Audi is known for making some quick fucking cars. Between the R8, RS4 and S4 Cabriolet, the German auto manufacturer is looking to up the ante with it’s 2009 RS6. Giving the RS4 treatment to the A6, the RS6 will feature a powerful 580 hp V10 engine that’s funneled air from twin flamethrowers turbochargers. Zero to sixty will only take 4.5 seconds and the top speed is electronically limited to 155 MPH. Add in 19-inch wheels and a ceramic brake system and you’ve got one of the most powerful cars on the road. Ferrari who?

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Volkswagen owners are really passionate about their cars. My buddy Raymond owns a GTI and puts like $10,000 into it each year. That’s a lot of money, so why not go for something a little more affordable? For $120, you can score this 1626 piece VW Beetle LEGO kit.

Based on a 1960 ‘Charlotte’ model, the VW is 16″ long and features moving parts and doors that open and close. I think that for $120, it’s a steal. You and your pals will have fun getting drunk and building it. That is, until you lose that one piece.
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Thanks to a team of German scientists, robotically-enabled laziness may soon be a reality. The good people at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart have revealed what they’re calling the prototype of a new generation of service robots,” the Care-O-bot 3. This one-armed robot can serve drinks and carry items from one room to another. It moves on a platform with “four separately steered and driven wheels” that allow it to travel in any direction. The Care-O-bot can identify objects thanks to color cameras, laser scanners, and a 3D range camera. The camera allow it to be directed with hand gestures as well as spoken commands. It can also learn to recognize unfamiliar items like cups and bottles.

The Fraunhofer folks say their robot is all about helping the handicapped, but it’s clearly also ideal for drunks. These Germans have their priorities straight. First they brought us Oktoberfest and now they’ve made this robot that basically can do nothing but serve booze. Care-O-bot 3 seems to be a long way off from being able to mop or wash dishes, but with its flexible highly articulated arm it can clean up small messes and carry items on command. Get this thing and one of those Roomba vacuums and you should be well on your way to living the dream of completely automated errands.

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How this device isn’t an April Fool’s joke is beyond me. Yeah, it’s that awesome. Created by Julius von Bismarck, the Image Fulgurator can remotely insert images into other people’s photographs. Through a complex setup involving a 35mm camera and light, you can aim the device at the scenery someone is photographing and a light sensor will insert your image when their flash goes off.

When the victim goes to develop the film or check the image on a display, they’ll be disappointed to find another photo overlaying their magnificent shot of the Times Square. You can make your own but it won’t be easy. You should watch the informative video above if you haven’t already. The soundtrack and style of it is amusing to say the least.

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German design firm Finite Elemente clearly has minimalism on the mind. This Modular Furniture System it offers is designed to promote entertainment and get you laid. Slide open one of the many drawers and you’ll find organizational tools like a wine rack and a slanted CD drawer.

Though the unknown price is sure to be costly, this furniture system is sure to turn your home into your own personal IKEA. Don’t act surprised when guests start demanding 50-cent hot dogs and swedish meatballs. With great design comes great responsibility. After the jump, more photos:

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Researches in Germany have developed a software that is capable of compiling shredded paper into its original form and content. The project was originally created in an attempt to reassemble 45 million police documents that were shredded into 600 million slices.

The pieces of torn documents are scanned on both sides, and the digital images are then analysed by a cluster of 16 computers for 25 features, including colour, shape, texture, handwriting and typeface

Technology has proven many things to us recently. One of those facts being, we can’t keep things hidden forever. Of course, unless you burn the shredded document, then dump the ashes into a volcano. For now, that’s safe. — Andrew Dobrow

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There’s no telling what leaks are real and which are just hoaxes. Supposedly, the photo above is the first look at the Sony Video Walkman, dubbed the NW-A800. The Walkman is regarded as Sony’s answer to the iPod Nano except for its very superior battery life for video playback. Sony Germany has a teaser photo and count down which is almost enough of a verification for our purposes, but for now we can only leave it up to speculation. Though the Video Walkman would be a pretty cool idea for those who prefer the video end of portable media. (more…)