Author Archives: Sarang Sheth

This LEGO version of the classic Sony Walkman WM-22 features an opening lid with removable cassettes!

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Fashion is cyclical and it seems like cassettes may just be making their comeback. Audio manufacturer Fiio just debuted their latest retro CP13 cassette player at CES this year, and it shouldn’t be long before people are making mixtapes again. Just to prime us for that retro-resurgence, LEGO builder Srta.JirafaEnfadada designed a to-scale Sony Walkman made entirely out of LEGO bricks… and the best part, it actually fits LEGO cassettes in!

Designer: Srta.JirafaEnfadada

Before MP3 players and iPods pretty much changed the game, cassettes were the gold standard in music playback. Cars had cassette players, people owned boomboxes, and for a brief while, the Sony Walkman was one of the coolest products you could own. Designed to play cassettes on-the-go, the Walkman walked so the iPod could run. You could make your mixtape, pop it in, and listen to music either on the Walkman’s built-in speaker (if it had one), or on a pair of headphones or earphones for a private music experience.

This entry into the LEGO Ideas forum is based on the WM-22 Walkman, available in the iconic red colorway. It features the classic opening flap on the front that lets you put cassettes in and take them out between plays, with a transparent window that even lets you peer into the walkman’s insides to see which cassette’s loaded. Around the periphery are its play-pause and rewind/fast-forward buttons, and a simple rotary dial to adjust volume. The WM-22 didn’t sport a record button, which most costlier models had, allowing you to even capture audio directly to the cassette. However, it did have a 3.5mm jack, which can be found on this LEGO version too (right above the volume button), allowing you to hook a pair of headphones in. You’ve also got 4 different LEGO cassettes to choose from with the build, adding variety to your music library!

The Sony Walkman was submitted to the LEGO Ideas forum, an online dashboard where LEGO enthusiasts can share their own LEGO-based creations. The forum allows the LEGO community to vote for their favorite designs, with the top-voted ones getting turned into box-sets for us regular-folk to buy. The Sony Walkman sits at 2,068 votes as of writing this article, and if it hits the coveted 10,000 mark, it could potentially be made into a retail set! You can vote for the Sony Walkman or any of your other favorite designs on the LEGO Ideas website.

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The Rabbit R2 Smartphone seems like the logical next step for the AI hardware company’s future

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Smartphones aren’t dead, they’ve just stagnated. Over the years, companies have tried hard to develop ‘the next thing’, experimenting with folding phones, AI wearable pins, and even AR/VR headsets… but here’s what nobody’s realized yet. There’s nothing wrong with the smartphone’s format. It’s just lacking the next big technological leap. And that leap doesn’t mean redesigning the smartphone, it just means making it, well, smarter. After all, Spike Jonze’s film Her shows exactly this – a smartphone with a sentient AI that works flawlessly at interacting and executing tasks.

Rabbit’s first-gen R1 device was arguably the most discussed piece of tech at CES 2024. a surprising feat for a product from an absolutely brand-new company. Every blog, YouTuber, and tech writer seemed to be excited not just by the product’s pitch, but also its design and even its capabilities. Moreover, with its ultra-affordable price tag, the R1 felt like an absolute no-brainer… the only problem was the fact that it was yet another device you needed to carry with you.

Designer: Shreyansh Onial

Make no mistake, the R1 was still a brilliantly designed piece of gear. Crafted by the fine folks at Teenage Engineering, it was a work of art with how adorable, vibrant, tactile, and unmistakably iconic it looked and felt. However, its form factor brought about a few limitations that led a few tech experts to ask the question – why was the R1 an independent device? The answer was simple – making an R1 app wouldn’t be as impactful as designing a dedicated device to handle all your tasks. The trick worked, with the R1 selling out not once, but twice in just the week after CES. However, we aren’t here to talk about the R1… we’re here to ask another important question – what’s the logical next-step?

Young designer Shreyansh Onial seems to have just the right answer – a smartphone. Aptly named the Rabbit R2, this concept phone outlines the most sensible future for the Rabbit brand, and for smartphones themselves. Phones for too long have remained dumb devices that can only respond to limited queries like “What’s the temperature?” or “How old is Leonardo Di Caprio’s new girlfriend”, but with the R2 these limits simply get shattered. In 2007, Steve Jobs unveiled the app store, which brought about the biggest change phones had ever seen. With the R2, Rabbit brings that moment back to phones again, offering not apps, but a form of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence).

The Rabbit R2 looks like a smartphone, but underneath the surface, it’s so much more. It’s your own virtual assistant that does everything you need it to… while still offering the benefits of a smartphone. It comes with a screen, a camera, a USB-C port, and basic hardware, but also runs the ultra-powerful AI that made the Rabbit R1 so compelling just a few weeks ago.

Now, instead of carrying the R1 along with your phone, the R2 BECOMES your phone. Sure, it outwardly seems like quite a herculean task… but from Shreyansh’s POV (and mine too), a smartphone seems like the next logical step for Rabbit. Not an app, not a headset, not a watch, but a smartphone that offers the best of existing phone tech, alongside the most advanced assistant you’ve ever seen; capable of handling complex tasks simply through verbal cues and intuition. Of course, we’d have to find a new term for the R2 because the term smartphone has already been used to describe existing tech for the past 15 years. I’ll leave that creative endeavor to you…

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Your Next Package Might Be Cushioned by Upcycled Grain Husk Instead of Plastic Styrofoam

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While there’s a conscious effort to remove plastic from our regular consumption, it still manages to play a pretty large (and unavoidable) role in packaging. Whether it’s shrink wrap, bubble wrap, sellotape, or even styrofoam… it seems like getting plastic out of packaging may just be an impossible task. However, a German company is working on an alternative to replace styrofoam in packaging. Their solution? A cushioning material made out of grain husks.

Designer: Proservation

The intended purpose of a product’s packaging is simply to help it cover the journey from factory to consumer. After it’s made this journey, a product’s packaging ends up becoming waste. Scale that up to account for the population of the world and just how many products we buy in a single given day or week, and you’ll realize what a massive problem we have on hand. Sure, it’s easier to recycle cardboard boxes and I can even stretch that argument to bubblewrap or foam peanuts… but it’s nearly impossible to recycle molded styrofoam pieces because they’re specifically designed to hold a certain product and can’t be used anywhere else. Conventional styrofoam is made by passing a foaming agent through plastic, causing it to bubble up into the lightweight styrofoam you use today. Given that it’s essentially made by combining plastic and air, recycling styrofoam as a material is borderline impossible… but replacing it isn’t.

Proservation’s solution is a product called Recou – a ‘molded’ packaging material that’s made from grain husk (which is also what nature uses to package grains!) When grains are harvested, the husk or chaff is removed and either discarded, burned, or used as animal bedding. Proservation has a clever alternative solution – upcycle this husk into a soft, impact-resistant material that does the job of styrofoam, while essentially being biodegradable. The husk is collected and bound together using a proprietary bio-based binder. The overall product has the same properties as styrofoam, but can be easily discarded or even composted.

“Thanks to our specially developed ecological binder, RECOU can be shaped as desired, and due to comparable material properties, it has the potential to substitute petrochemical packaging solutions such as EPS (Styrofoam) and represent an ecologically sound alternative for many applications,” says Proservation.

Proservation is hoping that Recou can replace a major bulk of styrofoam in the current packaging ecosystem. The material has the ability to be molded just like styrofoam, albeit with a few limitations given the size of an individual husk. It takes anywhere from 6-8 hours to make each piece, and the overall product has a density of 120 to 150 kg/m³, which seems to be the one significant limiting factor, given that styrofoam weighs nearly 70% less. Recou is also designed to resist moisture and humidity, showing no signs of mold when stored at 70% humidity for up to a week… “However, if the material is permanently exposed to high humidity or moisture, the decomposition processes start and mold may occur,” the company says.

For industries/companies interested in transitioning to Recou, Proservation does sell a few standard products like corner-cushions for palettes, and is also open to molding specific products based on requirements. The company plans to have an industrial plant operational by some time in 2024, scaling up production for this unique no-waste bio-based alternative to styrofoam.

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CATIA Visual Scripting gets its biggest update in 2024 with smart suggestions, modules, and modifiers

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At their annual Design Masterclass, CATIA unveiled some exciting new features for 2024 that lie within their broader push towards ‘Visual Scripting’. The broader effort aims at combining CATIA’s powerful design features with a newer, more intuitive interface that allows practically anyone to build and model cutting-edge products, intricate textures, and unique algorithm-driven details through an easy, no-code approach. While Visual Scripting was CATIA’s big push for 2023, the year 2024 brings a few noteworthy and interesting features to the industry-leading CAD software.

Sign Up to Receive an Exclusive CATIA Visual Scripting Video FREE!

Visual Scripting becomes even easier with ‘Operator Suggestions’

Users now get suggestions as they build out their node-based operations, making it much easier to go through your workflow instead of meticulously selecting node after node every single step of the way. The software intuitively recognizes what you’re building and suggests appropriate nodes to you, eliminating errors and reducing the time taken during the design process. This suggestive feature works as you build out your script node-by-node, but it also works when you’ve selected multiple nodes, functioning almost like an assistant that knows what’s on your mind before you do.

Python Scripting (and the ability to use GPT in design)

Although Visual Scripting is, by definition, made to be a no-code approach to generative design, CATIA lets you add Python scripts to create complex designs and patterns. Sure, you could learn Python (or rely on your existing Python knowledge) to build out your designs, but CATIA’s demo even shows how users can leverage AI like Bing Chat or ChatGPT to create Python scripts for them, helping aid and accelerate the design process with a stronger focus on creativity than technical prowess.

Analyzing your Node Structure

Complex node structures can sometimes become confusing to look at, with multiple nodes and pathways often looking like organized chaos on a screen (no matter how neat you are). The new Analyzer panel turns your entire node structure into a table, allowing you to quickly scan through your design sequence to identify areas of improvement or optimization. Multiple views are available to access display status, update time, errors, operator versioning, etc.

Reusing User Features within Design Sequences

Imagine building a family of products with the same design elements, or wanting to skip hours of work by applying design elements from older projects into newer ones – Visual Scripting now lets you set ‘user features’ that you can easily reuse in different projects, saving you time and effort. Build out a template and the Visual Scripting dashboard lets you reuse it over and over again, creating complex designs in less time. User Features have to be declared in the Resource Table beforehand to enable this ability.

Intuitive Visual Scripting Modifiers

The Visual Scripting interface greets you with a dedicated User Assistance window that lets you access new and relevant information that may aid you in your project. While in your project, modifying your design can be done directly in the 3D Viewport rather than controlling parameters in the node view. Just the way you edit 3D objects using a gumball in regular CAD software, CATIA’s modifiers allow you to manipulate your design by doing just that – manipulating your design instead of staring at nodes, numbers, and parameters. This intuitive approach lets you scale, extend, rotate, extrude, and move items directly within your design viewport.

Modified designs can now be saved as ‘Variants’

Easily one of the most understated features in Visual Scripting, ‘Variants’ allows you to save variations of the same design in a dedicated section. This gives you the power to quickly compare different design variations in mere seconds without switching layers, opening/closing files, or spending extra time hiding/showing other objects in the scene. A simple click lets you quickly toggle between different variants for an overall comparison, helping you assess alternatives as you experiment within your design process.

Enrich CATIA modules with Design Sequences

With the R2024x release, it’s now possible to enrich the CATIA modular approach of Concept Structure Engineering with design sequences of Visual Scripting. The Module is a new concept in a 3DShape helping to improve specific use cases like:
A. Improving your Design structuration in the 3DSHAPE and edition thanks to the Module Manager.
B. Easily managing the creation of Design Variants in a few clicks.
C. Creating auto connections based on semantic interfaces that improve collaboration in the concept phase.
D. Building templates as you go, so when reusing specific templates, you have a direct view on link to the external world outside the module.

These new features mark a BIG shift for CATIA’s Visual Scripting program, making the powerful software even more intuitive, efficient, and easy to use. The R2024x version is available on premise, and is also rolling out on cloud environments, allowing creatives to focus on the things they do best – letting their imagination run wild and not be limited by software constraints…

Sign Up to Receive an Exclusive CATIA Visual Scripting Video FREE!

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DJI Just Launched Its Own 3D Model Editing Software… And It Makes Complete Sense.

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If you think of DJI’s drones as aerial 3D capturing devices, the entire endeavor makes a LOT of sense.

While their drones have become synonymous with stylized cinematography and even high-octane races, DJI’s drones also find themselves being used for photogrammetry, 3D mapping, surveillance, delivery, and even civic planning/surveying. In fact, DJI has a dedicated website just for enterprise use, with specialized drones, attachments, and even software. In 2019, DJI launched Terra, a 3D mapping software to turn video/image data into 3D models for efficient planning, route mapping, analysis, etc… but with their latest software Modify, the tool becomes perfect for cinematographers and creatives too. Modify helps edit, clean, and fine-tune the 3D-mapped data captured by DJI’s drones. The free-to-use tool has a variety of editing features to help repair models, remove artifacts, and even edit out objects like humans, cars, and obstacles to create seamless 3D scans that are detailed enough for even movie industries to use.

Designer: DJI

Designed to seamlessly integrate with the Terra software, Modify has some rather incredible tools up its sleeve to help rectify any problems caused during the scanning process. Whether it’s broken models caused by reflective surfaces or random floating parts in the sky that the 3D software captured by accident, Modify lets you easily identify them, select them, and remove/repair them with a few clicks, saving hours of work.

The biggest bane with photogrammetry or 3D capture is the creation of unwanted artifacts. Most people familiar with the field will tell you that sometimes the software can interpret objects that aren’t even there. Reflections, clouds, and flying creatures can sometimes result in floating planes and fragments that can often clutter 3D scans by the thousand. Manually selecting these floating parts takes hours of work, but Modify uses clever tools to help select them with a simple click. Once done, you can easily delete them. Reflective surfaces like glass, metal, and water result in broken surfaces too, which Modify lets you easily fix by adding a planar surface.

One of the standout features of DJI Modify is its intelligent host of auto-repair editing tools. These tools support operations such as flattening, editing textures, repairing water surfaces, removing floating parts, and filling holes. Modify uses AI to help regenerate signs, fix existing damaged patterns/textures, and even replace old models/textures with new ones. For instance, you can flatten roads with cars captured on them, remove the car graphics from the 2D textures, and replace the road markings to make them empty, effectively removing the cars that were originally on them. This functionality can be accessed through one-click repairs or manually by selecting custom polygons, areas, or meshes. Additionally, the software’s model display technology allows both high- and low-quality models to be viewed and edited within a single interface, with changes being synchronized and previewed across both models immediately.

The software supports various file formats like ply, obj, and b3dm, ensuring compatibility with DJI Terra and other third-party software. The software is expected to offer cloud-sharing capabilities in the future, allowing users to share processed models online for viewing and sharing via links, without the need for software installation.

DJI Modify is targeted towards professionals in sectors such as transportation, surveying & mapping, public safety, emergency response, urban modeling & management, energy & utilities, and infrastructure. Its efficient model editing capabilities cater to a wide range of drone surveying use cases, including AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction), inspection, and public safety. The software is currently for free as a Public Beta, and can be downloaded on DJI’s Enterprise website.

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This Apocalyptic Cyberpunk Cafe Racer has a humble BMW R Nine T underneath it

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The R nine T is perhaps BMW, nay, the world’s most customized bike. Ognjen Docic remixed this versatile classic into something virtually unrecognizable but vastly more eye-catching. Dubbed the Rat Race, this cafe racer isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s skeletal yet meaty, and explores unique design directions like using transparent plastic as a part of its overall fairing. This post-apocalyptic beauty also seats just one, because if Hollywood’s taught us anything, the apocalypse always creates lone wolves!

Designer: Ognjen Docic

The Rat Race’s aesthetic explores the addition, removal, and reinforcement of its overall structure. Certain parts of the fairing are removed because they add no value. Others are given further reinforcement like the fuel tank (perhaps to deter theft), and the overall chassis gets a secondary frame to make it stronger for more aggressive riding.

“I transformed the iconic BMW R9T model into dream vision, seamlessly blending vintage aesthetics for a retro old-school vibe with futuristic elements. By merging the past and future in design, I believe it transcends a specific era, becoming timeless,” says Serbia-based designer, Ognjen Docic. “In my rendition, the bike retains its original structure with subtle modifications to the frame. Introducing “Rat Race,” this concept embodies the timeless struggle, capturing the essence of life’s rat race.”

When asked about the Rat Race’s specs, Docic mentions – “Specifications of the motorcycle are unknown! Crafted within the confines of my mind, it borrows foundational elements from the R9T model. My imagination took residence in an underground motorcycle tuning garage in the outskirts of Belgrade.”

An interesting touch is Docic’s use of transparent materials in the motorcycle’s body design. A panel around the headlight almost looks like a transparent skull for the bike, enveloping its headlight and a portion of its handlebars. The base of the automobile has it too, as does the end, where Docic cleverly implemented edge-lighting to create a rather unique-looking taillight. This use of transparent plastic adds to the structure without adding to the bulk or volume.

The result of the entire endeavor is a bike that’s practically unrecognizable, but somehow still manages to have its own distinct character (and possibly a very interesting backstory). It looks like it’s been through hell and back, and still has the willpower for handling some more. Those ridiculously chunky tires are proof that the Rat Race was built to get you anywhere you want to go – no questions asked… and the lack of rear-view mirrors is proof that where you’re going, there’s no looking back!

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Thinking of buying the Galaxy S24? TORRAS made a stunning 9H hardness Screen Protector to go with it

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Almost like clockwork after CES wrapped up, Samsung took the stage to debut all their new products. New Year New Gear, people say… and it seems like Samsung is prepared to equip all Android lovers with their next smartphone – the Galaxy S24 and S24 Ultra. However, with great phones come great responsibilities, and that means ensuring your cutting-edge smartphone is shielded by some cutting-edge cases, covers, and clear screen protectors. It’s a good thing the folks at TORRAS came well prepared too, especially after a pretty exhaustive CES (where they built a 15-foot clear phone stand case as a part of their booth). Lining up perfectly with Samsung’s Unveiled event, TORRAS has announced two new products – the Diamond Shield Screen Protector with a game-changing 9H on the hardness scale and 3-step easy setup, and their iconic O Stand case, which gives your smartphone its dedicated grip-stand for easier, ergonomic, and hands-free use.

Click Here to Buy Diamond Shield Screen Protector Now: $25.99
Click Here to Buy O Stand Ring Case Now: $35.99 $49.99 (28% off). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!

Installation of screen protectors has often been a tedious task, but the Diamond Shield changes this narrative. Designed with a 3-step setup process, it ensures a perfect, bubble-free fit in just 15 seconds. This ease of installation is facilitated by the Tora-Airfree molecular glue technology. This adhesive, paired with the protector’s plastic armature, ensures a seamless application while maintaining the sensitivity and responsiveness of the touchscreen – an essential feature for the interactive experience of the Galaxy S24 series, especially for features like fingerprint scanning and S Pen usage.

The cornerstone of the Diamond Shield’s effectiveness lies in its exceptional hardness, rated at 9H on the Mohs scale. This level of hardness is achieved through the innovative Tora-CRC strengthening process. All that technical jargon aside, the Diamond Shield screen protector’s incredibly high hardness rating means it can easily fend off everything from being dropped on gravel or even having to deal with keys and cables scratching against your phone inside your pocket or laptop bag. The 9H rating makes the Diamond Shield 3x stronger than standard tempered glass, giving your premium smartphone the premium protection it deserves. Beyond protection, the Diamond Shield excels in preserving the visual fidelity of the Galaxy S24 series display. It guarantees 100% color accuracy, ensuring that users experience the screen’s original brilliance without any color deviation. This clarity is complemented by the protector’s ability to allow maximum light transmission, maintaining the display’s vividness and sharpness.

While durability and hardness are often the primary focus for a screen protector, the tactile experience hasn’t been overlooked either. The NanoScale pressure structure combined with the Tora-Silk coating technology provides a smooth, sleek oleophobic surface that repels fingerprints and reduces smudges. This technology ensures that the touch experience is as fluid and responsive as the device’s original screen, a crucial aspect for users who interact with their phones constantly throughout the day.

Alongside the Diamond Shield, TORRAS also unveiled the Galaxy S24 Series’ very own O Stand case. Following last year’s Ipsos report that put TORRAS at the forefront of the burgeoning phone stand trend, the O Stand for the Galaxy S24 is a slim yet protective cover for the phone that comes with its own built-in kickstand. The hollow circular ring is designed for comfortable holding and reducing forearm stress, a blessing for those endless scrolling sessions. Functionality wise, the O Stand doubles as a MagSafe stand and supports your phone in both portrait and landscape modes. Whether you’re video calling, watching a movie, or even using the S Pen remote control on your Samsung S24 Ultra, this stand has you covered.

What makes the O Stand special is its versatility. It supports angles from 0 to 120 degrees, ensuring that you always have the best view. And for those who prefer to keep their tech gear sleek and minimal, the O Stand’s design complements the sophisticated look of the Galaxy S24 series, while measuring a mere 2.5mm in thickness so that the stand folds flush into the phone case, leaving you with nothing except a slick, smooth luxurious surface that doesn’t add any bulk or weight to your new smartphone.

Click Here to Buy Diamond Shield Screen Protector Now: $25.99
Click Here to Buy O Stand Ring Case Now: $35.99 $49.99 (28% off). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!

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Atari is entering the handheld gaming space with this gorgeous console that packs 200 iconic games

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If as a kid you ever relished the thought of carrying all your change to the nearest arcade to bust out a few games, this one should be the perfect feels trip down nostalgia lane. The MyArcade Atari Gamestation Portable, unveiled at CES 2024, is a vibrant time capsule that transports you straight back to the golden era of gaming. This device promises to deliver a nostalgic yet innovative gaming experience, and here’s what makes it stand out.

Designer: MyArcade

Design and Controllers: A Nostalgic Twist

The Atari Gamestation Portable distinguishes itself with a design that’s a respectful nod to the classic Atari era. Licensed by Atari, MyArcade has done more than just slap on a retro label; they’ve integrated elements of the beloved Atari 2600 into a portable format. This isn’t just about playing old games; it’s about reliving the unique experience of them. The inclusion of an Atari Trak ball, paddle, and a keypad, alongside a d-pad and ABXY buttons, ensures that both classic and modern gamers feel at home.

Display and Games: A Feast for Retro Eyes

The Gamestation Portable boasts a 7-inch high-resolution display, significantly larger than MyArcade’s previous handhelds. This size increase enhances the visual experience of the over 200 classic Atari games preloaded onto the device. While the full games list hasn’t been published, the promise of such a vast library is exciting for fans of Atari’s extensive catalog.

Operating System and Connectivity: Tailored for Atari Classics

The device runs on a proprietary operating system, specifically designed to play Atari classic games, eschewing more common systems like SteamOS or Windows. This specialized OS ensures a seamless gaming experience, tailored to the unique requirements of retro games. Additionally, MyArcade has included two rear-mounted USB Type-C ports and a kickstand, adding modern convenience to the retro experience. The system’s LEDs illuminate to indicate which buttons are supported by the game currently being played, adding a helpful, modern touch to the gameplay experience​.

Pricing and Availability: A Trip Down Memory Lane

The Atari Gamestation Portable is expected to hit the market in September or October 2024, with a price tag of $149. This pricing positions it as an affordable entry into the world of retro gaming, making it accessible to a broad audience of gamers and nostalgia enthusiasts alike​.

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World’s First AI-Powered Night-Vision Goggles give you Game-Changing 4K Vision in Ultra-low Light

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Night vision technology has come a long way from its early military origins, now boasting better visibility, color reproduction, and clarity that goes beyond the grainy green images we’ve come to expect from action films in the 2000s… however, it fundamentally still relies on the same principles of using IR to help the human eye see in low light settings. What the AKASO Seemor does is game-changing, as it weaves AI magic into the entire process. While regular night vision goggles purely rely on large sensors and heavy image processing, the AKASO Seemor uses an AI-driven ISP algorithm that detects objects and shapes, compares it to its vast database, and uses that information to enhance what you see. It’s perhaps the biggest leap in night-vision tech, representing the kind of game-changing leap from using regular Google Search to AI-powered search like Bard, ChatGPT, and Bing Chat.

Designer: AKASO

Click Here to Buy Now: $179 $289 (38% off). Hurry, only 66/150 left! Raised over $98,000.

Designed to look like a pair of high-end binoculars with a digital viewfinder on one end, the AKASO Seemor is equipped from the top to the bottom with some of the most cutting-edge night-vision tech consumers can buy. A large 1/1.79″ CMOS sensor gathers as much light data as it can to observe objects and environments, while all visual data gets passed through the Seemor’s cutting-edge AI-powered ISP (Image Signal Processor) to enhance everything it sees. The 4-megapixel sensor is capable of recording videos and images in 4K, reproducing up to 99% of the color in the scenery – something other night-vision goggles struggle with. A whopping 16x digital zoom lets you hone in on subjects as far as 500 meters (1640 feet) away, making the Seemor perfect for everyone from surveillance personnel to wildlife enthusiasts, night-time adventurers, and just overall lovers of great tech.

Ultra-low Light Full-color Night Vision

The AI chops are perhaps the Seemor’s most impressive accomplishment, as it effectively taps into rising tech trends to meaningfully make its own features better. The way the ISP works is remarkable, because it tries and identifies the things it sees by comparing them to its massive database. That information then helps the ISP do its magic, adding details and vivid colors to the scene and the objects within it, even in ultra-low light. The AI also aids with other features like scene enhancement and HDR color-grading to provide some impressive results.

Visuals from the Seemor are displayed on its dedicated 3-inch TFT display, allowing you to easily see up to 3280 feet away from you. The goggles offer 7 different infrared settings (for how dark your scene is), while letting you toggle between color and IR viewing modes. In the color mode, you’re treated with stunning vivid hues thanks to the Seemor’s ability to accurately represent 99% of the color in its scenes. This means flowers look vibrant, skies look distinct, and your environment looks exactly like it would in daylight – despite the lack of sufficient light.

The Seemor’s visual chops go beyond just enhancing low-light visuals. With its incredible visual range, the goggles let you see as far as 3280 feet (1 kilometer), although the 1640 foot mark (500 meters) is where you’ll be able to clearly view smaller subjects. Beyond mere observation, the Seemor goggles also excel in capturing what you see. They’re capable of 4K video and image capture, and come equipped with H.265 video encoding, ensuring high-definition image and video quality. Media gets saved onto an SD card within the Seemor, allowing your night goggles to have a storage of up to 512Gb. Aside from a removable SD card, the Seemor also sports removable 3200mAh batteries, letting you quickly swap out an old pair out for a new one to keep the party going (each Seemor comes with two batteries to ensure you’re always ready for what nature has in store for you). The batteries give the Seemor up to 4-hours of continuous use in IR mode, and 8 hours if you shift to color. A USB port lets you charge your Seemor directly too, further prolonging its life.

Priced at just $179, the Seemor sits at the perfect crossroad between amateur night-vision gear and cutting-edge military-grade tech. However, it vastly outperforms anything in its price category, thanks in part to its game-changing use of AI. Each Seemor also comes with its own dedicated AKASO Aura app that lets you remotely monitor and capture everything the goggles see. Just mount your Seemor on a tripod thanks to its threaded mount and you can wirelessly view and record media directly from your Seemor or even transfer photos and videos over its built-in 2.4G WiFi link. The AKASO Seemor begins shipping as early as February 2024.

Click Here to Buy Now: $179 $289 (38% off). Hurry, only 66/150 left! Raised over $98,000.

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These Minions Wi-Fi Routers were probably the most brilliant devices we saw at CES 2024

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Flying cars and AI assistants are a dime a dozen – but have you ever seen a router so adorable it would be the highlight of your interior decor??

The SmartAir Minions Routers were so oddly located in a corner of the Westgate area of the CES 2024 exhibition that it was easy to miss. As chance would have it, I headed to the Westgate area to look for another company, only to suddenly notice these minions through the corner of my eye sitting on a counter. Given the fact that CES is predominantly a tech show, I obviously wondered why these plush-looking toys were on display. A few seconds in it dawned on me – these lifelike characters from the Despicable Me franchise were, in fact, dual and triple-band WiFi 6E routers capable of multi-gigabit internet. The added bonus? They look more adorable and presentable than your existing WiFi router ever could.

Designer: Davolink

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The routers come in two models, designed to resemble the two key characters in the Minion-verse, the short and adorable Bob, and the tall and klutzy Kevin. The choice of these two characters play well into the routers’ features too – Bob, being smaller, offers dual-band WiFi connectivity, while the taller Kevin (and that tiny antenna-esque toupee of his) offer triple-band internet, giving you 2.4Ghz, 5Ghz, and even 6Ghz.

Together, both the routers provide a brilliant blend between wide coverage and high speeds, enabling everything from 8K streaming to even gaming. The routers eliminate dead zones too, ensuring every corner of your home has WiFi connectivity with a mesh feature to help maximize coverage.

The highlight, however, is the fact that they are a stunning replica of easily some of the most memorable and iconic characters of animated cinema in the past decade. I’ve always advocated for functional products ditching their industrial aesthetic (air purifiers and smart speakers don’t need to look horrendously industrial in today’s day and age), and it seems like it’s time that WiFi routers took that same approach. Bob and Kevin are designed to be the kind of routers that hide in plain sight. They’re adorable enough to be kept on your shelf or tabletop without feeling the need to conceal them behind curtains or other objects, and that’s really what makes them such a standout product. After all, wouldn’t you rather have a router that looks as cute as these little nitwits than something like the boring box you’re currently connected to as you read this article? My only worry is kids trying to play with these and accidentally bringing your entire home network down… but that’s a problem for another day!

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The post These Minions Wi-Fi Routers were probably the most brilliant devices we saw at CES 2024 first appeared on Yanko Design.