USBmicro is a USB electrical device interface. It comes in two flavours: the U401 and the U421. The main difference is the form factor.
There’s quite a lot of documentation on the site how to program and install them
Kadtronix sells the unit with interface software, making the programming quite a bit easier
They also have a good tutorial, with instructions how to fit it to a motion detector
Most of us are familiar with various goofy little amphibious vehicles that are good for a lark. But this one is guaranteed to induce shore-side heart attacks the first time you drive it head-first into the lake at the campground. Built by a company that’s actually called Cool Amphibious Manufacturers International, I still wonder at times if it’s all just one big elaborate joke.
Rather than starting with an existing RV and plugging up any holes, the folks at Cool Amphibious have built the Terra Wind to be more like a boat that just happens to drive on land. With its twin 19-inch screws it can hit 7 knots on water, while it will top 85 mph on terra firma. A fold-down rear platform makes fishing and swimming easy, and you can even use the slide-outs while out on the water. The main hitch I see is the $850,000 starting price ($1.2 million as pictured). For that kind of money, you could spend years traveling between luxury hotels in your Ferrari, while renting yachts as needed. — Michael Trei
Terra Wind RV, via Coolest Gadgets
These here are some fancy, expensive speakers. The Pantheon Loudspeakers from Siltech stand an imposing 63-inches tall and weigh a hefty 310 pounds, but it’s more than their size that makes them stand out. No, what makes them unique is the fact that they used “NASA-used software called multi physic Cosmol that helped them simulate mechanical, electrical and acoustic room behavior from every angle before coming up with a prototype.”
The price for speakers designed the same way a spaceship is designed? Oh, just about $100,000 a pair. Totally worth every penny, I’m sure. I mean, you didn’t want to buy a house in this lifetime anyways. Why buy when you can rent and put completely ludicrous and overpriced speakers in your rental? Makes sense to me. — Adam Frucci
Stereophile, via BornRich
Your golfing buddies are either going to think you have the coolest putter ever made or that you’re a complete dweeb, but few will be neutral about this limited-edition Golfsmith Enterprise NCC-1701 putter. We thought we’d seen in the most futuristic golf club yet until we saw this one, vaguely resembling the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek. Its twin nacelles out back are actually precision cylindrical balancing weights, lending phaser-like accuracy to your putting stroke.
Designers from Golfsmith at first didn’t intend to create a strange new putter with Star Trek overtones, but once they saw the final product, they decided to boldly go and acquire official Star Trek licensing and paint it up, naming it the Enterprise and deciding it was so special they would only sell 1701 of them. To be one of the lucky members of Starfleet to use this rare tool, it’ll cost you $130 to beam one into your golf bag. — Charlie White
Star Trek.com, via bb Gadgets
You might think that your home theater setup is impressive, what with all the time, effort, and money you put in to getting it perfect. The big-screen HDTV, the surround sound, and the layout were all chosen so meticulously. Well, chances are, your setup really sucks compared to the winner of Home Entertainment’s “Installation of the Year” award.
Created at a cost of about $3.4 million, this ludicrous setup features such trivialities as 24-karat gold gilding details, hand embroidered fabric seats and genuine antique candle holders. Oh la la! As for the actual guts of the thing, it features a CAT/MBX speaker system, a 3-feet long Runco MBX-1 projector that can throw images as wide as 40 feet, and 38 distinct audio zones. Overkill? Definitely. But I don’t see your living room in a niche magazine spread. — Adam Frucci
If the above photo of a “stretch Prius” looks Photoshopped to you, you’re not alone. The image elicited hundreds of deriding comments on the PriusChat message board before the car’s creator came forth and described how he “pimped” his Toyota Prius so that it would hold his family of six comfortably. Even in its modified state, which is far heavier than the original car, the owner claims that it can get up to 50 miles per gallon. He provided more pictures to show that the car is not just a miracle of digital imaging.
This larger “limousine” version of the car is actually more aerodynamic than the original. And though it took over 200 hours to modify the car, its owner claims that it was a relatively inexpensive project, costing under $10,000 because he was able to use parts from junk cars and sell the leftovers. With all those doors, it sure looks like it beats a mini-van to us. And with this solar roof rack, its mileage would be even more similar to that of a normal Prius. — S.E. Kramer
PriusChat, via Red Ferret
If you love danger, you might do extreme sports. If you love danger and also keeping your private areas neat and trimmed, you might like the very aptly named no!no! Shaver. It burns away your short ‘n curlys using thermodynamic wire. The “thermal heat signal destroys the hair, which is characterized by odor.” Sweet mother of god.
If you really want to play with fire around there, literally, the no!no! is available for a hefty $250 a Sephora now. Don’t say I didn’t try to warn you when you end up with burn scars down there though. — Adam Frucci
Product Page, via Boing Boing Gadgets
The i-SOBOT robot from toymaker Takara Tomy managed to score an honor upon its release — i-SOBOT is the 2008 Guinness Book of World Record’s smallest humanoid robot in production, standing at just six and a half inches tall.
Just because it’s small doesn’t mean the i-SOBOT skimps on being a fun toy, however. It has 200 different phrases to say (our favorite: a hammy monologue while the robot fakes a slow Western-style death) and its 17 servos, coupled with a gyro sensor for stability, enables the i-SOBOT to take on an impressive number of poses. Check out the gallery below for some of our picks. i-SOBOT can be controlled and programmed with a remote, and can recognize 10 different voice commands.
At $350, though, this toy will probably only find itself in the hands of big kids with big wallets. Click through for a snazzy video showcase of the i-SOBOT. — Kevin Hall
i-SOBOT, via Loving the Machine
Inspector Gadget fans can now look forward to imitating their hero with the debut of Yamaha’s BOBBY mini-scooter at the Tokyo Motor Show. On the outside, the BOBBY looks like a suitcase with wheels and even collapses into a smaller square form perfect for big city commuters. But in addition to the small form factor the BOBBY also features various Internet enabled features yet to be announced.
Perhaps the geekiest aspect of the vehicle is that it is turned on via cell phone using Sony’s FeliCa function, a contact-less IC card technology currently in use in many Japanese train ticket systems and cash cards. The BOBBY is still just a prototype with no set market release date, but this kind of marriage of software and hardware from an established motorcycle company is encouraging.
— Adario Strange
You definitely want to decorate your pad in a way that will impress people, but having one of these LOS! levitating lamps in the corner might steal the crowd. Designed by Angela Jansen, the Crealev LOS! lamps don’t simply use a see-through middle layer to simulate levitation, but rather a system designed in-house that looks a lot like magnetism. Touch it from the top or push down on it and, while the levitating portion will give a little bit, it hovers back up into position.
The Crealev LOS! lamps are just a concept at the moment and were presented at Dutch Design Week. — Kevin Hall
Crealev, via Trendoffice
