- Kohler’s Numi $6,400 high-tech toilet does most of the dirty work for you (video)
We’ve seen some pretty fancy cans in our time, but perhaps none as tricked out as Kohler’s latest $6,400 john. The Numi does just about everything for you, aside from the stuff that, well, only you can do. Looking something akin to a fancy pop-top waste bin, Numi comes complete with a self-opening and closing lid so you never have to touch the toilet seat; a self-cleaning bidet with adjustable controls for temperature and water pressure; heating elements to keep your toes and tush toasty; an illuminated panel for nighttime rendezvous; a built-in speaker system that connects to a remote docking station to ensure only you know exactly what you’re doing in there; and a deodorizing element that sucks air from the bowl through a charcoal filter. Of course, no connected appliance would be complete without a touchscreen, and the Numi’s no exception; it has a touch panel remote that you can use to set to your specifications. Now, that’s what we call a porcelain throne. Check out the ridiculously lavish promo video after the break.
Continue reading Kohler’s Numi $6,400 high-tech toilet does most of the dirty work for you (video)
Kohler’s Numi $6,400 high-tech toilet does most of the dirty work for you (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Apr 2011 17:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- US government contractor developing ‘microwave gun,’ Hot Pockets tremble
Ah, the beloved “electronic bomb,” able to disable all technology in its vicinity: variations on the concept go way back, but useful prototypes remain tantalizingly out of reach. Into the breach steps defense contractor BAE Systems, taking a fresh crack with a High-Powered Microwave (HPM) gun intended to disable small boat engines – if successful, the technology may also target ships, UAVs, and missile payloads. The secret-shrouded weapon sounds similar to Boeing’s planned airborne EMP weapon, but lacking the missile delivery systems. BAE seems to be betting big on electromagnetic warfare as a future battlefield tactic, with a manager pitching the sci-fi scene to Aviation Week:“Unlike lasers, HPM beams don’t need a lot of accuracy. With a fan [of HPM energy] you can target 10-30 small boats. If you can knock out 50-75% of the engines in a swarm, you can then concentrate on the remainder with lasers or kinetic [cannons].”
To develop better defenses against such attacks, the contractor received $150,000 from the Air Force to test-fire microwaves at military computers. No word on whether said defenses involve generous use of tin foil.
US government contractor developing ‘microwave gun,’ Hot Pockets tremble originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Paper alloy takes shape for biodegradable consumer electronics (write your own origami joke)
So you’re anxiously awaiting your biodegradable car and your biodegradable 3D glasses, waiting for the day when everything you own can return to the loam from which it sprang. But, what about the computer you’re using this very moment? It’s probably made of non-green materials like injection-molded plastic, and slapping some bamboo on it isn’t fooling anyone. Design and engineering firm PEGA comes to your rescue with a new composite material made of recycled paper and polypropylene alloy. Lightweight, durable, and inexpensive to produce, it acts just like typical ABS plastic — and it even comes in the classic soul-killing beige. Maybe this is what Apple’s been waiting for.
Paper alloy takes shape for biodegradable consumer electronics (write your own origami joke) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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