Newly released evidence from Japanese utility company TEPCO shows that the Japanese government ordered it not to tell anyone that Fukushima reactor 3 was about to explode until right before it happened. Could better procedure have made this disaster less catastrophic? More »
I am quite sure that some of us out there who rely on our phone’s data connection are frustrated at times when we show up at a place, only to find the lack of a 3G signal throw a spanner in the works, as 2G connectivity is way too slow to work with. Well, if you need a decent mobile Internet connection on your device at all times, might I recommend you make the move to Japan instead? The Land of the Rising Sun is apparently a full 3G nation, according to TCA’s official statistics as of July this year. In fact, all top three of Japan’s telco subscribers, 126,194,300 in total, are now 100% on 3G+ or LTE. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Pioneer releases PotterNavi GPS system for bicycles, Sony to release 3G Tablet S, Tablet P in Japan 28th October,
For years the projector and camera have served us well, performing their respective tasks. Now, researchers at Japan’s Advanced Industrial Science and Technology institute are using them together to measure 3D objects. By projecting a special pattern onto the subject and then using the camera to “read” the amount of distortion in the image, a three-dimensional model can be constructed. This thing is accurate, too, with precision down to 1 – 2mm which means it can measure wrinkles in clothes, or even details in hands. The technology can even be scaled to work with microscopes. The creators say that it could be used in video games (much like Kinect), and even for tracking athletes’ movements thanks to its ability to capture fast-moving images — something existing systems can struggle with. Jump past the break to see the tech in action.
Filed under: Science
Researchers measure 3D objects using just a camera and projector, can tell if you’ve ironed your shirt (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Aug 2012 10:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The modern LEGO brick was patented in 1958 – 54 years ago. I’ve only been around for 28 of those 54 years, and in my lifetime what creative minds and sheer ingenuity can do with LEGOs continues to amaze me. In the past few weeks alone, we’ve seen LEGO bricks join forces with iPods, our favorite Street Fighter II combatants LEGO-fied, a LEGO induction lamp, and much, much more. But astounding as all these are, they pale in comparison to the scope of the auditorium-sized reconstruction of Japan made entirely out of LEGOs.
Constructed during the “Build Up Japan” celebration in March and April, LEGO Japan was first started in six different regions of the country by over 5,000 children, their parents, and LEGO employees. The disparate sections were then moved to Tokyo, where the entire nation was constructed—skyscrapers, pagodas, docks, boats, the whole shabang. Children were even encouraged to construct their vision of a future Japan’s architecture. And as you can see in the photo above, the completed LEGO Japan is of such scale that the human builders look like Evangelions comparatively. The whole thing is just the very definition of breathtaking awe.
Do yourself a solid and check out the whole nest of pictures at the “Build Up Japan” Facebook page.
[via io9 via Spoon & Tamago via My Modern Met]
Hiding in the back of the SIGGRAPH Emerging Technologies demo area — exactly where such a project might belong — is a dark wood chair that looks anything but innocent. Created by a team at the University of Electro-Communications in Toyko, Chilly Chair, as it’s called, may be a reference to the chilling feeling the device is tasked with invoking. After signing a liability waiver, attendees are welcomed to pop a squat before resting their arms atop a cool, flat metal platform hidden beneath a curved sheath that looks like something you may expect to see in Dr. Frankenstein’s lab, not a crowded corridor of the Los Angeles Convention Center. Once powered up, the ominous-looking contraption serves to “enrich” the experience as you consume different forms of media, be it watching a movie or listening to some tunes. It works by using a power source to pump 10 kV of juice to an electrode, which then polarizes a dielectric plate, causing it to attract your body hair.
After signing our life away with the requisite waiver, we sat down and strapped in for the ride. Despite several minutes of build-up, the entire experience concluded in what seemed like only a few seconds. A projection screen in front of the chair lit up to present a warning just as we felt the hairs jet directly towards the sheath above. By the time we rose, there was no visual evidence of the previous state, though we have no doubt that the Chilly Chair succeeded in raising hair (note: the experience didn’t come close to justifying the exaggerated reaction you may have noticed above). It’s difficult to see how this could be implemented in future home theater setups, especially considering all the extra hardware currently required, but it could potentially add another layer of immersion to those novelty 4D attractions we can’t seem to avoid during visits to the amusement park. You can witness our Chilly Chair experience in the hands-on video after the break.
Gallery: Chilly Chair hands-on
Filed under: Household, Science
Chilly Chair uses static electricity to raise your arm hair, force an ’emotional reaction’ (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Olympus is reporting a $56.7 million loss for its first quarter of 2012. While its coveted medical imaging arm remains profitable, its life-science and industrial unit suffered thanks to corporate belt-tightening. Unsurprisingly, its low-end compact camera market is shrinking, but sales of its OM-D E-M5 ILC increased by 50 percent, offsetting some of the losses and reducing operating losses from $89 million last quarter to $19 million in this one. Like many of its Japanese rivals, it’s also found a strong yen has stifled its return to productivity, a trend that isn’t likely to change soon.
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Olympus hangs $57 million loss on austerity, strong yen and declining compact camera market originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 05:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It’s not often that we stumble upon classical music on the floor at SIGGRAPH, so the tune of Bach’s Cantata 147 was reason enough to stop by Gocen’s small table in the annual graphics trade show’s Emerging Technologies hall. At first glance, the four Japanese men at the booth could have been doing anything on their MacBook Pros — there wasn’t a musical instrument in sight — but upon closer inspection, they each appeared to be holding identical loupe-like devices, connected to each laptop via USB. Below each self-lit handheld reader were small stacks of sheet music, and it soon became clear that each of the men was very slowly moving their devices from side to side, playing a seemingly perfect rendition of “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.”
The project, called Gocen, is described by its creators as a “handwritten notation interface for musical performance and learning music.” Developed at Tokyo Metropolitan University, the device can read a printed (or even handwritten) music score in real-time using optical music recognition (OMR), which is sent through each computer to an audio mixer, and then to a set of speakers. The interface is entirely text and music-based — musicians, if you can call them that, scan an instrument name on the page before sliding over to the notes, which can be played back at different pitches by moving the reader vertically along the line. It certainly won’t replace an orchestra anytime soon — it takes an incredible amount of care to play in a group without falling out of a sync — but Gocen is designed more as a learning tool than a practical device for coordinated performances. Hearing exactly how each note is meant to sound makes it easier for students to master musical basics during the beginning stages of their educations, providing instant feedback for those that depend on self-teaching. You can take a closer look in our hands-on video after the break, in a real-time performance demo with the Japan-based team.
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Handhelds, Peripherals
Gocen optical music recognition can read a printed score, play notes in real-time (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 17:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Lovin’ the bold look of those new Nikes? If you’re up to date on the athletic shoe scene, you may notice that sneaker designs can give way long before your soles do. A new decaling technique could enable you to “erase” labels and other artworks overnight without a trace, however, letting you change up your wardrobe without shelling out more cash. A prototype device, called Shader Printer, uses a laser to heat (at 50 degrees Celsius, 120 degrees Fahrenheit) a surface coated with a bi-stable color-changing material. When the laser reaches the “ink,” it creates a visible design, that can then be removed by leaving the object in a -10 degree Celsius (14 degree Fahrenheit) freezer overnight. The laser and freezer simply apply standard heat and cold, so you could theoretically add and remove designs using any source.
For the purposes of a SIGGRAPH demo, the team, which includes members from the Japan Science and Technology Agency and MIT, used a hair dryer to apply heat to a coated plastic doll in only a few seconds — that source doesn’t exactly offer the precision of a laser, but it works much more quickly. Then, they sprayed the surface with -50-degree Celsius (-58 Fahrenheit) compressed air, which burned off the rather sloppy pattern in a flash. There were much more attractive prints on hand as well, including an iPhone cover and a sneaker with the SIGGRAPH logo, along with a similar plastic doll with clearly defined eyes. We also had a chance to peek at the custom laser rig, which currently takes about 10 minutes to apply a small design, but could be much quicker in the future with a higher-powered laser on board. The hair dryer / canned air combo offers a much more efficient way of demoing the tech, however, as you’ll see in our hands-on video after the break.
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Household
Shader Printer uses heat-sensitive ‘paint’ that can be erased with low temperatures (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 16:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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What’s this? Appearing on its Japanese blog, ahead of any English language announcement, Dell’s new monitor pairs a backlit LED with a 27-inch AH-IPS display. The U2713HM marks the company’s first Advanced High Performance IPS panel, which cranks viewing angles up to 178 degrees and adds Dell’s name to a pretty exclusive list of manufacturers. The screen can output up to 2,560 x 1,440 (WQHD) resolution, with Dell promising a 37 percent reduction in energy consumption compared to the preceding U2711. If you’ve got HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA or DVI-D, you’ll likely be well-prepared for the monitor, which also has a four-port USB 3.0 hub embedded. However, that high-quality panel corresponds with a suitably high price tag; on the other side of the Pacific, the U2713HM has been marked up at 50,000 yen and is available starting today.
Update: Dell has now announced pricing for the US. This UltraSharp slab will set you back just shy of 800 bucks. Visit the source to get your order in.
Filed under: Displays
Dell debuts new 27-inch U2713HM monitor: its first AH-IPS panel, $799 (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 03:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Less than a month ago we heard the news of Sony having delayed the release of its Nasne system due to quality control issues, but that all looks to be sorted out now. The electronics giant’s said the NAS media streamer will finally be ready to hit Japanese shelves on August 30th for the previously known price of 16,980 yen (about $215) — which, as you know, offers a decent 500GB of storage for all your entertainment content. There’s still a few weeks until the eventual launch date, so that should be plenty of time to gather up some cash and be among the first to call one of these your own.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment
Sony’s Nasne TV tuner finally set to go on sale later this month in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 21:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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