Articles at InventorSpot.com

As most of you have probably noticed, everyone's still booming about the Google/Boston Dynamics acquisition. Many people seem focused on one particular: how creepy many of the designer's robots look. I won't argue with the sentiment. Instead, I'm going to look at the reason behind it.

This week's indie game is what I expect you'd get if you took Terraria, pumped it full of enough science fiction tropes and tech to fill an encyclopedia, and crafted a universe of planets which is effectively infinite. What's more, it's still in beta. Ladies and gents, say hello to Starbound.

Taking naps during the day can be a gift and a curse. A midday nap can lead to a more productive afternoon, but can also lead to grogginess, which in turn can lead to a lack of productivity. What if there was a product that gradually woke you up and didn't figuratively slap you with a blaring alarm? The Napwell might be the answer. Napwell hopes to eliminate nap drowsiness with a sleep mask that gradually wakes you up.

It appears when Ben Mezrich penned his tell-all book about the early beginnings of Facebook and included the bon mots "money" and "betrayal" in its title, he had paved a path for another to follow. After all if one social network could be launched on greed and deception, couldn't others? Good ole Machiavellian ethics may be as old as time, but it appears to be the common denominator for both...

Bees are amazing little creatures that provide us with so much -- from honey to pollination. Now we can add one more thing that they can do for us. Portuguese scientist Susana Soares has created a device that allows specially trained bees to detect cancer in a human based on the scent of their breath. Remarkably, it only takes a mere ten minutes to train the bee to perform this valuable service.

Female condoms are making a come back. The FC2 protects women from sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, and even increases their pleasure. It competes with with more than 7 other female condoms, like VA Wow, the Woman's condom, and soon, the Origami. Popular in China, Colombia, and South Africa, they are available in 138 countries around the world.

Web-based 3D rendering platform Lagoa, Mega Bloks and GrabCad have teamed up to test how creative designers and innovators will reimagine their fancy 3D model of a remote controlled toy truck. They’re looking to hand out cash and great prizes to their favorite designs, so let your imagination go wild!

With just over a week to go until Christmas, you may be coming down to serious crunch time on getting those presets purchased and in the house. For a lot of people this means going online and ordering like crazy. The only problem is keeping track of all of those purchases, when they are shipping, and when they arrive. Now you can track them all with the Slice Online Shopping Tracking App on your Smartphone.

The world's smallest pacemaker made it through the first-in-human implant this week. Irregular heart beats just got easier (and prettier) to manage. 

Google today acquired Boston Dynamics, one of the worlds foremost developers of advanced robotics. This marks the eighth robotics company Google's purchased in six months, and a clear indication that the search giant has some very significant plans. Hopefully, those don't involve world conquest.

Microsoft announced today that in the very near future, it intends to begin introducing original, Xbox Live-exclusive TV shows to its multimedia line-up. According to television executive Nancy Tellem, everything should be more or less ready to go within the first few months of the New Year.

It's not just the elderly that experience the loss of hearing.  We boomers spent a good deal of our youths blasting our auditory hair cells to bits with the Rolling Stones et als.  Hearing aids are not cheap and may not even be suitable for everyone, having their own drawbacks, but there are plenty of gadgets available that can help hard-of-hearing folks in specific situations like watching TV, conversation, hearing signals in your home or car, or talking on the phone, and they're helpful even if you do use hearing aids.

Whether you live on your own or with your parents, or if your house is big or small, cleaning and maintenance are essential aspects to every home. From the seasonal cleaning to the light touch up, there is always something that needs to be cleaned. Luckily, technology is making our lives easier by creating some useful and interesting equipment that can practically clean your home for you. Here's some of the best:

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in China, thanks to the country's many odd, offbeat and occasionally off-putting interpretations of Santa Claus. Though their origins can be found in traditional western depictions of Father Christmas, these sinicized Saint Nick knockoffs have strayed a lot further... into the nightmarish realm of the bizarre!

We are all in favor of joining in the Christmas spirit, celebrating with family and friends and enjoying the joys of gifting. We are even in favor of decorating for the holidays, bringing lights and cheer into a dark time of year. However, there really needs to be a limit to the festivity, don't you think?  At some point, being festive crosses the line to being ridiculous. Many folks love dressing up for the holidays, but some folks go overboard to the extreme. Doing something festive with your hair is one example of  where you can easily overdo it. Here are my picks for 11 Holiday Hairstyles Sure To Shock Santa:

In celebration of China's successful landing of the Jade Rabbit moon rover, scale model replicas of “Yutu” in zinc alloy and silver have been made available for retail sale.

Tattoos aren't for everyone as they require a big commitment. What you think you want on your body today may not seem like such a good idea in another decade or two. Plus there's also that whole pain factor, and if even pulling up your big girl/boy pants doesn't make you brave enough, then no matter how much you like the look of tattoos, you'll be out of luck.

Christmas tree decorating – do you stick with a theme, let the kids do it, get creative with the tree itself? The options are endless. Here are some of most unique, awsome and a little crazy "trees" we’ve found this season.