This innovative project is further proof that art and technology are two sides of the same coin. Is an iPod controlling umbrella a post-modern performance piece or a superp mp3 player hack? Clearly it is both.
This hack appears to use accelerometers to detect the motion of the umbrella. As the user turns, jumps or opens the umbrella the iPod is sent signals to activate the appropriate function.
“The iBrella is a special umbrella that acts as an iPod interface. One can control the iPod just by his physical interactions with the iBrella.
“Actually, you can ‘emulate’ all iPod commands solely by physical interactions with the iBrella e.g. opening and closing the iBrella refers to starting and pausing the iPod. Furthermore, you can select a random song by wildly shaking the iBrella in the air. Mode switching for different control modes is done by simply ’stabbing’ the iBrella in the air.”
This bulky, awkward looking device is in fact a very complicated machine that exists solely for the purpose of drawing text and pictures on the surface of water using waves. The Advanced Multiple Organized Experimental Basin, or AMOEBA, is about the size of a kiddie pool and can generate one character on the water every 3 seconds.
“Akishima Laboratories expects the technology to be incorporated into amusement devices that combine acoustics, lighting and fountain technology, which they hope to see installed at theme parks and hotels.”
Until I found the above quote I couldn’t tell if this was going to be cool and awesome, or cool and useless. I’m glad that classification has already been determined.
This cool little gadget is called a Soundbomb. It serves as a portable non-visual graffiti device for blasting your message without you having to actually to the blasting. Armed with a recording mechanism and a motion detector, it will blare anything you put on it when an unsuspecting victim draws near. It’s handy for applications such as a welcoming greeting or a warning at a bad restaurant.
The Soundbomb would be a great audio companion to the LED Throwie; dazzle the eyes and the ears with unique homebrew technology. However, bring one of these guys into an airport and I can’t imagine the amount of trouble you would have on your hands.
Ok, maybe I lied. Maybe these shoes don’t deserve the term geexy, but they are definitely … something. Some of you may know how I feel about Tron, but that aside I can’t imagine any circumstance where I would subject my feet to such nonsense. Kotaku seems to think otherwise though.
In 1982 Tron was one of the first films to incorporate computer generated graphics. Over the years Tron has achieved an almost cult status amongst computer gamers around the world. The Stan Smith Comfort shows Tron himself on the tongue and his enemy the Master Control Programmer on the footbed.
