Macworld 2014 First Look: Petcube, Motion Control Ring, Lumo Lift, and More

[Thunderhawks]

Do they do one of those cube things for kids? I'd buy that.

We need a version for Penthouse Pets

 

[knightlie]

People still torture cats with laser toys?

 

[BruceEBonus]

I have no idea how I every managed to cope with twenty first century life until I saw these "innovative" products for problems I never even realised I had until now What a load of ham-shank. Let's all take a step back and wonder if things have got a wee bit silly? If you need a Pet Cube. Chances are. You shouldn'tve had a pet in the first place. Oh dear oh dear.

Next!

 

[Popeye206]

The ring thing might be good for presentations. I could see where it would be cool to control your presentations without having to click the computer. Otherwise… I'd have to try it to see if its really useful. Not sold.

The Pet Cube…. nice idea if it's under $50.

 

[Roller]

Seems expensive for what is basically a webcam with a laser pointer combo. And what happens when your pet knocks the Petcube over so that it's pointing straight up at the ceiling? But if they come up with one that remotely cleans up dog poop, I might be interested.

 

[Iconoclysm]

$200 for a camera, microphone and laser pointer in a stylish cube? Seems like something Apple would sell.

Completely ignoring real world functionality, R&D, and software integration? Seems like something only an Apple hater would do.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

$200 for a camera, microphone and laser pointer in a stylish cube? Seems like something Apple would sell.

Except they don't.

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Completely ignoring real world functionality, R&D, and software integration? Seems like something only an Apple hater would do.

C'mon. It's a $200 webcam to watch your cat, dog, snake, or fish. There is no real world functionality. It's a silly idea to take advantage of crowdsourcing gone wild. This would get laughed out of a VC office before the phrase R&D budget came out of the developer's mouth.

 

[spazzcat]

People still torture cats with laser toys?

Most vets will tell you the best way to excise a cat is with a laser pointer....

 

[stevedun]

Ring concept is cool, but Myo looks better.

https://www.thalmic.com/en/myo/

 

[iHEARTcartoons]

OG Petcube

 

[Carlanga]

lmao, I can't even say anything about these products and their price points.

 

[Makosuke]

The ring is conceptually kinda neat, but the fact is nobody is going to use one--it's just not practical. And if you take a long view "this is the bleeding edge" perspective, it's all about non-contact motion tracking (XBox, Myo, those laser keyboards, Samsung phones, etc), so it's a dead end anyway.

The posture-checker is silly, but I actually preordered one a while ago for the simple fact that I have terrible posture and I figure if I wear it for a month or two and have it buzz me when I slouch it may work to train myself to not slouch so much. I've tried more traditional means of improving posture and it hasn't worked, so why not give some wacky technology a shot. Basically the same as any other biofeedback device, which have existed for quite a while, and are used by physical therapy outfits to pretty good effect.

The whole angle of having it make you more confident or all that garbage is ridiculous, though, and if I found myself wearing it for more than a short period of time I'd throw it away on principle.

The cube? That's basically an SNL parody. Or a product developed by people who either don't have pets, or shouldn't.

 

[Xplode35]

Honestly I see a lot of potential in the ring. The other two can be decent consumer products, but I think the ring's functionality can expand with help from developers. Imagine being able to control flying robots with gestures, although it could require a second piece that goes around the wrist. It may even be able to replace the common computer mouse. Although touchscreen has become commonplace, the pointer is still much more accurate and allows for tasks that touchscreen just complicates.