Gadgets That Puzzle and Delight
(Page 1 of 4 )
There are three kinds of whiz toys out there. The first kind we use every day and take for granted. The second kind makes us salivate and want one. The third kind makes us wonder why anyone would come up with it, let alone use it.
This article covers both the second and third kinds of toys, mainly because there seems to be a very fine line between the two. I freely admit to being geeky enough to drool over the Sony Aibo when it first came out, even though I knew I'd never be able to afford one (please don't tell me what they're going for on eBay). Cool as I thought it was, I could understand the folks who dismissed it as a silly, expensive toy. An electronic dog? Get real!
This brings us to the first piece of weird technology I wanted to tell you about, feral robotic dogs (http://xdesign.ucsd.edu/feralrobots/). These aren't Aibos that learned to program themselves and ran away from home. Rather, these are electronic dogs of various types, usually pre-owned, that have been altered to sniff out toxic waste and other hazardous chemicals. Some of them even display pack behavior; when one sniffs out a toxin, others in the area converge. These dogs are being developed in several universities around the US, including Yale and Cornell. The dogs have also been used in teaching projects with 12-year-old students to help the youths understand pollutants.
Thoughts of toxin-detecting electronic puppies bring us to ways of making our environment safer. While the next item I'd like to bring to your attention isn't really a gadget, it is certainly pretty cool. Boeing is hard at work on a new light aircraft that will be powered by fuel cells and electronic motors. It won't give off carbon dioxide or other pollutants, just a trail of water. It would also fly very quietly. Unfortunately, the two-seater aircraft won't be very fast, traveling at only 70 MPH. (Yes, I've driven faster than that too). Boeing hopes the plane will make its first flight someone in the next 12 months. (You can read more about this aircraft here http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,20411-
2330386,00.html).
Next: Something More Personal >>
More Hardware News Articles
More By Terri Wells
