Learning how to sign takes time and a whole lot of effort. Others get the hang of it fairly quickly, while some find that practice makes perfect. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have something like the Sign Language Ring to help you throughout the entire process.
The conceptual device is actually a bracelet and ring combo. The bracelet comes with detachable rings that, when worn, detect the signing motions that are made by the wearer. It then “translates” the signs audibly via the bracelet, which has an embedded speaker. The bracelet can also translate voice to text, which is displayed on the built-in screen.
It shortens the learning curve and makes communication easier between those who are hard of hearing or are speech impaired with those who cannot understand sign language.
The concept was thought up by Cao Zu-Wei, Hu Ya-Chun, Huang Ching-Lan, Liao Po-Yang, Tsai Yu-Chi, and Yang Yi-Hsien, who drew inspiration from Buddha prayer beads for the bracelet’s design.
The Sign Language Ring is a 2013 Red Dot Design Award winner.
Because of its size and form, Google Glass has a limited – albeit seemingly capable – user interface: touch gestures, head gestures and voice commands. Even though Glass’ display is visible at all times, there are times when it would be impractical, insensitive or downright impossible to interact with it. That’s why researcher Brandyn White came up with three alternative ways of controlling Glass.
The first method is via eye tracking, i.e. triggering commands just by looking at a particular spot. Brandyn achieved this using a modified webcam, a 3D printed case and a custom software. As Brandyn notes, future versions of Glass may have eye-tracking built-in so this hack may be rendered obsolete. But even if that happened Brandyn says he doesn’t want this to be used in public, probably because it’s distracting and can also be offensive if used when you’re with other people.
Brandyn also made a browser-based control interface for Glass with the help of a JavaScript-based platform called WearScript. As silly as it sounds, this interface will probably let you control Glass even if you’re not wearing it.
Finally, Brandyn used a MaKey MaKey and WearScript to enable alternative touch controls for Glass. For instance, he wired MaKey MaKey to his clothes so that he could control Glass just by touching his sleeves. He also used two bananas to play Super Mario Bros. on a NES emulator.
The more crowded the streets get, the harder it is to find a decent parking space. If you’ve got an extra parking spot, then you’re in a position that’s envied by most who own a car.
So why not make a few extra bucks off of it and help others find a spot at the same time? That’s something you can do with Park Circa.
It’s an app that lets people find and rent out parking spaces. It’s simple enough to use. If you need a parking spot, enter the location where you’d like to park and search through available spaces that have been listed. If you have an extra spot, list it on the database as being available for rent.
Park Circa is compatible with Android, iOS and Windows Phone devices. You can download the app here.
If you hang around here much, you know we love our LEGO, and we also have an affinity for DIY robotics. A company called Atoms has announced its modular robotics building kits are now available to purchase. You can buy these kits as individual blocks serving different purposes such as Bluetooth connectivity and more. The most interesting products offered are a couple of robot kits that come with everything you need to build complete ‘bots.
Atoms calls these two kits Quarks, specifically they are the Bunsen set and the Pascal set. Bunsen is the blue robot with the two green wheels. The kit sells for $79.99 and includes a light sensor, a control knob, a battery, a splitter, a motor, and an audio recorder. The robot kit is designed to be buildable by children ages six and up as well as adults. The kit also includes required wires and six challenge cards.
The other kit is Pascal, a smartphone-controlled, Wall-E-like little yellow robot with tank treads on each side. This kit includes a number of pieces such as a light sensor, Bluetooth, a pair of medium motors, and more. The Pascal kit costs $119.
One of the coolest things about Atoms is that they’re designed to snap together not just with other Atoms blocks, but with LEGO bricks.
If you order now, delivery is estimated by December 20 so your kids could still have a robotic Christmas.
Want to fly an R/C helicopter but have trouble with the controls? Swann has announced a new miniature remote-controlled helicopter called the Mosquito. The little helicopter has a rotor diameter of only three-inches and weighs less than one ounce. Its small size gives the Mosquito superior speed and maneuverability compared to larger remote control helicopters designed for indoor flights.
The little helicopter features Easy-Fly Gyro technology making it easy to keep the helicopter stable for new pilots and it uses dual blades for stability. The little helicopter features a yoke-inspired remote control and uses infrared to communicate with the helicopter. The control has joysticks and trim control.
The helicopter can fly six ways including up, down, forward, backward, left, and right. Power comes from a rechargeable 3.7 V lithium polymer battery good for up to seven minutes of continuous flight. The remote control is powered by six AA batteries, and is used to charge the helicopter’s internal battery. The Mosquito is available now for $29.99(USD) at Fry’s electronics stores.
I find that receiving too much information while I’m driving can be a major distraction, but I guess that Nissan thinks that Japanese drivers can handle it. They’ve just unveiled their own augmented reality glasses which appear to compete directly with Google Glass.
It’s expected that Nissan’s 3E glasses will connect to the Internet, allowing you to overlay real-time information on the heads-up display. You will be able to record projected images, communicate with your friends on Facebook, and more! Tipsters believe that the AR headset will use low-energy Bluetooth in order to save power, and will be able to pair up with a smartphone.
Assuming these ever make it past the concept phase, I’m pretty sure there will be a lot more accidents on Japanese roads, unless of course Japanese cars start driving themselves.
The touchscreen and app combo of today’s mobile devices makes one gadget act as many. Different apps display different interfaces, and the touchscreen lets you interact with those interfaces in a natural manner. But what if, aside from changing what you can see, your gadget’s display could also change its shape? That’s what MIT’s Tangible Media Group wants to realize.
What you’re looking at is Tangible Media Group’s inFORM. It’s made of a Kinect, a projector, a computer, pins, linkages and actuators. inFORM can mimic the shape and motion of 3D objects in real time. For example, a monitor can show a two-dimensional replica of your arm, but with inFORM you can have a tangible, 3D replica of your arm. And since it’s 3D you can use that replica arm to carry or move objects just by moving your own arms.
Equally important is inFORM’s ability to act as a collection of 3D pixels, a way of giving physical manifestation to digital information. For instance, it can make actual 3D charts, give you a tangible version of a 3D model in an instant and present even more intuitive user interfaces.
inFORM is a step towards the Tangible Media Group’s dream that it calls Radical Atoms, a “hypothetical generation of materials that can change form and appearance dynamically, becoming as reconfigurable as pixels on a screen… so that dynamic changes of physical form can be reflected in digital states in real time, and vice versa.”
Imagine watching horror films on a Radical Atom TV. Imagine “holding” your loved ones as you chat with them on Radical Atom walls and floors. Imagine controlling a giant mech made of Radical Atoms. Imagine visualizing mind-boggling equations and predictions on a Radical Atom spreadsheet. Imagine having a physical keyboard or game buttons on your Radical Atom mobile device. Aww yiss.
A new company called VRcade aims to revive the idea of a gaming arcade with the help of virtual reality. Whereas VR headsets like the Oculus Rift need to be wired to a computer to work, VRcade’s headset has a wireless transmitter. Why? Because VRcade isn’t just a headset, it’s an entire room. Or even an entire floor. When you move in the real world, you move in VRcade’s virtual world.
Aside from its wireless headset, VRcade uses motion capture cameras and a modular motion capture suit. In addition to the suit, there are also markers on the headset and whatever prop you have – like the gun in the image above – that the cameras can use to track your movement. In other words, while other VR headsets can track only your head, VRcade tracks you.
VRcade has several advantages over what VRcade CEO and co-founder Jamie Kelly calls “virtual sit down gaming.” VRcade’s games will encourage player movement: walk, run, sneak or jump in the real world and you do the exact same thing in the virtual world. As far as controls go, it doesn’t get more intuitive than that. For instance, VRcade claims that the tester in the video below has no experience with first person shooters, but she still figures out how to navigate in the virtual world:
The correspondence between movement and virtual output also reduces the risk of motion sickness, unlike when you’re experiencing VR while confined to one spot. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is that extra layer of immersion that users will get from being able to physically feel their movement. Here’s Kelly explaining the basics of VRcade:
VRcade seems really promising: the second coming of the arcade shop, but more inclusive and possibly even healthier. In addition, VRcade can also adapt their system for non-gaming purposes, such as giving virtual tours of structures that have yet to be built.
But of course nothing is perfect. As Ars Technica notes, VRcade has a chicken-or-egg situation when it comes to attracting game developers. Obviously the company needs developers to make games for its system, but because a VRcade game has to be tailored to a particular space, they need to already have that space rented or bought. But how will they know the dimensions of the space a game needs if the game doesn’t exist yet? Hopefully VRcade can figure that out.
Back in August of 2012, we talked about a cool little Bluetooth controlled robot known as Bero. Bero stands for Be The Robot and the little guy is pretty cool. The robot is open source and is designed to be controlled using a Bluetooth device such as the iPhone or Android smartphones. Bero originally turned up on Kickstarter where early backers could get a basic Bluetooth controlled ‘bot for as little as $79.
ThinkGeek is now offering the robot, though its price has gone up significantly since the Kickstarter campaign. The Bluetooth robot will cost you $149.99(USD). You don’t get to choose the color, ThinkGeek will either send you a black version or white version depending on what the monkeys grab off the shelf.
The robot is four inches-tall and has micro gear boxes allowing its tank tread tracks to move independently, its head to turn, and its arms to move. It’s also got a built-in speaker and LED eyes and light up headphones. Bero also has an integrated infrared optical system for autonomous navigation with a pair of IR transmitters and a single IR receiver. It has a detection range of three to five inches. Power comes from a small lithium polymer rechargeable battery good for three to five hours of use.
The ‘bot can be controlled by any Bluetooth 2.0 device, but applications for programming already exist for Android and iOS devices. It’s also pre-programmed to dance and move around if you’re too lazy to program it yourself.
Remember Corning’s glass-filled vision of the future? A company called Posh View was inspired by the Gorilla Glass maker’s concept video and is trying to make one of the devices in that video real. Posh View’s iMirror is an Internet-connected touchscreen device that happens to have a mirror as its display.
The iMirror is a lot like today’s consumer touchscreen devices. It has apps for things like the weather, Facebook, Twitter, Google Maps and more. It also supports voice commands, although I don’t know how well it can recognize your voice when you have a toothbrush in your mouth.
Here’s a more straightforward demo of the iMirror:
I’m surprised they don’t have a Magic Mirror app yet. Sadly, the iMirror is going to cost you. You have to pledge at least $2,749 CAD (~$2,624 USD) on Kickstarter to get the device as a reward. I wonder if Apple’s going to spin the glare of their glossy displays into a feature.
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