Episode 5: How do the students on each Cambridge campus feel about Harvard's new engineering school? (To get the background on this video, read "Engineering the Harvard Engineer: One man's determined quest to make Harvard a contender in engineering—after 372 years" at http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/apr08/6097.

Tags: ieee spectrum harvard mit engineering rivalry education college

Episode 4: IEEE Spectrum robotics blogger Mikell Taylor reviews the latest robot kits to find the right one for you or your kids. For more of Mikell's tips, check her out on the Automaton blog at http://blogs.spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/

Tags: ieee spectrum automaton robots kits robotics DIY robotis bioloid erector spykee lego mindstorm first irobot create

IEEE spectrum (http://spectrum.ieee.org) takes you inside Kiva Systems' robotic warehouse, where orange robots make inventory move instead of workers. Over time the system becomes increasingly efficient, with the robots learning from the wisdom of the crowd. To read more about Kiva Systems and how their robots work, check out the article at http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/jul08/6380.

Tags: ieee spectrum robot robotics warehouse kiva systems electronics gadget computer vision engineering automation inventory

Episode 3: How two satellite systems combine to give meteorologists a better view of the atmosphere.

Tags: ieee spectrum technology COSMIC satellites GPS weather atmosphere forecast typhoon electronics aviation space

Episode 2: Find out why the Jaguar XF, BMW X6, and the Lincoln MKS made this year's list and see them in action

Tags: ieee spectrum technology auto cars new york show lincoln mks jaguar xf bmw x6 automotive sync device link electronics

Episode 1: Turning thought to action, powering and protecting the Galapagos, & teaching tiny robots to fly

Tags: ieee spectrum full technology electronics computer brain interface galapagos wind power robotic fly prosthetic

The theme of New York City's Digital Experience was "Welcome to the Jungle." IEEE Spectrum (spectrum.ieee.org) editor Steven Cherry found out that even electronics shows can smell like urine.

Tags: digital experience IEEE spectrum 2008 08 welcome to the jungle coatmundi electronics gadget animal

Full size implementation of Charles Babbage's Difference Engine at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif.

Tags: IEEE Spectrum Charles Babbage Diffference Engine Computer History. computer mechanics gadget

John Maushammer shrinks down classic video games to fit them on your wrist. He talked to IEEE Spectrum about how he builds the watches and how they work (the Pong watch tells the time through the score).

Tags: pong watch asteroids maker faire fair 2008 08 san mateo IEEE Spectrum video game electronics gadget diy

IEEE Spectrum stopped by Tod Kurt's booth, where he was showing off smart LEDs he calls Blinkm. Each one is essentially a RGB LED with a microcontroller on the back, so that it's easy to control color and output. Tod sells the device at http://thingm.com/products/blinkm.

Tags: smart led microcontroller maker faire fair 2008 08 san mateo IEEE Spectrum light display RGB diy electronics gadget

Anyone can hook up a speaker to make a robot talk, but Mike Brady wants his Voxhead to use it's own vocal cavity. What's more, he really made Voxhead to explore learning, so the bot has to listen to itself to correct its speech (which, at this point, is more like singing). For more info, visit http://www.fluidbase.com/mike/projects/VoxHead

Tags: voxhead robot vocal tract maker faire fair 2008 08 san mateo IEEE Spectrum diy artificial brain research speech learnin

It's everyone's favorite droid! IEEE Spectrum talked with R2-D2 builder Steve Simmons at Maker Faire to find out how the Star Wars droids work. (For more, check out http://www.artoo-detoo.net/)

Tags: r2 d2 r2-d2 star wars android droid maker faire fair 2008 08 san mateo IEEE Spectrum diy electronics robot robotics

Robert Wood's robotic flies are currently featured in MOMA's "Design and the Elastic Mind" exhibit in New York. They're definitely an engineering work of art, as the first insect-sized robots with the ability to lift themselves off the ground(read more at http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/mar08/6017).

Tags: robot fly robotic IEEE Spectrum Rober Wood MOMA design elastic mind insect sized electronics mechanics

IEEE Spectrum stopped by Eric Schlaepfer's booth, where he had made a bunch of clocks using vintage nixie and cathode ray tubes. He's also working on restoring vintage oscillograph machines from as far back as the 1930's.

Tags: nixie tube clock cathode ray maker faire fair 2008 08 san mateo IEEE Spectrum diy electronic gadget vintage oscillograph

IEEE Spectrum held a Maker Faire contest for digital clock makers. Keith Bayern won with his clock made only of transistors and other discrete components, with no integrated circuits. To find out more about Keith's clock go to www.transistor-clock.com.

Tags: transistor digital clock contest maker faire fair 2008 08 san mateo IEEE Spectrum diy electronics gadget

IEEE Spectrum caught up with Andrew Turley, who had turned an archival tool into a musical instrument. Using a simple photodiode, the keyboard plays notes based on how light the center of the screen is.

Tags: microfiche band maker faire fair 2008 08 san mateo IEEE Spectrum midi diy electronics gadget keyboard photo diode

The Guitar Zeros use Guitar Hero controllers to produce a range of synthesized sounds.

Tags: maker faire fair 2008 08 san mateo IEEE Spectrum guitar hero zeros midi diy electronics synthesizer

The Computer History Museum was on hand with a working model of Charles Babbage's Difference Engine No. 2. The real device, essentially a mechanical, Victorian-era calculator, will go on display next week.

Tags: Maker faire fair computer diy mechanics charles babbage museum engine 2008 08 IEEE Spectrum

IEEE Spectrum looked around Maker Faire for some of the coolest projects. These mouse robots follow a beam of light and have bump-sensing whiskers and tails.

Tags: maker faire fair 2008 08 san mateo IEEE Spectrum mouse robot diy electronics robotics kit

This tricky photo layout used 3-D virtualization software in development at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center

Tags: xerox parc origami virtualization printing