The cellphone turns 40 years old today

Mobile phones may not be anything too special these days, but 40 years ago today, the world’s first cellphone was just being born, and it was all the rage. On April 3, 1973, the first call from a cellphone was made by the inventor himself, Marty Cooper, where he called out to his rival: the head of the research department at Bell Labs, Joel Engel.

dynatac

That phone call was made on a Motorola DynaTAC 8000x (pictured above), a 2.5-pound piece of machinery that was priced at $4,000 when it went on sale in 1983. When Cooper called Engel from his DynaTAC, he was quite literal with his feelings, and didn’t say anything too poetic: “Joel, this is Marty. I’m calling you from a cellphone, a real handheld portable cellphone.”

Of course, this may remind you of Alexander Graham Bell’s work and his invention of the first practical telephone. On October 9, 1876, Bell called his assistant, Thomas Watson, and they talked by telephone to each other over a two-mile wire that stretched between Cambridge and Boston, marking it the first time that anyone had ever communicated through two-way voice over electronic signals.

As for the first cellphone, that’s still a remarkable feat, and as with the traditional telephone industry, the mobile phone industry has come a long way since its inception. We went from 2.5-pound cellphones costing thousands of dollars, to devices that weight just a few ounces and can do pretty much anything. We certainly can’t wait to see what the next 40 years will bring us.

Image via Flickr


The cellphone turns 40 years old today is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Two Inventions Get FTC Prize To STOP Robocalls!

Robocall Challenge WinnersThe Federal Trade Commission (FTC) may not receive many robocalls, but
it gets more than 200,000 complaints about the buggers every month. It
finally decided last fall to issue a challenge to the public to see who
could come up with a way to stop the marketing calls before they reach your ringer.  The Robocall Challenge
winners, announced April 2, 2013, were not the most inventive
invectives, but the most likely-to-be-effective technologies
invented separately by software developer Aaron Foss and computer engineer Serdar Danis.

Most Inventors Are Iterators

Thomas EdisonFirst world problems are things that may help our lives by making tasks slightly annoying, but which do nothing to help worldwide problems. A recent opinion piece compares inventors to iterators.

Fly on the Wall Smoke Alarm Buzzes into Your Home to Alert You to Fire

Who says smoke alarms need to be nondescript beige boxes? Helsinki designer Paola Suhonen sured doesn’t think so, with her unique smoke detector that looks like a gigantic house fly.

lento fly smoke detector 1

The Lento Smoke Alarm from Finland’s Jalo works just like any other smoke alarm, though you use the entire case of the alarm to silence the alarm or to test it, which is much nicer than trying to deal with that tiny pushbutton on most alarms. I wonder if you could use a fly swatter to turn it off.

lento fly smoke detector colors

I also like how it mounts to the ceiling using 3M tape instead of screws – it’s sort of like when a fly gets stuck in one of those gooey fly traps.

lento fly smoke detector ceiling

[via StrangeLine via Design You Trust]

The smell-o-vision TV implements scents with your favorite TV programs

A tech team from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology in Japan have unveiled a smell-o-vision TV that will bring a sense of reality from our favorite TV programs. The team created a “smelling screen” that enables scents in spots where the corresponding object is placed. The screen generates scents from gel pellets from four air streams on all corners of the display. The scents are blown at varying and controlled rates to make it seem as though the scent is coming directly from the object on-screen.

Japanese scientists unveil Smell-o-Vision TV

This isn’t the first time the “smell-o-vision” technology has appeared in the tech world, however it is the first time that is has been implemented into television screens. The smell-o-vision technology was first implemented in a 1960′s film titled “Scent of Mystery”. The film launched in 3 customized movie theaters in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. In the film, there were scents dispersed to the audience during certain moments in the film. Unfortunately, the film was a huge failure due to the malfunctioning of the scent mechanism. There were delayed actions between the specific scenery and the scents, and the mechanisms made a loud noise while releasing the scents.

This Japanese team seems to have been able to address the problem however, and successfully implemented the smell-o-vision technology in televisions. Right now, there can only be one scent released at a time, however, the team hopes to be able to make it so multiple smells could be implemented at the same time. They’re hoping to do so by implementing a cartridge-like system that will allow them to alternate smells more easily.

While the smell-o-vision can make movies and TV shows more engaging and real, it also has somewhat of a negative effect. Advertisement agencies can take advantage of the technology as well, and when they do, all hell will break loose. If you thought that steak in that commercial looked good now, wait until you can actually smell it. With this new technology, restaurants will be able to more effectively rake in customers with their advertisements. We’ll keep you posted as soon as more information regarding the smell-o-vision is unveiled.

[via Daily Mail]


The smell-o-vision TV implements scents with your favorite TV programs is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

GoalControl to provide goal-line tech during 2014 World Cup

The 2014 World Cup will take place in Brazil, and folks are already beginning to prepare for the tournament. As qualifying goes on as we speak, organizers are working on a new system that will electronically detect when a goal has been scored, and it was just announced today that GoalControl will be providing the technology necessary.

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This isn’t the first time that we’ve discussed goal-line technology for the 2014 World Cup. FIFA initially announced it back in February. However, more details were released today on how exactly it all will work. Overall, the stadium has 14 cameras spread out amongst it, with 7 cameras focusing on each of the two goals in order to detect when a goal is scored.

All objects that are within the cameras’ field of view are tracked, but the players and referees are cleverly filtered out, leaving just the ball being tracked. The ball’s position is continuously and automatically captured in three dimensions (X-, Y- and Z-coordinates) whenever it gets close to the goal, in order to accurately judge where the ball is.

If the ball crosses the goal line, the system sends an encrypted signal to a watch that referees will be wearing. The signal is sent in less than a second after the ball has passed the goal line. Plus, a virtual 3D image of any portions of the playing field can be shown on the big screen from any camera angle, thanks to those 14 strategically-placed cameras. It also doesn’t hurt to know that the 2014 World Cup will be broadcasted in 4K.

[via BBC News]

Image via Flickr


GoalControl to provide goal-line tech during 2014 World Cup is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Festo BionicOpter Robot Dragonfly Makes Quadcopters Look Clumsy

Automation company Festo loves showing off its technologies and expertise by creating robot versions of animals. We’ve featured the company’s SmartBird before, and you may have also seen its AirPenguin in action. Now the company has released information about its latest pet project, the BionicOpter.

festo bionicopter dragonfly robot

With the BionicOpter, Festo set out to replicate the flying capabilities of the dragonfly. The company says the insect is unique in that it can move in all directions, glide, hover, turn and accelerate quickly and even fly backwards. By replicating how dragonflies use their wings, the BionicOpter ends up being more versatile than a plane, helicopter or glider.

The robot has an aluminum body and carbon fiber wings. It has one external brushless motor and eight motors that handle the movement of its wings. Speaking of which, the robot can orient its wings vertically or horizontally as needed, just like the real deal. The BionicOpter can fly on its own but it can also be controlled remotely. All of that in a machine that weighs only 175g (approx. 0.39lbs.).

If you ask me the best feature of the BionicOpter is that it has a gracefulness to it that I previously thought could only be exhibited by a living creature. Check out Festo’s report (pdf file) if you want to learn more about the robot.

[via Slash Gear]

Create Your Own Digital Board Games With DICE+

DICE+Ever wanted to create your own version of “Clue” or “Monopoly,” but for the digital age? DICE+ wants your best ideas.

Festo shows off BionicOpter robotic dragonfly in video demonstration

Festo has created a fascinating robotic BionicOpter dragonfly that has a semi-opaque blue body and four clear wings, which beat as it flies around the room, pausing as it glides and shifts direction, only to resume beating as the robot dives and rises. We have a video of the robotic dragonfly in action after the break, where you can see it demo’d in a large room.

Screenshot from 2013-04-01 21:30:14

As described, the flight of a dragonfly is unique over, for example, birds, making it an appealing – and relatively difficult – subject for robotics. A dragonfly can move its two pairs of wings independent of each other, can make sharp turns, go backwards, and speed up quickly. Festo undertook the challenge, and the result is the BionicOpter, which the company says is the first model capable of more flight conditions can a plane, glider, and helicopter all mixed together.

You can see all these flight conditions in action in the video above. Festo boasts that each wing is built with amplitude controllers, which allows it to operate independent of its counterpart wing and the other pair of wings, with both thrust intensity and direction being adjustable. There are adjustments for flight vibrations, and the robot is designed to be operational in both outdoor and indoor settings.

One of the most interesting aspects of the BionicOpter is that it can be controlled via a smartphone, with the controlling aspect being similar to flying a toy helicopter – only the direction needs to be changed. The software, sensors, and other hardware take care of the particulars, moving all four wings as necessary to achieve the direction needed in the environmental conditions where it is located.

[via Festo]


Festo shows off BionicOpter robotic dragonfly in video demonstration is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

3D Printed Robot Hand Raises its Hand for Pledges on Kickstarter

Ever wanted a robotic hand? Well unless you’re a Terminator, or this guy, you probably don’t have one. Well, thanks to 3D printing, and the wonders of Kickstarter, you can soon own your own robot hand without breaking the bank.

robot hand

Initially developed under the Anthromod project we mentioned last year, Christopher Chappell and Easton LaChapelle’s robot hand is now available for order via a Kickstarter campaign. The humanoid hand is designed to offer six degrees-of-freedom, including full movement of the thumb, four fingers and wrist. The arm is controlled using tendons, which are moved using five servos. The current design uses ABS plastic, but they are hopeful that future iterations will be produced using nylon, which is biocompatible, and safer for use in prostheses.

They’re targeting a sub-$1000 (USD) pricepoint for a completely functional robotic arm, significantly less than robotic arms being sold for medical and research purposes today. During the Kickstarter campaign (which runs through 5am EDT on 4/10/13) you can get a kit with complete electronics for the forearm, hand and fingers for £270 (~$411 USD). For £300 (~$467 USD), you can get a fully-assembled version, and for £600 (~$914 USD), you can upgrade to a version with a wireless control glove.