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Wednesday, July 10, 2013

This Painting Robot Constantly Adjusts Its Style to Create Masterpieces

Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-painting-robot-constantly-adjusts-its-style-to-cre-731305977

E-David isn't the first industrial robotic arm that's been re-programmed to paint. There have been many similar creations before it, but they've all worked sort of like elaborate photocopiers, perfectly recreating a digital image stored in memory. What sets e-David apart is that it's the first robot painter that constantly adapts its technique and brush strokes as it works based on what it's seeing through a camera pointed at its canvas.

Robot arms are designed and built to perfectly reproduce the same movements again and again, so in the past it's been hard to classify what a robot painter produces as 'art' since technically it's just reproducing a digital image. But using the feed from a camera, the software that powers e-David continually analyzes the paint strokes that have been added, deciding where to put the next stroke based on where shade or light needs to be added to perfect its masterpiece.

This Painting Robot Constantly Adjusts Its Style to Create Masterpieces

And with 24 shades and five different brushes at its disposal, e-David has created some stunning pieces so far. Because the robot hasn't spent much time exploring the real world, it still needs to be fed an image to use as inspiration for its creations. But thanks to its unique artistic approach, the results are always unique—to the point where we wouldn't be surprised to see e-David get its own gallery showing, or eventually go crazy and cut off one of its microphones. [The Creators Project via Notcot]

This Painting Robot Constantly Adjusts Its Style to Create Masterpieces

Outbound calls from desktop Gmail are back, with free calling to the US and Canada

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/09/outbound-calls-from-desktop-gmail-are-back-with-free-calling-to/

Today Google has brought back the ability to make phone calls from desktop Gmail, Google+ and via its Chrome extension, and also announced that calls to the US and Canada are free (from countries where Hangouts calling is available. The feature disappeared when Google introduced its new Hangouts setup, but a post on the Gmail blog claims that now it's better than ever. According to the company, "Hangouts is designed to be the future of Google Voice," with making and receiving calls just the beginning. For now, users can enjoy new features like adding multiple phone numbers and video participants to the same call, and using sound effects from the Google Effects app. Current Hangouts users should see a new phone icon in Gmail, or a "call a phone" menu item in Google+ and the Chrome extension.

Filed under: Internet, Google

Source: Gmail Blog

Murchison Widefield Array goes live, will study the sun, space junk, the early universe and more

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/09/murchison-widefield-array-goes-live/

We hope IBM's hardware is ready to chew through the feast of data it's going to receive, as the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) radio telescope is officially open for ~~business~~ science. Located in the outback on the same site as the Australia SKA Pathfinder, it's one of three "precursor" programs that'll help steer future development of the extra powerful Square Kilometer Array. The MWA low-frequency telescope has plenty of work to be getting on with, and some of its first tasks include gazing into the sun to observe solar flares, storms and other activity, as well as scanning the Milky Way for the likes of "black holes and exploding stars." It'll also look into the tracking of hazardous space garbage using FM radio waves that are lost to the void, and explore the early life of the universe as far back as 13 billion years. According to Curtin Un! iversity 's Professor Tingay, the MWA's commendable work ethic (read: data quality) means we could see initial results from some of these projects "in as little as three months' time."

Filed under: Science, Alt

Researchers say new development could give artificial skin a wider range of senses

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/09/artificial-skin-range-of-senses/

We've seen a number of efforts to build a better artificial skin, or "e-skin," over the years, and a team of researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology now say they've made a breakthrough that could lead to some of the most sensitive e-skin yet. The key development is a new type of flexible sensor that would not only allow the artificial skin to detect touch, but humidity and temperature as well. Those sensors are comprised of gold-based nanoparticles that are just five to eight nanometers in diameter and laid on top of a substrate -- in their research, the scientists used PET, the type of plastic you'd normally find in soda bottles. That substrate conducts electricity differently depending on the way it is bent, which means researchers can adjust its sensitivity just by increasing its thickness. As you might expect, this is all still in the early stages, but the researchers see plenty of possibilities for the future, from bringing a sense of touch to artificial limbs to using the same technology to monitor stress on bridges.

Filed under: Science, Alt

Via: PhysOrg

Source: American Technion Society

Tuesday, July 09, 2013

A Hotel Full of Secret Rooms Invites an Epic Game of Hide-and-Seek

Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-hotel-full-of-secret-rooms-invites-an-epic-game-of-hi-718156776

A Hotel Full of Secret Rooms Invites an Epic Game of Hide-and-Seek

The Suitcase House Hotel is the perfect place to hide out. It has an entire network of rooms hidden beneath the floorboards, like an architectural Swiss Army knife. Check out these amazing hiding places—or, as the hotel probably refers to them, the places where you brush your teeth and sleep.

A Hotel Full of Secret Rooms Invites an Epic Game of Hide-and-Seek

Created by Hong Kong-based architect Gary Chang, the beautiful fortress is nestled in the hills near the Great Wall. The long, narrow Chinese hotel uses space in really interesting, unconventional way, with a series of undetectable compartments hidden under notched floorboards that open to reveal different programs. Pull up one of the convertible pieces, and you'll find sinks and a bathroom. Remove another, and there's a library and a study. Another conceals a sleeping chamber, and another, a sauna. These pneumatically-assisted panels make the space infinitely configurable for events and lodgings. This diagram shows the different ways in which you could change up the suitcase house:

A Hotel Full of Secret Rooms Invites an Epic Game of Hide-and-Seek

So while your conventional hotel uses regular old vertical doors as entrances to rooms, the Suitcase House has its doors located horizontally on the floor. It would definitely make for a competitive game of hide-and-seek. [DesignBoom]

A Hotel Full of Secret Rooms Invites an Epic Game of Hide-and-Seek

A Terrifying Staircase To Nowhere Provides Dizzying Views Of the Alps

Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-terrifying-staircase-to-nowhere-provides-dizzying-vie-719205070

A Terrifying Staircase To Nowhere Provides Dizzying Views Of the Alps

Apparently, stunning views of one of the most picturesque mountain ranges in the world aren't enough for visitors of the Dachstein Glacier resort in Austria. So the facility has installed a 14-step 'staircase to nothing' leading to a glass-bottomed viewing platform that juts out from the side of the glacier, and a 328-foot suspension bridge that hangs 1,300 feet over the mountains.

Although awe-inspiring, neither attraction is designed for the faint of heart. However, if you've ever dreamed of scaling a mountain but barely have enough upper body strength to put on a warm jacket, this is the closest you'll get to the stunning views enjoyed by mountaineers—unless they eventually install a staircase on Everest. [Der Dachstein via Spiegel Online]

A Terrifying Staircase To Nowhere Provides Dizzying Views Of the Alps

A Terrifying Staircase To Nowhere Provides Dizzying Views Of the Alps

Images by Dachstein and Spiegel Online

Monday, July 08, 2013

A Magical Window That Blocks Noise But Lets Breezes Pass Through

Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-magical-window-that-blocks-noise-but-lets-breezes-pas-703615179

A Magical Window That Blocks Noise But Lets Breezes Pass Through

It's a warm summer night in the city, but instead of sleeping with the windows open to let a breeze in, you've got them all closed to keep your bedroom quiet. It's a 'lesser of two evils' decision that people living in crowded urban centers might soon not have to make. Researchers in South Korea have developed a remarkable new type of window that dampens sound while still allowing air to pass right on through.

Developed by Seong-Hyun Lee at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials and Sang-Hoon Kima at the South Korea Mokpo National Maritime University, the nitty-gritty of how the window works is detailed here. But in layman's terms, the windows are made up of two plates of transparent acrylic sitting 40mm apart that work as a resonance chamber, diminishing the energy of sound waves passing through. And to maximize the window's efficiency, it's perforated with 50mm holes that allow more sound to enter and get trapped, without obstructing breezes.

The exact science of how the windows work is of course far more elaborate and worth a read if you've got a few moments, but in testing it's been found to reduce sounds by an impressive 20 to 30 decibels—enough to turn a traffic-filled street into a sleep-friendly murmur—across various frequency ranges depending on the size of the perforations.

So in addition to soundproofing and cooling an office or a home, in theory, the materials could even be used to make ultra-quiet fans or other hardware. [Cornell University via MIT Technology Review]

A Magical Window That Blocks Noise But Lets Breezes Pass Through

Image by Stockelements/Shutterstock

Garmin's $130 smartphone HUD limits distractions with line-of-sight directions

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/08/garmin-head-up-display/

We've become so dependent on GPS that a three-minute drive often means frequent glances at an in-car navigation companion. But taking your eyes off the road can be very dangerous, even if it's only for a moment. If you're fortunate enough to have one, a head-up display will let you get to your destination efficiently and safely, and Garmin's got a new aftermarket solution to keep you cruising on the cheap. The company's new HUD projects bright directions onto a transparent film mounted on your windshield, serving up guidance within your regular line of sight. The simple interface displays your current speed and the speed limit, turn arrows, the distance until your next turn and an ETA. The Garmin HUD is compatible with Bluetooth-equipped smartphones running Garmin StreetPilot and Navigon apps. It's expected in stores this summer with a MSRP of $129.99.

Filed under: Displays, GPS

Friday, July 05, 2013

China Beaches Are Green With Smelly 'Sea Lettuce' Algae Due To Record-Breaking Bloom [PHOTOS]

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-algae-beach-pollution-2013-photos-2013-7

tourists play at a beach covered by a thick layer of green algae on july 3 2013 in qingdao china

Massive, recording-breaking blooms of the algae Enteromorpha prolifera have been washing up on China's beaches in Shandong province, near Qingdao.

The bloom is the size of Connecticut and officials have already removed 19,800 tons of algae from beaches. This is the largest bloom since 2008, which covered 5,000 square miles. That year, the algae cost $30 million to clean up and according to a 2011 report, cost about $100 million in damages to fisheries in the area, since the algae soaks up oxygen in the water, choking off other marine organisms.

The blooms first started in 2007, and researchers aren't sure if they are cause by pollution or by changes to seaweed farming practices to the south of Qingdao.

The algae beach is located in Qingdao, in Shandong province in Eastern China.

The city has a population of more than 8 million, and tourists flock to the coasts during the summer months.

That's also when blooms of the algae Enteromorpha prolifera, peak.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Your Next Smartphone Screen Will Be Able to Disinfect Itself

Source: http://gizmodo.com/your-next-smartphone-screen-will-be-able-to-disinfect-i-677470656

Your Next Smartphone Screen Will Be Able to Disinfect Itself

Your phone is filthy. Anything that's getting rubbed by your grimy little fingers on a ridiculously regular basis is going to be far from pristine. But Corning can help. Its newest revision of Gorilla Glass is not only ridiculously resilient, it also kills pesky germs all by itself.

Corning discussed its upcoming display tech at the MIT Mobile Technology Summit, and it sounds incredible. The anti-microbial coating being used on the new glass—a first for the display industry—can kill virtually all nasty microbes on the screen's surface over a course of two hours. It's not instantaneous, but it's way better than having a pocket petri dish.

And that's not all, either. Corning is also whipping up a new transparency treatment that will make the next revision of Gorilla Glass tens of times more transparent than purified water. What's that really mean? Seeing your phone in broad daylight is about to get way easier. Here's what that improvement looks like, the circle in the center is the new stuff:

Your Next Smartphone Screen Will Be Able to Disinfect Itself

And of course, that's all on top of the ridiculous strength we've come to expect from Gorilla Glass. Unfortunately, there's no word on exactly when these sort of features will be rolling out to new devices; Corning has simply said some time in the next two years. Until then, licking your phone screen is probably a good habit to stay out of. [Technology Review via Phone Arena via Talk Android]

Image by Michelangelus/Shutterstock

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

Photographs From Hurricane Sandy, Visualized

Source: http://gizmodo.com/photographs-from-hurricane-sandy-visualized-655520772

Photographs From Hurricane Sandy, Visualized

This might look like your car's speedometer, but it is in fact a clever visualization of photographs taken during Hurricane Sandy last year.

Part of a Digital Humanities project called Phototrails, the radial plot shows 23,581 photos uploaded to Instagram in Brooklyn area during Hurricane Sandy between November 29th and 30th of last year. The team behind the images explains:

Photo’s distance from the center (radius) corresponds to its mean hue; photo’s angle (i.e. the position along the perimeter) corresponds to its time stamp. Note the demarcation line that reveals the moment of a power outage in the area and indicates the intensity of the shared experience (dramatic decrease in the number of photos, and their darker colors to the right of the line).

That's a pretty neat artefact, even if it is one from a horrible and awful time. There's plenty more where that came from, though: the team has a variety of visualization methods which use radial, grid-like and even graphing techniques to tease out interesting trends form the images. Go check them out on the Phototrails site. [Phototrails via Information Aesthetics]

Sharp intros 32-inch IGZO monitor with 4K resolution and pen support

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/02/sharp-pn-k322b-4k-monitor/

Sharp intros 32inch IGZO monitor with 4K resolution and support for touch pen

The majority of the world is still patiently waiting for 4K technology to become more widely adopted, and companies are certainly doing all they can to assist in speeding up that process. Following in the footsteps of ASUS, Sharp's now introducing an Ultra HD, IGZO panel of its own, the PN-K322B. Aside from boasting a 3,840 x 2,160 screen resolution, this 32-inch multi-touch monitor also features the ability to support digital writing (or drawing) by way of a "dedicated touch pen with a pen-tip width of just 2mm." Ports-wise, the LED-backlit PN-K322B houses two HDMI inputs, a DisplayPort and a 3.5mm stereo jack to help get some external audio going. Mum's the word on how much it'll cost when it arrives in Japan on July 30th, but if other similar options are any indication, we'd say upwards of $3,500 is a safe bet.

Filed under: Displays, Misc

Via: SlashGear

Source: Sharp

Fedora 19 Schrodinger's Cat released with 3D printing, Developer's Assistant, paradoxes

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/02/fedora-19-schrodingers-cat/

Fedora 19 Schrodinger's Cat may have a name that suggests it's both alive and dead, but there's no uncertainties about its release -- the finished Linux distribution is now available on Fedora's servers. The oddly-nicknamed OS mostly improves content creation. It beats Microsoft to the punch on 3D printer support by including object design and printing tools; budding programmers will also like Node.js support and a Developer's Assistant that simplifies learning new code languages. While there's many more updates than we can list here, it's safe to say that Fedora 19 is a big update for many Linux fans, whether or not they appreciate Schrodinger's quantum mechanics. You can grab the new build and its release notes at the source links.

Filed under: Software

Via: Muktware

Source: Fedora Project (1), (2)

Netgear's R6100 router hits 802.11ac speeds for $100, available now

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/03/netgear-r6100-80211ac-router/

The R6100 is the latest addition to Netgear's 2013 router lineup and retails for an easier-to-justify price than its siblings. For $100, the 802.11ac-generating square will connect to the new Macbook Air's upgraded wireless, with a dual 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz a/b/g/n antenna ensuring compatibility with your first-gen Zune. Like the R6200, the now-available R6100 hits 1200 Mbps combined and packs Ethernet for wired connections. It doesn't hit the speeds of the R6300, but, for half the money, what's 550 Mbps among friends?

Filed under: Internet

Via: MacNews

Source: Netgear

Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Eyefinity 5x1 Setup for Mini Innovation Lab

5 screen set up -- 5 x 47inch screens (1920x1080)

130 inch diagonal; 5,400 x 1,920 total resolution (5k)

Computer System Specs (mid-tower hidden below)
AMD HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB GDDR5 Eyefinity 6 (6 mini displayport)
Intel Haswell Core i5-4670K @ 3.6GHz (air cooled)
16GB DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) 9-9-9-24

Scenes from Unigen Valley Benchmark Renders

by Augustine Fou

Eyefinity 5x1 Five 47inch HDTVs in Portrait by Augustine Fou from Dr Augustine Fou

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