Researchers at Cornell University, the University of Chicago, and the iRobot Corporation have been trying to find a way for a robot hand can grip a variety of objects. The end result of their efforts is a party balloon filled with coffee grounds:

They call it a universal gripper, as it conforms to the object it's grabbing, rather than being designed for particular objects, said Hod Lipson, Cornell associate professor of mechanical engineering and computer science.[...]

"This is one of the closest things we've ever done that could be on the market tomorrow," Lipson said. He noted that the universality of the gripper makes future applications seemingly limitless, from the military using it to dismantle explosive devises or to move potentially dangerous objects, robotic arms in factories, on the feet of a robot that could walk on walls, or on prosthetic limbs.

Link via Fast Company | Photo: John Amend

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In the above video, Clayton Boyer shows how oddly-shaped gears can function smoothly. Okay, the square gears shouldn't be a surprise. But then he moves on to ovals, then fish, and then things that look like Rorschach inkblots.

via Gizmodo | Official Website

Previously by Clayton Boyer: Create Your Own Amazing Wooden Clock

Designer Hiroki Takada made a chair that's shaped like a traditional Japanese tea whisk:

made from bamboo the chair's design is based around a traditional tea whisk used in japanese tea ceremonies. the base is split into thinner slats which forms the elastic like backrest.

Link via Dude Craft | Photo by the artist

Ben Heckendorn made a see-through shirt as a Halloween costume. It consists of a LCD screen on the front and a camera on the back. The camera projects images onto the screen, so it looks like you're seeing a hole through Heckendorn's body.

Link via technabob | Photo: Ben Heck

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Bookmans is a used bookstore chain in Arizona. They made this commercial that uses books as falling lines of dominoes.

via Urlesque | Official Website

Megan Mountford made lollipop-sized pizzas. Each one is about three inches across. At the link, you can find detailed instructions about how to make your own, as well as how to make calzone lollipops.

Link via Geekosystem

The would-be robber used a bottle of salad dressing as an improvised weapon. The storekeeper responded by pulling out a gun:

DeLand police said a teenager threatened to shoot a store owner Friday when he robbed a convenience store, but he didn't show a gun.

More than a hour later, the 16-year-old went to another business — and that time there was a gun. But it was in the hand of the store owner, who pulled his weapon after the DeLand High School student grabbed a bottle of salad dressing off the shelf and threatened him with it.[...]

Police said the teen acted boldly when he approached the counter with the bottle of salad dressing over his head. But when the owner pointed his gun at him, the teen said: "OK, I'll get out." As he walked out the door, a responding police officer apprehended and arrested him.

Link via Say Uncle | Photo (unrelated) by Flickr user Richard Faulder used under Creative Commons license

Stephanie Ortigue of Syracuse University conducted a study about the neurochemical reactions involved in falling in love. She found that different types of love are addressed by different parts of the brain.

For example, unconditional love, such as that between a mother and a child, is sparked by the common and different brain areas, including the middle of the brain. Passionate love is sparked by the reward part of the brain, and also associative cognitive brain areas that have higher-order cognitive functions, such as body image.

Ortigue also said (or at least the article about her study said) that falling in love takes one fifth of a second. That part of the article didn't make a lot of sense to me, but perhaps Neatoramanauts more literate in biochemistry can explain.

Link via Ace of Spades HQ | Photo by Flickr user Garry Knight used under Creative Commons license

Artist Jud Turner of Eugene, Oregon, made this sculpture out welded steel. It's about 44 inches long and is callled "MortalCycle". In his artist's statement, he writes:

Using welded steel and found objects, I create artwork which embraces opposites -- the tension between humans and nature; the perils of balancing biology and technology; or the combination of ancient fossils with modern machinery. I also engage contradictions by the materials I choose -- human forms which appear solid and realistic, but which were made with a delicate surface of thin wire, allowing the viewer to see through the figure; or by mixing the sense of scale in a piece, using large items alongside tiny pieces.

Link via Geekologie | Photo by the artist

Previously: Skeleton Bicycle

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Between Episode III and Episode IV, Obi-Wan Kenobi worked as a private detective. This funny short film by the production company Melk Bottle fills in a lot of the gaps in the Star Wars storyline.

via blastr | Official Website

An eBay seller in Sydney, Australia, offers this wooden engine. Presumably it doesn't function. From the description:

The entire engine, including the manifold is handcrafted out of wood. The engine is based on the Ferrari 365GTB V12 engine. It's about the same size as the original engine and weights about 25kg or 50lbs.

There are ten more pictures at the link.

Link via GearFuse

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Paul Meier and other scholars of the history of the English Language have reconstructed what they believe to be the way in which English words were pronounced during the time of Shakespeare. He's staging a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" next month in that original pronunciation:

“American audiences will hear an accent and style surprisingly like their own in its informality and strong r-colored vowels,” Meier said. “The original pronunciation performance strongly contrasts with the notions of precise and polished delivery created by John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier and their colleagues from the 20th century British theater.”

The above video is a sample of the original pronunciation.

Link via Geekosystem

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Gaia Vince of New Scientist compiled a huge list -- with video links -- of popular songs about science. My favorite wasn't mentioned. It's "Put It to the Test" by They Might Be Giants. This song introduces the scientific method.

What's your favorite song about science?

Link via Marginal Revolution

Etsy seller It's a Stitch makes all sorts of crafts, but her embroidered items are special treats, such as the above Futurama-inspired piece. She's also embroidered diagrams for popular chemical compounds, like caffeine.

Link via technabob

The Excalibur is a climbing wall at the Klimcentrum Bjoeks, a climbing center in Groningen, The Netherlands. It's the tallest climbing wall in the world, standing at 121 feet with a 36-foot overhang.

Photographer Eric Kieboom took many excellent pictures of this wall, 14 of which are available in his Flickr photostream. He suspended his camera from a kite line for the overhead shots.

Official Site (in Dutch) and Photos via OhGizmo! | Photo: Eric Kieboom