Nubot – A Video Chat Robot Doll

Nubot is a doll ready to host smartphone video chats via Skype.

The remote user can control the doll’s body gestures (wave, bow, turn) giving them more of a physical presence.

The folks at Nuuo that developed Nubot use it to have teleconferences between their offices.

We’ve seen a more mobile, albeit less cute, telepresence robot named Texai in the past.

Give a smile, get a smile

On the site Two of Us, anyone can take a picture of themselves smiling and share it with another smiling stranger.

Amazingly simple, but still a fun way to connect and add some humanity back to the Internet.

Using Your Hands to Light Paint with Kinect Graffiti

Jean-Christophe Naour’s Kinect Graffiti uses Microsoft’s Kinect to respond to gestures creating real-time light paintings.

via laughingsquid

Narcissus Makes Every Movement Flashy

Narcissus is a desktop app for macs that responds with flashes of colored lights to your movements. Rumor has it an iPhone version is in the works.

Telepresence Robot

One can be mobile in two places at once with The Texai robot from Willow Garage. It uses a web browser and Skype to have a remote mobile video chat.

via laughing squid

AR for Home Improvement

Designer Maxim Barkhatov recently posted a video for his concept glasses known as ARPA (Augmented Reality Project Assistant):

ARPA is a concept product & interface that fuses together the IKEA model of furniture assembly & the do-it-yourself mentality inspired by the Home Depot. It allows the user to digitally interact with their real-world environments while planning their projects with the patented augmented reality technology.

(via Barkhatov)

Barkhatov joins a series of others active in the AR furniture game.

Not the first thing I’d do with AR goggles, but pretty awesome nonetheless.

Ben does Merton on Chatroulette

Ben Folds ‘Ode to Merton’ on Chatroulette recorded live in concert. A bit of context on mashable here.

Mentos Beatbox Expertiser

Mentos Beat Box Expertiser – become an instant beatboxer

When Chatroulette Couldn’t Get Weirder – ManyCam

ManyCam is freeware that modifies your webcam video stream to give you augmented effects including adding a fiery trail to your movement, face-tracking masks and accessories, effects that are reminiscent of PhotoBooth, a distortion bar covering your eyes to remain somewhat anonymous, and the ability to draw on your video stream.

It’s augmented reality for your webcam stream.  Just in case you were already getting bored with Chatroulette.

via Matthew Szymczyk on Ad Age.

iLingual iPhone app

A clever idea by Lean Mean Fighting Machine for Emirates that’s a modified version of the ‘mouth off’ app – iLingual (itunes link) lets you select a translated phrase in French, German, and Arabic and combines it with a picture of your mouth so it looks like you’re speaking in the language.