beds

Ambitious geek parents who want to build "Star Wars"-themed furniture for their kids have a lot to live up to. After all, we've already seen an impressive handmade AT-AT bed. That didn't stop Imgur user DarthDaddy42 from tackling the creation of an X-wing fighter bunk bed for his son.

The bunk bed consists of a large X-wing on top and a full sleeping space below (with "Star Wars" blankets, naturally). A ladder connects the two pieces, offering access to the cockpit above. There's a flat-screen TV aimed at the front window and an R2-D2 cooler to provide navigation and keep drinks chilled.… Read more

With Father's Day fast approaching, the kids in the Dutilly family have an extra big reason to show dad some love. Derek Dutilly built his young son an AT-AT bed.

The massive plywood and Masonite bed is decked out with PVC head cannons and entry/exit stairs with secret compartments for storing lightsabers, Jedi robes, and "Star Wars" Legos.

The bed is sized to allow the lucky kid to disappear to sleep inside the AT-AT body, but a window near the front lets the parents check in on their snoozing little Jedi. … Read more

Look out bedbugs. Technology is out to get you--again. Decades ago, using chemical pesticides, humanity seemed to have conquered the scourge of little bugs that were nibbling away at us while we slept, sometimes even while we were having nightmares about them. Then, about 10 years ago, after we discovered that pesticides were doing more than just wiping out bedbugs, they started to come back with a vengeance, like a bygone sci-fi franchise re-emerging to produce some lackluster prequels.

But while the nasty pests were busily frolicking from hotel rooms in Denver to movie theaters in New York, inventor Chris Goggin was having none of it. He designed a handheld bedbug detector that essentially works likes a dog's nose to literally sniff out the notoriously tiny and hard-to-find insects and their eggs.

Bedbugs don't carry any scary diseases, but the very concept of little bugs in your bed is just plain creepy and the bites can be itchy and irritating and prone to infection if not properly cleaned or treated, just like any other bug bite. All the more onerous is the fact that the creeps can normally be tricky to track down because they tend to hide in cracks and crevices, but Goggin's gadget leaves them nowhere to hide, instantly detecting their scent so you can toss your sheets in the drier to fry the little critters--or move to another county. … Read more

You doubtless know the old maxim about necessity being the mother of invention. So it was that recent spate of reports of a bedbug breakout in many cities was incentive enough to convince a New York iPhone app developer to get coding.

"Everyone's biggest fear is now bedbugs. It seems to be everywhere you turn--Bloomingdales, the Waldorf--you're hearing about it," said Adam Kotkin, CEO of Apps Genius.

His 11-person company today is releasing an app that will let people go online and map out reports of the latest bug infestations in 10 major American cities. It … Read more

This week, a heated argument breaks out over the cable TV regulatory landscape (we're sure you were just thinking about that as well). Plus, check out footage of a new laser weapon ready for use at LA County jails, and groove to some live music on the YouRock MIDI guitar.

More importantly, this may sound a lot like the classic "dog ate my homework" excuse, but it appears that the gremlins in our broadcast facility actually did eat the video version of this week's show (which aired live on Monday at 3 p.m. ET).

While we attempt to recover the video file, this episode is only available as audio at the moment (see the "Listen Now" player at the bottom of the page). If you need some visual stimulation while listening, feel free to flip through this slideshow of Scott and Dan modeling back-to-school backpacks.

… Read more

We've heard of sleep pod facilities in New York for sleep-deprived cubicle dwellers seeking some shut-eye. But here's a way to have your power nap upright while still appearing to keep to the spirit of a city that never sleeps.

This crazy contraption--by the amusing one-man Office for the Development of Substitute Materials--was actually tried and tested during a 40-minute snooze along Broadway as part of the Conflux 2009 festival, a gathering of artists, technologists, and urban adventurers.

Out of the box, you have a vertical bed that attaches conveniently to any subway ventilation grating for … Read more

Panasonic has created a robotic bed that can transform into a wheelchair, allowing the elderly or people with disabilities to get up without assistance.

Users can remain in the bed while it turns into a wheelchair. Half of the mattress rises and half lowers while a motorized unit beneath it automatically slides out from the bed.

While in chair mode, the robot can detect people and obstacles and help users avoid collisions, according to Panasonic.

A controller allows for driving and returning to the bed.

The mattress can also help people turn over in bed to prevent bedsores.

The bed'… Read more

Heavy sleepers rejoice. iLuv will soon be shipping an iPod clock radio that features not only dual-audio alarms but a "unique" vibrating bed shaking accessory that it claims will "wake even the deepest of sleepers."

The official name of the product is the iLuv iMM153 Desktop Dual Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker for iPod. It comes in four colors (black, blue, white, and pink) and will be shipping in July with an MSRP of $59.99. (More info here).

Personally, I'm waiting for the Desktop Dual Alarm Clock with Cattle Prod, but I guess this … Read more

"Join the mile-high club without the hassle of going to the airport," MotoArt says of its new Mile High Bed, which, like all of the company's products, is created from aircraft inventory.

At $35,000 (and no, those pretty flowers on the bedstand aren't included), this mod piece of furniture had better lift you to new altitudes of um, comfort and style. You could, after all, get a two-seat Cessna 152 for less. And seriously, if you're that intent on joining that proverbial action-in-the-sky club, might we suggest you just snag a couple of Southwest … Read more