Bosch

Bosch robot lawn mower gives you more hammock time

Why waste your summer cutting grass yourself? Get a machine to do it. Robot lawn mowers are nothing new, but Bosch is introducing one that's apparently more automated than competitors.

The Bosch Indego is an electric, autonomous mower that can cut up to 10,700 square feet of grass with little supervision, according to IEEE Spectrum.

All you need to do is install a guide wire on the edge of your lawn to keep the Indego in. It will automatically skirt all obstacles on your lawn including your pink flamingos, croquet mallets, and flower beds. … Read more

QR code tattoo generates random links

Deciding on a tattoo pretty much means you're stuck with an image for life. To combat staleness, Fred Bosch chose a tattoo that will never look the same twice.

Bosch had a QR code inked onto the inside of his forearm. Scanning it is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get.

The code may pop up with a GIF of a couple of headbangers swinging their hair around, or a recent tweet, a phrase, a video, or a weather report. Bosch calls it the first-ever random tattoo.… Read more

If only Brewbot could truly transform

Imagine having your morning cuppa joe served by a charming little humanoid robot--just like in the neat ad above and below.

"What can I get for you?" Brewbot asks in the TV commercial after performing an impressive transformation from ordinary kitchen appliance to bipedal robo-barista.

Kraft Foods' Tassimo Brewbot is a coffeemaker that can whip up seven beverages including coffee, espresso, and latte. It uses single-serve "T-discs" from makers like Maxwell House and Twinings; the discs have brewing instructions embedded in barcodes.

That's all very well and nice, and I'm sure Brewbot's coffee … Read more

Bosch supplies Nissan navigation

DETROIT--Robert Bosch GmbH is supplying the navigation system installed in the Nissan Rogue compact crossover and Juke small crossover. The system will be standard in the Rogue SV and Juke SV and optional in the Juke SL.

Bosch's dashboard unit includes AM/FM, satellite radio, and a CD player. It also plays MP3 music files via a USB slot or auxiliary input. The navigation system provides route guidance with visual or audio cues. The unit displays nearby gas stations, parking lots, restaurants, hotels, and other points of interest. The system also indicates real-time traffic conditions and calculates the shortest … Read more

A cooktop that does the work for you

My husband's favorite food is chicken schnitzel--that is, fried breaded boneless chicken breasts. There is a fine dance I have to do to make this haute cuisine--heat the oil, gauge the exact moment when it is the right temperature, place the chicken in the pan, and then--pray. Yes, pray that I can get the inside of the chicken cooked through without burning the breading on the outside and setting off the smoke alarm in my home.

Bosch AutoChef sensor cooking, on the 800 Series induction and electric cooktops, is the answer to my prayers. Using a premium aluminum core … Read more

Leak-proof laundry from Bosch

Some years ago, I awoke to find a very large puddle of water on the floor around my laundry machines--never a good sign. It was made much worse by the fact that the floors in that area were newly installed laminate. Not fun.

You can avoid my tale of tragedy and woe if you get a washer from Bosch with its new AquaStop Leak Protection System. In the event of a leak in the machine or the hoses, AquaStop kicks in to stop the water. It automatically shuts off the unit and pumps out all the water in the machine … Read more

Navigation screen is suppliers' window of opportunity

In January, Nissan Motor will steer what has been mainly a luxury-car feature--the navigation screen--into new territory when it offers the standalone option in the Sentra compact for $400.

The color screen, supplied by Robert Bosch, provides navigation but also can be connected to an iPod or MP3 player and a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone.

The nav screen has become like the iPhone for cars--a gold mine for suppliers striving to provide applications such as traffic reports, parking-assist systems, and backup cameras.

This year automakers will install about 1.4 million navigation systems worth $2.6 billion in vehicles sold in North America, according to iSuppli, a Los Angeles consulting firm that tracks sales of consumer electronics. That's up from 890,000 systems worth $1.8 billion installed in 2004.

"By 2016, one in three cars will have a navigation system of some sort," says Phil Magney, vice president of iSuppli's automotive practice. If that prediction pans out, nav screens could be standard equipment in about 5.4 million vehicles sold annually in North America, he says.

Lots of action Functions are proliferating on navigation screens. Active parking assist on Ford and Toyota vehicles Telephone controls Traffic and points-of-interest information Controls for the radio and air conditioner Route guidance Fuel economy performance information for hybrids Live video from backup camera TV programs

Bar-code coffee bar makes effortless brew

It's always been a dream to have kitchen appliances know what we want for dinner--or if not what we want to eat, at least how to make it. From the popcorn button on our microwaves to toaster ovens with preset functions, kitchen appliances have always strived to be more accommodating to our wants and needs. While we may not yet have fully integrated kitchens, we do at least have a continuing trend of smart appliances geared to automatically make adjustments as needed.

The Bosch Tassimo Titanium Single-Serve Beverage Brewer takes a familiar technology and uses it to facilitate effortless … Read more

Streamline your small appliances

In my kitchen, I'm fortunate enough to have an appliance garage. My bread machine, food processor, blender, rice cooker, and sandwich press all get crammed into that space. It's lovely--I close the garage doors, and my counters look, if not pristine, then at least relatively clutter-free. But it's not easy to fit all those appliances into the small space the garage affords.

I'm seriously considering an appliance I recently discovered: the Universal Plus Kitchen Machine from Bosch. This is a seriously cool stand mixer that can function as a blender, mixer with dough hook, food processor, … Read more

Brabus Smart fortwo CDI vs. go-kart (video)

Garage 419 host Matt Farah was recently handed the keys to a Brabus Smart fortwo CDI, but because this particular fortwo was a prototype from Bosch Clean Diesel, he wasn't allowed to take it to a race track. So he did the next best thing and took it to a go-kart track where he pitted the 40 horsepower, 74 pound-feet of torque of the Brabus Smart against a 6.5 horsepower racekart. Should be an easy win, right?

Hilarity ensues.

[Source: Garage419.com]