Hasta La Gadget!

3D scanning at a range of 0.62 miles? It just became possible, thanks to a laser camera developed by physicists at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, UK. You can pretty much see how it works from the images above — laser beams are bounced off the target and the duration of their return journey is measured precisely enough to detect millimeter depth changes even at extreme distances. Speaking of which, the researchers believe they could pump the range up to 10 miles with a bit of extra research, and even shrink the blaster down to make it “fully portable” in less than five years. Who knows, someday it might even work around corners. But there’s a problem: skin doesn’t reflect the beams properly, which means people can’t be accurately scanned unless they also happen to be ringwraiths. As a result, the researchers seem slightly at loss as to what to do with the technology, with their best suggestions so far being watching the growth of foliage or tracking the movement of rocks. We’d try to think up some other ideas, were it not for the distracting and utterly irrelevant Nazgul v Wilhelm video embedded after the break.

Filed under: Science, Alt

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Source: Heriot Watt

Have you ever wondered just how powerful Cyclops’ (of the X-Men fame) optic blasts can be when he unleashes them without his ruby quartz glasses? I guess depending on the writer, the power behind his optic blasts vary, but the idea of firing lasers from a vessel has more or less remained within the realm of science fiction for a long time, at least not until now. It seems that US Navy ships are now capable of being equipped with the relevant equipment that allows them to fire laser beams, making it handy in situations such as burning through an unmanned drone like a blow torch.

The laser weapon will be first deployed in the Persian Gulf, an area where Iranian speedboats as well as UAVs tend to harass US Navy ships from time to time. In fact, the power from the laser beam is variable, and when it is turned down, it can even blind a spy camera. I suppose the biggest advantage would be the cost, considering it costs a mere $40 million to develop, where a single pulse of directed laser energy costs less than $1, which could also neutralize enemy vessels from afar as a $475,000 Sidewinder missile would. There is one drawback though, poor weather would affect the accuracy and power of the laser beam, but I am quite sure they will work things out eventually. Enjoy the video of the laser beam in action after the jump.

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By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Anonymous Hacks North Korean Social Networks As Part Of ‘Operation Free Korea’, Hoodie Helps Prevent Drones From Identifying You,

It is taken for granted that generally speaking, Stradivarius violins are among the most sought after in the world, but what really matters is, just which hands is the violin in question being played with? Give a Stradivarius violin to a beginner and you will most probably be better hearing off a cat screeching orchestra, but when a maestro picks it up, now that is art in motion. Here is a rather unconventional take at what a violin could be in the future, thanks to technology lecturer Dylan Menzies who decided to fall back on the clever amalgamation of using software as well as lasers which will translate the positioning, speed and motion of a traditional wooden bow, all into music. In other words, Dylan introduces the O-Bow Laser Violin to the world.

The optical sensor-driven O-Bow will come encased in copper, complete with a groove for the bow, and this system of his will fall back on synthesis software in order to translate data which has been sent from an optical flow sensor, and that will help track the speed, motion and angle of a wooden rod in high resolution as though it is moving across it. Right now, the 5th prototype of the O-Bow has been completed, and it remains to be seen whether something like this will ever hit the market commercially.

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NASA has just finish testing and integration of its first high-data-rate laser communications system for the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE). The Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration presents a significant upgrade in existing data communications used in space — with an estimated increase of six times the throughput of the current best radio system. Unlike previous one-way demonstrations, the LCDD uses an infrared beam — in the same way that many land-based fiber networks do — that can be received on Earth by one of three telescopes located in Mexico, California or Spain. It’s not just about upping the data rate, though, as other challenges include keeping that signal good through conditions your ISP (thankfully) won’t normally have to consider, such as pin-point accuracy over 238,900 miles while moving through space. Going forward, the LLCD will play a vital part in NASA’s 2017 Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, a key test of laser-based relay comms in future missions. Back here on Earth, however, we never thought we’d get bandwidth-envy this far out in the sticks.

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Source: NASA

We know that Verizon is adding at least one more Nokia Lumia to its stable in the near future. However, there’s been little in tangible evidence to suggest just what’s coming to the carrier’s Windows Phone line. A purported leak to Phone Arena from Verizon’s internal product listings could help fill in that picture. It mentions a Lumia 928, and not much else — but Nokia’s naming customs immediately suggest that this will be Big Red’s rumored variant of the Lumia 920, which is currently limited to AT&T in the US. The device isn’t necessarily connected to the RM-860 we saw at the FCC, although it does support murmurs that Verizon wants at least some kind of improvement over the strictly middling Lumia 822. If the 928 is real, we’re mostly left wondering whether or not it will come quickly enough to remain relevant.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia, Verizon

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Via: My Nokia Blog

Source: Phone Arena