The project, from Instructables user Ricardoaraujo, uses a normal toy lightsaber hilt, some AA batteries, a rubber hose and a couple of LEDs to build a weapon you'd be proud to kick Jedi ass with. Now all you need to do is knock back a couple too many Guinnesses and find some Obi Wan Kenobi-worshipping dork to smack around. Death by pretend lightsaber it shall be!
[ Instructables via Technabob]

Well, a girl can dream. But this prosthetic hand, inspired, I kid you not by spiders' legs, has scored highly in tests. Currently a prototype, Fluidhand is battery-powered, with five electric motors—one in each finger. Soren Wolf, an 18-year-old patient at Heidelberg University Hospital was the first person to try out the device, alongside the iLIMB, which, unlike the Fluidhand, is controlled using myoelectric signals from the stump of the arm.

The Fluidhand works on different principles, and its digits are based on the biological principle of the spider leg—elastic chambers in the joints are pumped up by miniature hydraulics, thus allowing flexibility. This allows each individual digit to be moved independently. Perhaps the most astonishing thing about the device is that it gives feedback to the stump, which allows the wearer to sense just how strong the grip is.

Of the two hands, Soren said that the Fluidhand just had the edge over the iLIMB. It is currently only a prototype, but the inventors are looking for investment. Maybe George Lucas would be interested. [UniversitatsKlinikum via MedGadget]

To start with, dork n mero uno—hairdresser Barney Jones—wasn't being interviewed for a documentary on the first Jedi Church of England. He was filming himself, "fighting" with "lightsabers" in the garden, probably while being watched by Yoda, Mace Windu, Obi Wan, and the rest of their imaginary pals, who actually were the only ones with actual girlfriends in the backyard at the time.

Vader, whose real name is not Anakin Skywalker but Arwel Wynne Hughes, pleaded guilty, saying in his defense that he had a "chronic alcohol problem" and he didn't remember anything at all. According to the two Joneses, however, Hughes jumped in the gardent shouting "DARTH VADER," wielding a metal crutch, wearing a helmet, a black bin bag, a cape, and with a lot of wine in his stomach. Laughing—presumably hysterically, like anyone would do after consuming "the best part of a 10-litre box of wine"—he proceeded to bang Barney Jones on the head, before smacking the thigh of family nerd cousin, Michael Jones.

With almost a box of wine in his body, Vader didn't remember a single thing, but his defense attorney said alcohol was "ruining his life." On the other side, the prosecution added that the two cousins "believe very strongly in the church and their religion."

We can only hope the judge will set Vader free and put those two in jail. [BBC News]

NEVER GETS OLD. I say.

[eBay via Star Wars Blog]

This wasn't a joke. This was serious.

No, crimper Master Hehol, this is not serious. This is just sad. Reportedly, the drunk Vader was neither a Gizmodo editor nor Eddie Izzard:

Again you ask? YES! [Daily Telegraph]

Note: for some reason, I first read wrench and did this image:

And then I got hungry, and had to do this one:

"The Emperor just kept trying to force my hand over some, mostly musical, issues... like the Death Star's muzzak." Lord Vader said in an exclusive interview to the Dyersburg's Rock Scene Monthly, "I was like, Palp, mate, you just can't play f*cking Celine Dion all day! It's bad for the troops! Put some Led Zep, dude!" Lord Vader also pointed out that the Santa Claus affair was the last drop. "He wants to replace him with Michael (Jackson) next year. Imagine that, that guy. In red velvet. And with a line of kids waiting to sit on his lap. That's trouble, I tell you. Big trou-ble," he remarked. "Anyway, I'm looking forward to playing guitar with the guys back at home."

Brian Lam, Gizmodo editor-in-chief and reputed banjo player, said that Vader's music skills were strong but he needed to go easier on the solos. "Yeah, Darth kind of rocks. It's just when he gets into one of his Pink Floydish solos... it's like, yo, Darth, dude, stop it already!" he declared while eating a lasagna and showing absolutely no surprise over the fact that Lord Vader owns a Sony PlayStation 3. "I mean, come on, it matches the decor for chrissake. And remember the rumors that say that [Sony CEO Howard] Stringer used to be a Dark Lord himself."

Stringer was unavailable to comment but a Sony spokesman denied that he was pals with Vader: "at most, with his third cousin, Jabba the Hutt." Coincidentally, the Hutts are also Arkansas residents. [Techware Labs]

Answering questions about the causes of this assault and Santa Claus' detention, Mr. Kwazansky pointed out that Imperial Intelligence had undeniable proof of Santa's production of WMDs at his factory located near the North Pole. "He is also a perv, you know," he added, "a guy who goes around his house clad in red velvet and has underaged boys assisting him all day long. Illegal sex? Forced labor? You gotta be kidding. We have the patent on forced labor too. Ask the wookies."

Later in the press conference, Mr. Kwazansky, 48 years old and still living with his parents, revealed that Santa may have been stealing industrial secrets from Imperial-exclusive defense contractor Sienar Fleet Systems. "And what's with the bloody flying reindeers anyway?" he said, "how the Force do they fly? I bet they have Twin Ion Engines up their butts. That's classified technology, people. Fatso is finishing his days in the Great Pit of Carkoon, I tell you." The spokesperson left the stage laughing maniacally, muttering something about how Santa was going to suffer for all those years of coal back at the Imperial Orphanage.

Commenting on the strike, UN's North Pole representative Kalle Jugercømmandersson said that "we don't understand this act of unprovoked agression. The North Pole has been weapons-free since 1959, when Timmy the Polar Bear was killed by a drunk seal using a 38." Then, he started sobbing, crying "and we are not little boys! We are little grown men!" out loud.

Lord Darth Vader was unavailable to comment at the time of this report.

(Photo of Santa being taken to an Imperial Shuttle—or something like that—courtesy of Michael Sibbernsen)

Oh how the mighty have fallen. Geeks, it's up to us. We need to bite this Star Wars toy stuff in the bud ASAP, lest our children and children's children think Darth Vader is nothing more than a flashlight, dust buster or some other mundane marketing scheme. Unfortunately, this one is already sold out. [ubergizmo]

This official Darth Vader suit should provide a good base for my Dark Helmet Spaceballs costume. The pleather pants and shirt go under molded pieces formed from the original casts, including the collar, shoulder pieces, gauntlets, chest piece and boots. For $760, I'm surprised it doesn't come with a master replica Lightsaber. Anyone know where I can get some black rimmed circle glasses, a pewter cobra ring with a faux emerald, and an extra large Darth helmet? [Costumes Inc.]

If this lamp had been available to light up those long, lonely evenings, and throw patterns on his matching Darth Vader bed linen, Schooooooooooooo, then maybe he'd have been so scared at night that he wouldn't have crossed over. Schooooooooooooo. Maybe he'd have become Celine Dion's marimba player, or a dancer at the Folies Bergere, Schooooooooooooo, maybe he'd be working his ass off as a Giz intern, so we could send him out on coffee runs and force him to do the housework when we're too busy. Schooooooooooooo. I think he'd have become a furniture designer if he'd had one of these $40 buck lamps in his room.

My throat hurts. [Collectors Gallery via GeekAlerts]

At 5 inches tall, Yoda is the shortest of the three, and he utters 11 various phrases from the Star Wars movies. The annoying C-3PO is 6 inches tall and talks the most, of course, blurting out 14 inane phrases at the most inopportune times. Darth is 6 inches tall, and he says just eight things, probably reminding you that he's your father and so forth. Talk is cheap, each is $9.99. [Think Geek]

Parents need to provide three AA batteries for the laptop to work and there is a headphone jack for quiet play. The provided lightsaber might not cut through any material in the galaxy, but it does make noise when it's moved around. Interestingly, your child can also choose to learn as a Jedi, though Vader still acts as the teacher. Yeah, we all know how that'll turn out. [Oregon Scientific]

Both Hamill and Anthony Daniels, aka C-3PO, gave talks to the 50,000 aficionados gathered there. And Steve Sansweet, Lucasfilm's head of fan relations and director of content management said that Star Wars would see no more big-screen action: instead, forthcoming projects would include The Clone Wars, an animated TV series; and The Force Unleashed, a video game. He did, however, add a caveat.

"George has made it very clear that he will not be making any more Star Wars movies. He will also not let anyone else make a Star Wars movie," Sansweet said, adding, "Has George ever changed his mind? Yes!" [Channel News Asia and The Sun]

[Kotaku]

A free FX Lightsaber, according to the site. It looks like you'll get your money's worth, as the outfit is fashioned with cast iron, injection-molded pieces, ebony twill, real and faux leather, and even LEDs. Both standard and extra large sizes are available. This is really about as close as it gets to really being Vader. The only thing that's missing is a built-in stereo playing the Imperial March. [CB Swords via Luxury Launches]

Chewbacca and the always-anonymous Stormtroopers are due out this month. The dolls can be picked up at Entertainment Earth. – Kevin Hall

Product Page [Entertainment Earth]

Darth Vader Belt [via GearFuse]

This cross between Darth Vader and C-3PO is not really a robot like we told you before, but I bet it can still squash your head like a ripe melon with its air servos. The 220-pound, 6-feet-tall beast with 24 movable parts is really an automaton designed to mimic a protocol droid, which means that is remotely controlled and its functions are pre-determined, much like the automatons you see in DisneyWorld rides. And the rest of us. Still, the design is amazing, as you can see in this new gallery and a new video after the jump.

Type 02 seems to be sleeping at the beginning. Or drunk. In any case, forward the video to the middle to see him in action and talking. The Type 02 is constructed by Buildup, a japanese company that specializes in anime and this kind of automatons. – Jesus Diaz

Company page [Buildup]
Visiting the atelier "of empire"! [Impress Robot Watch]

"Luke, this is your father. Pick up the muthafuckin' phone," says Darth. Well, not really, but we wish he would. If you're one of the few still using landlines, it's all yours for $35.93. – Charlie White

Product Page [Boys Stuff]

The voice-over announcer says in Spanish at the end, "Some are good only on Christmas, others are good all year long." Of course that doesn't apply to DirecTV, the company that never saw an HD program it didn't overcompress, but it's a great example of turning the tables by the creators of this spot working for the Chilean division of the satellite TV company, masterfully using music to tug at the heartstrings. – Charlie White

Bizarre DirecTV Xmas Commercial [The Uber-Review]