Ky Michaelson, or The Rocketman as he's known in some circles, doesn't trudge through the frozen winter tundra like the rest of us. His custom-built rocket sled is modeled after a miniature Radio Flyer. Of course, his features machined aluminum rails, oak planks, front-mounted steering bars, speedometer, and, oh right, a freaking rocket strapped to the back. But our favorite part of the rocket sled isn't the sled itself. It's that The Rocketman is testing his creation near some families who were probably happily ice skating on that pond before some lunatic Apocalypse Now'd the otherwise tranquil atmosphere, replacing the aroma of roasted chestnuts and hot chocolate with spent rocket fuel. [Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
The unmanned lawnmower is nothing new, but we still think there's something downright iffy about arming a Roomba with sharp metal blades. That said, if you've been dying to get in on the action, SmartMow might be worth checking out. Set to hit the stores in Spring '09 for $749 (much cheaper than some other robo-mowers), the thing weighs 17 pounds, features three cutting blades, will cut around a sixth of an acre on a single charge (about 2-3 hours), and is auto-docking. As far as knowing where to mow, SmartMow eschews sci-fi grass detection algorithms and rudimentary artificial intelligence in favor of the tried but true method of marking off your mowable yard with an edge wire. The best thing about the bot, however, may be its educational value -- not only will it teach your kids about robotics, it will also show them how people with money can buy their way out of doing chores. 
