In the march toward readily-available, affordable, and playable virtual reality (or at least augmented reality), sight and sound aren’t the only factors that need to be considered. Moving around in a virtual world is important, too – and of particular importance is being able to manipulate objects with your hands.

Chinese company Dexta Robotics developed its impressive hand-mounted exoskeleton for use in virtual reality or as a real-world controller. The Dexmo comes in two configurations: the classic lets you interact in VR environments or control robots and objects in real life, and the F2 does the same but includes haptic feedback.

The Dexmo isn’t the sleekest bit of hardware we’ve ever seen, but that’s okay – the designers have been more focused on actually making it work. In the many demonstration videos published by the company, the Dexmo does indeed seem like a highly capable device in hand motion capture.

The team behind Dexta Robotics considers themselves a “group of hardcore roboticists.” They developed Dexmo as a kind of ground-floor motion capture device for robotics and VR. To make the VR experience heavier on the “R,” they also added in force feedback which basically applies backward pressure to fingers “holding” a virtual object, giving the haptic experience of actually holding that object.

When used as a controller, the Dexmo can command remote control gadgets, household objects, music mixing, and even mechanical arms used in bomb disposal robots.

After 17 iterations of the Dexmo, the Dexta team has introduced the project to Kickstarter to gather funds for manufacturing. They work on the “Designed for Manufacturing” model, which means that they’ve already talked to manufacturers and made sure that what they want to do can be done, which should protect them from the real-world obstacles that hit a lot of promising Kickstarter projects.

The post Hand Exoskeleton Gives You a Firm Grasp on Virtual Worlds first appeared on Gajitz.

Wakeboarding typically involves standing on a board and holding onto a line that’s attached to a boat. It’s fun, but it requires at least one other person and that other person usually (annoyingly) insists on taking turns. The Radinn (radical + innovation) electric powered wakeboard lets you be as selfish as you want by eliminating the need for a boat.

Instead, the rider controls the on-board jet propulsion system with a handheld remote control. Since it’s powered by a lithium battery and not gas, the board is quiet on the water and makes riders look kind of like they’re surfing with no waves.

The board turns and moves in the same ways that a traditional wakeboard moves, but the rider is in total control of his or her speed and direction rather than relying on a boat. The handheld remote control has a tether, of course, to keep it from dropping into the water and stranding the rider.

Traditional wakeboard bindings and boots can be used with the Radinn, so you won’t even have to go out and buy all new gear. The board is lightweight and fits into a car or boat just like any other wakeboard. And in case you missed it in the video above (because you were distracted by the unreasonably gorgeous Swedish athletes), it handles like an absolute dream.

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Sci-fi movies set in the future often show characters controlling their environment with little more than a wave of the hand. The future is now here, and devices like Nod are making it happen. Nod, designed by Nod Labs, is a simple control that fits over your finger and lets you operate everything in your home from the lights to the thermostat to video games.

Another brilliant step forward in the field of interaction technology, the Nod essentially makes your body the input device. Rather than using buttons or a touchscreen to control, say, a slideshow presentation at work or school, you can just wiggle your thumb to move from one slide to the next. This on its own may not seem like a big deal, but Nod can be work everywhere, at all times, to control all kinds of things in your life. It’s even waterproof, so you can wear it in the shower or pool without worrying about losing it.

Using 32,000 DPI resolution, Nod can follow your commands to within half a millimeter of accuracy. It runs on Bluetooth’s Low Energy technology, giving it a battery life of approximately one full day. When it’s ready to charge, you pop it into a ring box that’s connected to a wall socket or USB outlet.

Nod’s open source programming interface will let programmers develop the device’s functionality and improve the way it interacts with its surroundings. It will eventually be compatible with Internet of Things so that nearly every electronic device in your home can be controlled with a single device that works as though it’s a part of your body.

The post Hi-Tech Ring Gives You Ultimate Power Over All the Devices first appeared on Gajitz.

The kid in you is likely to flip out when you realize that you can now own your very own flying, fire-breathing dragon. The miser in you is sure to cringe at the enormous price tag. Hammacher Schlemmer, well known to be purveyors of the impractical and extravagant, have introduced this magnificent remote-controlled beast.

At $60,000 US, this flying machine is no toy. And it’s not just because it’s ridiculously expensive – it’s because it’s a fire breathing projectile that flies through the air at up to 70 miles per hour. Before and after takeoff, the beast belts out some impressive propane-powered fireballs. (Apparently being able to shoot fireballs at targets while in the air isn’t safe?)

The dragon weighs in at 40 pounds and 20″ high. Its four clawed feet hide rubber wheels for landing and for steering while on the ground. The lightweight but sturdy flying machine can do turns, climbs, and dives in the air. For just half a gallon of jet fuel (!) or kerosene you’ll get a 10-minute flight, which should give you just enough time to realize that you could have spent that $60K on a luxury car.

The post Finally, You Can Own a Flying Fire-Breathing Dragon first appeared on Gajitz.

In the 1960s, color televisions were gaining traction as the world’s premier form of entertainment. There were still some glitches, though, as frustrated lazy viewers worried about having to get up repeatedly to adjust the volume, channel, or picture settings. The very first television remote controls debuted in the mid-1950s, but this 1961 commercial from RCA made the concept seem downright sexy.

Full of dramatic flair and a lovely, enthusiastic model to demonstrate the thrilling technology, the commercial puts emphasis on how to work each of the controls. To a modern mind – one that has dealt with mega-remotes for years – the instructions are tedious and simplistic. But when the commercial was released, not many households had experience with such a luxury.

One of the features of the TV that we really love is the storage compartment for the remote. Just like everyone’s dad used to say, when you aren’t using the remote it should be on (or in this case, in) the TV so you can find it next time.

(via Wired)

The post A Very Dramatic Look at RCA’s ’61 Color TV Remote Control first appeared on Gajitz.