Grifta is the modular gamepad that transforms into multiple configurations

Gamepads haven’t really changed much over
the years. Sure, they’ve evolved with the
addition of more buttons, joysticks, triggers
and haptic feedback but they’re still more or
less a one-size-fits-all design dictated by the
manufacturer. A product heading to
Kickstarter on Monday aims to reinvent the
gamepad in a way that makes you wonder why
it hasn’t been done before.
The Grifta is a modular gamepad that consists
of a left unit, a right unit and a connecting
module. In its standard configuration, you get
a somewhat average looking gamepad with two
large handles, a directional pad on the left
and ABXY buttons on the right. Triggers,
joysticks and other buttons are mirrored on
both the left and right unit.
What makes the Grifta stand out is that it can
be disassembled and reassembled to build all
sorts of new configurations.
In Split mode, you can use just half of the
controller which frees up your other hand to
use a mouse or perhaps even a keyboard.

Another mode called Antlers uses an
attachment with infrared tracking and appears
best for first-person shooters (and for use
with an Oculus Rift). There’s even a Mobile
mode that allows you to attach a smartphone
and use one or both pieces of the modular set
(or again, a mouse) and a tablet mode for
holding your large-screen mobile device.
The company’s website notes that a Kickstarter
campaign is planned to go live on Monday and
that only a few minor tweaks are needed
before it’s ready to ship although the device in
the second picture looks an awful lot like an
early prototype that has been 3D printed. The
gamepad will be compatible with Windows,
Android, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
It appears as though you’ll need a XIM 4
adapter for certain applications, however,
which may drive the entry price up quite a
bit. We should learn a lot more about the
Grifta next week when the Kickstarter goes
live.

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This $34 smartphone dongle can test for HIV in just 15 minutes

Researchers at Columbia University havecreated a smartphone accessory capable oftesting for HIV and syphilis. The device ishardly any bigger than your typical phone, isinexpensive to manufacture and can produceresults in a fraction of the time such testingnormally takes.The smartphone accessory was recently put tothe test in a small clinical trial in Kigali,Rwanda. Over the course of two weeks, 96patients from three different health clinicstrialed the unit which simply required patientsto prick their finger to produce a small (onemicroliter) drop of blood.Researchers said the device performed aboutas well as commercially available tools alreadyout in the field in terms of accuracy. The keydifference is in price and time involved.Traditional lab equipment used to test for HIVand syphilis costs over $18,000 while theactual tests cost patients about $8.50combined. The new smartphone dongle can bemade for just $34 and takes only 15 minutesto process results. Existing lab hardware cantake as long as two and a half hours to spitout its findings.What’s more, the device is incredibly energyefficient as it draws power from its hostdevice. In testing with an iPod, researcherswere able to conduct 41 tests before themusic player needed to be recharged.The accessory is seen as a medicalbreakthrough, especially in Africa and otherparts of the developing world where AIDS is amajor problem.

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