Rechargeable batteries sure have helped make my life a lot easier, but I sure do hate the bulkiness of the machines that allow me to recharge my batteries. Trying to pack up my gadgets to take with me on the go is a struggle enough, why add the extra bulk of a battery charger to the equation? Here I introduce to you Febot- The answer to all of your gadget packing needs. This little Febot is so easy to assemble; even a monkey could put it together. Febot, created by Korean designers Ji-yun Kim, Soon-young Yang and Hwan-ju Jeon, is a torpedo with wings looking object that uses energy created by the wind to recharge a single battery. All you have to do is stick your Febot on an outside window and let the wind work its magic – just make sure it is your Febot.

Designer: Ji-yun Kim, Soon-young Yang & Hwan-ju Jeon

[Via Yanko]

I posted previously about Swedish Kat Trappas, making their moggies mobility a little easier. Now the Japanese have taken it further, since they arent in the habbit of having children of late, architects have taken it upon themselves to help design the houses a little more pet friendly! In this case Asahi Kasei optimises his house for cats. I love the little high walkways!

[Via Neatorama]

Nearly a foot long, and weighing in at 2.2 pounds, PepperBall's "FlashLauncher" may be a bit more appropriate for the backpack, however. But the manufacturer promises it'll deliver all kinds of hurt, by combining "a bright tactical flashlight and laser with a semi-automatic PepperBall launcher."

"Its bright 100 lumen flashlight illuminates the user’s immediate surroundings, such as the inside of a vehicle, a dark room, a dimly lit alley, etc., while the launcher allows you to fire up to 5 PepperBall projectiles in semi automatic fashion with laser directed accuracy," the manufacturer promises. The C02-launched "projectiles deliver a painful impact and releases hot pepper powder that startles, distracts, and subdues any attackers."

PepperBall Technologies says its new pain-giver is the "first choice for home protection, traveling or camping." Nasty.

[Via Wired]

I came across this and had to post it up, its pretty awesome. Worth1000's rejected Transformers comp was pretty good, well worth a look!

[Worth1000]

The Self-Balancing Unicycle (or SBU) by Focus Designs incorporates the same kind of technology that keeps the goofy Segway upright. It uses accelerometers and gyroscopes that allow the SBU to know which way is up and which way you're leaning. That's how you control the SBU actually — the pedals are just for show.

From Focus Designs:

The rider controls the speed by leaning forward or backward to speed up or stop. There is no need to pedal, in fact there are no crank arms, just foot rests. The SBU keeps upright by utilizing advanced electronics including accelerometers and gyroscopes with sophisticated balancing algorithms. It's truly an experience like no other.

Before you think your balancing woes are over, take a look at the price of the SBU: $1,500. Still, if you're that clumsy, it'll be cheaper than a bunch of broken bones.

[Via GoodCleanTech]

If your poor, mistreated plant had legs, it would walk itself in front of the sun and out from the dank corner that it sits, slowly drying up and dying. Unfortunately for your plant, evolution hasn't decided that legs are a priority for plants. Fortunately for it, however, we live in the age of robots, so you can just go ahead and finish the job that evolution started.

There's not a lot of info on this plant-bot, but one can only assume that it's designed to follow the sun around a room and, perhaps in a later model, water itself as well. It'll free us lazy, shiftless types of the responsibility of plant ownership, allowing plants to keep themselves alive without us having to worry about periodic watering and moving. The future is now!

[Playcoalition via Dvice]

This made me giggle, a mate of mine's Xbox just had the red ring of death, then i found this. This Halloween you'll probably carve up a pumpkin with a goofy face. So did Alan Penner from Goleta, California, but his is geeky enough to join us here at the DVICE Tower with its instant-messenger-style smiley charm.

Penner's other pumpkins are really flying his colors. He's got the red ring of death that plagues failing Xbox 360s — so I wonder if he's a fan of the system, or a cheeky PlayStation 3 owner? — an Ubuntu pumpkin (for you Linux lovers), his aforementioned smiley jack-o-lantern, and a pumpkin with the Obama logo. His porch is almost enough to make me want to go trick-or-treating again. Another one after the jump.

Sebastian Herkner's nan16/plug lamp began with a simple observation, "the nearest source of electricity at any kind of table is the lamp at the ceiling over the table". nan16/plug is a pendant lamp that features a separate socket right in the lamp for any appliance, ie., clock, computer, toaster or another lamp. The lamp series is suitable for both living and working environments: it can light the dining table and power a toaster or above a desk to charge a notebook or mobile phone.

[sebastianherkner]

Carcade from Long Tran on Vimeo.

Carcade is a concept for an in-car videogame for the passengers, which captures the landscape and uses it as a videogame environment. Existing objects, for example trees and architecture, are recognized by the camera and enhanced by videogame assets. The game is influenced by the manner of driving of the car. If the driver accelerates, the game becomes increasingly difficult. If the car comes to a stop a different game situation evolves. We developed a small game concept and a functional prototype, with which we did a test drive on the street. A webcam is connected to a laptop running camera tracking software which recognizes the horizon and objects in the environment. The player has to maneuver a spaceship and collect points whilst trying to avoid crashing into oncoming enemies.

[Carcade]

This comic helped me through an all nighter in Stockholm when not in such a good way! Credit to him, he's still making me laugh 500 odd comics in!