That bit of kit is an MP3 player that was apparently found on the ground near a bus station, which got spiffed up with some brass and leather and then got paired with a set of vintage Cannonball Empires headphones, whose innards were replaced with those from a set of some decidedly more recent Sony MDR-006 phones.

While it's not quite on the level of some of the steampunk gear we've seen, devientART member porkshanks' so-called "Ambience Enhancer" is at least considerably more practical than some of those previous contraptions, and it recycles some gear that would otherwise have been discarded, or has already been discarded.

The whole thing was then, naturally, made wearable with a handy wrist strap.

 

 

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We've seen a couple innovative wind power solutions pop up, but none that claim to offer the benefits of maglev wind turbines, which use full-permanent magnets to nearly eliminate friction by "floating" the blades above the base.

According to developers, the technology is capable of scaling to massive sizes, with a proposed $53M turbine able enough to replace 1000 traditional windmills and power 750 thousand homes.

Additional benefits include the ability to generate power with winds as slow as three miles per hour, operational costs some 50 percent cheaper than windmills, and an estimated lifespan of 500 years.

That all sounds great, but the real proof will come when these things get put to use, which may happen sooner than you'd think: Development is proceeding rapidly in both the US and China, with Chinese power company Zhongke Hengyuan Energy Technology currently building a $5M factory to produce the turbines in capacities from 400 to 5,000 watts.

 

 

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The new bot from Woori features a 4.3-inch display for watching DMB mobile television and support for audio playback when sourced from USB-connected devices or SD cards.

Check your servos Rolly and Miuro, there's a new media playing robot in town by the foreboding name of Murider.

Details are scant but it's said to stand (not roll) and a bust out a little dance with appropriately timed flashing lights.

Just don't be surprised to find little rolly muttering "Redirum, redirum" in response to this budget repetition of past events.

Oh, and it'll do so for a fraction of the price of its peers.

 

 

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The Eclipse Office Partitioning System enables desk dwellers to cover up their space with panels in varying degrees, and it even touts the ability to change colors throughout the day to liven up the mood.

Let's face it, not everyone can get relocated to the corner office, but if designer Marcus Ward Curran has anything to do with it, even the newbies can look forward to a certain level of privacy in the office.

Furthermore, the unit includes an RFID sensor (hey, The Man has to hold you down somehow, right?

Throw in a teleportation feature to get us home on the double and we'd be sold.

a wireless charging mat, pillar-based speakers, an internal projection system and a built-in lighting system to boot.

Check out the video after the break.

 

 

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A team called Smart Cities have designed a small, two-seat, electric vehicle -- which they call the City Car -- that can be "stacked" in convenient locations (say, just outside a subway stop), and then taken on short trips around urban areas.

The cars -- which are based around an omnidirectional "robot wheel" that encases an electric motor, suspension, and steering -- can be "folded" and attached to a group of other cars for charging.

A group of researchers at MIT have been hard at work developing a solution that's kind on the planet and your scrawny legs.

but that's life.

Sure, we know you love actually owning a car, but let's be honest -- in large cities with condensed layouts, your H3 doesn't make a lot of sense.

Of course, you'll have to forgo your 24-inch rims.

The lineups of rentable vehicles would be accessible from various points around a city, with six or eight cars occupying just a single "regular" car space.

 

 

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The 60-mile course at the former George Air Force Base in Victorville CA must be successfully navigated in less than 6-hours while avoiding about 50 carbon-based drivers.

That oily titanium tang is the smack of robotic cars set for release Saturday in the DARPA Urban Challenge.

Can Stanford repeat their 2005 Grand Challenge victory with "Junior" or will Carnegie Mellon's "Boss" (pictured) bust out a BFG-9000 in swift retribution?

The final event pits 11 vehicles in competition for a $2 million first, $1M second, and $500k third place prizes.

Tune in Saturday to find out.

Oh man, can you taste it?

 

 

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The idea is to place your phone in the holder, and when you're receiving a call, the ferris wheel will begin to spin with red and green LEDs flashing.

The real kicker, however, is that while this is all happening, it plays the tune, "Rock-a-Bye Baby.

The latest one I've come across is the USB Ferris Wheel Phone Stand ($27) from USBGeek.com.

The abundance of USB gadgets available on the market today never ceases to amaze me.

It's powered via USB or two AA batteries, measures 22 by 9.2 by 18 cm, and is a fun gift for the mobile user in your life.

I'm not sure, but it does make me laugh just thinking about it.

 

 

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I tried again and again to get the bat to fly, and still it just grazed the carpet, flapping its wings but never ascending into the air.

It's made by the company Interactive Toy, and will ship in the US in November for $40 to $50.

It's only made of styrofoam, and even though it comes with an extra set of wings, it's no use once the tail has broken off;

Suddenly, it hit the wall with such great force that its tail broke off.

Before its first flight, I loaded the remote controller with six AA batteries and charged the bat for about 20 minutes.

Rather, it's an indoor/outdoor radio-controlled flying bat with flipping wings, glowing red LED eyes, and a remote controller.

I turned off the lights in my condo, grabbed the controller, pressed power, and was ready to freak out my boyfriend.

I pressed the up button on the controller, and to my dismay, Vamp couldn't fly.

I was so excited to test out the I-Fly Vamp for Halloween.

So this Halloween, I'm mourning the death of my R/C bat.

Powering on the bat (there's a switch on its underside), its eyes began to glow.

That's every bats' worst nightmare!

No, it's not a robotic vampire (although that would be super cool).

It's tragic, really.

it was beyond repair.

I'll miss you little guy.

 

 

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