drag2share: Eureka! A Whisper-Quiet Wind Turbine Based On Archimedes' Screw

Source: http://gizmodo.com/eureka-a-whisper-quiet-wind-turbine-based-on-archimede-1582606998

When they're standing out in a field, miles away from crowded urban centers, the sounds made by a wind turbine's blades aren't a big issue. But when they're perched atop a downtown building, they create noise pollution that's hard to ignore. A Rotterdam-based company might have found a solution, though, with a unique turbine design partially based on Archimedes' famous screw pump.

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drag2share: New Method for Spray-On Graphene Makes the Supermaterial Even Stronger

Source: http://gizmodo.com/new-method-for-spray-on-graphene-makes-the-supermateria-1582695171

An international team of researchers just announced a simple, inexpensive way to spray graphene onto substrates at supersonic speeds. Besides sounding absolutely awesome, the method also offers a solution to a crippling weakness with the supermaterial. In effect, spray-on graphene is simply stronger.

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drag2share: ASUS' modular PadFone X is finally coming to AT&T for $199

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/28/asus-padfone-x-on-att-june-6th/

AT&T promised back in January that it would launch ASUS' PadFone X hybrid, but the device has been stuck in limbo ever since -- the carrier hasn't given out much more than specs for the phone-and-tablet combo. Today, though, there's finally a date to mark on your calendar. The PadFone X should be available on June 6th for $199 on a two-year contract, or $23 per month if you buy it on an 18-month Next payment plan.

The hardware hasn't changed in the space of half a year, although it's still reasonably current. The core phone is a 5-inch Android device with a speedy Snapdragon 800 processor, 16GB of expandable storage and a 13-megapixel rear camera; the 9-inch tablet shell provides a bigger screen for the docked phone as well as an extra battery and wireless charging. You can't exactly call this a timely launch, but it's still big news for Americans who've previously had to import ASUS' two-in-one device concept.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, ASUS, AT&T

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Source: AT&T (1), (2)

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drag2share: Leap Motion's latest motion tracking tech can see your joints

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/28/leap-motions-beta-tracking-tech-can-see-your-joints/

The Leap Motion controller is a curious little motion sensor, but it isn't always easy to use. The hand-sensing tech has a tendency to lose sight of where your fingers are and almost every application that uses it has its own learning curve. Soon, that might change -- today Leap is launching the public beta for its next generation (V2) tracking software. This free update makes some big promises, including improved resistance to sunlight and infrared interference, better tracking algorithms and, best of all, the ability to track individual joints. We dropped by the company's San Francisco office to try it out and found the update to be a significant improvement.

"V1 is a great experience for early adopters," Leap CEO Michael Buckwald told us. "But what we want to do with V2 is make interacting with the computer the same as interacting with the physical world." Leap's new software helps. The update's predictive software allows the device to track controllers that aren't directly seen by its sensors. Buckwald showed us on a demo machine: a flat hand could easily be seen by a V1-equipped computer, but in a vertical orientation, all but the lowest hanging digit disappeared. V2 accurately tracked all five fingers. It sounds simple, but it's a game changer: developers can now implement more delicate pinch and grab motions. Buckwald pulled up a demo for that too, and asked us to pick up and toss a collection of ragdoll soldiers. It was easy, just as it should be.

The update also encourages developers to include a hand model in their applications. "The vision has always been that using leap should feel just like reaching through the screen and grabbing something," he explains. "That's how it feels with the onscreen hand -- seeing all your joints and fingers and watching it move as your real hand moves." While the onscreen limb isn't quite as flexible as the real deal, it makes the learning curve shallow. " If the actual interaction is a commodity like that, the focus can be on being creative."

The update is available to developers now, but there aren't many applications that use it just yet. Still, it's an encouraging evolution for the Leap Motion controller, and bleeds of the same thing the device always has: potential.

Filed under: Misc

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drag2share: Intel will let you build your own 3D-printed robot later this year

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/28/intel-robot-kit/

Intel CEO brought a robotic companion named Jimmy with him on stage at Code Conference today. Jimmy is a 3D-printed robot capable of walking, talking, moving his arms, dancing and even tweeting, and it's the key to Intel's vision of the future of robotics. Starting later this year, the company will make an open source robot kit with 3D-printed parts available to consumers for $1,600, with a research version for $16,000. The former will run on Intel Edison, the company's computer-on-a-chip, while the latter will be powered by a Core i5 processor.

How is the kit set up? The hardware designs will be available online for anyone to build the basic parts using a 3D printer, but the kit itself will contain all of the other parts which you can't print: The motor, batteries, processor and wires are the primary items you'll need to get started.

It's pretty crazy to think that you may soon be able to get your very own personalized robot for just $100 more than Google Glass. But such a kit is part of Intel's goal to lower the barrier of entry to robotics, hopefully making it possible for more people to grab a Jimmy of their own without taking out a second mortgage.

Since the robot is open source, this opens the door for users to download whatever they want to customize their new creation, and gives developers the opportunity to build apps for the same purpose. The idea is that you'll be able to personalize your robot to perform various functions: The sky's the limit, but possible use cases include grabbing a drink for you, singing along, translating and so on. Eventually, Intel plans to offer an app market to expand the capabilities of your robot.

Filed under: Robots, Intel

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