Segway inventor Dean Kamen is looking to re-invent the prosthetic arm. IEEE Spectrum caught up with Kamen and one of his "test pilots," to see the robotic arm (named after Luke Skywalker's articficial limb) in action.
It's everyone's favorite droid! IEEE Spectrum talked with R2-D2 builder Steve Simmons at Maker Faire to find out how the Star Wars droids work. (For more, check out http://www.artoo-det oo.net/)
IEEE Spectrum http://spectrum.ieee .org stopped by Ignite NYC, where Bre Pettis and the NYC Resistor hacker collective hosted a contest to see who had the fastest soldering iron in the city. The contestants all raced to build a TV-B-Gone kit http://www.makershed .com/ProductDetails. asp?ProductCode=MKAD 4, and the first to turn off the TV won.
IEEE spectrum (http://spectrum.iee e.org) takes you inside Kiva Systems' robotic warehouse, where orange robots make inventory move instead of workers. Over time the system becomes increasingly efficient, with the robots learning from the wisdom of the crowd.
To read more about Kiva Systems and how their robots work, check out the article at http://www.spectrum. ieee.org/jul08/6380.
Two kid testers get a sneak peek at KOTA, Hasbro's dinosaur that you can ride (sort of-it doesn't actually go anywhere). Although it doesn't really buck or move, the kids weren't too disappointed.
It's hard enough to get the mouse trap to work right in the board game, but the San Francisco crew at Maker Faire managed to pull it off on a human scale several times over the weekend. The rig apparently took 10 years to build.
Anyone can hook up a speaker to make a robot talk, but Mike Brady wants his Voxhead to use it's own vocal cavity. What's more, he really made Voxhead to explore learning, so the bot has to listen to itself to correct its speech (which, at this point, is more like singing).
For more info, visit http://www.fluidbase .com/mike/projects/V oxHead
At CES, Ford announced a new navigation system that will be in the Ford Flex, the Ford F-150, and the Lincoln MKS. The nav system uses Sirius to stream information like gas prices, movie times, and weather updates directly to the car. IEEE Spectrum caught up with Ford to talk about Travel Link, which, like Sync, can be voice activated.
IEEE Spectrum caught up with Andrew Turley, who had turned an archival tool into a musical instrument. Using a simple photodiode, the keyboard plays notes based on how light the center of the screen is.
At Digital Experience! (the CES pre-show), IEEE Spectrum stopped by the Altec Lansing booth to check out the first dock/speaker system designed specifically for the iPhone. Not only does it shield GSM radiation, it pauses the music when you get a call.
Jeremy Toeman, head of marketing for Bug Labs, explains how open source software and hardware interact on Bug Labs' customizable gadget. For a more general introduction to the device, check out part one of IEEE Spectrum's interview with Bug Labs' Mehrshad Mansouri
IEEE Spectrum looked around Maker Faire for some of the coolest projects. These mouse robots follow a beam of light and have bump-sensing whiskers and tails.
At Showstoppers @ CES, Ford showed off their Sync system that lets drivers operate their phone and music systems hands-free. Sync works with any bluetooth phone, and any USB based music player: Zune, iPod, or memory stick. IEEE Spectrum hopped in the Ford Focus for a live demo of the system, which can also call 9-1-1 if your airbag goes off.
IEEE Spectrum held a Maker Faire contest for digital clock makers. Keith Bayern won with his clock made only of transistors and other discrete components, with no integrated circuits. To find out more about Keith's clock go to www.transistor-clock .com.
Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc. Declares Dividend and Announces Third ... - F... The board of directors of Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc. (Susquehanna) (NASDAQ: SUSQ) has declared a fourth quarter dividend of $0.26 per share on its common stock, payable on November 20, 2008 to shareholders of record November 3, 2008. Susquehanna ...
Disappearing pensions make Americans' lives less secure - Detroit Free Pres... Through most of his working life, steelworker Ray West looked toward a secure retirement. His company pension was expected to bring in around $30,000 a year, his union contract promised retiree health coverage and he had 401(k) savings of about $50 ...
Middle-class Americans' retirement at risk - Leaf Chronicle Through most of his working life, steelworker Ray West looked toward a secure retirement. His company pension would bring in around $30,000 a year, his union contract guaranteed retiree health coverage and he had 401(k) savings of about $50,000 ...
Nationwide supports National Save for Retirement Week Oct. 19-25 - Forbes The current challenges facing the U.S. economy have left many of today's workers concerned about their retirement security. Couple that with a recent study which found that 61 percent of households are at risk of being unable to maintain their ...
Wall Street’s Top Four Retirement Planning Myths -- and How They ... - W... Hype by Brokerages Has Made Investors Take on Too Much Risk and Pay Too Much in Fees, Says Financial Author Scott Burns DALLAS - Trust in big Wall Street firms is at an all-time low as a result of the current U.S. financial crisis. Scott Burns, chief ...
![Dean Kamen\](http://img.youtube.com/vi/R0_mLumx-6Y/2.jpg "Dean Kamen\")
![KOTA: When Pleo Just Isn\](http://img.youtube.com/vi/w5c3Wq0jpps/2.jpg "KOTA: When Pleo Just Isn\")
![CES 2008: First \"Works with iPhone\" Speaker System](http://img.youtube.com/vi/YWTMD6E9_k8/2.jpg "CES 2008: First \\"Works with iPhone\\" Speaker System")
