Hasta La Gadget!

Did you know that your second-gen Apple TV has a Bluetooth radio hidden inside it? Well it does but, until now, the only way to access it was with a little jailbreaking and some command line chops. That could all be changing though, with the release of iOS 5 this fall. 9to5Mac pulled some interesting code from the latest developer beta of iOS indicating that support for Bluetooth keyboards is coming to the Apple TV and, potentially, the ability pair other devices as well. In addition to making search without the iPhone remote app far less painful, a keyboard is an essential part of bringing apps to the tiny media box — something that has been rumored would happen for quite sometime. It’s possible these capabilities will only be unlocked on some unannounced third-gen streaming device, but we’re hoping this will bring a little life to our still reasonably new iTunes boxes.

Apple TV to score Bluetooth support with iOS 5, make search slightly less painful? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear  |  9to5Mac  | Email this | Comments

KDDI R&D laboratories has successfully created one of the first integrations of mobile gaming and neural science. Introduced at today’s International Modern Hospital Show , this app’s ability to measure the amount of concentration and meditation occurring in the brain while the users perform simple tasks or are heavily indulged in their video game, truly grasped our attention.

The user first wears a headband-like headset embedded with tiny sensor chips that detect neural activity in the human brain. A paperclip-like device is then attached to the ear, which acts as a stabilizer to ensure that everything is “balanced” and also as a pulse detector. The app is downloadable for smart phones, and in this case, the Android was our first test device. Three different games were introduced to us and for each, the amount of neural activity going on in the brain was measured. As can be seen below, the games are fairly simple, but require a fair amount of attention. After 30 seconds of play, the app displayed a chart graphing both concentration (focused-state) and meditation (relaxed-state) levels. A diagram also appeared, representing the different areas of the brain that was most used during that span.

The device can be used in other situations as well. Users can focus for around 30 seconds on something that they are passionate about or evokes a particular emotion. The app then displays a graph of the user’s brain activity relating to the amount of focused attention during that period for analysis.

Although still a concept and not on shelves yet, KDDI’s new technology can be seen as a stepping stone towards more interactive neural technology made available for the general public. We can see this type of neuro-wear being implemented not only in people’s daily lives, but in advertising and marketing as well. It would be a great advancement to see this technology being used to detect what sort of ads prove to be the most effective by measuring the amount of generated interest by the consumers.

Related Posts:
Cat Ears Controlled by Your Brain
Sega Toys “Atama Scan” brain trainer
Japanese Robot Replicates Human Speech

It’s not an exact match and it runs Windows XP, but a tablet being put together in this Chinese video looks convincing.

Amongst the array of robots on display at Robotech today out at Tokyo Big Sight, Kagawa University’s artificial voice system robot was possibly one of the most interesting and bizarre looking. The silicone mouth complete with moving lips and tongue aims at replicating human speech without using speakers or digital waves in order to come as close to a real life sound as possible.

The silicone mouth robot uses airflow and control valves to replicate a human trachea and vocal chords, and a resonance tube, or a silicone throat further manipulates the air into distinct sounds. The lips and tongue are then used to shape the sounds just as we do when talking in every day life. A microphone records the noises coming out of the silicone lips and is automatically processed through a computer, analyzing the pitch and frequency to match it against the pitch and frequency of a human’s voice. The computer then adjusts the sound automatically as the computer learns the correct valve adjustments and compression in the silicone throat to match a human voice, similar to tuning an instrument.

The robot currently can utter a number of Japanese alphabet sounds as well as sing a basic song, although not quite pop star level yet!

The silicone throat-like area is usually controlled by machine valve but was on display today for visitors to see the actual working parts of how the sounds are made. Although only rudimentary in its vocabulary at present (and a certain similarity with a cow!), the fact that this is generating and learning how to shape sound without any speakers certainly makes for a more natural sound than the current digital reincarnations.

Related Posts:
Robotic Wheelchair Gives Elderly Independence
Self checkout e-money and robots
Robots do marketing for toilets

Stephen Shankland picks his 10 favorite Android apps as part of the CNET 100 series. Check out the title he loves best and be sure to vote for your favorite.

Originally posted at Android Atlas