The concept of a robot that’s actually capable of reading a user’s thoughts sounds like a sci fi pipe dream. It’s not, though: the University of Cincinatti’s Anca Ralescu and her team last week revealed that they’re working on a piece of technology which, when completed, could change the world.
Getting out of bed when the alarm clock goes off is sometimes an unattainable goal, and everyone has found a legitimate excuse to hit the snooze button at least once. This is arguably because an annoying sound is not incentive enough to drag one’s self to the coffee maker, and such is where the ALARMclock […]
Lytro delivers a new 3D living picture experience across mobile devices, desktop PCs and 3D-capable TVs. Extols its camera as the first that allows photographers to create a 3D image with a single exposure.
Smog is a concern for all big cities, with some being plagued with it on a continual basis, both decreasing the quality of life for residents and posing a health risk. Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde has decided to tackle this program and designed an “electronic vacuum cleaner” that eliminates the pollution. Presently, the designer is […]
Battery technology is continually evolving, with modern batteries being both more resilient and longer-lasting than batteries from days gone by. There is still quite a bit of improvement that can take place with them, however, one of which concerns the longevity of the batteries — that is, their lifespan before no longer being usable. Scientists […]
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.
You should check out Brandyn’s full article about his hacks on his website. Brandyn and his colleague Andrew Miller also made a couple of Google Glass hacks designed to help the blind become aware of their surroundings.
[via Mike Elgan via The Future of Things]
Its impressive to hold a Coca-Cola bottle in your hand and think that about 30% of the bottle is actually made from renewable plant material. Coca-Cola and other soft drink companies have long been using a durable lightweight called PET. Ford uses PET in some of the materials in the interior of its vehicles including headliners, fabrics, and carpet among other things.
Coca-Cola’s PlantBottle technology makes for a greener version of PET and Ford has announced that it has teamed up with Coke to utilize the PlantBottle tech inside of its vehicles.
Ford will be showing off the Fusion energi plug-in hybrid vehicle in Los Angeles next week and inside the vehicle makes extensive use of PlantBottle technology.
Scientists and engineers from Coca-Cola and Ford worked together to develop a fiber using PlantBottle technology that can be woven into automotive grade PET fabric. Ford is using the technology to make fabric coverings for seat cushions, head restraints, and other components inside the car including headliners and door panels. Ford is currently evaluating using the material in other applications as well.
[via Coca-Cola]
If you’re a fan of the mythical Thor or the Marvel superhero Thor, we’ve got something new and interesting that you will really appreciate. A new Thor-themed battery charger has debuted that takes the form of Thor’s hammer Mjölnir. The battery designed to recharge electronic devices is hidden in the head of the hammer.
The hammer looks very much like the one that Thor wields in the new movie in theaters right now. The battery charger measures 5.1″ x 3.1″ x 2″ and weighs up to one pound depending on capacity. It has a full-size USB port and a micro-USB port that can provide 2.1A of power. The hammer also has integrated LED lights and a speaker offering sound effects when you swing it.
You can purchase the battery charger with three different battery capacities stuffed inside the hammerhead. The smallest is a 2600 mAh battery with a middleweight version packing 5200 mAh of power. The biggest battery has 10,400 mAh of juice. The biggest battery needs 10 full hours to recharge. Sadly, it’s currently only available in Asia at this point.
This would look great along with your Thor bookends
[via EverythingUSB]
A future with lightsabers just got a little more promising, according to a scientific breakthrough by MIT and Harvard scientists. For the first time, scientists have managed to create matter out of light, something that has been theoretically possible but never before accomplished. Furthermore, this discovery flips long-accepted understanding about light and photons on its […]
I’ve always found it curious that the entire city of Venice, Italy is built on the water. The way to get around much of the city is by boat, and the main thoroughfares are canals between different buildings and walkways. As close as I’ve ever gotten to exploring Venice, Italy is watching James Bond chase bad guys around the city.
If you want to explore Venice, but can’t afford the airfare, Google has announced that its Street View imagery is now available for all of the canals and walkways of Venice. To grab the Street View imagery, Google workers used their Trekker Backpack and covered 265 miles on foot and 114 miles by boat.
Google says that it covered all the major attractions in Venice and also covered some of the lesser-known features including the synagogue of the first Jewish Ghetto and the Devil’s Bridge on Torcello Island. Google has even offered up a behind-the-scenes video showing how it captured some of its Street New footage in Venice. This is way cooler than those Street View images of CERN and the Large Hadron Collider.
[via Laughing Squid]
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