Terrifying Humanoid Robot Plays Charades Using The AI Of GPT-4

Using GPT-4, the University Of Tokyo’s Alter3 humanoid robot can autonomously act out actions given to it as prompts in a style not unlike a game of charades. Alter3 uses GPT-4’s large language AI model to convert the human-provided prompts into code for its movement, and the result, while rather unsettling to watch, is quite impressive. And it’s certainly a nice change of pace from their development of flying spider robots.

In the video below, Alter3 pantomimes playing a guitar, pretending to be a snake, taking a selfie, throwing a ball, and pretending to be a ghost, with varying degrees of success. It also attempts to act out the prompt, “Enjoying popcorn at the movies when I realized I was actually eating the popcorn of the person next to me.” That was perhaps its magnum opus, and if Oscars were awarded to humanoid actors, it would have almost certainly received a nomination.

The University of Tokyo researchers behind the project hope that robots perfecting making human-like movements will make our interaction with humanoid robotics more lifelike. And, in the very near future, you might not even be able to tell if your charades partner really is a human at all! What a time to be alive!

[via LaughingSquid]

Covering A Car With Color-Changing Mood Ring Disks

Presumably curious how her car feels at any given moment, Youtuber Ali Spagnola covered it with 9,000 PopSockets, which she painted with thermochromic liquid crystal paint so they change color based on temperature, just like a mood ring. Wait — so mood rings aren’t sensing my mood, just temperature? 9-year old me demands a full refund!

The disks appear black at cooler temperatures but turn to violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red the warmer they get. Live in Arizona? Then you’ll always be driving a red car. Live in Alaska? Then a black car.

I imagine my car would constantly be red with anger at the way other motorists are driving. There…aren’t a lot of good drivers around here. You’d think new cars don’t even come with turn signals. Or even old cars, for that matter. They all definitely have horns, though!

[via TheAwesomer]

World’s First 3D Printed Edible Eel: Sushi Ready

Hot on the heels of 3D-printed salmon comes the world’s first 3D-printed eel, made by Steakholder Foods using its line of 3D meat printers. Its current iteration of eel is plant-based, but it plans to ethically harvested eel cells and cultivate them once “economies of scale allow for price-competitive cell development.” These are fascinating times for the sushi industry!

SteakHolder’s printing process involves printing alternating layers of varied textures to as closely resemble the meat it’s printing as possible. So, it’s not just a solid block of the same texture and flavor. Its printing technology also allows the company to produce meat alternatives using significantly fewer ingredients than others currently on the market.

Above: A filet of grouper being printed.

SteakHolder Foods CEO Arik Kaufman says, “The launch of our printed eel marks a pivotal moment in the seafood industry…This technology is designed to enable partners to generate products on a potential industrial scale of hundreds of tons monthly, not only at lower costs compared to wild eel, but also with the flexibility to create a variety of printed products using the same production line.”

Would you eat 3D-printed eel? I would. As a matter of fact, I want some right now. Ideally, laid atop some rice with wasabi and soy sauce on the side. Great, now I want sushi. But I just had Mexican! I suppose I still have a little room…

[via TechEBlog]

Engineer 3D Prints A Colorful, Functional Toilet

Because great ideas come in all shapes and sizes (and colors), Youtuber Emily The Engineer decided to take it upon herself to see if she could 3D print a functional toilet. Could she? SPOILER: Yes– yes, she could. And I hope that this colorful commode serves as a reminder to us all that if you try hard and believe in yourself, anything is possible. Or you can at least 3D print yourself a toilet.

Due to the size of the toilet, the unit had to be split into numerous blocks for individual printing, and Emily took that opportunity to print the blocks in various fun colors. The result is what appears to be a LEGO toilet, or a Mondrian painting. My bathroom demands it!

Emily attached all the parts to one another using 3D plastic glue and a soldering iron to fuse where necessary. Even the tank float, flapper, and flushing mechanism are 3D printed, although a handful of metal nuts and bolts were required to connect everything.

Unfortunately, after testing, it appeared her design wasn’t strong enough to be attached to a traditional indoor plumbing system. So what did she do? What anybody would — attached wheels, armrests, smartphone charger, cup holders, and added a bidet. Boom — mobile toilet! Goodbye porta-potty, hello sporta-potty!

[via TechEBlog]

XBox Series S Toaster: When You Like Your Games Burnt


Because there’s probably a diehard XBox fan out there that’s always dreamed of an XBox themed toaster, the gaming giant decided to make their dream a reality with this XBox Series S 2 Slice Toaster. The toaster looks just like the gaming console, and even toasts the XBox logo right on your bread! Mmmm, XBread. Breakfast is a game I will always play.

The unit features an extra wide bread receptacle capable of accommodating bagels, frozen waffles, Texas toast, and English muffins, and has 6 browning settings to perfectly dial in your level of burntness. Me? I like my toast a nice medium brown, right in the middle between raw bread and carbonized.

Is Sony going to follow suit with a Playstation toaster? One can only hope. Although if I had any say in the matter I’d suggest they make it an air fryer instead. Those things are magic! Cooking salmon? Reheating pizza? They can do it all! My actual Playstation can’t even make a decent grilled cheese.

[via TheVerge]

Indiana Jones Golden Idol Temple Wall Trap Replicas

Inspired by the carved faces that fire darts at Indy and Satipo as they try to exit the temple after setting off the golden idol’s booby traps, these wall art blocks from Regal Robot are perfect for the Indiana Jones-themed room in your own home. You do have an Indiana Jones room, right? Well, if not, these will make the perfect start.

Each block measures approximately 15″ square and is made in the U.S. using hand-painted polyurethane resin. That quality doesn’t come cheap, though — an individual square will set you back $375. Yikes! I might have to steal and sell some ancient artifacts just to be able to afford one.

A few dozen of these on the walls, along with some cobwebs, spike pits, and a giant rolling boulder replica, and your Indiana Jones room will be complete! What a place to watch the movies that will be! Please, just remind me about the spike pits whenever I get up for snacks or a bathroom break.

[via TheAwesomer]

1,499 Drones Recreate Gigantic Nutcracker Ballet, Set World Records

Orchestrated by drone show performance company Sky Elements, a recent recreation of characters from The Nutcracker ballet successfully set two new Guinness World Records. The show used 1,499 choreographed drones flying above the Birdville Fine Arts and Athletic Complex in North Richland Hills, Texas, to achieve the feat, and it must have been a sight to behold in real life. At least there’s a video for those of us who live behind computer screens.

The first record was for the largest aerial display of a fictional character using drones, awarded for a giant Nutcracker stretching 700 feet into the night sky. The second was for the largest aerial image formed by drones, for an absolutely massive picture of a Christmas tree in front of a window with snow falling behind it. Maybe it’s true what they say after all: everything IS bigger in Texas.

Will the records get beaten in the coming year? Almost certainly. As a matter of fact, if I had an army of drones, I would beat them myself. But I don’t even have a single drone, so their records are probably safe from me, provided 2,000 drones don’t fall off the back of a truck in front of my house.

[via TechEBlog]

Former Toy Designer Constructs a Giant Furby: XL Sized Creepy

Tasked with making a toy for Makers’ Secret Santa gift exchange recipient Look Ma No Computer, former toy designer James Bruton decided to construct a giant-sized version of a Furby. The XL Furby features a regular-sized version living inside its chest and has a moving body and eyes that run on a loop, as well as 16 different sound effects, hopefully none of which are, “I’m coming to get you.”

When the Furby’s motion detector is activated, it performs a different series of moves and sound effects, so its actions appear random. That’s great news because the last thing I’d want is a predictable giant Furby in my living room. I like to be kept on my toes.

The fact that people like James have the ability to imagine a giant-size Furby and then actually successfully design and build one never ceases to amaze me. I’m great at imagining things, but turning that idea into an actual physical manifestation is the tricky part. And by tricky, I mean next to impossible, especially if electronics are involved.

Crysher Ripple 30+ MPH Electric Snowboard Can Shred Uphill

The Crusher Ripple is a newly released all-electric snowboard that can hit speeds up to 31 MPH and has a 9 to 12-mile range. The $2,199 board uses a large treaded tire in the rear to grip the snow, allowing a rider to travel both in the flats and up to 20% graded hills. That’s fantastic news because going uphill is the worst. My calves burn just thinking about trudging up a mountain. Or even a slight hill.

The Ripple is powered by a 3,000-watt motor and features an independent suspension, allowing riders to customize the board to current snow conditions. Me? I like my shocks stiff, so every rock I run over in my car feels like I just jumped a curb.

I never even considered the possibility of flat-ground snowboarding like cross-country skiing, yet here we are. Plus, it looks like it requires far less physical effort than cross-country skiing, which is definitely a plus in my book. I mean, there’s a reason the NordicTrack in the corner of my bedroom is basically a dusty clothes rack now.

[via TechEBlog]

Cactus Plunger and Toilet Bowl Brush: Howdy Do, Partner?

Because a wild west themed bathroom is only as good as its plunger and toilet brush set, ALLOBUB is selling this cactus duo on Amazon (affiliate link) to really tie your desert-inspired baño together. I love it. Now I just need a toilet paper holder that looks like a revolver and a sign above it for the OK Corral, and my guest bathroom will be complete.

The cactus plunger and toilet bowl brush are the same size as the commonly used non-cactus version, the plunger features an extendable flange for tough plunging jobs, and the brush’s head can be screwed off and replaced with a new one if the need arises. That’s a nice feature because I do plan on keeping these for life.

I’ve always been more of a seashore-themed bathroom kind of guy, but I must admit the Wild West is a tempting theme. Cowboys, horses, saloons – the possibilities are practically limitless. As far as I can see, the only problem with a Wild West-themed bathroom is convincing my wife it’s a good idea. That sounds like an uphill battle, and possibly straight up.

[via DudeIWantThat]