Ben Heck gives dads the light-up toilet they deserve

Ben Heck gives dads the light-up toilet they deserve

Happy belated Father's Day, internet -- now please enjoy some video of Ben Heck modding a toilet. The tinkerer-turned-host offered up one of his more unsanitary projects over the weekend, involving a bathmat, a Glade Plug-in, a porcelain throne and a Tron-esque lighting scheme. Step on the weight-sensing mat and the conductive ink will go to work, lighting up side illuminating fiber optics on the toilet, should the photocell determine it dark … [Read more...]

US military looking to create a ‘universal remote’ for drone fleets

US military looking to create a 'universal remote' for drone fleets

When you've got as many different drone models as the US military, it can be hard to manage things. That's why a group inside the Pentagon is looking to help cut down on unmanned aerial fragmentation, attempting to develop a way to manage all of the different models with a universal drone controller. It's something the military has tried and failed to accomplish in the past, but this time it's taking a more smartphone-esque approach to the … [Read more...]

The Engadget Show returns Friday, June 22nd — get tickets to the taping!

The Engadget Show returns Friday, June 22nd -- get tickets to the taping!

Can you say "edutainment?" Yep, this month we'll be exploring the intersection of technology and education like only the Engadget Show can, including trips to NYU's ITP school and Northeastern University in Boston to check out some amazing student projects. Tim will be traveling all the way to Alaska to work with a team of researchers studying the northern lights with high-tech balloons and helmet cameras. And none other than LeVar Burton will be … [Read more...]

Solair Altius unmanned aerial vehicle, eyes-on (video)

Solair Altius unmanned aerial vehicle, eyes-on (video)

It could just be us, but we tend to dwell on some fairly negative connotations when we hear the phrase "unmanned aerial vehicle" -- after all, the lion's share of media attention devoted to devices in that category tend to focus on military applications. Not surprisingly, the creators of the Solair Altius being strung from the rafters of the Artistan's Asylum hackerspace in Somerville, Massachusetts has far more peaceful intentions when they … [Read more...]

Kikori CNC gantry router eyes-on (video)

Kikori CNC gantry router eyes-on (video)

Judah Sher's cubicle wasn't originally on our slate of scheduled stops during yesterday's trip to the Artisan's Asylum hacker space in Somerville, Massachusetts, but the man behind the Kikori CNC gantry router lured us in with a rather large piece of plywood leaned up against a wall, reading "Sindrian Arts Welcomes Engadget," our familiar logo carved out in big letters. The wood was cut in Sher's sawdust-covered space, using the Kikori, one of … [Read more...]

iCRAFT robotic feeding arm (eyes-on)

iCRAFT robotic feeding arm (eyes-on)

We're back for another day of exploring the Northeastern University labs. We checked out a handful of projects yesterday, including the HyCycle, a runner-up in the school's Capstone award. Today we checked out the winner: iCRAFT -- that's short for eye-Controlled Robotic Arm Feeding Technology. The project was developed by a group of seven electrical and computer engineering students looking to create an inexpensive solution for helping the … [Read more...]