Mamoru: A Robot to Assist the Aged

This next device is an interesting conceptual robot created by the University of Tokyo, and is designed to assist the elderly in their daily tasks. The Mamoru may not have arms or legs for active assistance, but it does have something that many old people lack: memory.

The eyes of the Mamoru are designed for more than just aesthetics. These are wide angle camera lenses, and Mamoru is designed to scan objects with image recognition software.

How is this helpful? Let’s say that grandma can’t find her remote control, glasses, or slippers. The Mamoru will politely tell her where they are because it is not susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease. It can also be programmed to remind her when to take her medication.

Of course, you have to question the ethics of this. Do you really want to leave the senior citizens that you love in the care of this robot? Sadly, all I can think about is how I want the Mamoru to be able to do more active assistance work.

I do admire that the Mamoru does not have that anime robot look like Voltron or other conceptual robots that come from the creative people in Japan. In fact, the design reminds me of Madame Foster on Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, if she had penguin like arms.

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iGala - Wi-Fi Touch Screen Digital Photo Frame

I reckon this is the coolest digital picture frame I’ve seen. It has all the usual things you’d expect from a digital frame, clock and alarm function, accepts multiple media card formats, MP3 player, etc. etc..

It is also Wi-Fi enabled so can pull pictures from GMail, Flicker or you can email them directly to the frame. You can use Windows Live to display News, Weather and traffic info and something that I’ve not seen on a digital frame before is it’s touch screen so setting up and entering your wireless information should be a lot less fiddly (though you may see the odd thumbprint on your pics).

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The Start Your Engines Alarm Clock

If your love of cars isn’t being expressed quite enough in your current home décor, you might check out this alarm. There have been other alarms similar to this one, but luckily this one is a little cheaper than the others I’ve seen. If you’re on the lookout for a gift for a guy impossible to buy for and he has a love for cars this would be an easy gift to pick up. I’m sure he’d get a kick out of waking up to the sound of a high-powered V8 engine.

Although frankly I’m not sure how easy it would be to wake up to the sound of an engine. It’s not that it couldn’t possibly be loud enough. The issue more is if you live in the city, the sound of your alarm might blend into the traffic noise you’re used to hearing outdoors. Luckily the engine noise will grow in pitch and intensity until you turn it off. The clock also includes an AM/FM radio and can be powered by either the AC adapter or AA batteries.

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Thanko’s New MP4 Watch puts a camera on your wrist

This isn’t the first time we have reported on Thanko devices, and if they keep putting out devices like an MP4 Watch with Video Camera, it won’t be the last. After all, a watch with a video camera feels like it was taken right out of James Bond or Dick Tracy.

This product is similar to an MP4 Watch that Brando launched a while ago, and the screen is the same size at 1.8 inches. Unlike the one from Brando, the Thanko can shoot video at 352×288, and is capable of shooting still photos at 640×480.

The Thanko MP4 watch also supports other types of digital formats including MP3, WPA, WMA, and can also display JPG files. I am assuming that everything can be downloaded via the mini USB port on the side.

You can’t help but like all the features in these kind of watches, but they always end up looking so thick. I had a chance to try out the MP4 watch from Brando, and it was like having a deck of cards strapped to my wrist. It appears that Thanko was not able to perfect their design.

I’m not certain why you would want a camera on a watch, except for covert operations. I believe that the lens is on the side, so if you are trying to film in secret, you will probably be a dead giveaway.

The Thanko MP4 watch has just been announced, but there is no word on a price or availability date.

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Think Tank Photo offers new photo backpack designs

Think Tank Photo has the best interests of shutterbugs (casual or otherwise) at heart by introducing a new design in photo backpacks under the StreetWalker series. They are currently offering a trio of new backpacks that come in a slim vertical profile, enabling photographers to navigate through crowded places and public transportation without being denied access to their professional photographic equipment. Hopefully it is tamper proof as well, since you know how much higher theft cases are these days considering the rather discouraging economic climate. More on all three cases right after the jump.

It must be noted that all three of these lightweight backpacks offer photographers the choice of quick access to their gear while allowing them to maneuver easily through crowds, making life much easier to be in the right place and at the right time without jeopardizing their expensive and sensitive equipment to capture that pixel perfect shot. It also addresses the common complaint of female photographers that majority of photo backpack shoulder harnesses are designed for average-sized men, where the StreetWalker shoulder straps have helped solve this problem by being specifically engineered to fit a wider range of sizes for both genders.

StreetWalker ($139)
This slim, lightweight backpack will hold a Pro Size DSLR with 70-200 2.8 attached and hood in position. It includes a monopod/tripod mounting system, a contoured harness and air channel for increased comfort, and lots of pockets and organizers for customization.

StreetWalker Pro ($159)
This backpack is designed for a Pro Size DSLR with up to a 400 2.8 attached, or a 70-200 2.8 attached and hood in position. It also includes the monopod/tripod mounting system, the contoured harness and air channel, and lots of pockets and organizers

StreetWalker HardDrive ($179)
This backpack will hold most 15″ laptops and a Pro Size DSLR with 70-200 2.8 attached and hood in position. It also includes the monopod/tripod mounting system, the contoured harness and air channel, and lots of pockets and organizers

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The Silvana washing machine end table

Very few people have an end table that is actually eye catching. Sure, people find ways to make it appealing. However, the table itself is usually fairly simple. With good reason of course, it makes it easier for a larger variety of people to blend it into their home. The personalization usually happens when finding things to put on the end table. Well this end table lamp combination will turn a few heads.

It’s made from an old washing machine drum, then equipped with a light. The top is a frosted glass to give nothing more than a soft glow. It adds a cool effect by the way the light also shines through the small holes in the drum. It’s created by Reestore, who has oddly managed to turn an ordinary washer into a very expensive piece. You can pick it up for £380 or about $580. If you have the extra cash for it, it might be worth the extra buck to own something that is definitely unique.

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The Active Trax Audio Player with solar panel

Although it’s a little late in the year to be planning anything outdoorsy, when you do, this audio player is worth checking out. It’s not quite as compact as other speakers I’ve seen. However, it has a few extra perks that make it perfect for anyone who likes being outdoors a great deal or anyone trying to go green. It uses a couple different methods to make sure that you don’t have to actually be inside to charge it. Sadly, you’ll still have to find a way to charge up your iPod, but at least the speaker will keep running.

Once your iPod does die off though, you always have the backup of using the AM/FM radio that’s built into the speaker. To charge the speaker up you can leave it out in the sun to charge from the solar panel or you can use the hand crank. If you’re at home and don’t want to deal with the eco-friendly methods, you can also plug it into the wall, once it does have a full charge it will run for 7 hours. It comes in either the white shown here or black. With the black, the crank is white instead of the orange shown on the white version. It looks a bit more sleek than the white.

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The iDesign SongView lets you know what’s playing

If you’re the type who isn’t so great with band names, this iDesign SongView will help keep you posted. It has a giant rotating message that says the song name, artist, album as well as the genre. You’ll never have to run up to your iPod again to figure out who on earth plays that song. Yes, it’s on your list of songs, so maybe you should know it. However, you can have so much music on your iPod that it’s understandable that you’d forget every so often.

The iDesign SongView not only features the nice scrolling view and of course plays your music. It also is an alarm clock to make sure that you get out of bed every morning. While you’re across the room, you’ll also be able to control your music, to skip those songs you’re just not in the mood for. It will also allow you to hook it up to additional speakers and different types of audio players. In addition to telling you about the song that’s being played, the scroll view shows the time and date.

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Precision Spoon Scale

Fine tune your recipes

If you're a serious chef, you know that volumetric measurement is terribly imprecise. Let's say you're making biscuits. The recipe says 1 cup of flour, but are we talking 200 grams or 270 grams? Depending on humidity, or how much your flour was compacted when you scooped it, that could make the difference between light and flaky, and hockeypucks.

With baking, precision is absolutely vital. Measuring your wet ingredients and your dry ingredients with our new ultra-precise spoon scale. With two spoons included, you can scoop out just the right amount of sugar, or even 10^-1 grams of salt! To get this level of precision, you'd normally need a separate scale, but we've combined two immensely useful kitchen gadgets into one, and we love dual-use devices in the kitchen!

The graduated scales on the sides of the spoon will help you measure out your volumetric measurements, or you can use the LCD display built into the handle to measure the weight. It can weigh as little as one one-tenth of a gram all the way to 300 grams. So, whether you're trying to faithfully recreate grandma's secret recipe for gingerbread cookies, or fine-tune your barbecue spice-rub down just right, you'll need to have precision on your side. Grab your spoon and go! Allez cuisiner!

Features

• Combination spoon and scale
• Precise from 0.1 to 300g (0.005 to 10.5oz)
• Switchable between grams and ounces
• Graduations on the spoon measure volume
• Measures 23 x 5 x 2.5cm (9" x 2" x 1") (L x W x H). Weight approx. 90g (3oz) including batteries.
• Batteries included

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