This origami engineered chess board unfolds in the most oddly-satisfying way. Watch the video!





We can’t stop watching the magnetic and compact chess board’s video. It has self-centering and stores all the pieces securely. The chess pieces are as custom as well functionally tactile just like the board’s clever underlying mechanism. You can “feel” the center of each square on the solid walnut playing surface. Most importantly, the pieces remain arranged while the set pivots into its playing configuration.

The designers explain, “Weighing in at almost eight pounds, the LE1 set carries a solid walnut playing surface in a precision-machined, black-anodized aluminum chassis. Four integrated panels are joined using brushed stainless steel hardware in an origami-inspired mechanism that can dynamically transition between storage, setup, and playing states. Self-centering on the playing surface and securely stored piece trays, our custom magnetic chess pieces are CNC machined from solid blocks of Dymalux, a resin-infused birch laminate normally reserved for high-touch objects like knife handles, jewelry, and pistol grips. The force of their magnetic base is subtle, leaving play uninterrupted and feeling more like additional piece weighting. Thanks to the set’s single degree of freedom playing configuration which is constrained by its planar resting surface, even with its cantilevered corners, it feels as solid and square as the surface below it.”

“I’ve heard that the Knight is a good measure of the quality of a chess set. Having acquired an impractical number of wooden chess pieces over the last two years, I can confidently say that the level of detail we’ve managed to achieve with our CNC-machined Dymalux Knights is unparalleled amongst other wood pieces. Muscle tone, eyebrows, nostrils, a flowing mane, you can even look this gift horse in its tiny little mouth. Not to be outdone, the Kings are topped off with polished stainless steel crosses. All of these features withstand handling thanks to the impressive durability of Dymalux’s resin-infused birch laminate. No wonder it’s normally used for knife handles, pistol grips, and wood jewelry.”

 Each piece is CNC machined from a solid block of Dymalux, a resin-infused birch laminate normally reserved for high-touch objects like knife handles, jewelry, and pistol grips for maximum shelf life and durability. The force of the magnetic base is subtle, leaving play uninterrupted and feeling more like additional piece weighting. It must literally be therapeutic for Monica Geller, a Virgo, or someone who loves staying organized to pack this set up after a match!

Designer: Degrees of Freedom

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The post This origami engineered chess board unfolds in the most oddly-satisfying way. Watch the video! first appeared on Yanko Design.

Chinese androids wear tracksuits, play sports, but not at the same time (video)

Chinese androids wear clothes and play ping-pong, but not at the same time video

When we last caught up with the Beijing Institute's family of bots, their abilities extended to slow (but pretty) tai chi moves. Returning three years later, we see that they're coming along nicely: BHR-4 is still going through the old graceful routines, but now he's wearing a human face and fetching sportswear to look like one of his creators. The 140-pound android beats certain Japanese alternatives by having both a fully-actuated body and a face that can mimic emotions, like surprise and fear when someone tries to give it a decent hair cut. Meanwhile, brother BHR-5 doesn't bother with appearances, but instead has graduated to playing ping-pong in the hope of one day taking on rivals from Zhejiang University. He uses high-speed image processing and 32 degrees of freedom to pull off rallies of up to 200 shots, and he'll do his utmost to impress you in the video after the break.

[Image and video credit: CCTV-4]

Continue reading Chinese androids wear tracksuits, play sports, but not at the same time (video)

Chinese androids wear tracksuits, play sports, but not at the same time (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jul 2012 04:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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