A full scale Captain America shield blazoned with a blue encased white star and surrounded by the US of A’s red and white stripes can be yours! [Flickr]

Just take your time and pull out a boatload of red, white, and blue Legos like Ken Robichaud did (over at his LEGO themed Flickr account buriedbybrick), and get busy.

Much of the fun that LEGOs offers kids (ages five to one-hundred-five) is that the kits make one thing, and your own devilishly themed architecture experienced mind crafts another.

Unlimited possibilities open doors to recreating the Asgardian god Thor’s own all-powerful war hammer Mjölnir, which is used to brutally strike (and piss off) the Hulk in the recently released Marvel movie The Avengers.

The attention to detail that Robichaud puts into the ingenious life-size props discounts reason and unleashes innumerable possibilities of wearing the token wrist guards of Asgard and then having a brain-washed (via the Cosmic Cube) Hawkeye shatter them with a well-aimed shot from his LEGO bow and arrows.

LEGOs will splatter (or clack like square plastic often does) the wrist guards’ shreds to the ground unless a Captain America look-alike can swoop in and block the blow with his preternatural shield. As cool as the Hawkeye quiverful of customized incendiary LEGO arrows are, surely they cannot make a dent in the Captain’s LEGO shield!

In actuality, the idea of autonomous cars has been around since 1939 with the first robotic car introduced in 1980. It hasn’t been until recently that the technology has really caught up to make autonomous cars a reality. Google is the first developer, however, whose car has received a state driver’s license.

The car was tested on the highways and neighborhoods of Carson City and Las Vegas and is controlled by computers processing a combination of mapping data, radar, laser sensors and video feeds. The system regulates the brakes, acceleration and steering, though it is still a work in process as evidenced by a 5-car crash a year ago caused by a Google autonomous car.

Though the car can drive itself, humans can take control by turning the steering wheel or stepping on the gas pedal.

The Nevada DMV has reviewed Google’s safety plans, employee training, system functions and accident-reporting mechanisms for these cars and found it suitable enough to issue a license for these cars. The autonomous car will be distinguished from other cars with a red license plate and infinity symbol. In the future, should these autonomous cars become mass-produced, the infinity sign will appear on a green background.

Google is not the only company developing these cars. BMW has been testing driverless cars since 2005, Audi sent a driverless Audi TTS to the top of Pike’s Peak, GM is planning on releasing semi-autonomous cars by 2015 and fully-autonomous ones by 2020 and Mercedes has announced their autonomous S-class car that will drive itself at speeds of up to 25mph.

Autonomous cars will not only prevent crashes, it can also potentially reduce oil consumption, alleviate parking scarcity, reduce need for road signage, and even reduce or eliminate car insurance. There’s a lot of issues that need to be worked out, but this is definitely the wave of the future.

And it is comfy!

The heavily touted Minimus features the same sock-like liner made to endure bare feet as the NewSky, but this lighter shoe is not a runner (unlike most of New Balance’s specialties, folks).

The NewSky shoes are specifically meant for normal everyday walking and living with barefoot goodness and it only weighs upwards of 4 ounces and change, as its crafted using 73 percent less material than the average New Balance running shoe.

And damn they look sexy in both the men’s and women’s models (just do not buy them if you’re afraid of gray, because that’s New Balance’s thing and the spectrum of colors are nearly all based on that).

The hipsters and minimalists will adore these extremely comfortable and supportive shoes that feature a 4mm drop from heel to toe with the foam sole, just like the minimus, and eye-jarring laces that contrast aptly with the sleek gray exterior made from 95 percent post-consumer recycled PET (plastic) bottles that feels like velvet.

New Balance actually intends these bad boys and girls to be worn as recovery shoes, so that you would come home from a gnarly run and slip into these snazzy NewSky shoes to travel the less strenuous day-to-day walking.

The bottoms even resemble a similar nub-happy design to the minumus, which brings to mind the acorn-stepping commercial and some of the best New balance comfort that I’ve enjoyed over the years (running, hiking, and walking). The only gripe that I have is the current ninety dollar price tag, so I would suggest getting NewSky at the outlets.

Rossiter is no stranger to biological robots, in fact he has created robots (EcoBots) that contain a microbial fuel cell that mimics actual digestion and can process things like fruit instead of running off things like fossil fuels or batteries. On top of that, the cells also mimic respiration where oxygen is provided to an electrochemical half-cell to create useful energy.

Since the bots don’t require any recharge, they are completely autonomous and will stop working once the work is completed (or if/when food supplies run out).

With $350,000 worth of funding from Leverhulme Trust, Rossiter and partner Ioannis Ieropoulos from the Bristol Robotics Laboratory plan on making these bots even more suitable for the “release and forget situations” by making them biodegradable. This element allows for these bots to be used perfectly for things like environmental cleanup as they will work until the job is completed then “die” and biodegrade into harmless material.

In addition, companies that employ these bots will, in the long run, end up saving a lot of money since there will be no need to track, reclaim, and dismantle them.

At the moment, there’s no real word on what materials these robots are made of and while there have been trial tests on the microbial fuel cell, the technology is still in its infancy. Still, with all the potential applications of these biodegradable robots, it wouldn’t be surprising to see environmentally minded scientists pursue this course of study.

The “Foam Fighters” video game combines two expertly crafted and air-worthy foam airplanes with a realistic and incredibly fun WWII-like flying simulator App.

The package might say ages 9+, but my six-year-old niece craves this game, and I greatly enjoy it (being a bit older than six myself).

AppGear has been combining free Apps – that are adept at their game’s purpose, such as flying and fighting in this case – with props that function as fun add-ons that stick via a suction cup to the tablet or smart phone the players are using.

And I cannot understate this: having a WWII fighter plane on a stand that can be angled to give you a perfect view of the screen and the soaring foam fighter just beyond the game’s horizon is a great illusion that adds to the action; but what I find most intriguing is that the foam fighters actually glide, and are built extremely well to fly better than the old foam plane kits that we all bought from the ice cream man from time to time.

These foam fighters are balanced and shaped to glide amazingly, once the battery of the iPhone dies, because the actual “Foam Fighters” App, which is free, is a ton of fighter plane firing fun.

What catches the player’s attention immediately is the sound: the music and effects are echoing the windy skies and the loud and clunky WWII plane engines. The pitch, yaw, and throttle all play out and train the player as if they were a real pilot, as the tablet is tilted left and right and angled up and down and all around to guide the gorgeous aircraft toward the enemy!

For anyone that has ever loved a realistic flight simulator and even just a pair of foam planes that glide like a champ, AppGear’s “Foam Fighters” package is an excellent buy at ten bucks.

This small but capable trike is equipped with a 3000w electric motor and powered by a 60v Lithium Iron Phosphate pack that boasts a top speed of 40mph and a range of 30 miles.

What really makes this scooter interesting is the patented front end linkage that provides even the most beginner riders with a sense of stability that is otherwise lacking from two wheeled models. Not only is the design intuitive but, the three wheeled stance also allows for safe operation in snow, mud, and ice… something that is next to impossible on a standard motorcycle (I speak from experience).

As a longtime rider of anything with two wheels, I tossed a softball question designer, Joe Wilcox – why not just ride a motorcycle or scooter?

“The short answer is that Sway provides the thrill and performance of a motorcycle or a scooter — that flight-like feeling of leaning into turns — without the associated risk of falling over that comes with balancing on two wheels.”

The video he shared provides a more in depth explanation.

Excited? Don’t get out your checkbook just yet, currently the Sway is just a prototype.

The good news, Sway Motorsports is readying for a limited production run in 2013 while currently seeking investment to expedite that ship date.

When asked for a ballpark cost, the creator replied by saying “Ballpark we are shooting for is between $7k and $10k once full production is underway. We hope to narrow this figure soon.”

[via Sway Motorsports]

Apple thought they had outdone themselves by building magnets into the iPad 2 and the 3^rd generation iPad that could attach to a thin and flexible protective Smart Cover case with numerous screen propping abilities that sold for a cool thirty-nine bucks.

For all of the technophiles out there who have waited from the shadowed corners of their cubicles for a slim and sexy case to outduel Apple and the co-worker that had to make your iPad 2 look like a dinosaur with their 3^rd gen standing up in a Smart Cover to play an episode of Mad Men on the screen, Logitech has given you the artillery to fire back!

The Ultrathin Keyboard Cover not only brings a sturdy and slim case to the iPad’s magnets, but combines another tool: making it a cover and keyboard hybrid device.

The Ultrathin Keyboard Cover snaps sleekly to the iPad, shutting off or turning on the tablet as you cover and uncover the screen.

When in use, the iPad slides into a magnetic groove like butter at an optimum viewing angle in either the portrait or landscape position.

You might want to throw out that two-year-old laptop, or at the least smirk contently as your gadget wielding co-workers’ jaws collectively hit the floor while you type easily and adeptly on the MacBook-like Keyboard.

Logitech has long been a pioneer and champion in computer accessories and for less than a hundred bucks the Ultrathin Keyboard Cover can protect your iPad while putting it in another gear for typing.

Most recently, the CFL (the ones that looks like curly pig tails) has been the most accessible replacement but, despite its energy savings, CFL’s require proper disposal because the bulbs contain mercury. Should the bulb be thrown out normally, the bulb could break and the mercury could leak into the ground and eventually make its way to the water supply. This is NOT the future.

In 2011, The Department of Energy announced that the Phillips LED bulb won the L Prize competition (Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize). On Earth day it will be available in various stores in New York City while supplies last, though the bulbs will be sold online nationwide.

The 60W bulb actually only uses 10 watts of energy and and has the same color quality as a standard incandescent. The bulb itself is touted to have a lifespan of 25 years, which would offset the initial cost of $49.97 and on top of that, the bulb would give back an energy savings of $6/year.

Plus you get to have a really cool lightbulb. Everyone has cool sneakers, computer or whatever, but how many people can say that they’ve got an awesome looking lightbulb?

Despite the positive response to the light, Phillips hasn’t sold nearly enough to be able to redeem the $10 million prize and most likely won’t be able to unless they drop prices, though they are working with several utility companies to offer $20-30 rebates on the bulbs.

There’s certainly a way to go when it comes to lighting and $50 is a pretty hefty price tag for a single lightbulb. Still, as technology advances and other companies begin to create more energy efficient bulbs, it shouldn’t be too long until the price tag drops to more affordable prices.

At fifteen inches tall, the Voice Activated R2-D2 responds to 40 different commands!

It might cost just shy of two hundred big ones, but when your own R2-D2 gives you lip in the form of an audible swirly, and then having to say, “R2, behave yourself!” to get him to listen to you again is just priceless.

Blast the cantina music from the first Star Wars film and watch as R2 breaks out into a shaking dance that we all know and love so well.

“Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” This R2-D2 bot replays famous lines and sounds from the entire Star Wars franchise, making our office, homes, and schools into “a galaxy far far away” from our own mundane Milky Way.

If your co-worker just doesn’t get Star Wars, (as they sneer at your geek mentions with disdain) then be sure to send in R2 to sound alarms, or follow the less than friendly non-believer around the cubicle maze for outright hilarity. R2-D2 is very real!

This droid wheels himself around with the help of an infrared sensor that helps him follow behind you, or it can be set to detect motion, turning R2 into a room sentry that sounds an alarm when a secured area is invaded. R2′s lights, swiveling dome top, and distinctive happy and sad sounds faithfully mimic the real thing.

And folks, this R2 really is programmed to play tag, if you want him to.

Picture the cubicle all but secured via your troll army except at the inevitable opening. Since you cubicle-fortress has no door, there is nothing to stand in the way of your boss simply slipping past the guard and eavesdropping on your Facebook chat. That is unless a Star Trek RED ALERT siren sounds off as soon as the pink tie crosses the cubicle gate’s threshold!

How does this science fiction become reality, you ask?

Well the communicator clone has a motion sensor that detects whenever someone walks through the doorway (genius).

This Star Trek communicator wall unit does everything except have a Klingon leader screaming bloody hell on the other end after pressing the button yields the patented Communicator Whistle.

Science fiction has never been more vintage or sexier than it is now that these functioning communicator replicas from the TV show Star Trek: The Original Series are freely available to be installed easily into anyone’s home or spaceship.

For less than thirty bucks on ThinkGeek, you can purchase your own Star Trek Electronic Door Chime (though sadly the AA batteries are not included).

First Officer’s Log: Star Date 999899976599999

There seems to be a litter of . . . my God . . . Tribbles!