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MaKey, MaKey turns the whole world into a keyboard

Daniel Cooper — Fri, 18 May 2012 01:14:00 EST

The litany of exciting Maker Faire products continues with MaKey MaKey, a device that turns anything capable of conducting electricity into a controller. Developed by MIT Media Lab students Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum, you simply run an alligator clip from the board to an object and hold a connecting wire in your hand. Connecting over USB, it's entirely programming-free, but if you find your interest piqued, you can flip the board over to use the Arduino module baked into the hardware. It's already surpassed its original $25,000 Kickstarter goal and when the run begins, you'll be able to pick up everything you need for just $35 -- but if you can't wait that long, head on down to the Bay Area this weekend.

[Thanks, Ryan]

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MaKey, MaKey turns the whole world into a keyboard originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 01:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MakerBot printing out Robot Petting Zoo for Maker Faire

Brian Heater — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:22:00 EST

Sure, it's no $500 3D printer, but the folks at MakerBot always have plenty of fun stuff floating around their Brooklyn headquarters. Stuff like, you know, a Robot Petting Zoo. The company's prepping a slew of 3D printed 'bots for display at the upcoming Maker Faire in California. CNET's got shots of the robots, each of which have special functionality like old Button Bot pictured above -- not so great for petting, but he likely knows more tricks that your average sheep. More images at the source link below.

MakerBot printing out Robot Petting Zoo for Maker Faire originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget's holiday gift guide 2011: fun stuff!

Daniel Cooper — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST

Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! We're well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties surrounding the seasonal shopping experience, so we're here to help you sort out this year's tech treasures. Below is today's bevy of curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season.

For some, it's easy to forget about having fun -- fretting over buying the "right" tablet, e-reader or DSLR can strip the joy of unbridled silliness that Christmas allows you. This is your handy guide to stuff you can kick back and enjoy some crazy fun with. There's no ecosystem wars here, no desire to have the loudest or fastest plug-in gadget; just things you'd prefer to give and receive instead of a Sharper Image motorized tie rack... or back-hair shaver. So join us past the break, if you will, for a look at this year's collection of fun stuff!

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Engadget's holiday gift guide 2011: fun stuff! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brainlink lets you control your toy robots, Roombas, before they control you (video)

Brian Heater — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 08:38:00 EST

Let's be frank for a minute -- we need to gain control of our robots before they get control of us, so why not start with the robots you've already got taking up space on your shelves at home? At this year's Maker Faire in New York, BirdBrain Technologies showcased a way to hijack your toy robots, Roombas and other bits of home electronics: the Brainlink System. The forthcoming little triangle hooks up to your existing technology, letting you program commands, add sensors to the device and generally teach it new tricks. The company's chief robot designer, Tom Lauwers, showcased the technology on a Robosapien, a TV and a Roomba, the latter of which you can see in the video after the break.

Gallery: Brainlink lets you control your toy robots, Roombas, before they control you

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Brainlink lets you control your toy robots, Roombas, before they control you (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 08:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stepping into the Polaroid Matrix at Maker Faire (video)

Brian Heater — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 20:17:00 EST

Sometimes it's the simplest questions that lead to the most important innovation -- other times it's more that they're just plain fun to answer. Take the one asked by Grand Rapids, MI-artist, Sam Blanchard: what would the Wachowski Brothers' bullet-time effect look like, were it shot on, say 20 Polaroids, instead of a room full of expensive digital devices? The answer, naturally, can be found in the Polaroid Matrix, a circle of cameras on display at Maker Faire in New York, this weekend. The Kickstarter success story arranges the cameras into a circle -- a subject can be sat in the middle, or the cameras can be oriented outward, to take a panorama of the surrounding environment. Once the rig is fired up, the cameras make that familiar Polaroid warm up hum -- times 20. The actual photographing happens almost in an instant, with 20 flashes. The photographer walks around the circle and collects 20 photos, which are bound into a photographic flipbook. Check out a video of the Polaroid Matrix in action, after the jump.

Gallery: Stepping into the Polaroid Matrix at Maker Faire (video)

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Stepping into the Polaroid Matrix at Maker Faire (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Sep 2011 20:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autodesk adds DIY site Instructables to its stable

Terrence O'Brien — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 12:35:00 EST

Autodesk has really decided to embrace the DIY community recently. First the company launched 123D, a free design tool for hobbyists, now it's snatched up Instructables, an online repository for everything from quadrocopter plans to bruschetta recipes. There's no need for amateur inventors out there to worry about the acquisition, though -- it doesn't sound like much will be changing at the site. Makers will still own the copyright to their creations and the brand will be keeping its focus on user submitted projects, but the site's blog does promise that improvements are on the way thanks to the deeper pockets of its new owner. Most of the finer details of the purchase are still unclear, but there's some more info in the PR after the break.

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Autodesk adds DIY site Instructables to its stable originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 12:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maker Faire 2011, in pictures: Arduinos, Androids, and angry robots (video)

Christopher Trout — Sun, 22 May 2011 17:52:00 EST

The rapture has come and gone, but the Maker Faire powers on. Despite warnings of a May 21st doomsday, folks came out in droves for the annual celebration of all things DIY, and we were there to bring you the best in homespun inventions. This year's Maker Faire was light on robots and big on corporate sponsorship. Among the giants supporting the little guys were Google, ASUS, and HP, but El Goog's presence extended beyond its dedicated tents. The new Android ADK was big with at-home tinkerers this year, spawning a number of little robots and at least one DIY alternative.

Perhaps no other trend proved more pervasive than 3D printing, however -- every time we turned around there was another MakerBot or RapMan pumping out everything from statuettes of attendees to cutesy salt shakers. There were robotic building blocks, a Heineken-themed R2-D2, DIY drones, custom keyboards, and a ton of repurposed gadgets, but it was an arena of destructo-bots, tucked away in the farthest corner of the San Mateo County Event Center, that really blew us away. We came away sunburned and bedraggled, but lucky for you, we did all the dirty work so you don't have to. To see what made this year's Maker Faire, hop on past the break for a video of our favorite DIY finds.

Gallery: Maker Faire 2011

Myriam Joire contributed to this report.

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Maker Faire 2011, in pictures: Arduinos, Androids, and angry robots (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 May 2011 17:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft redesigning Xbox 360 to include internal HD DVD?

Richard Lawler — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 08:27:00 EST

That's the latest rumor from Digitimes' manufacturing sources (also home to the blue laser shortage and $199 HD DVD add-on rumors), who indicate that Microsoft is looking for manufacturers for the drives. Although the external Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on will be made by Toshiba -- or Lite-On -- it's not impossible that they would follow their strategy for the current DVD drives by sourcing from multiple builders. According to the rumor a console featuring an integrated HD DVD drive could be ready in the first half of 2007 "at the soonest", although we wouldn't be surprised to see it in the latter half of the year as manufacturing costs continue to drop. Other Xbox 360 rumors like HDMI, 250GB HDD, black casing and DirecTV PVR integration continue to languish in obscurity, waiting for confirmation by unnamed sources.

Filed under: Toshiba

Microsoft redesigning Xbox 360 to include internal HD DVD? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Sep 2006 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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