Hasta La Gadget!

OmniVision has just let loose its OV10810, hailed as the first native 16:9 CMOS image sensor to enable simultaneous 1080p HD video recording and ten megapixel image captures. The chip is built upon the company’s 1.4-micron OmniBSI pixel architecture, and it’s obviously aimed at digicams, camcorders and higher-end smartphones. Generally speaking, any camcorder that can snag stills on the side does so at a terribly low resolution, but this bantam slab of silicon would obviously serve as a solution. The technobabble’s there after the break if you’re interested, and you can commence waiting for this to make it to your favorite smartphone / camera maker… now.

Continue reading OmniVision’s OV10810 image sensor handles 1080p video recording, 10 megapixel image capture

OmniVision’s OV10810 image sensor handles 1080p video recording, 10 megapixel image capture originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 09:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s been no shortage whatsoever of PC control schemes using Kinect, but up until now, every bit of it has been without Microsoft’s official blessing. Of course, the company eventually caved to the massive amount of hacking going on and confessed that it didn’t have any hard feelings for those giving it a whirl, but is it really fixing to take things one step further with bona fide PC support? That’s the talk emanating from South Korea, where game developer GamePrix has reported that at least one of its titles (Divine Soul, if you must know) is “scheduled to support Kinect.” Continuing on about the game, the company’s Jason Lim was quoted as saying that “Kinect will soon be available as a new PC controller,” but naturally, we’ve our doubts. For starters, why wouldn’t Microsoft be working with a more major developer if honest-to-goodness PC-Kinect interactions were planned? Secondly, there’s a definite possibility that GamePrix could really be referring to unofficial support, which would make everything seem a lot more sensible. Either way, we’ll definitely be keeping an ear to the ground for more, and with GDC under three months away, we ought to know the truth sooner rather than later.

[Thanks, Rashad]

Kinect rumored to have PC support in waiting originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Still haven’t nailed down the perfect Christmas gift for that special someone in your life? Shame on you. Just kidding. But on the real, if you’ve got $2,397.99 and a lust for robotics, there’s hardly a better buy available right now than this. The concoction you’re peering at above isn’t apt to go on sale to the general public again anytime soon, as it’s a rare prototype motion capture exoskeleton that was used by (the now-defunct) Ugobe in the creation of Pleo. Word has it that this suit was vital to the R&D efforts surrounding the first edition of the outfit’s robotic dinosaur, with one Caleb Chung fitting in and hulking about as computers analyzed and recorded movements. So far as we can tell, all of the circuits and wires are still here, meaning that you actually could use this for R&D of your own provided you had the right equipment to read it. Unfortunately, it’ll cost a small fortune to ship a 350 pound crate anywhere outside of the continental US, but for those of you currently living overseas… well, here’s your excuse to relocate.

[Thanks, Colin]

Prototype Pleo motion capture exoskeleton up for grabs: $2,400 OBO originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 12:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The future is a scary place, yes — but one thing we don’t need to fear is being unaware that we’re thirsty. Research and development firm Cambridge Consultants will be showing off its intriguing “i-dration” concept fitness water bottle at CES in a few weeks, combining a series of sensors on the bottle itself that communicate with an app you’ve got installed on your smartphone. The bottle will measure ambient temperature, how much fluid you’ve pounded, and how often you’ve consumed it; the phone, meanwhile, will use its accelerometer to measure how hard you’re working out and combine that with heart rate data from a chest strap. After crunching some numbers, the app determines whether you’re low on H2O — and if you are, it’ll make a blue light on the bottle pulse. If it seems like a roundabout way to stay hydrated… well, that’s because it is, but Cambridge’s angle is that this is a demonstrator for cool new ways that sensors can be tightly packed and integrated with smartphones to create “hardware apps.” Speaking of, we could use a tall, cool glass of water. Follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Futuristic water bottle uses technology, science to let you know you’re thirsty

Futuristic water bottle uses technology, science to let you know you’re thirsty originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 08:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Every night we go to bed thinking that we’ve finally seen the best Kinect hack done and every morning we wake up to see something even crazier concocted with Microsoft’s motion controller. Today, it’s been mounted atop a quadrocopter — yes, man’s future worst enemy — and utilized essentially as a 3D radar, facilitating the bot’s autonomous maneuvering around a predetermined track. The random introduction of obstacles is also handled in stride, leaving us equal parts impressed, apprehensive, and eager for more. See the video after the break.

[Thanks, Glen]

Continue reading Kinect turned into a quadrocopter radar (video)

Kinect turned into a quadrocopter radar (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 01:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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