Take the bodywork of a Fiat 500, throw in the mechanics of a second-hand tractor, and you may end up with this: the Fiat Cinque Tank. The handiwork of Kogoro Kurata, a Japanese ironsmith, the distinctive vehicle’s one main flaw is its somewhat pedestrian top-speed of just 3kpm (less than 2mph).
Video after the cut
Created by Paul Fryer last year, this “Chess Set for Tesla” takes 32 working vacuum tubes and turns them into chess pieces. Each tube slots into a port on the custom board, lighting up to show their identity via a glowing icon on the top.
MDI have been working on their air-powered engine for years now, and Edmunds Inside Line were lucky enough to take the 2010 AIRPod prototype for a spin. Distinctively designed, the AIRPod throws out internal combustion in favor of running from compressed-air, a full tank of which – refilled in just two minutes with the right infrastructure – is good for 90-125 miles with a single occupant.
I’ve no doubt this video will be all over the place before long (if it isn’t already) but we’re suckers for transforming tech here at SlashGear. Apparently created for the French postal service, to publicize their new home printing service for shipping labels, it shows a MacBook option that, while cool, could get expensive after a while.
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If you ever needed proof that the Japanese love their robots, then the viewing figures for this video of Hina should convince you. Already racking up over 100,000 views in just 24 hours, the clip shows Hina making a cup of coffee – including measuring out the beans, grinding them, adding the water and even pouring it.
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You might not realize it, but you’re probably sleeping wrong. Thankfully Zeo are around to tell you the error of your ways, and since we won’t take anybody seriously unless we’re paying them a subscription and they’re offering us a wireless-enabled alarm with LCD display, that’s part of the deal too. Measurements are taken via a headband you wear during the night, which sends data to the alarm and rates your quality of sleep as a “ZQ” number.
“You’ve more chance of being struck by a meteorite” goes the old saying, making German teen Gerrit Blank either particularly lucky or very unlucky. The fourteen year old was hit on the hand by a falling pea-sized meteorite, apparently traveling at up to 30,000mph and hitting the ground with enough force to produce “an enormous bang like a crash of thunder” and knock Blank off his feet.
It may not put the fear of the Empire into any nearby planets, but steaks and chicken thighs should begin quivering at Bryan Tate’s custom Death Star grill. Currently up for auction on eBay, the grill has a vent built into the weapon-dish and a neat little Imperial Cruiser handle.
We can’t all be Jean Michel Jarre, but thanks to the Arduino microprocessor we can flail our arms around and make music. Omer Yosher’s “Airpiano” is a long strip of motion sensors treated as, via the Arduino, midi keys and faders; moving your hands over and through the sensors control notes or samples, as well as volume.
Video demo after the cut
It may look odd, but this ergonomic keyboard promises to free up your desk from the tyranny of your mouse. Well, from the tyranny of a separate mouse, anyway; the handiwork of an Australian inventor, the Combimouse turns the right-side of the keyboard into the mouse itself, using cleverly placed contacts to figure out when you’re trying to use it to to control your cursor.
Video demos after the cut
Chrome OS: Waiting Is The Hardest Part…Though Necessary
Apple is no longer the Nordstrom of Tech, they’re the “New Nordstrom”
Can Anything Replace Windows XP As the Best Netbook Operating System?
Hey, Premium Notebooks or Netbooks, Get the Basics Right!
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