Jul 16
Jul 16
The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset was originally developed with only gaming in mind, but since the company has been sending out units to game developers, the headset has been used for all sorts of neat things. Most recently, the Oculus Rift has given users a first-person view of RC drones thanks to a little hack.
Co-founder of Intuitive Aerial Erik Torkel Danielsson took his company’s Black Armor Drone and paired it with the Oculus Rift. Since the VR headset essentially uses two displays, two cameras were mounted on top of the drone to stream video simultaneously. The drone also has a laptop on board that encodes the video as it’s being received.
From there, the video is then sent to the computer on the ground, from which it is then transmitted to the Oculus Rift. You’re probably thinking this creates a lot of lag, and you’re almost correct, as Danielsson noticed a latency of about 120 milliseconds, which isn’t bad, but it’s ultimately not ideal.
Danielsson and company are working to make the system better, though, including using newer hardware and cutting down the weight of the electrics on board the drone, as well as upgrade the cameras and increase the range of the transmitters.
If you’re wondering what the company will do with this technology, they haven’t mentioned whether or not they plan to sell these kits to the public at some point in the future, but Oculus Rift and drone owners would undoubtedly love to get their hands on this type of technology, and frankly, it’s possible for anyone to do this with a little know-how.
VIA: Hackaday
Oculus Rift hack puts user inside Black Armor Drone with first-person view is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Jul 16
It’s crazy hot out there this week, but this gorgeous video shot from a remote-control helicopter hovering over Niagara Falls lets you (nearly) feel the cool, refreshing spray on your sweaty overheated face.
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Jul 16
Jul 16
As powerful as the Hopper DVR can be, it largely exists in an app vacuum: to date, only official releases like Dish Explorer and Dish Social have had access. Dish is giving its set-top box some much needed flexibility, however, by offering the Hopper’s APIs to third-party developers. The expansion lets non-Dish mobile apps control the Hopper directly, whether it’s switching to a live show or scheduling a recording. Thuuz Sports (shown above) is the first app to take advantage of the APIs, although we wouldn’t expect a flood of releases afterwards — Dish is screening developers for privacy issues and “other considerations.” Still, the move represents a rare level of openness in an industry that frequently insists on self-branded software.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile
Jul 16
Jul 16
If you have not had enough of Microsoft’s Kinect on the Xbox 360, then you would be interested to hear that Side-Kick’s “Top Smash Tennis” has already integrated extreme reality technology within, allowing it to pave the way for an […]
Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It Original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jul 16
Look — We all love lasers. And we all agree that mazes made out of lasers, a la the movie Entrapment, are awesome. What you may not realize is that navigating a laser maze in real life is harder than you’d think.
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Jul 16
Jul 16
The little robot that could.
(Credit: Screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET)
Hinamitetu may be the greatest gymnast you’ve never heard of. The small, somewhat humanoid robot has been honing its skills for several years. Its most recent achievement is a classic. Hinamitetu just stuck the landing on a quadruple blackflip off a tiny robot version of a horizontal bar.
Hinamitetu is the hand-crafted creation of a Japanese maker who has been running the little fella through a variety of gymnastic challenges. Hinamitetu has already conquered a double back handspring and a selection of difficult dismounts and landings.
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Even robots have to practice when it comes to gymnastics. A series of videos of the robot’s athletic exploits also comes with some bloopers showing failed efforts.
All of this hard work should position the bot as a frontrunner should Robot Olympics ever become a thing. The plucky little robot would really make for an inspiring athletic story narrated by a deep-voiced announcer with uplift… [Read more]
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