FLOW 6-Axis Water Jet Cutting System Runs Off a Robot Arm [Water Jet]

Given the recent rumors about a “revolutionary” new manufacturing process from Apple involving water jet-cut aluminum for new MacBooks, it seemed appropriate to discuss a new product coming out of the 2008 Fabtech International & AWS Welding show. The FLOW is a 6-axis system that perform full 3D water cutting without a bulky gantry holding it back. Instead, the entire system runs off a flexible robotic arm for more precision work (although its accuracy has been described as “mid range”). Either way, it looks like the FLOW 6 will be used to fabricate some awesome stuff down the line. [AVING via Slashgear]

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More pics of Apple’s supposed new laptops surface

Filed under: Laptops

Oh Apple — release some new laptops so this madness can end. The forums at MacRumors are abuzz over a Taiwanese site that’s showing off pictures of what appears to be a very close cousin of that MacBook Pro-esque casing we saw earlier. This isn’t the same model, surely, but it does bear a striking similarity in both design and materials — and after lots of deliberation and comparisons, we’re fairly sure this isn’t the Air either (the hinge ends in a totally different spot in relation to the keys). That machined quality we noted in the earlier post is present, though as we said previously, the sides of these housings do look like separate pieces. Regardless, if any of this is even remotely true (and not another Photoshop from someone’s mother’s basement), Apple is indeed taking its laptops in an Air direction, which isn’t surprising — but signs of these being the end-result of new manufacturing process? The jury’s still way out. One more pic after the break of that controversial side piece.

[Via MacRumors]

Continue reading More pics of Apple’s supposed new laptops surface

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Filed under: Robots

Playskool’s Kota the Triceratops is a robot dinosaur that uses 11 sensors to respond to touch and sound by wiggling its horns, wagging its tail and turning its head. It also plays a few “adventure themed songs.” Best of all, it can’t stampede or impale anyone; like the animatronic Triceratops in Jurassic Park, Kota can’t get up and move around. That won’t stop kids from adoring it though. Like Pleo before it, Kota’s cuteness overpowers all. Don’t believe us? Shipments have begun, so you can buy the cuddly robot and see for yourself. All you need is 300 bucks. Or you could just check out the video beyond the cut.

Continue reading Kota the Triceratops ships from the land before time to your home

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Via [Engadget]

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Best Buy Presentation Leaks Cellphone Ship Dates [Product Leak]

Oops, someone at Best Buy leaked a presentation that’s revealed the ship dates for several upcoming handsets. For instance, the titanium version of the Verizon Blitz, now has a ship date of October 26th (it’s only marked as Coming Soon on the Best Buy site. Other cellphones dropping on the 26th include Sprint’s HTC Touch Pro and black Samsung M540 Rant, AT&T’s BlackBerry Bold 9000 and T-Mobile’ BlackBerry Pearl Flip. Oh yes, the BlackBerry Storm’s on there as well, with a ship date of November 16th. [BGR via Electronista]

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Supreme Court to Rule on FCCs Fines for Casual Swearing [Swearing]

This is America, the land of the free, where we can say and do what we please without some government overlord pushing us around about it. And there’s a landmark case coming up before the Supreme Court on November 4th, election day, dealing with just this: the right to accidentally drop the F-bomb on live TV and not get in trouble for it. What would our founding fathers do?

The case revolves around “fleeting expletives,” which are swears said offhand that aren’t planned for or repeated. It used to be the case that such instances weren’t fined by the FCC, but in 2006 the FCC fined Fox for true American heroes Cher and Nicole Richie swearing during the Billboard music Awards.

So Fox has been battling the fining in court ever since, and it’s now finally reaching the supreme court. Most first amendment scholars are on Fox’s side on this one, and I’d have to agree with them. If drunk, coked up celebs can’t swear accidentally on live TV and not face any consequences, is this really the land of the free? Maybe TV stations would get fined for stuff like this in North Korea, but not here. Hopefully the Supreme Court will end up on the side of justice, freedom and casual swearing. [Ars Technica]

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World’s Deepest Fish Filmed For the First Time [Ick]

This is a group of snailfish—the deepest living fish in existence—filmed alive for the first time in history in the name science and nausea. They live at depths of 4.6 miles (7,500 meters) or more, so scientists had to develop new camera technology capable of supporting a pressure of 8,000 tonnes per square metre—”the equivalent to that of 1600 elephants standing on the roof of a Mini car”—for a period of days.

The submersible platform reached 4.78 miles down the Japan Sea trench, and had to stay there for two days to be able to obtain this crystal clear footage, taking a total of five hours to reach the seabed. The camera equipment was designed specifically for this mission by the engineers at OceanLab—the sub-sea research facility of the University of Aberdeen.

According to project leader Dr Alan Jamieson, the resulting video taking during those two days is “absolutely amazing”.

We got some absolutely amazing footage from 7700 metres. More fish than we or anyone in the world would ever have thought possible at these depths. It’s incredible. These videos vastly exceed all our expectations from this research. We thought the deepest fishes would be motionless, solitary, fragile individuals eking out an existence in a food-sparse environment. But these fish aren’t loners. The images show groups that are sociable and active—possibly even families—feeding on little shrimp, yet living in one of the most extreme environments on Earth.

Whatever. Any fish that have teeth that do this…

…are not my friends. [OceanLab via Daily Mail]

Video and image credit: Natural Environment Research Council and University of Aberdeen.

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Logitech Wireless Vantage Mic, So Your ‘Fans’ Can’t Hang Themselves [Microphones]

For when cords limit your artistic freedom (or screeching Rock Band karaoke), Logitech has announced a wireless version of their Vantage microphone (old model pictured here). Syncing via 2.4GHz frequencies, the Vantage can connect to PC, Xbox 360, Wii and PS3 through a USB dongle that holds (but doesn’t charge) the mic when not in use. Operating for 20 hours from distances of 30 feet, the wireless Vantage will be available this December for $80. But until someone releases a decent wireless mic that transmodulates my voice to Seal’s, I’m not buying.

Logitech – To give gamers greater freedom and high-quality voice reproduction, Logitech today announced the Logitech® Cordless Vantage™ Microphone – featuring an authentic, professional design.

With more than 20 hours of battery life, gamers can perform encore after encore while minimizing the hassle of changing batteries.

Offering a range of up to 30 feet, the microphone uses 2.4 GHz wireless technology and can be easily set up with its convenient USB receiver. The USB receiver also holds the mic when not in use.

The wireless microphone is compatible with PLAYSTATION®3, PlayStation®2 and Xbox 360™.

The Logitech Cordless Vantage Microphone is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe in December for a suggested retail price of $79.99 (U.S.).

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Filed under: Robots

WowWee goes out of its way to make one thing very clear about the Rovio: “this is not a toy.” That being said, it doesn’t make the patrolling sentry any less fantastic, as critics over at Robots-Dreams proclaimed that it was “intuitive and a pleasure to use from the moment you first open the box.” From the painless setup process to the unparalleled mobility, reviewers sounded like they were grinning from ear-to-ear during the entire writeup process. It performed its robotic sentry duties with vigor and valor, and the review crew couldn’t help but note that this bugger was “positioned to be the hottest robot for the upcoming holiday season, and for a long time to come.” In other words, if you’ve been on the fence about dropping three bills on this thing, all your worries about it potentially sucking just got thrashed.

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Via [Engadget]

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Apple introducing new manufacturing process, MacBook ‘Brick’?

Filed under: Laptops

The Apple rumor mill has really cooked up a doozy this time. According to 9to5mac — a site with a fairly good track record — Apple’s next big thing isn’t just a laptop or an iPod… it’s an entirely new manufacturing process. If you believe the site’s sources, an as-yet-unannounced event on October 14th will herald in a new iteration of the MacBook dubbed the “Brick,” but the big news won’t actually be about the laptop. Apparently, Apple has created a brand-new process to sculpt casings for products out of aircraft-grade aluminum, using a system that carves the pieces out of a single block of metal using “3D lasers” and water-jet cutting. The new technique will supposedly allow for seamless components which require no bending or folding, won’t use screws to join together, are ultra-light but also “super strong,” and will enable the company to rapidly prototype and produce new designs. Of course, not a single word of this is confirmed or even acknowledged by Apple, though we have been hearing whispers of the “Brick” for a few weeks now. Ultimately, everyone should approach this news with extreme skepticism, but if these rumors get magically transmuted into reality, there’s no telling what kind of new gear Apple might have up its sleeve.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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20-Gigabit Wireless Data Achieved By Crossing Laser Beams [Wireless]

How do you make a wireless transmission that is as fast or even faster than most fiber-optic data passages? With laser beams of course! According to a Technology Review piece, super smart people at Battelle research in Columbus, OH figured out a way, using millimeter wave technology, to send data at speeds up to 20 gigabits per second. They even field tested 10 Gbps at up to 800 meters. Even accounting for Ohio’s unnervingly flat terrain, this is several hundred times farther than a wireless transmission of that bandwidth had ever reached before.

Rather than dick around in the 10-gigahertz frequency space—higher than most of today’s phones and wireless data products, but still in the realm of conventional radio—the Battelle team figured out how to create a 100GHz frequency by “modulat[ing] data on two low-frequency laser beams, then combin[ing] the two.” I knew crossing the streams of a proton gun could be bad; I did not know crossing laser beams modulated with data signal could be this good. I suppose the breakthrough does bode well for wireless devices, but I can’t imagine how any of this could run off of a lithium-ion battery. And, hey, wouldn’t laser phones make us all go blind? OK, smart people, please start talking, cuz I’m definitely over my head on this one. [MIT Tech Review via KurzweilAI.Net]

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