Jonathan Fincher

Almost a year ago, the Japanese Ministry of Defense made quite a splash when it revealed a spherical, remote-controlled aircraft that could zip around a room, roll along the ground, and even bounce off obstacles without losing control. But while it was mainly designed for search and rescue operations, many R/C enthusiasts took one look at that hovering Death Star and said, "I have got to get me one of those." Luckily, toy company Kyosho must have been listening, since it recently released a similar flying machine of its own for consumers. Kyosho's "Space Ball" can remain airborne while taking just as much punishment and even emits a fragrance to freshen up a room in the process.  Read More

Earlier this year, inventor Jamie Mantzel unveiled a prototype of a remote-controlled robot he had nicknamed "the greatest toy in the universe" in a YouTube video that garnered over 2 million hits in three days. In the video, an exuberant Mantzel demonstrated how the six-legged creation could fire different toy weapons and react to hits when battling another bot. Now, just in time for the holiday season, distributor Wow! Stuff has expanded the idea into a full-fledged toy line, called "Combat Creatures," starting with the inventor's original model, now named the "Attacknid."  Read More

Go to almost any public park or college campus, and you're likely to find a large number of people ignoring any benches in favor of lounging around on the grass. Many people enjoy relaxing in an open environment, which is almost impossible to find in a typical apartment or office building. That's why one design team recently set out to recreate that feeling of openness indoors with the Viera concept, a mat of connected cushions that can fold to form multiple places to sit.  Read More

Video game developers are always looking for new ways to give players a more immersive experience. But with several motion-controlled systems widely available and a viable virtual reality headset in the works, what else could be done to make games seem more realistic? Sony may have an unexpected answer with a recent patent that describes a controller that changes temperature between hot and cold to match in-game actions. With the controller giving "temperature feedback," the idea is that players would be able to more closely feel what their character feels, from getting hit with a fireball to traveling through a blizzard.  Read More

Ever since it was first revealed, the Wii U has distinguished itself from its predecessor with its touchscreen controller and HD graphics. But that's really just scratching the surface. If you want to know exactly what makes Nintendo's latest console different from its forebear, why not ask the engineers that built it? Nintendo president Satoru Iwata recently did just that when he sat down with a handful of the console's designers to discuss almost all of the main hardware changes in the Wii U from the chip structure to the cooling fans and more besides.  Read More

While the Kindle and Nook are busy adding HD displays and more storage, at least one company is focusing on making eReaders as portable as possible. German developer, txtr, recently revealed the Beagle, which it claims is the smallest eReader in the world, with a 5-inch screen and a weight of 128 grams (about 4.5 ounces).  Read More

With 3D printers gaining more popularity it's only a matter of time until people start printing their own functional gadgets at home. We've seen some creative designers build working guitars and even firearms in just the past few months alone, but these aren't exactly products most people would need around the house. Teague Labs' John Mabry may have found a much more practical device to print with his "13:30" headphones, which were assembled from 3D printed components and fitted together by hand.  Read More

LaCie has revealed a new addition to its Rugged line of external hard drives that features a Thunderbolt connection in addition to USB 3.0. With these connections on an SSD and a sturdy design, LaCie's Rugged USB 3 is designed to survive almost anything you might put it through during a busy day and still provide record-breaking transfer speeds.  Read More