vibration

Harvesting energy from falling raindrops

Scientists at the CEA/Leti-Minatec in Grenoble, France are looking at ways to produce electricity from the vibrations caused by falling raindrops.

It's the latest step toward exploiting piezoelectric principles. In piezoelectrics, bending or otherwise deforming an object can produce power. If you take a tiny wire and bend it, for example, a negative charge gets produced on the stretched side while a positive charge gets created on the compressed side. When the pressure on the wire is relieved, an electrical current can be detected.

Using the CEA's concept, raindrops hitting a flexible surface set off the vibrations … Read more

More details on the Dual Shock 3 PS3 controller

The official announcement of the vibration-enabled Dual Shock 3 controller for the PlayStation 3 was the biggest news from Sony's otherwise lackluster Tokyo Game Show keynote address. Since the broad strokes of the original announcement, GameSpot was able to glean some additional details on the new controller--and get some hands-on testing of the unit as well. Here's what they found: … Read more

PS3 rumble controller now official

One of gamers' biggest beefs with the PlayStation 3 will soon be a thing of the past. At the kickoff press conference for the Tokyo Game Show, Sony Computer Entertainment President Kaz Hirai confirmed longstanding rumors that a rumble-ized version of the PS3 Sixaxis controller is on the way. The Dual Shock 3--which looks essentially identical to the existing Sixaxis PS3 controller--will hit Japan in November, then make its way to North America and Europe early in 2008. Devil May Cry 4 and Metal Gear Solid 4 are two of the first 11 games that will support the new Dual Shock's vibration function, and existing titles can be retroactively updated to support rumble via online updates.

Other notable announcements from Hirai's keynote:… Read more

5 absurd Facebook apps

Just two months after the launch of Facebook's f8 developer platform, there are nearly 2,000 applications. While a good portion of them are useful and work well as social tools, there are also a handful that are simply absurd. In no apparent order, I've rounded up five of my favorites below.

Vibrating Hamster. The vibrating hamster is a simple picture of a lovable rodent you can put on your profile. As the name suggests, every time you click the picture, the hamster vibrates violently while playing the Web meme-famous hamster dance song. To keep anonymous hamster vibrations … Read more

Imaginary phone diagnosis: 'Vibranxiety'

No, you're not going crazy (necessarily) if you find yourself imagining that your phone is vibrating in one of your pockets. Or, if you are, you're far from alone.

That's the shorthand conclusion of a recent USA Today article that reports a phenomenon dubbed "phantom vibration syndrome," also known as "vibranxiety." So what causes this irritating ghost ring, anyway?

"You come armed with this template that leads you to be attentive to sensations that represent a cellphone vibrating," Jeffrey Janata, director of the behavioral medicine program at University Hospitals in Cleveland, … Read more

Does your phone need a vibrating wristband?

Being of the knee-jerk variety here at Crave, we usually don't have much trouble deciding if something sounds like a good or bad idea. This is one of the exceptions.

The "BlueQ" Bluetooth wristband is supposed to vibrate when you're getting a call but can't hear the phone ring, according to I4U News. Got it. Wait--isn't that what the phone's vibrate function is for?

OK, so it could come in handy if you've stowed the phone in a purse or briefcase to avoid dirty looks from fellow patrons at the opera. But … Read more

Skull music for joggers

Why should skull music be enjoyed only under water? We don't think so either.

Just as aquatic products send soundwaves directly through the cranium for swimmers, Thanko Japan's "Vonia" headband gives runners a similar experience while on terra firma. (It's supposedly waterproof too but doesn't look like it was meant for swimming, especially with a Shuffle tucked in the side.)

The "bone conduction" device works like its seagoing counterparts, tickling the auditory nerves with melodious vibrations. That, according to Newlaunches, means you can blast your tunes without blowing out your eardrums and … Read more

'Roboglove' may help finger crooks

If we didn't know better (and we don't), we might think this was based on an old Monty Python skit.

U.K. newspapers are reporting the development of the "Roboglove," a wearable device that can supposedly detect weapons hidden on subjects while they're being searched. If the glove touches a concealed firearm, knife or other metal object, Gearfuse says, it will vibrate and alert its wearer of the discovery.

British police have reportedly been testing the device, which is said to be far more sensitive than standard metal detectors. And the glove is made of … Read more

The never-ending foot massage

If there's one thing American consumers are obsessed with, it's vibrating chairs and other massage equipment. The problem, of course, is that the experience lasts only as long as the salesperson at Sharper Image will let you use them.

But the "Good Vibrations Therapeutic Vibrating Shoes" allow you to get an all-day foot massage with a built-in high-frequency vibrating mechanism, according to the Raw Feed. They even have in-sole toggle switches and rechargeable batteries.

These have got to be some of the geekier products we've seen in awhile, but we might still be willing to … Read more