Tag Archives: haxlr8r

Who needs a smart tampon when you have common sense?

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​I wasn't surprised two weeks ago when I was invited to see an early demo of a so-called smart tampon. I am, after all, one of few women who write for Engadget. Indeed, as I would later find out, the founder of this startup, called my.Flow, had no pl...

Roadie tunes your guitar for you, tells you when your strings are about to break (hands-on)

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Unless you've traded your guitar strings for an axe-shaped MIDI controller, tuning your guitar is probably one of those chores you've just learned to deal with. It's hardly the bane of any guitarist's existence, but sometimes it seems like there could just be a faster, more brainless way to get your instrument ready to jam. Turns out, there is.

Roadie positions itself as the next generation of guitar tuners. Think of it like a modern String Master, a device that fits snugly over your instrument's tuning pegs and does the hard part for you. Paired with a companion smartphone app, Roadie listens your guitar's strings and turns its gears until the instrument is on key. We dropped by the team's table at Haxlr8r, and the process was dead easy, quickly tuning a demo guitar without breaking a string. In fact, it's designed not to -- by comparing a string's elasticity with its frequency, the device can actually warn you when your guitar's wires are about to break. Not a bad trick, particularly for guitarists (like this editor) that aren't completely sure when their instrument was last restrung. The device's Kickstarter page has already more than half of its $60,000 goal, and has a little over a month left to get the rest. Looking for a way to chip in (and to avoid guitar maintenance)? Check out the source link below; Roadie tuners start at $79.
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Source: Roadie (Kickstarter)

Hands-on with Dustcloud, a game that lets you virtually shoot your friends… for a price

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It's Monday morning at your local coffee shop, and you pause over your vanilla latte to ponder another customer. That face, you think to yourself, I know it. Whipping out your smartphone you check a social networking app, and it's as you suspected: he's an opponent. He needs to be dusted.

That's not a dime-novel thriller setup, it's Dustcloud -- a Zibgbee-powered Urban Warfare game. Using discreet smartphone connected "duster" guns, an online player database and monetized virtual ammunition, Dustcloud proposes turning your everyday world into a Internet of Things battleground.

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Source: Dustcloud (1), (2)

Curio is an interactive animatronic toy you can program and play with (hands-on)

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SONY DSC

It's always nice to have a little buddy around that's trained to do what you want it to. Some of us get dogs or other furry creatures, but a start-up called Curio is hoping there's a good chunk of folks who would like to have a robotic companion, too. You see, Curio is a cute little bot platform filled with a pair of motors that move its mouth and head, and has a small LCD screen that serves as its face. The toy clips to any smartphone or tablet running the associated app, which in turn allows users to set its facial expression, determine its movements and even tell it what to say.

While the app will come with a bunch of pre-set actions, expressions and sounds, its makers are also working up a programming portion of the app, so tinkerers can create their own custom Curio mods. This programming interface is a series of parallel timelines that allow you to chronologically lay out different facial expressions, movements and audio simply by dragging and dropping them where you like. And Curio's built to be physically customized, too. Company founder Mike Kneupfel thinks that his bots can take advantage of the 3D printing craze by letting folks make their own tails, ears, and other accessories that clip onto Curio. He tells us that he aims to put a bunch of accessory blueprints on MakerBot's Thingiverse to make it easy for folks to print stuff out, but he's hoping that users will get creative and design their own as well.

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Foc.us headset hits the FCC, ready to shock gamers’ noggins into shape

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Focus transcranial directcurrent simulation headset hits the FCC, prepares to shock gamers

It may not have FDA approval, but the noggin-shocking Foc.us headset recently passed through the FCC for certification. The unit utilizes transcranial direct-current simulation on the prefrontal cortex of the brain (forehead), which is claimed to improve short-term memory and cognitive function. Currently pitched as a cranial performance enhancer for gamers, Bluetooth 4.0 low energy connectivity allows it to be controlled via a smartphone app. Snake oil or not, Foc.us is still set to ship this month, and you can relive our weird and tingly experience with it in our hands-on.

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Source: FCC, Foc.us

LightUp electronic blocks and AR app teaches kids circuitry basics (hands-on)

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LightUp electronics building blocks and augmentedreality app teaches kids circuitry basics handson

There are plenty of kits out there designed to help kids learn the ins and outs of electronics, but LightUp hopes to stand out from the crowd with not just easy-to-use building blocks but an accompanying augmented reality app as well. From resistors and LED modules to light sensors, each block represents a real component that can be attached to each other via magnetic connectors, hopefully creating a circuit in the process. LightUp even offers an Arduino-compatible microcontroller block to help kids start coding -- clip the programming wand to the block, hook it up to your computer, and away you go.

What really sets LightUp apart is the aforementioned AR app. Simply snap a picture of your circuit, and the software will let you know what's wrong with it if there's a mistake. If everything's working, it'll display an electrical flow animation atop the picture, showing kids the magic of electricity. We had a go at creating a circuit ourselves, and were delighted at how easy it was. The connectors fit in either direction, and can be attached and reattached with ease. We also saw a brief demo of the prototype application, and sure enough, it showed us when an LED block was placed backwards with an error message -- you can see it in action in the video below.

Gallery: LightUp hands-on

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Source: LightUp, Kickstarter

Helios handlebars add LED blinkers, GPS and more to any bike (hands-on)

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Helios handlebars turns any bike into a smart twowheeler handson

Technologically bent cyclists have their choice of advanced bicycles these days, but it's a little hard to justify getting a specialized vehicle if your existing two-wheeler still functions just fine. However, swap your bike's handlebars with one of these handsome aluminum ones from Helios and all of a sudden your beloved ride is equipped with a 500-lumen headlight, a pair of rear-facing RGB LED indicators, Bluetooth 4.0 for smartphone communications and, yes, even a built-in GPS. Join us after the break as we give you a brief tour of the Helios Bars and how it's well worth its $200 price point.

Gallery: Helios Bars at Maker Faire 2013

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Source: Helios

Foc.us headset claims to shock the brain for better gaming, we go forehead-on

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Focus headset stimulates your brain, hones in on gaming foreheadon

We've seen a number of headsets tap into the mind, to geotag your mood, grant you remote control over gadgets or simply let you wiggle a pair of cat ears. None of those are quite like the foc.us, however, which serves up transcranial direct-current simulation (tDCS) -- a controversial form of neurosimulation that transmits current to a particular area of the brain. Originally used to help patients with brain injuries, tDCS has supposedly been found to increase cognitive performance in healthy adults. These claims haven't been proven yet though, and shocking your own cranium isn't exactly FDA approved.

Still, the foc.us is one of a few tDCS headsets designed for the consumer market and can, the inventor Michael Oxley claims, improve your working or short-term memory when the electrodes are placed on your prefrontal cortex. A low-intensity current is passed through the different nodes, exciting that part of the brain. Interestingly, Oxley is positioning it as a way to boost your video gaming prowess for the "ultimate gaming experience," a concept we found a little odd. That said, you don't actually have to wear the headset while shooting up bad guys or other brain-draining tasks. The idea behind the foc.us headset is to put it on your noggin, fire it up, and wait for around five to ten minutes, then take it off and go about your day. We did just that and all the gory details are after the break.

Gallery: foc.us

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Source: foc.us