When I read about the ‘Bar Of Soap’ concept, something like ‘wish fulfillment device’ that turns into what your fingers desire it to be, flashed into my mind. If you wish to make a call then hold it like a cell phone or place your fingers on it like you do on camera to snap a shot and many more like remote control, PDA, or game machine. What exactly it follows is the pattern of touch and orientation via pattern recognition techniques to allow the device to infer the user’s intention based on grasp.

This incredible, MIT Media Laboratory’s creation is just a prototype with accelerometer and 72 discrete capacitive sensors with two low powered ChLCD screens and Bluetooth connectivity. The Bar V4 version did it with 95% accuracy, whereas MIIT Laboratory is still on its way to add display surfaces across the entire device in V3 so that buttons and indicators can be created where needed for a particular mode.

Siemens Medical Solutions put forth its new Acuson P50 laptop with integrated echocardiography software especially designed for mobile applications in cardiology as well as vascular applications and use in the operating room and anesthesiology departments. Not only medical services, but it also runs other standard Internet-enabled PC and office applications such as Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Office PowerPoint and many other special image viewing programs.

Acuson P50 is built off an Apple MacBook laptop with 2 GB RAM, a 160 GB hard disk and a 2.0GHz Intel Dual-Core Pentium M processor. This flexible architecture weighs 5 kg and gives an additional advantage of comparison, access to technical papers and instant consultation via Internet to clarify abnormalities while an ultrasound image diagnose. No doubt, this attempt will add to the strength of any Physician with an access to other researches all over the world. P50 will soon arrive in December.

Captain Nemos would really have been proud of having this gorgeous Steampunk device on the Nautilus. Anyway, the Armstrong Siddeley ‘Horatio’ Boarder Repeller has been designed by Mr Willbourn of Stentor Industries, the name recognized as a modeller and prop maker producing a commercial range of weaponry for the popular British comic book, 2000AD. The steampunk-ish thing has been made especially to protect Her Majesty’s new airship division from the escalating pirate contingent of the lighter than air international traffic.

The good-looking designed-for-hand-use weapon fires a sonic blast and features an ultra-thin monofilament harpoon to discourage the persistent boarders. For a Steampunk-obsessed like me, what could be better than the Repeller to stun my foes?

The season for having barbeques in lawn may be over, but it’s never too late to get back at those darned neighbors. A wireless speaker from Sharper Image will make sure that you blast away those infernal tunes outdoors even when the weather demands that you stay indoors.

The Wireless Outdoor Monophonic One-Speaker System (yes it’s a single one) neatly combines the advantages of being wireless and weather-proof in one package. The looks of this baby are sure to take your breath away.

It works using a 2.4 GHz wireless transmitter that boasts of a healthy 50m range. An AUX In jack will make sure that you can connect your MP3 and CD player, if need be. You could choose to shell out some extra bucks and convert this monophonic speaker to “stereo” by ordering a special auxiliary speaker.

Sold here at $199.95 for the monophonic system. The auxiliary speaker will set you back by an additional $99.95.

Power it with the accompanying AC adapter or alternatively a pack of 6D batteries. Either way you are guaranteed a blast in the open air. And hey, don’t forget the looks!

This is a hacked laser tag gun made by Mike Yates and he has named it ‘The Scorpion’ Mike Yates loves to go in abandoned military bunkers for some serious wars.

Mike has based the gun on a commercially available Hasbro gun and has used some hardware and some excellent artistry to develop the 3000psi air-tank quad-rocket array. The gun can fire the rockets to 40 feet and that too using a original tank trigger that he found at eBay.

Downloading the readable content, such as novels, articles and so on, from internet or different sites, for your journeys and traveling far flung places, was one of the major troubles that deferred you to enjoy some of your most favorite books. Need not to worry anymore, for Reading On The Move (ROEM) allows the easy download so you may carry electronic books and other reading material, no matter wherever you travel or visit.

ROEM not only facilitate the reader with lots of reading content, in a compact form, for easy transportation but cuts paper and printing coasts by a long way. Featuring rollable electronic paper for better reading with extra comfort, a back up self-charging capacity and non-glaring fonts, the ROEM can be activated by fanning the screen inserted with piezoelectric material with minimum fuss and presents a straightforward one hand interface that pursues recognizable cell-phone words.

In an endeavor to lead the way for Windows Vista attuned gadgets, I-O data is all set for its PCI card (GV-MC/RX3) and a USB model (GV-MC/TZ), two latest Windows Vista compatible TV tuners. Commonly the duo features the identical capturing and channeling function:

• S-Video / composite inputs
• 10-bit DACs
• noise reduction capabilities
• competence with Microsoft’s future operating system
• TV tuning

The PCI (GV-MC/RX3) and the external tuner (GV-MC/TZ) will hit the market, at least in Japan, in late January for a pricing of ¥12,500 (about $105) and ¥14,600 (about $123) respectively.

Plethora of robots out there, but it’s R/C Steam Centipede – a steam-engine propelled robot, that grabbed attention of everyone at this year’s Kinetic Artbot RoboGames event. Obsessed with expertise, the robot won silver medal for its excellent design and innovativeness.

However, the greatest gimmick is yet to be revealed, i.e. fuel - the device asks for some bottleful of alcohol so that it could make an unrelenting cruise with the help of oar-like 32 legs.

It’s propelled by 2X Wilesco D49 Marine Double Piston Steam Engine. The designer fused together a Gakken centipede kit, mounted 2 Wilesco D49 marine steam engines, gear box, pulley system, Mamod SE3 boiler, etc, to make it work appropriately.

The artistic work has been admired though, still I feel like gold medal is the right reward for it. Anyway, if you want to watch the boozy machine running, you need that bottle of whiskey.