I’ve seen some strange looking cases and stands for media players in my days, but this one is definitely unique among the crowd.
Assuming you’re not an arachnophobe, you might enjoy one of these Spiderpodium stands for your media player or phone. But if you’re like many, you’ll probably think they’re too creepy looking. All I could think of when I saw these things was that scene from John Carpenter’s The Thing where the decapitated head sprouts legs and starts walking. If you can actually get over the creepy-crawliness of it all, the bendy-legged design is actually quite ingenious, letting you put your iPhone, iPod, or other handheld gadgets just about anywhere.
If spiders and other 8-legged things don’t give you the heebee jeebees, you can pre-order the Spiderpodium from breffo for £14.99 (appx. $23 USD).
These fun wind-up desktop critters from Kikkerland are the perfect addition to any cubicle toy collection.
Designer Chico Bicalho’s MxyKikker crawler is my personal favorite, what with its dozen or so spinny elbow macaroni looking legs which help it move along your floor. Each of these unique creations has a slightly different way of ambling around, but they all are about as whimsical as can be.
Here’s a brief video clip showing off MxyKikker and his pal Bonga in action…
You can find these guys, along with Kikkerland’s entire collection of creepy, crawly automatons over at their online shop. Prices range from $6 to $40 (USD), depending on the size and mechanical complexity of the critter you select.
I’m not sure if you can actually make phone calls with the Bandai Phone Braver 7, but I don’t mind. I mean really, it’s a cell phone with bendable arms and legs, so what’s not to like?
The Phone Braver 7 (model GE-46) is an anthropomorphic mobile phone from Bandai’s Soul of Chogokin series. How I missed Phone Bravers number 1 through 6 is anyone’s guess. Maybe this chart will help you figure out what’s going on.
Actually, Phone Braver 7 is based on a “character” in a popular Japanese TV drama, K-Tai Sosakan 7, a drama about “a high school boy, his transforming cell-phone robot, and his six detective partners that fight against an internet-based criminal organization.” I’m surprised NBC hasn’t optioned it for the U.S. yet.
From what I can tell, this particular model features interchangeable light up faceplates, and makes sounds, but there are other versions floating around that actually have an LCD screen and play games too.
Priced at $135 (USD) over at XL-SHOP.com, Phone Braver 7 isn’t cheap, but it is awesome.
Everyone has surely heard of bookshelf speakers. But have you ever heard of coffee table speakers? Well now you can say you have.
The innovative Table of Sound (ToS) coffee table was created by designers Wout Fierens and Miquell van Meelen of Wondering Boys for a recent competition over on designboom. The ToS provides a new way to enjoy your music right in the middle of your living room. Instead of pushing speakers out to the corners of your room, they’re mounted conveniently in the legs of the table.
Just plug your iPod into the table’s built-in dock, and crank up the tunes while you sip your coffee and read the morning paper.
The Table of Sound appears to be just a one-of-a-kind concept design, but I’d definitely buy one if I were in the market for a new coffee table… and a new stereo at the same time.
The Cajun Crawler is a remarkable application of Theo Jansen’s fascinating articulated walking legs. This is really the first-known practical application, designed and built by UL Engineering students. They clam it even has the steering power of a tank if you can believe that.
The crawler moves at about 2 to 3 miles per hour. Which gives you a fair chance to run when you see an army of them with no riders coming at you. It looks awesomely cool and moves amazingly. We’re equal parts in awe and just plain creeped out.
We believe that one can never have too many vehicles with robot legs.
