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Video: Omni-Directional Spider Robot Asterisk
Gadgets Week In Review: Liquid Sculpture
Weekly Wrist Watch Round Up
This Magnetic Art Project: How Does It Work?

Video: Omni-Directional Spider Robot Asterisk

Posted: 19 Dec 2011 03:56 AM PST

It’s not the first spider-like robot out there, but it’s almost certainly the most advance one: a team of researchers at Osaka University in Japan has developed Asterisk [JP], a six-legged insect robot that can perform a few pretty interesting moves.

Perhaps the most interesting feature is that Asterisk can pick up objects with two legs, lift them on top of its body and carry them away. Asterisk is also able to climb up stairs, lower its body to move through narrow spaces or move along a net attached to a wall.

Asterisk has been in development for about six years. Its makers are currently trying to make it cartwheel, too (which is especially awesome).

The robot weighs 4kg, is 816mm wide and 78mm high. Asterisk comes equipped with an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, six force sensors, three infrared sensors and six CCD cameras.

Here’s a video showing the latest version in action (courtesy of Diginfo TV):

Gadgets Week In Review: Liquid Sculpture

Posted: 19 Dec 2011 01:00 AM PST

Here are some stories from the past week on TechCrunch Gadgets:

This Magnetic Art Project: How Does It Work?

2011 Gift Guide: Best Stuff For Luddites

Nintendo Japan Announces Title List For Their Game Boy Advance 3DS Ambassador Program

Hands-On With WowWee's AppGear AR Gaming Toys

The Nao Next Gen Bot Will Be Your Friend When No One Else Will

Weekly Wrist Watch Round Up

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 11:52 AM PST

Zurich-based Maurice de Mauriac timepieces are now available with an optional upgraded movement purchased by high-end watch movement maker Concepto. The cool new chronograph movements are mostly black with compelling decor.

Girard-Perregaux’s very respectable Sea Hawk II diving watch model gets reviewed. The famous durable diver has some of the best luminant on the market in a very detailed package with an in-house made automatic movement.

This week’s “Watch What-If” examines some conceptual versions of the well known BR01 Heritage watch by Bell & Ross.

Hublot watches will soon begin to releases luxury watches with a new type of highly-scratch resistant gold that is a mixture of 18k gold and ceramic called “Magic Gold.” Magic Gold is more than twice as scratch resistant as normal gold.

Here is Richard Mille’s almost $100,000 wrist watch. The RM037 offers again a visually complex yet slick design with Richard Mille’s signature industrial look.

One of the most original and fascinating high-end “alternative” mechanical watch movements was the winch operated Tourbillon Vertical developed by Swiss Cabestan. Their first major watch is now followed up with the Trapezium in a new case but with all the existing appeal.

Navy SEALs connection or not, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Diving Chronograph GMT is an awesome high-end sport watch and is reviewed here. This limited edition model is in titanium with a chronograph and second timezone.

You can also listen to the Hourtime podcast where we discuss many of these pieces this week.

Click to view slideshow.

This Magnetic Art Project: How Does It Work?

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 07:40 AM PST

While I find that I like my ferrite-based Kickstarter art projects to be a bit more automatic, the Ferrite Interactive Liquid Sculpture is still pretty cool. It’s a tube containing a Ferrofluid – a suspension of ferrite particles – that is shock-resistant enough to survive a few tumbles. You can use a magnet to create odd shapes, experience the magic fo magnetics, and you can put it on your desk and toy with it as you wait for 5 o’clock to roll around.

$100 gets you a mini tube while $125 gets you the larger model. Both include powerful magnets for controlling your ferrite experience and all are made by one David Markus, an industrial design student from Georgia.

While the project isn’t very high tech, what it lacks in gizmos it makes up for in creativity. Besides, who, I ask you, who doesn’t like magnets? Who?

Project Page