snakes

Snake-arm robot works in tight quarters

A U.K. company has developed what it calls the smallest snake-arm robot ever, one that is flexible and compliant, like an endoscope, but fully controllable and, like a robot, can be precisely positioned.

The unit will be tested by the U.S. Department of Defense in conducting inspections and work inside confined or cluttered spaces.

When not in use, the robot coils up into a briefcase-size box where it is stowed. This robot has no "elbows," which allows it to "follow its nose" while maneuvering in tight quarters, according to the developer, Bristol-based OC Robotics, … Read more

USB bracelet makes it hard to lose your cables

From a usefulness standpoint, we're liking the Lisco USB Snake. From a fashion standpoint, we're not so sure. Still, you got to give props to Laurent Hongisto, the Finnish designer who came up with a USB cable that can be worn as a slap-bracelet-inspired wristband.

Hongisto covers USB cables in a silky polyurethane material, making the otherwise not-so-comfy cables comfortable enough to wear. Those who've spent half an hour searching for a USB cable might appreciate this '90s-style bit of peripheral couture.

(Via Yanko Design)

The 404 150: Where Justin apologizes profusely to Sarah Tew

We finally get CNET photographer Sarah Tew into The 404 lair and I screw it all up in the preshow. 'Twas totally unintentional, Ms. Tew, I promise! Ahh, this big, dumb mouth of mine. Anyway, Sarah was dragged in by Corinne Shulze, another CNET shooter visiting from the City by the Bay. In nothing short of a miracle, they still agree to do the show and we get right into it.

Wait, not quite...we have to talk about medical ailments and weekend buffoonery, right? Corinne tells us about her fight with a MUNI rail (you should've seen the … Read more

Robot snakes slither forward

There's no doubt that many scientists are looking to nature for mechanical inspiration. This past spring we have seen robotic bugs, robo-fish, and perhaps even the promise of a robotic dolphin.

For its design of a robot for use inside pipes, the SINTEF ICT part of the SINTEF Group, a Norway-based technology research company, was inspired by snakes.

The robot as designed (it's still not a finished prototype) maneuvers itself not only horizontally like a team of train cars, but can climb vertically as needed inside pipes with a squirming motion.

"When the robot enters a vertical … Read more

Gadgettes 86: The Body Episode

Fit yourself with your best hot breath voice and say it: Body. It's fun, if not a bit creepy. That sums up this week's episode pretty well, come to think of it. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 86

Robotic snake surgeon tinkers with your heart via your mouth http://dvice.com/archives/2008/04/robotic_snake_s.php

Power Shirt charges gadgets as you walk http://dvice.com/archives/2008/04/power_shirt_cha.php

Ergoskin: Underwear that makes you sit up straight http://dvice.com/archives/2008/04/ergoskin_underw.php

Remember Ring (Thanks, David!) http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/04/remember-ring-s.html… Read more

Garish gadgets going goth

Here's one prediction for 2008 that we dearly hope does not come true: goth as the big tech fashion trend. We wish the recent spate of dark products were only Halloween novelties, but the fact that we're only in the first month of the year does not bode well.

In the last week alone, Akihabara News has highlighted a full desktop complement consisting of a macabre keyboard, mouse, and mousepad. That followed a cobra-wrapped Webcam and a pair of skull speakers that made their disturbing debut only a few days earlier.

In retrospect, the most telling sign of … Read more

Laser belt claims to make you healthy

Crave has seen some bizarre health and fitness equipment, but this may deserve a category all its own. The Korean-made "Photo Sauna Cauterizer" (cauterizer?) emits a laser with a "low level of radiation" for what its manufacturer claims are a variety of health benefits. An understandably skeptical Red Ferret says the claims involve "some kind of oxygen rejuvenation." Call us chicken, but anything that mentions cauterization and radiation in the same sentence isn't something we want strapped anywhere near our waistlines, or anyplace else on our bodies.

The never-ending USB chain

There must be something in the air today--or, more accurate, in the ground. Only minutes after we posted an item about a robotic snake, another item of serpentine nature slithered across our screen.

Memory Infinite has developed interlocking USB storage devices that can be combined to add capacity as needed, as seen on Yanko Design. This is particularly useful if you have only one port available for a USB plug, and you can coil them around to suit your desktop space needs. And if you collect enough of them, maybe you can make them into a makeshift "Slinky."… Read more

Robo-snakes not on a plane

Some of us at Crave have managed to resist our adolescent urges to collect toy robots, in a rare example of self-restraint. Our willpower met its match, however, when we saw photos of WowWee's "Roboboa."

It had been mentioned earlier along with the FlyTech Dragonfly and other bots at CES, but actually seeing a robotic snake in action is something to behold. In a video clip, it's reminiscent of Pixar's seminal "Luxo Jr." lamp.

The bionic serpent's 40 movements can be controlled by its remote, according to Slashgear, or it can just … Read more

Snakes on a DVD

Heard about the phone calls from Samuel L. Jackson and read news about the phenomenon, but just couldn't quite bring yourself to pay the $10?

No worries. The snakes are back.

Snakes on a Plane is now available on DVD in case you missed Agent Flynn cursing out the "mother f***in' snakes on the mother f***in' plane" the first time around.

If you really want to purchase this fine film for posterity, drinking games and whatnot, Snakes on a Plane is available for $20 from New Line Cinema and the other usual places.

For the … Read more