Apr 27

IR-detecting OLED film could mean cheap night vision on everything

Posted in: OLED, research, Today's Chili
IR-detecting OLED film could mean cheap night vision on everything

Night vision, once the exclusive property of military special forces and dreadlock’d aliens, has over the past few years become far more accessible for the everyman — even everymen with small pockets. But, we could be on the verge of a green-screen revolution if research taking place at the University of Florida, led by Dr. Franky So, comes to fruition. He and his students are working on OLED film that is excited by infrared. Multiple layers of the stuff convert that light into a spectrum that we can see and, if all goes well, could be inexpensively layered onto anything from glasses to car windshields. So is indicating this film could start production in 18 months, but given the accuracy of original predictions regarding monstrously huge yet inexpensive OLED displays we won’t exactly be holding our collective breath over here.

IR-detecting OLED film could mean cheap night vision on everything originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 23

NC State gurus create harder, better, faster, stronger ‘smart sensors’

Posted in: military, research, science, sensor, Today's Chili, university, wargadget

The year is 1974. Skywalker lives, and a tradition is born. The year is 1983. The odds are ridiculous. The final score leads to an unpremeditated running around the court that’ll live forever in history. Fast forward to 2010, and NC State is hanging onto advancements in science while the blued neighbors in Durham and Chapel-Hill are celebrating back-to-back titles. Regardless of all that, we’re still pretty proud of Dr. Jay Narayan and company, who have just uncovered a new “smart sensor” that will allow for “faster response times from military applications.” Essentially, the team has taken a sensor material called vanadium oxide and integrated it with a silicon chip, forcing the sensor to become a part of the computer chip itself. The new approach leads to intelligent sensors that can “sense, manipulate and respond to information” in a much faster manner than before, providing soldiers with weapons and analyzing tools that can react more hastily to incoming ammunition or other, um, pertinent information. It’s no banner hanging ceremony, but we’ll take what we can get.

NC State gurus create harder, better, faster, stronger ‘smart sensors’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 23

Japan plans mind-reading robots and brain interface devices ‘by 2020’

Posted in: interface, Japan, research, robot, RobotApocalypse, robotics, Robots, Today's Chili, Toyota

Our grandparents did warn us that laziness would get us in trouble. The Japanese government and private sector are, according to the Nikkei, all set to begin work on a collaborative new project to develop thought-controlled gadgets, devices … and robots. The aim is to produce brain-to-computer interfaces that would allow the ability to change channels or pump out texts just with your almighty brain power, while also facilitating artificial intelligence that would be capable of detecting when you’re hungry, cold, or in need of assistance. Manufacturing giants Toyota, Honda and Hitachi get name-dropped as potential participants in this 10-year plan, though we wonder if any of them will have the sense to ask what happens when an ultra-precise and emotionless bot is given both intelligence and mind-reading powers. Would it really stick to dunking biscuits in our tea, or would it prefer something a little more exciting?

Japan plans mind-reading robots and brain interface devices ‘by 2020’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceYahoo! News  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 16

ATR and VStone debut ‘life-sized’ Robovie R3 humanoid robot

Posted in: research, robot, Today's Chili
It’s been less than a month since the iPod touch-based Robovie-mR2 rolled into our hearts, but the folks at ATR and Vstone have now already moved on to their next creation: the Robovie R3 humanoid robot. Designed primarily to aid in research involving the elderly or disabled, the R3 is apparently “life-sized,” and packs 11 touch sensors throughout its body, along with a pair of USB cameras for eyes, two microphones and a speaker, an optional laser range finder, and a top speed of 2.5 kilometers per hour. It’s also apparently reasonably adept at getting around, with it able to move omnidirectionally and overcome small changes in floor height, and able to lend a hand thanks to its “gripper hands.” Of course, “research” is the operative word here, as this particular bot will only be made available to various institutions working with robots, and at the decidedly un-consumer-friendly price of ¥3,800,000 (or just over $41,000).

ATR and VStone debut ‘life-sized’ Robovie R3 humanoid robot originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Plastic Pals  |  sourceRobonable  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 15

Stanford researchers harvest electricity from algae, unkempt pools become gold mines

Posted in: green, research, Today's Chili
While we’ve seen plenty of stabs at viable green energy, from underwater turbines to the Bloom Box, we’re always up for another. Running along the same lines as Uppsala University’s algae-based batteries, researchers at Stanford are generating electrical current by tapping into the electron activity of individual algae cells. The team designed a gold electrode that can be pushed through a cell membrane, which then seals around it. The cell, still alive, does what it does best (photosynthesis), at which point scientists harvest chemical energy in the form of electrons. According to Stanford University News, this results in “electricity production that doesn’t release carbon into the atmosphere. The only byproducts of photosynthesis are protons and oxygen.” Of course, the team has a long way to go before this is economically feasible, but who knows? Maybe there’s an algae-powered OPhone in your future…

Stanford researchers harvest electricity from algae, unkempt pools become gold mines originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 10

Intel’s 48-core processor destined for science, ships to universities soon

Posted in: intel, processor, research, Today's Chili

If you’ve been hankering to get your hands on that stamp-sized 48-core processor Intel introduced last year, you’d better brush off your doctorate — the chipmaker says it will send samples of the CPU to researchers and academic institutions by the end of Q2. Clocked between 1.66GHz and 1.83GHz like Intel’s Atom netbook chips, the 48 cores won’t boost your framerates in Crysis — rather, they’re intended for linear algebra, fluid dynamics and server work — but what we wouldn’t give to try. Oh well — suppose we’ll just have to make do with puny 8- and 12-core chips for now.

Intel’s 48-core processor destined for science, ships to universities soon originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Apr 2010 06:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceIDG News  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 09

Microsoft’s Manual Deskterity project reveals pen and touch input, Courier’s future?

Posted in: Microsoft, research, Today's Chili, touch, video
Apple may have made its thoughts on the stylus clearer than ever at its iPhone OS 4 event, but it looks like Microsoft Research is intent on redefining what’s possible with a little pen-based input and, if this recently-revealed video is any indication, we’re not about to stop them. Dubbed Manual Deskterity, the project is currently based around a Microsoft Surface device, and shows how pen and touch input can be combined for a range of tasks that wouldn’t be possible with just one or the other — using a photo as a straight-edge (as seen above), for example, or using the pen as an X-acto knife to cut a photo while you hold it in place with your finger. Of course, while the project is currently using a Surface, it’s hard not to see how it could also be applied to something like Courier, especially considering the strong emphasis on creativity that echoes the Courier demo videos. Head on past the break to check out the whole thing for yourself.

Continue reading Microsoft’s Manual Deskterity project reveals pen and touch input, Courier’s future?

Microsoft’s Manual Deskterity project reveals pen and touch input, Courier’s future? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink My Microsoft Life  |  sourceistartedsomething  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 04

Hiroshi Ishiguro’s Geminoid-F humanoid mimics Earthlings, is definitely the beginning of the end (video)

Posted in: Japan, research, robot, RobotApocalypse, Today's Chili, university, video

Hiroshi Ishiguro (or his evil android twin, one) is back in business, and nearly four years after his Geminoid HI-1 startled youngsters everywhere, the Geminoid-F has arrived to consternate the grown-ups. Shown off this weekend in Osaka, Japan, the lifelike lady you see above (pictured left, just in case you were wondering) was designed to mimic human facial expressions that are fed in to its internal computer. The rubberized face has a rather insane amount of flexibility, enabling it to pull off subtle gestures that have thus far been impossible to replicate on a robot. Sly grins, angry glares and totally-fake smiles are all possible now, with developers hoping to have these in hospitals and the like in the not-too-distant future. Currently, copies of the humanoid are expected to sell for around ¥10,000,000 ($105,780), though it’ll likely be robotics research organizations doing the majority of the buying. Hop on past the break for a video that’s guaranteed to leave you stunned — and while we’re not fluent in Japanese, we’re pretty sure someone asks if they “can rock that bad Larry on their dome.”

Continue reading Hiroshi Ishiguro’s Geminoid-F humanoid mimics Earthlings, is definitely the beginning of the end (video)

Hiroshi Ishiguro’s Geminoid-F humanoid mimics Earthlings, is definitely the beginning of the end (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 02

Magnetic waves distort the brain’s ability to make moral judgments, tell which way is north

Posted in: mit, research, science, Today's Chili, university

Morality isn’t a topic discussed ’round these parts too often, but you mix in the geniuses at MIT and a boatload of magnets, and well — you’ve got us interested. According to research conducted by neuroscientists at the institution, people’s views on morality can actually be swayed by interfering with activity in a specific brain region. Past studies found that the right temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) is extremely active when people think about the intentions, thoughts and beliefs of others, and in the new project, gurus disrupted activity in the right TPJ by “inducing a current in the brain using a magnetic field applied to the scalp.” The result? The subjects’ ability to make moral judgments requiring an understanding of someone else’s intentions (a failed murder attempt, for example) was impaired. MIT’s own Rebecca Saxe noted that the process introduced a certain level of “bias” more than an outright change of perception, but still, this definitely sounds like an awesome way to get just about anything you ever wanted. Within reason, of course.

Magnetic waves distort the brain’s ability to make moral judgments, tell which way is north originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Apr 2010 02:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Popular Science  |  sourceMIT  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 01

Australian researchers unveil bionic eye prototype, implants coming in 2013

Posted in: research, Today's Chili

We’ve been hearing about things like bionic eyeballs — specifically cameras which are implantable into human eyes — for quite some time now. But it looks like Bionic Vision Australia has actually developed a real, working prototype. BVA, along with researchers at the University of New South Wales, have shown off their advanced prototype of the “eye,” which boasts a pair of glasses mounted with a camera, a pocket-mounted CPU, and a wireless electrode chip which must be surgically implanted in the eye. The electrode chip has 98 electrodes which stimulates cells on the optical nerve, resulting in improved vision for those with vision problems resulting from optical nerve problems. Clinical trials are scheduled to begin later this year in Melbourne, with the hope that actual patients will be treated sometime in 2013. Kudos! The full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Australian researchers unveil bionic eye prototype, implants coming in 2013

Australian researchers unveil bionic eye prototype, implants coming in 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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