One of the most innovative task lights to come along, the Striker FLEXiT Light is a flexible hands-free light that’s so versatile and handy, it will work in many situations that other task lights fall short.

The Striker FLEXiT Light has an ultra-thin flexible, flat rectangular silicone pad with a series of bright LED lights arranged in a grid pattern. The flexible light is easy to bend, fold, wrap or hook around objects to position and aim the light. Magnets also allow you to secure the light to metal objects. You can wrap the flexible light around cylindrical tubes, and manipulate into tight corners or spaces for shining light on just about any situation.

The FLEXiT Light is equipped with 16 Lumen TechTM LEDs and has there light functions; low, medium and high. By bending the light into different positions you can produce a more focused spot light or a broader flood light.

The flexible task light is so versatile. Here are just a few examples.

• Use as a flood light you can hold in your hand to illuminate a dark path.
• Set on a table or surface to light up a room during a power failure.
• Easily fit inside the engine compartment of an automobile to shed light on your work area.
• Wrap around a tent pole at your camping site to light up your camping area.
• Perfect for tight areas under the sink when making plumbing repairs.
• Ideal for working in and around difficult to illuminate equipment such as computers and electronic gear.

The Striker FLEXiT Light is perfect for emergency roadside auto repairs.

Easy to position and aim in tight places makes the Striker FLEXiT Light perfect for working on computers.

Ideal for those hard to position lighting situations like making plumbing repairs under the sink.

The Striker FLEXiT Light operates with 3 AA batteries which are included. The flexible LED light dimensions are 0.85 inches thick, 7 inches wide and 13 inches tall. Get a Striker FLEXiT Light today, it’s the most useful and versatile task light you’ll ever own.

Available: Amazon

Price: $29.99

FXI Technologies has recently just released in limited availability the Cotton Candy miniaturized dual-core PC computer the size of a USB flash drive.

The FXI cotton candy is referred to as an “any screen computer” which really means it’s a tiny miniaturized fully capable PC computer that doesn’t come with a screen or monitor. These miniaturized computer devices are ideal for embeded applications including portable set top box gaming and entertainment equipment, mobile “any screen” computing, and a full range of specialized applications including medical, automotive, security, surveillance, and other dedicated solutions.

This tiny fully contained computer is packed with impressive raw horsepower and offers integrated HDMI, USB and MicroUSB connectivity for surprising flexibility in the portable market.

And let’s talk about just how how tiny and compact. The Cotton Candy miniaturized PC on a stick weighs only 21 grams. That’s just a little over 1/2 ounce. The dimensions of this super miniaturized computer are roughly 3 inches in length and a bit over 1/2 inch in width.

The cotton candy architecture will lend itself as an ideal add on to smartphones, tablet computers and notebook PCs including Macs. In addition, the device is perfect for adding intelligent computing capabilities to displays, set top boxes and gaming consoles.

 FXI Cotton Candy Technical Specifications

• ARM® Cortex™ A9 1.2GHz Central Processing Unit (CPU) with NEON extensions and Trustzone extensions.
• ARM® Mali™ 400MP Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) delivers 720p and 1080p OpenGL ES v2.0, can process 30M Polygons and 1.2 GPixels per second.
• Wifi 802.11 b/g/n network connectivity.
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR.
• 1GB DRAM memory.
• Up to 64GB expandable memory with microSD local storage.
• Supports standard OS’s including, Android (Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich), Linux (Ubuntu),  and includes embedded virtualization client for Windows, Linux, Mac.
• USB 2.0 port for power and connection to devices that support USB mass storage.
• HDMI 2.1 port with audio.
• Decodes MPEG-4, H.264 and other video formats, displays HD graphics on any HDMI equipped screen.

FXI Technologies (www.fxitech.com) is a Norway-based hardware and software startup with a focus on improving the world of digital screens with smart and personal capabilities. This includes initiatives

• Improving consumer access to Cloud computing.
• Accelerate the adoption and use of “smart screen” technologies.
• Easy ability to share media and content (videos, movies, photos, games, etc.) from mobile and portable devices on large screens and projectors.

FXI Cotton Candy, the PC on a stick, may very well open up even more exciting embedded computing applications around the corner, and we’ll be ready to talk about it here at Mint Gadgets. If you’re interested in learning more about the cotton candy miniature PC on a stick, you can visit the comunity website at cstick.com where development units are available now for pre-order.

Source: [FXI - cstick.com]

It’s hard to say in all cases which happens first. Does science and technology reality drive the science fiction pop culture, or is it the other way around? Does science fiction predict future technology?

Probably some of both, actually. No doubt, the classic television series “Star Trek” from the 1960s has proven to be a remarkable predictor of real technology that has emerged decades later. For example, smartphone technology today resembles those Star Trek communicators quite a bit, don’t you think?

And when it comes to human assisted robotics, the two Iron Man movies have created a wonderful glimpse at the possibilities for machine assisted motor function. Who doesn’t want one of those Iron Man suits like Robert Downey Jr?

Back to reality, the French company RB3D has announced the RB3D Hercule Exoskeleton Legs. RB3D calls these collaborative robotic devices that assist humans with motor function “cobots” (that is collaborative robots or cobots).

As is common with many technology innovations, the Hercule Exoskelten legs are actually a joint venture between several companies and agencies including RB3D, the French Directorate General Armaments, CES LIST and ESME Sudria.

The robotic exoskeleton legs are battery-powered and are engineered to augment a human user’s strength and lifting power. A human user that wears the robotic legs is able to lift up to 220 pounds. The robotic legs can operate on a battery charge for up to 12.5 miles if the user walks at a normal pace. These robotic assist devices move in natural unison with the user, and apparently, it’s not difficult to adapt your motion and learn how to use the exoskeleton legs.

See a demonstration of the RB3D Hercule Exoskelton Legs

RB3D is planning to introduce the Hercule Exoskeleton legs for both Civilian and Military use in 2014.

Source: [Gadget Lab: Wired]

If you’re one of those people that just have to have that ready supply of hot coffee with you on your drive or commute into work every morning, then maybe you can relate to this dilemma. I don’t know about you, but I always seem to have trouble drinking from the commuter cups I’ve tried. I’m forever and constantly spilling, dripping and dribbling coffee all over myself as I try to drink from these poorly designed commuter containers while I’m trying to drive.Sound familiar?  Nothing is worse than spilling hot coffee all over yourself, what a messy disaster!

Fortunately, there’s a perfect solution, the Best Commuter Cup from Hammacher Schlemmer. In search of some of the best products in many different categories, the Hammacher Schlemmer Institute conducted a series of comparisons tests to find the absolute best commuter cup you can find. The result is The Best Commuter Cup, the hands down winner of the commuter cup comparisons.

The Best Commuter Cup solves a couple of common problems you typically find with most of the commuter cups out there. First, this commuter cup simply does not leak, even when you flip the container completely upside down. The convenient spill-proof lid pops opens with the touch of button for easy drinking and sipping your beverage. More importantly, the lid stays closed when you it closed. No more “oops, the lid accidentally opened by itself and I spilled coffee all over the place”!

This commuter cup model has a sleek and slim design so it easily fits an your vehicle’s cup holder. Hammacher Schlemmer also conducted a series of tests to determine how well the commuter cup maintains the temperature of the liquids you place in the container, both hot and cold. The Best Commuter Cup was able to maintain the temperature of hot water for over 2 hours, allowing the hot water to decrease in temperature by only 18 degrees F. Inferior commuter cups allow hot liquids to drop by as much as 71 degrees F in the same time period.

The Best Commuter Cup is also able to keep ice cubes frozen for up to 36 hours. Again, the inferior commuter cup models typically can only keep ice cubes frozen for as little as six hours. Several design aspects of the Best Commuter Cup contribute to its superior ability to retain or maintain stored beverage temperatures. The dual-wall container design with a vacuum insulation between the two container walls prevents heat or cold to transfer or escape.

And the Best Commuter Cup is easy to clean due to the wide mouth and nonporous interior. Available in an attractive Blue or Champagne brush metal finish. The Best Commuter Cup has a 16 ounce capacity, is 9 inches high, by 2 1/2 inches wide and weighs 17 ounces.

End your search for a good quality commuter cup that really works. You can trust Hammacher Schlemmer, this is truly The Best Commuter Cup and you’ll never need to hunt down another commuter cup ever again.

Available: Hammacher

Price: $29.95

Your cluttered desktop is full of obstacles like your computer mouse, coffee mugs, staplers, notebook computers, etc., right? Maybe you didn’t realize, but this clutter creates the ideal obstacle driving course for the Desk Pet Tankbots. These clever little mini-robot remote controlled gadgets are actually masters at navigating in and around any maze.

The amusing little Desk Pet Tankbot is equipped with an advanced optical navigation technology. It can search at detect any obstacle in its path at easily navigate around it. This is the pinnacle of procrastination busting, robotic desktop entertainment at its best.

This ingenious little Desk Pet Tankbot can operate in three different modes.

1. Touchless navigation – detects objects in its path with optical navigation technology and can automatically navigate through the maze on your desktop.
2. Autonomous personality mode – spins around and shows off its lights and sounds.
3. Smartphone control – use your Smartphone or iPhone as a remote control to steer and guide the Desk Pet Tankbot.

And what’s better than one Tankbot. Well, two tankbots, of course! Desk Pet Tankbots can “fire” infrared shots at each other and the tankbot optical sensors can detect when they’ve been hit. After enough shots, the winner disables the loser.

Smartphone Controlled Desk Pet Tankbots Demonstration

Smartphone Controlled Desk Pet Tankbots Features

• Avoids and steers around obstacles with advanced optical navigation technology.
• The little tankbot has a personality too with light-up eyes and cute little robot sounds.
• Tankbots are randomly picked from four different colors (Grey ,Blue, Orange, and Green). Sorry, you can’t order the color you prefer, but they’re all great Tankbot colors.
• Come on, you know your desk needs a maze-navigating tank robot.
• Three modes of operation: touchless navigation, autonomous personality mode, smartphone remote control.
• Compatible with iOS devices and Android devices (2.1 and up), you can download the free remote control tankbot app from the App Store or Android Market.
• Insert the DeskPet Universal Remote into your headphone jack to control your TankBot.
• Includes the integrated USB flip out connector to recharge using your computer USB port.
• Automatic shut-off after 3 minutes of inactivity to conserve battery life.
• Internal rechargeable battery provides 15 minutes of tankbot play time from a 40 minute battery charge.
• Suitable for Ages 8 and Up

A Desk Pet Tankbot (or two) provides hours of desktop mini-robot fun entertainment. Get your Desk Pet Tankbot today!

Available: ThinkGeek

Price: $24.99