Filed under: Robots

While it’s not quite on the level of NASA’s or DARPA’s ongoing challenges, iRobot’s Create Challenge contest nonetheless looks to have at least given some incentive to a few homebrew enthusiasts / would-be mad scientists, one of whom has now taken home a cool $5,000 for his troubles. Snagging that cash was Danh Trinh of Towson, Md, who’s “Personal Home Robot” won over the judges with its ability to water plants, control lights, play music, and remind owners to take their medication, among other less-than-strenuous activities. Helping it manage all that is iRobot’s DIY-friendly Create platform which, as you can see above, went under a pretty extensive transformation on its way to first place. Be sure to hit up the Instructables link below for the complete rundown.

Read - iRobot, “iRobot Selects Create Challenge Contest Winner”
Read - Instructables, “iRobot Create Personal Home Robot”

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

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Designed by Bence Bogar, the Sony Ericsson PXi boasts a magnesium case, 3.3-inch touchscreen with proximity sensor, dual memory card slots, and 5.0-megapixel camera. Click here for more pictures.

Bence Bogar must be a leftie because his SE PXi concept is a product specifically created for all lefties tho it’s flexible enough for righties too. Obviously following the current direction of SE’s P series of smartphones, the PXi is powerful while staying somewhat slim and ergonomic

[via Yankodesign]

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In this The Real Hustle segment, the hustlers show why you should always mind your own business, and not eavesdrop. Video after the break.

You overhear someone saying an object is very valuable, but the person selling it doesn’t know that. Do you buy it before the person you’re overhearing gets to it?

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At first glance, this may look like any old toaster, but plug in a keyboard / mouse / monitor, and you’ve got a functional computer. Click here for more pictures.

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GT gives us a first look at Bionic Commando, “one of Capcom’s all-time great franchises” — slated for release on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC platforms. Videos after the break. Click here for more pictures.

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In this Top Gear segment, Richard Hammond pits a Bugatti Veyron against a Eurofighter. Which vehicle comes out on top? Find out after the jump.

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The world’s largest shotgun aka Punt Gun measures 10-feet long and has a 2-inch barrel. Due to its size and recoil, this gun has to be mounted directly on the punts. Just a single blast could wipe out 50-100 ducks resting on the water’s surface. Video after the jump. Click here for more pictures.

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If any Hollywood studio decides to make a Halo 3 movie, we can only hope it’s as good as this “Landfall” trailer. Video after the break.

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That’s right, “using Sony’s proprietary algorithm, this innovative intelligent auto shutter system [in the DSC-T200] responds actively to smiling faces.” Video after the break. Click here for more pictures.

To start, just choose Smile Shutter from Scene Selection, then press the shutter fully on the subject to be taken; the camera automatically detects the smiling face and closes the shutter. To detect the different degrees of smiles by your subject, you can set Smile Level sensitivity to “high” (to detect a faint smile), “medium” (for a normal smile), or “low” (for a hearty laugh)

[via Spluch]

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When is a home theater not just a home theater? When it features “a 1-pound-per-square-foot sound barrier material behind each of the walls, built out double walls-or a wall within a wall-on the two sides not abutting the foundation, and insulated the walls and isolated them with isolation brackets.” Click here for more pictures.

A Sim2 Domino30 single-chip DLP projector shines on a fixed and perforated Stewart Filmscreen display, with Energy Veritas speakers placed behind it. There are two inches of mineral fiber sound insulation behind the screen, with cutouts for the three speakers. A Denon AVR-5805 10-channel receiver pumps 140 watts per channel to the speakers, providing plenty of juice. “ItÂ’s not the pinnacle of home theater, but bang for its buck it gives you as much as you need,” says Schwartz.

[via Electronichouse]

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