Gizmodo: gyroscope

Moixa Defies Natural Interface, Creates Crazy Interface "Sphere"

Wilson Rothman — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:20:00 EDT

Whoever thought the future wouldn't be filled with humming radio-connected spheres is just plain dumb, but Moixa's mesmerizing Sphere i/o interface device seems to buck the current trend of natural interaction.

It's not totally clear whether Moixa's device—whose patent was just revealed—is a standalone system or a display-equipped gyroscopic mouse for computers. What is clear is that can be either spherical or it can collapse into an elliptical shape, and its construction will rely on flexible screens, presumably coated OLED sheets. The concept is basically a humanist riff on "He's got the whole world in His hand," with Google Earth coming up as an actual globe, or a carousel of browser screens or game scenarios that you can ease through, a flick at a time.

In Moixa's description, there will be multitouch interaction and gyroscopic control, something like an iPhone Wiimote love child. It can be folded flat for storage and charged by "opening a leaf-like petal"—remember these are the people who make USB-chargable AA batteries. For it to take off, a lot of crazy things have to happen, but damn if we won't be watching. Look out for its debut in 2010—or after an awful lot of OLED advancements are seen. You know, whichever comes first.

The apple can be recharged by opening a leaf like petal, can also display an interactive world map (such as Google Earth), navigate the web or interact with applications. [Moixa via Pocket Lint and Engadget]

Anti-Seasickness Yacht Ensures You're Not Vomiting That Expensive Champagne

Jason Chen — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 18:20:57 EDT

If the one thing keeping you from buying a luxury yacht is the fact that you vomit uncontrollably whenever there's a stiff breeze, this Ferretti 630 is something you may want to consider. The yacht has an Anti Rolling Gyro to stop side-to-side swaying, which means that whenever the thing tilts to one side, the gyroscope pulls it toward the other. Plus, there's a padded sun lounge and three cabins inside, so you're not sacrificing any of the standard luxury features either. All this can be yours if you decide to have two kids instead of three. [Ferretti Yacths via Luxist]

Buffalo BOMU-W24A/BL Gyroscopic Mouse Works On Desk, In Air

Gizloco — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 08:45:41 EST

Buffalo's got this mouse, right, and you can use it both on your desk an in the air. Given the easy-to-remember name of BOMU-W24A/BL, the mouse makes use of gyroscopic witchcraft to let users flail the mouse in the air. The software that powers the mouse is only available for Windows, so Steve Jobs will have to find another method to control his exciting presentations. It should hit Japanese stores later this month for the not outrageous at all price of about $175.

So, $175 for a mouse... Ok, being able to use it in mid-air is a neat trick, but a trick worth that many dead presidents and/or switching to Windows for? I'd be hard-pressed to say "yes," I think. – Nicholas Deleon

Press Release (in Japanese) [Buffalo via Fareastgizmos.com]

Say Goodbye To Training Wheels With The GyroBike

gizmodo.com — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 12:10:39 EDT

Developed by four Dartmouth undergrads in an engineering design class, the GyroBike helps children to ride bicycles by using gyroscoping precission to turn the front wheel in the direction of a child's impending fall, both correcting the imbalance and teaching them the counterintuitive but correct way to keep themselves from falling. Dear GyroBike: we never learned to bike as children and many adults like us would spend the money on your product for ourselves. Make it happen!

GyroBike [via CNET News]

Hands on a Hard Knobby

tgrumet — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 15:12:34 EST

Ok, so the Manual Power Europe gyroscope isn't the highest-tech gadget we've laid eyes on, but when it says it's based on Newton's First Law, who could resist it? Basically, you're turning the rotor, which is producing energy and then forwarding it on to a cellphone.

The gyroscope can also store the energy in a built-in battery which you can stick into various other things, like a flashlight. Oh, and in case you thought this was useless, the company also believes you'll be strengthening your hand, wrists and arms while you're cranking it. My buddy has something similar to this (Hi, Zoe!) and he said it was good for carpal tunnel syndrome or whatever. Perfect for improving that squash game, or whatever else you can think up. I'll leave that to you. And enjoy the what-looks-to-be-naked girl on the front page of the website.

Welcome at the web page of Manual Power Europe [Manual Europe]