A Japanese quadriplegic is planning on ascending a Swiss mountain the way most people do, strapped to the back of a mountaineer wearing a specialized robotic suit. Seji Uchida has always dreamed of climbing the alps, but a traffic accident in 1983 left him completely paralyzed from the neck down. Thanks to the development of HAL, a robotic suit which amplifies the strength of its wearer, Seji finally has an opportunity to completely ascend Breithorn mountain. Seji will be attached to the back of experienced alpinist Ken Noguchi, who will use HAL to carry Seji up the final ascent to the 13,741ft peak. After the mountain trek is successful, scientists plan on using the HAL suit to unlock the mystic powers of the slam dunk, and finally crack the sacred code of the Harlem Globetrotters.
Five teenage girls ages 16-17 may face criminal charges for hanging seventeen Super Mario Bros. "question blocks" around their small town. When residents spotted the cardboard boxes, they rightly assumed that Batman's arch-nemesis the Riddler was attacking their small Ohio town, and they immediately called the Sheriff's Department, Fire Department, HAZMAT crew, and Bomb Detection Unit. After the fiasco, the five girls claimed responsibility, and probably vowed to use a more recognizable game for their next prank. Like Burger Time.
A man in Nova Scotia has been banned from hunting for 20 years after he shot a robot moose decoy. The Natural Resources Department started using the robot decoy to help track down poachers of mainland moose, which has been on the endangered species list since 2003. "After eleven or so shots, when the moose started beeping and spraying sparks wildly, that's when I guessed that something was wrong," is what I assume the hunter said after getting arrested for shooting a giant plastic robot.
Navman has launched a new series of GPS units that include a hard drive and digital camera. When you find a place that you really like, you can use the camera to take its picture, and use that picture as the place mark for the location on the GPS. Navman has eventual plans for sharing picture albums and locations online, allowing other people to visit the exact KFC where you had that amazing BBQ Chicken Sandwich or that Dairy Queen where you go to wrestle those three hobos.
The Spy Labs website is selling a surge protector that lets you spy on a room from anywhere in the world. Simply place a GSM cell phone card into the surge protector, use any phone to call the number on the GSM card, and the power adapter gives you instant access to the audio in the room. I think we'll all be in a great deal of trouble when our appliances have the ability to call up our girlfriends to report on us. Especially if your girlfriend only has a 900 number. I spend enough money calling Trixine on my own.
Do your remember Fido, the completely original autonomous suitcase concept? Samsung might, as they have announced FidoBag, a completely original autonomous suitcase concept... with fur and a wagging tail! Rather than using wireless sensors to track its owner, FidoBag relies solely on voice recognition, which is great because constantly screaming at your luggage is much easier than dragging it around by a handle. FidoBag does improve on the Fido concept by adding a barking security feature, which will emit barks at a vicious intensity of 197.5 decibels if it's disturbed by a stranger. With people screaming at their luggage and their luggage screaming at other people, trips to the airport are bound to get a lot less stressful.