Remember the fantastic video I posted in April of a robot folding laundry? The UC Berkeley researchers behind that breakthrough are now attempting to teach a robot a new chore: pairing socks. "The PR2 is presented with two socks. It then classifies each sock as either "inside" or "outside" and flips accordingly. Once both socks are in the proper orientation, it pairs them." (The video is sped up 15x.) The "Sockification" team have just won $5,000 for that effort from robot Willow Garage, makers of the PR2 robot seen in the clip. Be sure to also check out the other videos in the Willow Garage PR2 Quick Start Contest! (Thanks, Pieter Abbeel!)
Robot to pair socks!
Here is a brief history of toilets
Who gives a crap about the history of toilets? Francis de los Reyes does. He's a professor of civil engineering at North Carolina State University whose research focuses on "wastewater treatment plant design, environmental biotechnology and microbiology, fundamentals of environmental engineering, and water and sanitation for developing countries." In this TED-Ed video, de los Reyes… READ THE REST
Tomorrow is the 75th anniversary of the first mobile phone call
On June 17, 1946, a fellow driving through St. Louis made the first mobile phone call. It was the result of decades of engineering work at Bell Labs and Western Electric. Two years later, the service was available in nearly 100 cities and counted 5,000 subscribers. The monthly fee was $15, equivalent to $207 in… READ THE REST
New device for smelling in stereo
The fact that we have two ears on opposite sides of our head provides us with directional hearing to determine where a sound comes from. While we have two nostrils though, we can't smell in stereo to find the source of an odor. Now, University of Chicago engineers have demonstrated a small electronic device that… READ THE REST
Turn any room into a relaxing oasis with this $13 smart LED light strip
Staying home for birthdays, date nights, or just a regular Thursday used to be boring, but by tweaking your surroundings, just a little bit, you'd be surprised at how different your space can feel, even if it's just your good old living room. If you want to create an ambiance that you'll always remember, these… READ THE REST
This highly-rated power strip is a must-have for your home office
Whether you work from home, are a gamer, or simply own a smart gadget or two, finding enough outlets to plug everything into feels a lot like hunting for the world's hottest toy at Christmas time. In other words, it's a little chaotic, to say the least. And while traditional power strips are an obvious… READ THE REST
Get the Apple MagSafe Duo Charger for just $120
iPhones, AirPods, Apple Watches, oh my! Okay, that may not be what Dorothy said in The Wizard of Oz, but if she lived in today's world, she very well may. While all these Apple gadgets have become a part of our daily lives, necessary for many of our routines and tasks, caring for them and… READ THE REST
