Hasta La Gadget!

In-car GPS developers have long had to wrestle with the urban canyon effect that blocks or bounces signals downtown: they often have to make best guesses for accuracy when they can’t count on cellular or WiFi triangulation to pick up the slack, like a smartphone would. The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid has nonetheless found a way to borrow a page from mobile devices to get that accuracy back. By supplementing the GPS data with accelerometers and gyroscopes, researchers can use direction changes and speed to fill in the blanks, improving accuracy from a crude-at-best 49 feet to between 3 and 7 feet. The University’s creation doesn’t just minimize the chance of a wrong turn; it could be key to intelligent or driverless cars that have to perform sudden maneuvers all on their own. While the enhanced system is just a prototype without a commercialization schedule, it already slots into just about any car, including the University’s own intelligent car prototype (not pictured here). We may no longer have to lump car GPS units into the same “close is good enough” category as horseshoes and hand grenades.

[Image credit: Steve Jurvetson, Flickr]

Filed under: GPS, Transportation

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Via: BBC

Source: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Many of us have had the misfortune of receiving a package that has been roughhoused in transit, and we might not have even realized it until we burrowed through the cardboard and tape. Cambridge Consultants’ upcoming DropTag might just serve as the insurance we need. The badge can detect a drop or other violent motion, like earlier sensors, but carries Bluetooth 4.0 to transmit data and alerts in real-time to a mobile app, whether it’s on the courier’s smartphone or a tablet at home. As one watch-grade battery could power the sensor for weeks, we could know whether the box took a tumble at the warehouse or at the door — a help not just for customers wanting their items intact, but for companies that can avoid delivering already-broken goods. At less than $2 in raw costs, DropTags would be cheap enough to slap on many packages. We just need Cambridge to line up clients to make this a reality and, just possibly, prevent a few overly hasty couriers from long-bombing our orders.

Filed under: Misc

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Source: Cambridge Consultants

Not a fan of typing on a touchscreen but don’t want to have to carry around a bluetooth keyboard just for your phone or tablet? There might be a new option on the table soon, so to speak. This prototype software tracks keystrokes by using the accelerometer to track vibration, turning all kinds of things into keyboards. More »

With the spate of bad publicity surrounding all those Kickstarter projects that never make it beyond the funding stage, there’s a certain surreality to actually holding a crowd-funded device in your hands. But here it is, the Node, a project we highlighted in its infancy, way back in February. The whole thing blew way past its funding goal, scoring $76,000 out of a requested $50,000. And now, roughly eight months later, the product has been shipped out to enthusiastic supporters all over the place, inside an unassuming white box. Since its inception, the Node’s been an interesting (if not particularly easy to explain) proposition. Now that we’ve got our hands on one, not all that much has changed — which is to say, in its early stages, there’s a lot of potential, but its still a bit of a hard sell.

Hardware-wise, the Node’s a solid proposition — the size and shape of a roll of quarters. The body is made of a white plastic, with Node logos indented on either side. Next to one, you’ll find a micro-USB port for charging, and by the other, you get the power button, which also serves to turn on the flashlight module. Inside the body, you’ve got the battery (which should give you 12 to 14 hours with Bluetooth on), an accelerometer, magnetometer and gyroscope.

Continue reading Node modular iOS sensor hands-on

Node modular iOS sensor hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Oct 2012 19:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Most video game controllers sporting a firearm form factor are a far cry from realistic — bright colors, odd shapes and obvious thumbsticks leave many accessories looking more like toys than weapons. Not David Kotkin’s Delta Six. This gun-shaped controller’s first prototype looked so much like a real rifle, Kotkin told us, it had to be redesigned. An orange tip, whitewashed body and a few less authentic looking components don’t make the Delta Six look any less believable as a digital soldier’s modern musket, but it does make it less likely to be mistaken for the real McCoy. The peripheral’s internals haven’t changed though — an accelerometer to help players aim and turn, cheek-sensing pressure sensors (for looking down the scope), faux-recoil and its assortment of modular components are still all on target.

Like all budding hardware projects these days, the Delta Six is looking towards the crowd to source its production. According to the peripheral’s Kickstarter page, the Delta Six will be available between July and August next year, boasting compatibility with the Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii U and even the OUYA. Pitching in $89 buys the basic submachine gun body (with a free rifle attachment for first-week buyers), and subsequent levels tack on additional attachments, bonus items and more. Kotkin needs $500,000 to make his rifle-shaped dream a reality. Like-minded FPS gamers can join him at the source link below. Not a dreamer? Feel free to read on for the official press release (plus a video and an additional image), instead.

Continue reading Delta Six controller gets redesigned, Kickstarted

Filed under: Gaming

Delta Six controller gets redesigned, Kickstarted originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 09:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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