Includes: 3-D Printing Handcuff Keys, the Anti-Mugging Umbrella, Space Litter and Frog Soda. Plus: an RFID Rube Goldberg Contraption.

The Anti-Mugging Umbrella
Those worried about both crime and rain can now take comfort, as a specialized umbrella with crime-deterrent capabilities in now on the market. The Unbreakable Umbrella produced by Real Self-Defense is designed to have the strength of a steel pipe while only weighing 1 pound 11 ounces.

According to the manufacturers, the umbrella can be a useful self-defense weapon, especially when combined with some knowledge of martial arts or fencing, and is already proving a popular item among customers in the United Kingdom and Europe, the Telegraph (UK) reports.

The product, according to Real Self-Defense, “has no unusual parts, no more metal than an average umbrella, it does not arouse suspicion, can be carried legally everywhere where any weapons are prohibited.”

The makers released a promotional video showing an expert testing the umbrella’s strength. Nothing beats watching someone use an umbrella to smash watermelons and go to town on a punching bag. Muggers beware:

(Source: Real Self-Defense via OhGizmo)

Making Handcuff Keys on a 3-D Printer
A German man recently demonstrated the potential for printing handcuff keys on a 3-D printer. Even more impressive was that the keys were functional and could open the official handcuffs used by Dutch police, according to Blackbag, a lock-picking enthusiasts’ blog (via BoingBoing).

Aside from startling law enforcement officials, the exercise also displayed the wide-ranging capabilities of 3-D printing technology, which allows an enterprising do-it-yourselfer to fabricate complex designs from home.

The homemade handcuff keys were presented at Hacking at Random 2009, an international technology and security conference. The man who printed the keys also made their design available online, though authorities are now well-aware of their existence thanks to his presentation.

“At least the Dutch Police now knows there is a plastic key on the market that will open their handcuffs. A plastic key undetectable by metal detectors…” Blackbag notes.

Though the technological possibilities are exciting, any would-be key printers should take note of the legal implications, as a Florida man was recently arrested and charged with possession of two concealed handcuff keys, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison, the Miami Herald reports.

Space Littering
Although tidier planets have yet to lodge a complaint, Earth has been littering into space at a tremendous rate for the past 50 years. Recently released image models from NASA’s Earth Observatory show approximately 19,000 man-made objects larger than 10 centimeters orbiting Earth as of July 2009. A significant portion of these objects are no longer in use, merely circling our globe as debris.

Despite the February 11 crash between United States and Russian satellites, NASA insists that “[c]ollisions between large objects are fairly rare. The orbit of each piece is well known.”

Despite the reassurance, this image from high Earth orbit proves our planet is the litterbug of the solar system:

Click image for larger view.
Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

Cracking Down on Frog Soda
A man in Florida recently discovered what appeared to be a frog or toad inside his can of Diet Pepsi after taking a sip and gagging on the contents, MSNBC reports. Now, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is stepping in to discover if the accident was due to any wrongdoing by the soda maker.

After taking photographs and calling poison control, the man contacted the FDA, which sent representatives to examine the can and collect it for lab testing.

“The animal was lacking internal organs normally found in the abdominal and thoracic cavity,” the FDA’s findings note, concluding that the residue in the soda was definitely that of a frog or toad, CNN.com reports.

A Pepsi spokesman quoted by CNN.com wrote, “The speed of our production lines and the rigor of our quality control systems make it virtually impossible for this type of thing to happen in a production environment. In fact, there never has been even a single instance when a claim of this nature has been traced back to a manufacturing issue.”

While it may have been a freak occurrence, we’re hoping the authorities can put an end to amphibian-tainted soda for good.

BONUS: RFID Rube Goldberg Machine
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology has made major gains in recent years, becoming a more widespread method for electronic verification. But there are still many possibilities for implementing and advancing RFID systems.

To demonstrate some of RFID’s capabilities, London design firm Berg recently developed and filmed its “Nearness” apparatus — a Rube Goldberg-like machine that operates without physical contact between objects — in action.

“With RFID it’s proximity that matters, and actual contact isn’t necessary…the Touch project addresses the fictions and speculations in the technology,” according to Berg. “Here we play with the problems of invisibility and the magic of being close.”

In all its strange glory, here is “Nearness”:

Nearness from timo on Vimeo (via Geek.com)

Enjoy your weekend, folks.