The advancing wave of retro-nostalgia is growing bigger, and Lomography appears to be the slick surfer perched atop that wave, with its cool range of film cameras. Their new golden surfboard is the LC-Wide, a 17mm format-changin’ film camera ride. More »
It’s one thing for a robot to learn English, Japanese, or any other language that we humans have already mastered. It’s quite another for a pair of bots to develop their own, entirely new lexicon, as these two apparently have. Created by Ruth Schulz and her team of researchers at the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology, each of these so-called Lingodroids constructed their special language after navigating their way through a labyrinthine space. As they wove around the maze, the Lingobots created spatial maps of their surroundings, with the help of on-board cameras, laser range finders and sonar equipment that helped them avoid walls. They also created words for each mapped location, using a database of syllables. With the mapping complete, the robots would reconvene and communicate their findings to each other, using mounted microphones and speakers. One bot, for example, would spit out a word it had created for the center of the maze (“jaya”), sending both of them off on a “race” to find that spot. If they ended up meeting at the center of the room, they would agree to call it “jaya.” From there, they could tell each other about the area they’d just come from, thereby spawning new words for direction and distance, as well. Schulz is now looking to teach her bots how to express more complex ideas, though her work is likely to hit a roadblock once these two develop a phrase for “armed revolt.”
Lingodroid robots develop their own language, quietly begin plotting against mankind originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 11:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Discontinued products typically dip in value, but such is not the case with Leica lenses — unless they’re sawed in half. Leica students had an opportunity to “make” cutaways of two Leica lenses as part of a graduation project. A discontinued Tri-Elmar-M 28-35-50mm (valued at about $4,500 when fully functional) and a 50mm f/1.4 Summilux (about $3,700) were split, exposing various layers of glass and metal. Now forever unable to capture images of their own, all four halves were photographed, and the tri-focal lens was sold for $995 on eBay, complete with original box — which, unlike its contents, appears to be in like-new condition. We were probably at home playing Frogger when Kermit went under the knife in biology, but we would have definitely had a perfect attendance record in any class that involved brushing camera equipment across a circular saw.
$4,000 Leica lens split in two, sold on eBay as $1,000 piece of art originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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You may not be able to control it with your mind, but this robotic wheelchair from Sweden’s Luleå University of Technology can still offer something that only a few others can — “sight.” The chair uses a laser sensor to generate a 3D map of its surroundings, which is then transferred to an on-board haptic robot, allowing the bot to pick up on and navigate its way around any obstacles. A visually impaired student already took the contraption out for a spin and said he felt “safe” while traveling through crowded corridors, comparing the experience to “using a white cane.” Luleå’s engineers, however, still have some fine tuning to do. The laser, for instance, can only recognize objects at a specific height, while ignoring everything above or below its field of vision. Researchers are also busy developing a new 3D camera for the chair and are hoping to have it ready for commercial use within the next five years. There’s a full PR waiting for you after the break.Continue reading Robotic wheelchair uses 3D imaging to ‘see’ for visually impaired drivers
Robotic wheelchair uses 3D imaging to ‘see’ for visually impaired drivers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 13:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Incidentally, the patent application also noticeably features “Games” as a menu option in some of the illustrations — which would be new to the current variety of iPod nano — but there’s no mention of it in the actual claims. And, given that it was filed back in November of 2009, the application’s authors could well have simply been working on the assumption that games would simply carry over from the previous generation.
Apple patent application suggest iPod nano could become even more of a ‘fashion accessory’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 04:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Remember that Contour Plus helmet cam teased by a cheeky cyclist last month? Well, this is it, though it turns out the name’s actually written as Contour+. Like the ContourGPS, this new imager captures 1080p video at 30fps, and also packs built-in GPS plus Bluetooth v2.1 — the latter’s for the wireless viewfinder app on iOS and, eventually, Android. The difference between these two cameras? Well, ignoring the colors and the extra 3mm in length, the Contour+ does indeed come with a mini HDMI-out port alongside the microSD slot on the back. Better yet, you’ll also find an HDMI cable in the box to get you going. And of course, let’s not forget the new super-wide lens (still rotatable) that does 170 degrees for 960p and 720p recording, or 125 degrees for 1080p. Both modes best the camera’s predecessor, though the trade-off is the lack of dual-alignment lasers. If this isn’t a problem for you, then feel free to shell out $499.99 when it launches on May 18th.
Update: We have PR after the break.
[Thanks, Daniel H.]
Continue reading Contour+ helmet cam goes official, bringing 1080p video with wider viewing angle
Contour+ helmet cam goes official, bringing 1080p video with wider viewing angle originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 May 2011 06:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Right on schedule, Panasonic’s gone and made its thinly-veiled Lumix DMC-G3 Micro Four Thirds shooter official. The camera succeeds the G2 with a 16 megapixel sensor, support for 1080p AVCHD video recording with stereo audio, 4fps burst shooting at full resolution, and an articulating, 3-inch touchscreen that supplants some of the dials adorning the last-gen model. In addition to poking around menus, you can touch that display to focus on your subject, and slide your finger to tweak exposure, white balance, and depth of field — all in all, not unlike how you might interact with a smartphone camera. And, at 11.8 ounces, the aluminum-clad body weighs about ten percent less than its predecessor. Look for it in June for $700 in brown, red, and white — in addition to your garden-variety black. In the market for something more compact? Panny also trotted out the Lumix-FH7, a 16 megapixel point-and-shoot with 4x optical zoom and 720p movie recording. Oodles of photos below with a press release after the break.
Gallery: Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3
Gallery: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7
Continue reading Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 ups the interchangeable lens ante with fancy new touchscreen
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 ups the interchangeable lens ante with fancy new touchscreen originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 May 2011 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Panasonic is rumored to be launching the Lumix DMC-G3 tomorrow, the update to its Micro Four Thirds G2. According to 43 Rumors, the new cam will be 25 percent smaller than its predecessor, and will include a 15.8 megapixel sensor and a 3-inch articulating LCD. Overall, the camera appears to have a very similar form factor to the G2, but scraps the left dial, presumably shifting those controls to the touch-enabled display. The site lists the launch rumor at its highest accuracy level (think DHS threat levels, but for camera rumors), so they’re pretty sure we’ll have all the details come tomorrow morning.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 leaked, expected to launch tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 May 2011 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It’s been a while since we first laid eyes upon this rugged little guy, but Motion Computing’s CL900 tablet is finally available for orders, starting at $899. Designed with enterprise markets in mind, the 2.1-pound Windows 7 slate runs on a 1.5GHz Intel Oak Trail Atom Z670 processor and rocks a 10.1-inch, 1366×768 multi-touch display that’s shielded in Corning Gorilla Glass. Seated atop that display is a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, with a 3.0-megapixel sensor keeping watch over the backside. Boasting a thickness of 15.5mm, the device also offers up to 2GB of RAM (along with a 30GB or 62GB SSD), promises a battery life of up to eight hours and houses a USB port, SD card slot and Bluetooth 3.0 module. For now, the CL900 is only available at select retailers, though Motion is selling peripherals and accessories directly from its site. Check out the source links for more details.
Motion Computing’s CL900 tablet now available for order, starting at $899 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 May 2011 12:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
We can’t say we’ve ever been particularly impressed by the video quality delivered by the Tachyon line of helmet cameras, but they’re a good choice for those who need a recorder that can take one heck of a beating — if you don’t mind some extra bulk. That fat has been banished in the new, slimmer OPS line which will be available in two flavors: a $90 VGA base unit and a slightly higher-end HD (720p) one for $140. If you’re keeping track that’s the same as the earlier XC and XC HD models, but these aren’t waterproof like those. The SD model is less than an inch wide and 2.252-inches long, while the HD model looks to be roughly $0.25 longer. Each camera is square in profile, meaning it can be rotated in four orientations on its mount, or flipped around backward. And yes, just like the XC cameras, Tachyon will be releasing a range of mounts for all your extreme endeavors, including shotguns, picatinny rails, and one that looks like an overgrown tie clip. It should be perfect for when things get fancy down at the range.
Gallery: Tachyon OPS and OPS HD
Continue reading Tachyon launches OPS and OPS HD helmet cameras, not as durable but way more tiny
Tachyon launches OPS and OPS HD helmet cameras, not as durable but way more tiny originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 May 2011 17:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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