirelessly from atop high towers, laughing maniacally while they contemplate an end to their virginity and the beginning of their reign. I for one welcome our new geek masters and hope I will be spared.





Other blogs from the Topic Soup Network that you might like:

PopTherapy.com - A therapeutic guide to popular culture

WeathyReader.com - Where reading pays off.

HealthyReader.com web site

Botropolis.com web site