Awesome Tech

What do you get when you take a bunch of old Garfield comic strips and feed them into a machine learning algorithm designed to morph them into a cohesive animation sequence? Nightmares, that’s what. Go figure it was the guy behind Garfield Gameboy’d that tipped us off to Daniel Hanley’s bizarre AI experiment.

This modern bicycle helmet has a rear-mounted grid of 77 color LEDs which can be used to indicate when you’re braking or turning, as well as to display animations. The LEDs can be activated via handlebar controls or an Apple Watch app. In addition, there’s a row of bright white LEDs in front which improve forward visibility.

While crowdsourcing traffic data generally has improved the quality of navigation services, it’s also possible that the data could be manipulated. Berlin artist Simon Weckert shows how he was able to create non-existent traffic jams on Google Maps by walking through empty streets while pulling a wagon full of 99 cell phones.

Give your over-the-ear headphones an appropriately elegant place to rest when not in use. These handmade wood stands from Beveled Edge offer refined looks, and come in versions that hold one or two pairs, compact DACs, cables, and other accessories.

Enthusiast gear retailer DROP teamed up with THX to create the ultimate Bluetooth headphone. These cans have phase-correct planar ribbon drivers, a low-noise THX AAA amplifier circuit, and Sony’s LDAC wireless codec to produce audiophile sound without wires. They offer 30+ hour battery life, and can be run via a passive wired connection.

Dyson’s second high-end desk lamp offers multiple pivot and swivel points, so you can aim it exactly where needed. Its light module automatically adjusts its color temperature and brightness throughout the day, and its base column doubles as an ambient light when you don’t need a point source. Available as a desk or a floor lamp.

These days, everyone carries a videophone in their pocket. But before the days of iPhones and Galaxies, calling someone and seeing them at the same time was difficult and expensive to achieve. Techmoan shows off one of the earlier examples of a working video calling system, British Telecom’s VC 7000, which dates back to 1993.

Do you have an old, broken laptop lying around? Don’t just toss it in the trash. As DIY Perks shows us, there are a bunch of goodies inside that you can recycle to make things like stereo speakers, lighting fixtures, artworks, and more.

Filmic’s amazing app for multi-camera phones like the iPhone XS, iPhone 11, and iPhone 11 Pro lets you capture two videos at the same time, so you can mix and match footage of wide, telephoto, standard, or selfie footage at the exact same point in time. Best of all, it’s free to download.

Watching live theatre can be challenging for deaf people. Sign interpreters and captioning boards help, but this new tech developed at the National Theatre in London gives people with hearing loss a much better experience – displaying captions that float right in front of their eyes. Freethink explains how it works.

Guinness World Records introduces us to animatronics and robotics expert Matt Denton, and his prize-winning walking robot, Mantis. This gigantic, diesel-powered hexapod weighs in at nearly 4200 pounds, and can stomp around while an operator rides in its mid-section. Matt also happens to be the co-creator of BB-8.

Transform your computer keyboard into a work of art with these colorful keycap sets. Available in rainbow, sunset blue, or sky blue designs, they form a smooth gradient once installed. Each of the 108 keys is made from colored plastic (not painted), and has laser-etched key legends on its side. Compatible with Cherry MX keyboards.

Want an iPad cheap? While this iPad Mini 3 isn’t the latest tech from Apple, it’s still a great little system, with a 2048×1536, 7.9″ retina display, 16GB of storage, Wi-Fi, and unlocked cellular connectivity. This brand new in box system is 52% off its original price in The Awesomer Shop.

Making homebrew drones can be quite tricky due to the precise balance and weight requirements of smooth flight. But thanks to the consistency of LEGO parts, Brick Experiment Channel was able to put together a reasonably stable – if somewhat fragile – LEGO flying machine using off-the-shelf motors and rotors.

In December 2019, Adam Savage unwrapped one of the coolest Christmas gifts ever – one of Boston Dynamics‘ four-legged Spot robots. He then took it out for its first walk to learn just how good it is at walking on challenging terrain. Adam and the crew at Tested plan on putting Spot through its paces over the next year.

This unusual guitar effects pedal changes its sound based on whatever liquid you pour into it. Unscrew the watertight lid, pour in the beverage of your choice, and the conductive properties of said liquid will influence signal gain, while its opacity affects the equalization of the sound. Demo video here. (Thanks Mike!)

Dimitar Tilev shows off a truly awesome R/C car build. This scale replica of a vintage Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 wagon packs an Arduino-controlled active suspension which can raise and lower, along with a rear-wheel drivetrain that makes it especially adept at drifting. We love the engine noises and light-up tailpipes.

James Bruton is always making cool and amazing things. His latest build is a version of Tickle-Me Elmo that can actually move and walk around thanks to an array of nine servo motors and a wheeled robot that pushes it along. The design was inspired by that creepy teddy bear in the Spielberg movie A.I. Part one here.

This portable Bluetooth gadget folds down small enough to toss in your backpack or other small bag, yet offers a full-function QWERTY keyboard when opened up. It also works in USB mode, and has a built-in touchpad, though that’s only compatible with Windows and Android devices. Measures 5.98″w x 3.82″d x 0.71″h folded.

Take your audio and video streams anywhere – with or without a wireless signal. Audials One 2020 is a Windows application that can record and save high quality streams from a variety of streaming music, video, and online radio stations, so you can keep and play them back any time. Save 66% in The Awesomer Shop.

Edelkrone’s motion control jib is an app-controlled tripod attachment that can smoothly and silently move your camera horizontally, vertically, or diagonally via its app. It’s compatible with the HeadPLUS and HeadONE motorized tripod heads, and packs down small enough to fit into Edelkrone’s backpack.

Want to shoot ultra-wide angle images with your iPhone? This high-quality glass fisheye lens has an 8mm focal length, increasing the width of the standard camera up a massive 238° field of view. Attaches securely to Lemuro’s case (sold separately).

It might take touch typists a little while to get used to the tweaked key positions, but computer accessory maker Logitech says the curved and split key design of its Ergo K860 wireless keyboard can help reduce muscle strain on your wrists and forearms. It also has scooped keys, and a palm rest with an adjustable angle from 0 to -7º.