Researchers from New York University recently unveiled a drone that "mimics the movements of swimming jellyfish." Designed by Leif Ristroph, an applied mathematician at NYU, the drone was presented at a fluid dynamics conference in Pittsburgh. It's tiny and adorable and I want one.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/robots-vs-humans-in-one-chart-2014-1
Here's a fun chart from BofA/ML (via @Fgoria)
The chart is a bit unfair, since it's comparing global robots to US manufacturing jobs. Just looking at the number of robots in the US would be better.
But even stripping out the comparison, the rise of the installed base of global robots is worth watching, especially as the next few years are expected to see major growth.
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/15/image-algorithm-can-recognize-objects-without-any-human-help/
Even the smartest object recognition systems tend to require at least some human input to be effective, even if it's just to get the ball rolling. Not a new system from Brigham Young University, however. A team led by Dah-Jye Lee has built a genetic algorithm that decides which features are important all on its own. The code doesn't need to reset whenever it looks for a new object, and it's accurate to the point where it can reliably pick out subtle differences -- different varieties of fish, for instance. There's no word on just when we might see this algorithm reach the real world, but Lee believes that it could spot invasive species and manufacturing defects without requiring constant human oversight. Let's just hope it doesn't decide that we're the invasive species.
Filed under: Alt
Via: SlashGear
Source: Brigham Young University
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/16/richard-yu-on-new-hisilicon-chipsets/
It's been a year since Huawei's Richard Yu's teased his company's octa-core HiSilicon SoC, and according to the exec's recent Sina Weibo post (screenshot after the break), said product is finally ready. In fact, Yu revealed that his company's launched two new 28nm HPM chips. The octa-core model (likely the K3V3) features the usual quad Cortex-A15 plus quad Cortex-A7 big.LITTLE combo (as implemented by Samsung Exynos 5 Octa); and there's also a new quad-core Cortex-A9 model (likely the K3V2 Pro), which succeeds the 40nm K3V2 that features the same architecture. What's unclear is whether the octa-core chip will allow all eight cores to run simultaneously, but what we do know is that both chips come with a multi-mode LTE modem that will also handle both WCDMA and China Mobile's TD-SCDMA radios.
Yu also made a separate post to say we're entering the era of 64-bit octa-core processor (Cortex-A53 plus Cortex-A57) this year, but the message was deleted soon afterwards. What a tease. Anyhow, we have a feeling that Huawei will be showing off its first device powered by its own octa-core chip at MWC next month. That's not to say Huawei's saying goodbye to Qualcomm and MediaTek, though -- Yu confirmed that he'll have more "high-end" devices that will feature chips supplied by these two companies.
Via: Engadget Chinese
Source: Sina Weibo
Source: http://gizmodo.com/science-finally-gives-us-a-way-to-authenticate-premium-1502035564
That fancy premium chocolate from Tanzania that you spent $10 on at Whole Foods last night might not be as fancy or premium as you think. Lower quality cacao is often mixed into even the best chocolate, which is precisely why scientists have now developed a method for authenticating the varietal purity and origin of cacao beans.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/15/google-play-movies-tv-apple-ios/
Apple's iTunes has long been the de facto virtual storefront for iOS users looking to buy or rent digital content, but now Google's elbowing its way into that tidy ecosystem. The search giant just dropped an iOS version of its Google Play Movies & TV app onto the App Store, giving users an alternate media library to browse. The service will also allow users to purchase films and TV shows from the desktop and view them from any iDevice. Just don't get too jazzed about the Chromecast streaming side of things. We've seen the service hiccup more than we'd like in our time using it. Your mileage may vary, but don't say you weren't warned.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, HD, Mobile, Apple, Google
Source: iTunes
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/15/adafruit-raspberry-pi-camera/
Do you like the idea of building your own digital camera, but want something a little more sophisticated than Ikea's cardboard cam? Adafruit will be happy to help you out. It has posted instructions for making a point-and-shoot using little more than a Raspberry Pi, its matching camera module and Adafruit's PiTFT touchscreen. The resulting device won't rival any modern point-and-shoot for quality, but it's truly usable -- you can even slap on a WiFi adapter to upload shots to Dropbox. Whatever your experience with DIY photography, you'll find everything you need to know at the source link.
Filed under: Cameras
Via: Raspberry Pi
Source: Adafruit
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/15/hp-chromebook-11-with-verizon-lte/
HP's Chromebook 11 is one of the better Chrome OS devices on the market, power adapter woes notwithstanding, but it hasn't had a cellular version to please those who want always-on data. That won't be a problem after today, as Best Buy has quietly started selling a model with Verizon LTE. The 4G link boosts the ARM-powered laptop's price to $379 without otherwise changing the specs; if you attach it to a shared Verizon data plan, you'll also get a $50 rebate. The new computer probably won't change your mind if you didn't like the Chromebook 11 in the first place. Still, it's one of the cheapest LTE laptops on the market -- that's no doubt appealing to at least a few budget-conscious road warriors.
Filed under: Laptops, Wireless, Google, Verizon, HP
Via: Liliputing
Source: Best Buy, Altair Semiconductor
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/15/adafruit-raspberry-pi-camera/
Do you like the idea of building your own digital camera, but want something a little more sophisticated than Ikea's cardboard cam? Adafruit will be happy to help you out. It has posted instructions for making a point-and-shoot using little more than a Raspberry Pi, its matching camera module and Adafruit's PiTFT touchscreen. The resulting device won't rival any modern point-and-shoot for quality, but it's truly usable -- you can even slap on a WiFi adapter to upload shots to Dropbox. Whatever your experience with DIY photography, you'll find everything you need to know at the source link.
Filed under: Cameras
Via: Raspberry Pi
Source: Adafruit
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/computer-simulations-teach-themselves-to-walk-2014-1
What we have here is a computer demonstration of "flexible muscle-based locomotion for bipedal creatures," but let's out it for what it really is: a video of 3D models figuring out how to walk and mostly failing at it to chuckle-worthy results.
The hijinks begin to pick up around the 57-second mark, when the first humanoid falls over, right onto his digitized face.
Here's the proper video description for those seeking a more formal explanation of what's going on:
We present a muscle-based control method for simulated bipeds in which both the muscle routing and control parameters are optimized. This yields a generic locomotion control method that supports a variety of bipedal creatures. All actuation forces are the result of 3D simulated muscles, and a model of neural delay is included for all feedback paths. As a result, our controllers generate torque patterns that incorporate biomechanical constraints. The synthesized controllers find different gaits based on target speed, can cope with uneven terrain and external perturbations, and can steer to target directions.
As future generations "evolve" inside the software and gain a better understanding of their "bodies," the bumbling simulated creatures tend to get things worked out. But most of those early ones just didn't have a clue.
Flexible Muscle-Based Locomotion for Bipedal Creatures from John Goatstream on Vimeo.
SEE ALSO: The NSA May Or May Not Be Building A Quantum Computer That Can Decrypt Basically Anything
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As camera-makers trim their point-and-shoot lines in the face of encroaching smartphones, one company is keeping the faith and doing what it's done for the past three decades. Lomography's wide range of film cameras dates back to the early '90s, when some students in Vienna discovered the potenti...
http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/14/5307088/lomography-konstruktor-review
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Extensions are useful little programs written by independent developers to customize your browser experience, whether its by blocking advertisements, aggregating your newsfeed, or keeping you on task. But they may also offer a way for malicious coders to get past Google Chrome's notoriously tight...
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/15/left-field-labs-music-drop/
We've seen 3D printing enable a nostalgic twist on music before, but there are few things quite so clever (or tiny) as Left Field Labs' Music Drop. The company's latest New Year's project lets you design a unique music box through a simple web interface; you just have to create a catchy song loop and Left Field will print out a finger-powered, tear-shaped machine that plays your tune. We're not sure how long Left Field Labs will be offering the Music Drop when each one is hand-made, so you may want to swing by its website before all the fun comes to an end.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Left Field Labs
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/15/blackphone-privacy-and-security-android-smartphone/
You may never have heard of Geeksphone, unless you take a particular interest in Firefox OS, but the Spanish manufacturer could be about to garner some global attention. It says it'll launch a new handset at Mobile World Congress next month that will prioritize privacy and security instead of all the intrusions that smartphone users usually have to put up with from carriers, advertisers and the occasional government agency. We're looking at an Android-based phone with a "top performing" processor and a cellular module that will be unlocked, free of geographical restrictions and compatible with any GSM network. In place of carrier bloatware, we're promised a skin called "PrivatOS" that will allow you to make and receive secure phone calls and text messages, store files securely and browse the web privately through an anonymous VPN -- services that are largely already available from Silent Circle, which happens to be a key partner on the Blackphone project. That's pretty much all we know for now, but pre-orders will begin sometime during the last week of February, and by then we hope to have hands-on impressions and a better understanding of how Blackphone will be different to! BlackBerry encryption, Samsung's Knox service and other more established rivals.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Source: Blackphone
Here is a tummy tickling compilation video of Vines from Zach King, the magic wizard of Vine. He'll snatch cats out of computer screens, turn Rubik's Cubes into candy, fly through beds and doors, jump out of his clothes, magically change colors of any object and more. It's the most entertaining use of the 6 second medium because it's just short enough to make me feel like magic can be real.
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