Necomimi are cybernetic cat ears that move in sync with your brainwaves to convey emotion. However, the movements are more accurate to the fictional cat girls that populate anime rather than actual cats. “When cats are frightened or want to scare away an enemy, they flatten their ears,” explains Kana Nakano from Neurowear. “But with Necomimi, flat ears mean a relaxed state of mind. So we have changed the meaning to suit human perceptions. To humans, when cat ears flatten, it’s kind of cute.”

The headset is a standalone device, which requires 4 AAA batteries for 4 hours of continuous use. Sensors attach to the forehead and ear to monitor brain activity and respond accordingly by perking up, lying flat, flapping, or rotating. The ears come in white but can be customized with additional styles.

Necomimi will be initially offered for a discount price of 7,900 yen (US $97) at the NicoNico Choukaigi convention from April 28 to 29. The regular price will be 8,980 yen (US $110) and will be sold directly at NicoNico headquarters in Tokyo Harajuku, beginning April 30. They’ll also be available internationally through http://store.neurosky.com/.

If you can’t wait or you’re strapped for cash, you can always make your own cat ears on the cheap. Youtube user SaxophonePlayerLeah created hers with string that allows each ear to move independently (loli not included but neither are the conspicuous sensors).

Necomimi is the first product line for Neurowear but the company plans to release similar products in the future. A cybernetic cat tail would go great with your cat ears but I shudder to think where the sensor would go.

Follow Neurowear:
http://www.facebook.com/neurowear
http://necomimi.com/index_en.html
http://neurowear.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/neurowear

Cybernetic Cat Ears is a post from: L7 World

“A group of us from Google[x] started Project Glass to build this kind of technology, one that helps you explore and share your world, putting you back in the moment,” the post states. “We’re sharing this information now because we want to start a conversation and learn from your valuable input. So we took a few design photos to show what this technology could look like and created a video to demonstrate what it might enable you to do.”

Like most commercials, the product is oversold says Pranav Mistry, an MIT Media Lab researcher and one of the inventors of the SixthSense wearable computing system. “The small screen seen in the photos cannot give the experience the video is showing,” explains Mistry. “Current HUDs utilize a fixed lens distance of two feet. For true augmented reality, the display would have to dynamically focus, which would require additional hardware on the glasses to read your eye.”

Even if Google could get the glasses work as advertised, it would create an information overload that would literally be comical:

GOOGLE GLASSES PARODIES:

Google Glasses is a post from: L7 World

The Star Trek Inflatable Captain’s Chair is the next best thing to the real McCoy. The paint job features details like black cushion seat, wooden armrests, and various buttons & lights, including Yellow Alert, Red Alert, and Jettison Pod.

It’s designed with wee geeks in mind says Ty Liotta, head of ThinkGeek’s GeekLabs. “Captain Kirk once said ‘Galloping around the cosmos is a game for the young,’” Liotta points out. “We took that idea and created a product young fans of Star Trek would crave for their own adventures.”

Officially, the chair supports ages 3 to young adult (maximum weight of 120 lbs) but everyone knows James T. Kirk doesn’t play by the rules.

Inflatable Star Trek Captain’s Chair is a post from: L7 World

The hoverboard is “movie accurate,” right down to the hole where Marty ripped off the handlebars. It includes multiple whooshing sounds and will glide over most surfaces (does not actually “hover” – check back in 2015 for that feature).

The future of this movie memorabilia is uncertain. It will only go into production if it gets enough orders to justify the cost. MattyCollector.com will take pre-orders from March 1st to 20th and ship in time for Christmas 2012.

If you want a working hoverboard and can’t wait for 2015, you could always make your own like YouTube user dondula7, who was inspired by an earlier attempt by French artist Nils Guadagnin.

Hoverboard for Sale is a post from: L7 World

This 9″ plush is bursting at the seams (i.e.; bigger on the inside). The overstuffed TARDIS lights up and goes “Vworp vworp vworp” when squeezed. There’s even a Dalek plush, although it’s not a fan of hugs. It shouts: “EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!” and “You are an enemy of the Dalek. You must be destroyed.”

Don’t miss out on these officially licensed Doctor Who collectibles. When they first went on sale in December, they sold out in no time. Not surprisingly the TARDIS vanished first.

Available @ ThinkGeek.com

Doctor Who Talking Plush is a post from: L7 World

Netflix for Toys is a post from: L7 World

Earshell Hearing Aid
We use earrings as symbols of distinction since time immemorial, however they are not particularly useful items. The EARSHELL is a simple, efficient and elegant sound enhancing device. It can be used to improve our listening of music or opera. Its refined and sleek profile gives it a jewellery feel.

Edward Utensilhands
There is an unwritten etiquette rule that says “Don’t eat with your fingers”, however most of our daily-life munching requires our fingers’ help (nuts, chocolate bars, toasts, sandwiches, tapas…). EAT WITH YOUR FINGERS consists of a set of three mini-pieces of cutlery (knife, fork, spoon) that fit at the end of our fingers reinventing to a small degree the experience of eating and finding a hygienic middle ground between the etiquette rule and our daily routine.

Ostrich Pillow
Working patterns are constantly evolving. We gradually spend more time in our working environments, and this in turn means that we often need to make work and rest fully compatible within the same space. Some cultures have assimilated this concept more naturally than others, but in general the workplace has rarely adapted to this new working-resting paradigm.

OSTRICH offers a micro environment in which to take a warm and comfortable power nap at ease. It is neither a pillow nor a cushion, nor a bed, nor a garment, but a bit of each at the same time. Its soothing cave-like interior shelters and isolates our head and hands (mind, senses and body) for a few minutes, without needing to leave our desk.

Much like an ostrich, these ill-conceived concepts will never get off the ground.

Design Flaw is a post from: L7 World

Not so for the Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HLD4KN Power Charger. It charges batteries individually so any combination of AA or AAA is possible, and a safety timer prevents overcharging. It even has a voltage monitor to let charge anywhere in the world. Now that’s a real “value” charger.

Included are 4 pre-charged 2000 mAh AA Batteries, which sell for individually for $11.26, making the $13.98 charger practically free. Even in bulk 4 alkaline batteries cost about $2 so after just 7 charges it will pay for itself and if these batteries last for even a fraction of the advertised 1,000 charges it will be well worth the purchase.

Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HLD4KN Power Charger with 4 Pre-Charged 2000 mAh AA Batteries – Review is a post from: L7 World

Filmmaker Francois Vogel demonstrates this Flintstones technology on Youtube by attaching wireless electrodes to his temples, which sync his blinking to a 120Hz monitor!

If replacing clunky glasses with temple tasers doesn’t sound like an improvement in comfort, don’t worry. It’s fake. While the electric shocks have no problem putting his eyelids into overdrive, there’s hardly any movement in the rest of his face.

Fortunately, glasses-free technology does exist. It’s called autostereoscopy and it works at the source by aligning one set of pixels to show to one eye and the other set to the other eye. Unfortunately, it’s much more expensive than traditional 3D displays (for now).

Glasses-free 3D is a post from: L7 World

I was still using the mouse that came with my computer even after the glued on glide bumpers came off. That combined with the USB cable dragging on the table made it feel like carry around a ball and chain, at least that’s how it felt after I started using the wireless.

It’s only 3.75 inches long and the only reason it has any weight to it is a single AA battery (included). BlueTrack technology allows you to use the mouse on virtually any surface, including my grooved wooden table, which it flew across. In fact, it was too fast. You’ll need to do a Windows update to get the latest drivers then adjust your mouse settings in the control panel to your liking.

The Nano Transceiver (#2 in picture) is so small that you can leave it plugged into a laptop without worrying about it snapping off. You can even plug it into the front of your desktop and leave your media card reader cover closed.

The battery life is up to 8 months, assuming you turn it off when not in use, but an indicator light (#3 in picture) located below the scroll wheel will warn when the battery is about to die.

The basic Loch Ness Gray model is available for $17.49 or you can get it in Black, Dragon Fruit Pink, Imperial Purple, Poppy Red, or Sea Blue for $24.95 and finally a Special Edition White for $26.44.

UPDATE:

After 3 weeks the battery died. Not bad considering I have my computer on about 14 hours a day AND I forgot to shut the mouse off a couple nights, which equals more than 300 hours of battery-life. The advertised 8 months is apparently based on usage of about an an hour a day. When the battery starts to die (about 5 hours of life left), the indicator light will blink red but it stops blinking when the mouse is inactive to save power.

No matter how often you use it, you’ll probably want to get some rechargeable batteries. I suggest the Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HLD4KN Power Charger with 4 Pre-Charged 2000 mAh AA Batteries
(review).

Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 – Review (update) is a post from: L7 World