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Friday, June 13, 2014

These Drones Could Be The Construction Crews Of The Future

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-drones-could-build-bridges-2014-6

Jun 13, 2014 09:06

Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, have developed cool drones that can weave cord into rope bridges, reports New Scientist's Hal Hodson.

Each quadcopter drone is equipped with a spool of strong plastic cable that runs out behind it as it flies. One end of the cable can be secured by making several turns around a pole. The drones are positioned and directed autonomously from the ground by a central computer fitted with a camera that watches them as they fly. For example, to loop cables around each other, the computer directs two drones to fly through certain points at an exact time. In this way, the fleet can tie complicated knots and form large, regularly repeating patterns strung between fixed structures.

For now, these drones are only capable of building tensile structures like the one above. Ammar Mirjan, who collaborated with Augugliaro's on the architectural side of the project, said that currently "something possible would be a structure like a bridge or a connection between existing buildings."

Successful positioning — and, by extension, movement — is one of the key problems roboticists have to solve in order to build a worthwhile robot capable of complex tasks. Given that virtually unlimited workspace that drones have access to (the sky), that problem gets solved much more easily. And if this advantage can continue to be refined, it's easy to imagine this evolving to the point that drones do our building for us.

Jun 13, 2014 09:12

Koushil Sreenath, roboticist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, told New Scientist that "you [could hypothetically] just program the structure you want, press play and when you come back your structure is done. Our current construction is limited, but with aerial robots those limitations go away."

Hodson says there's interest in drones-as-construction-crew at other institutions too:

At the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Neri Oxman and her team are using robots suspended on cables to build structures. And at the University of Pennsylvania, the General Robotics Automation Sensing and Perception Lab is using drones with robotic clamps to build towers of magnetic blocks.

Check out the full video demo from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology below.

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drag2share: Google set to launch a health-tracking platform called Google Fit

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/13/google-launching-google-fit-health-platform/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

Not to be left behind by Apple, Google could soon launch its own health-tracking platform for mobile devices. Forbes reports that the search giant is working on a new service, tentatively called Google Fit, which will pull in data from third-party fitness wearables and health apps and combine them into one central app. It's not known if Fit will be delivered as a standalone app or come embedded inside future versions of Android, but it would likely operate as Google-made version of Apple's HealthKit, a service that lets companies like Nike feed in fitness data, and Samsung's own fitness framework, SAMI. An open platform would also lend itself to running on top of Google's upcoming Android Wear platform, allowing smartwatches and fitness bands to feed data into Fit's open APIs. Mirroring Apple, Google is set to unveil its new health-centric service at its own developer conference, Google I/O, which kicks off on June 25th. It has a lot of wearable talks planned for the event, so we won't have long to wait to learn more about what Google has planned.

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drag2share - drag and drop RSS news items on your email contacts to sha! re (clic k SEE DEMO)

drag2share: Visual encyclopedia builds itself by scouring the internet

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/12/levan-self-teaching-knowledge-base/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

Crowdsourced knowledge bases like Wikipedia encompass a lot of knowledge, but humans can only add to them so quickly. Wouldn't it be better if computers did all the hard work? The University of Washington certainly believes so. Its LEVAN (Learn EVerything about ANything) program is building a visual encyclopedia by automatically searching the Google Books library for descriptive language, and using that to find pictures illustrating the associated concepts. Once LEVAN has seen enough, it can associate images with ideas simply by looking at pixel arrangements. Unlike earlier learning systems, such as Carnegie Mellon's NEIL, it's smart enough to tell the difference between two similar objects (such as a Trojan horse and a racing horse) while lumping them under one broader category.

Right now, the folks at the Wikimedia Foundation have little to worry about. LEVAN has only explored about 175 concepts as of this writing, and it can take as much as 12 hours to add another to the mix. It's open to suggestions from the public, though, and the university has open-sourced its code so that anyone can build on the formula. You won't want to depend on this self-assembling information hub for vital knowledge in the near future, but it should eventually be very useful for both schools teaching basic ideas as well as computer vision software that needs a helping hand.

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drag2share - drag and drop RSS news items on your email contacts to share (click SEE DEMO)

âOnLive is giving enterprise cloud services one more try

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/12/onlive-is-giving-enterprise-cloud-services-one-more-try/

Stop us if this sounds familiar: after successfully launching and new a video game service, a growing cloud computing firm looks to the business sector to expand its customer base. Oh, you've heard this one? That's because OnLive is retracing its steps, following up its CloudLift gaming service (announced back in March) with an enterprise-focused counterpart. Onlive's CloudLift Enterprise is built on the same promise as its older OnLive Desktop service: your work on any device at any time -- but now it's offering its customers a bit more than a virtualized desktop.

Specifically, CloudLift enterprise is designed for graphic intensive applications -- things like drone piloting setups, military training simulators or applications for architecture and design. OnLive says it can deliver these applications to virtually any smartphone, tablet or laptop on any operating system over fairly slow connections, as low as 2Mbps.

OnLive told us that despite the potential growth the enterprise service represents, it's not designed to replace any business from its gaming division -- in fact, the company says it's well pleased with much CloudLift gaming has grown over the past few months. "The game service will continue to be a driving force for the company," Onlive Executive chairman Mark Jung told us, explaining that its enterprise service leverages the same tech that drives its gaming services. "The development work that went into our game platform is the core technology at the center of the Enterprise PaaS solution."

Filed under: Misc

Source: OnLive

Samsung Has A New Tablet With A Gorgeous Screen And It's Thinner Than The iPad Air

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-galaxy-tab-s-2014-6

samsung galaxy tab s

Samsung has a new line of tablets launching this summer called the Galaxy Tab S.

The Galaxy Tab S comes in two sizes: a 10.4-inch model and an 8.4-inch model. Both are essentially the same on the inside as far as specs go, but the big selling point here is the screen. Samsung put its Super AMOLED display on a tablet for the first time. It's the same type of display used on the Galaxy S5 phone, which many folks in the industry have called the best screen on the market.

The screen looks really nice in person. This is an HD video running on the tablet, but the photo doesn't really do it justice:

samsung galaxy tab s Samsung makes a lot of different tablet models under the Galaxy name, but the Galaxy Tab S will be marketed as the company's flagship brand. It's priced the same as the iPad Mini and iPad Air. The 8.4-incher starts at $399; the 10.5-incher starts at $499. (Those are the prices for the Wi-Fi models with 16GB of memory. Samsung will launch a 4G LTE version later.)

The tablets are very thin and light. Both measure just 6.6 millimeters thick (that's thinner than the iPad Air, which is 7.5 millimeters thick). The 10.5-inch tablet weighs 1 pound, and the 8.4-inch model weighs 10 ounces.

It feels good, too. Unlike previous tablets from Samsung, the Galaxy Tab S feels sturdy instead of creaky and plasticky. It looks good from the front, but the back has the same tacky dimpled plastic that originally debuted on the Galaxy S5. There's also a kitschy bronze-colored border along the sides.

samsung galaxy tab s

Also l ike the Galaxy S5, the Galaxy Tab S has a fingerprint sensor embedded in the home button. You can use it to unlock the device without a passcode or make payments through PayPal. The fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy S5 doesn't work very well, so we don't have high hopes for the one on the Galaxy Tab S.

Samsung also designed new cases for the Galaxy Tab S called Book Covers. They snap onto the back of the tablet and let you prop it on the table to three different viewing angles.

samsung galaxy tab s

The Galaxy Tab S is an Android tablet, but Samsung modified the software a lot to add some of its own features and tricks. For example, you can pair the tablet to your Galaxy smartphone over Wi-Fi and drag and drop photos and files between the two devices. You can also use the pairing mode to make calls on the tablet.

There's no specific launch date, but the Galaxy Tab S should start shipping in early July.

SEE ALSO: The most important features in Samsung's new Galaxy Tab S

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Online Video Advertising Is Growing Many Times Faster Than TV, Search, And Most Other Digital Ad Markets

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/digital-video-advertising-growth-trends-2014-5
VideoGrowth_BII
Online video is growing faster than most other advertising formats and mediums.

Video ad revenue will increase at a three-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.5% through 2016, according to our estimates.
That's faster than any other medium other than mobile. And much faster than traditional online display advertising, which will only grow at a 3% annual rate.

In a new report from BI Intelligence we explore the key drivers of the skyrocketing growth of video ads, examine the cost and performance of the emerging digital ad format, and look at the major players that are shaping the industry.
Access The Full Report By Signing Up For A Free Trial Today »
Here are some of the key trends we explore in the report:

Online video ad revenue will reach nearly $5 billion in 2016, up from $2.8 billion in 2013, while TV ad revenue will decline by nearly 3% per year during the same time period.
Video ad views exploded in 2013, topping over 35 billion views in December, averaging over 100% year-over-year monthly growth during the year.
Online video ads are significantly more expensive than other formats, but prices are steadily declining as more publishers rush into video, and placements open up.
Video ads have an average click-through rate (CTR) of 1.84%, the highest click-through rate of all digital ad formats.
Viewability, the question of whether video ads are actually seen by multitasking online viewers, has emerged as an issue, but we believe that overall demand for online video is too high for viewability to put too much of a crimp in the video ad market.
Streaming devices and connected TV accounted for just 2% of online video ad views in the fourth quarter of 2013, but companies like BrightLine are experimenting with formats to grow this new niche market.
The growth of mobile and digital video advertising has been paralleled by fundamental changes in the online advertising industry — programmatic advertising, which we covered in a recent report, has begun to reshape the entire digital ad market, including video.
Newly launched video ad platforms have been among the companies to adopt programmatic tools, including real-time bidding, ad exchanges, and advanced analytics.

The report is full of charts and data that can be easily downloaded and put to use.
In full, the report:

You Won't Be Able To Stop Playing This Addictive Music App

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/patatap-ios-app-2014-6

Patatap

Patatap is a website that allows you to make music just by typing on your keyboard. And now it's available as an iOS app, so you can create music, even if you're nowhere near a computer.

It sounds simple, and that's because it is. But it's also mesmerizing: as you type, different animations appear on the screen.

The site was made by designer Jono Brandel, in collaboration with music composers Lullatone; he describes the site as being a portable animation sound kit."

Lullatone created sounds to accompany different animations. There are different color palettes, each with its own unique set of sounds. The sounds are aimed to make tapping as melodic as possible; it's like a visual drum pad.

Patatap is even on display as a special exhibit at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California.

If you need some inspiration on tunes to play, you can check out some sheet music and see what other people have done.

But there's no way to describe how awesome — and addicting — it is. You just have to try it yourself, which you can below.

(Pro tip: Hit the space bar to change up what the tunes sound like.)

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Thursday, June 12, 2014

Panasonic FZ1000: A Large-Sensor Super Zoom That Shoots 4K Video

Source: http://reframe.gizmodo.com/panasonic-fz1000-a-large-sensor-super-zoom-that-shoots-1588817021/+kcampbelldollaghan

Panasonic FZ1000: A Large-Sensor Super Zoom That Shoots 4K Video

Since Sony released the RX10 last year, there have been exactly zero competitors to rival that camera's stellar lens quality, zoom reach, and sensor size. It redefined what a "bridge camera" could be. Panasonic is the next company to realize the advantage of bringing large sensor image quality to a fixed long range zoom.

Facebook Is Now Using Your Browsing History to Target Advertising

Source: http://gizmodo.com/facebook-is-now-sharing-your-browsing-history-with-adve-1589809318

Facebook Is Now Using Your Browsing History to Target Advertising

Facebook has announced that it's to start using app and website data from your browsing habits to provide more targeted ads—and you'll have to opt out if you don't like it.

These Five Amazing Houses Just Won Awards For Being Small and Cheap

Source: http://gizmodo.com/these-five-amazing-houses-just-won-awards-for-being-tin-1589731329

These Five Amazing Houses Just Won Awards For Being Small and Cheap

Last month, we looked Chicago's tiniest buildings of the year . Now, the national chapter of the American Institute of Architects has unveiled its 2014 Small Projects awards, which honor buildings on the smaller end of the spectrum. Their list includes five houses that were built small, on smaller budgets.

World Cup Refs Are Wearing Smartwatches That Alert Them To Goals

Source: http://gizmodo.com/world-cup-refs-are-wearing-smartwatches-that-alert-them-1589886222

World Cup Refs Are Wearing Smartwatches That Alert Them To Goals

At today's opening match between Brazil and Croatia, the referees will be wearing smartwatches that read "GOAL" and vibrate when a team scores. No, it's not punishment for the infamous Frank Lampard disallowed goal of 2010. It's part of a new "unhackable" goal line detection system, the first to ever be used in the World Cup.

Powerbeats2 are Beats by Dre's first wireless earbuds

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/12/powerbeats2-beats-by-dre/

There may have been some big changes at Beats recently, but it's still all about the headphones. The newest addition to the (ever growing) family is the Powerbeats². As the name suggests, they are a revision of the original sport-friendly buds from Beats, but this time they're wireless -- Beats' first in-ears to cut the cord. The Powerbeats² keep the (albeit modified) hook-over-the-ear design, but liberate heads from handsets via Bluetooth 4.0. Beats says you'll get six hours of playback from a full charge, but should they be low on juice when you fish them out of your kit bag, the company claims a 15 minute pre-gym charge will see you good for a one-hour workout. If keeping up with LeBron (who "inspired" the Powerbeats²) makes you work up a bit of a sweat, then their IPX4 water resistance should keep them in good condition.

The Powerbeats² come with one vital feature that anyone who's used Bluetooth headphones for any amount of time will know is essential. They have an LED that tells you when power is low. There's nothing more disheartening than having the music fade on you barely minutes in to your workout. In fact, the Powerbeats² tells you when it thinks there's less than an hour of playtime to go, and ramps this warning up when battery life could be below 15 minutes.

We had a pair of the Powerbeats² land in the Engadget office this morning, so had a real quick chance to check them out. An accusation often levelled at Beats headphones is that they are too heavy on the bass. The first thing I noticed about the Powerbeats² is actually how prominent they are on the mid-highs, perhaps a little too prominent -- if you have the volume jacked right up like I did. Set at a more reasonable level though, while listening to electronic music, I noticed synth stabs and vocals in particular seemed to cut through a lot more than the low end frequencies, and this is music with a lot of low end. This was a trend we found with the new Solo² on-ears, too. So one thing's for sure, Beats is clearly working to move on from the bass-is-best approach of earlier models.

If you've never used earbuds with fastening hooks before, you might be concerned that you don't get the fit that you may be used to with regular in-ears. It's a legitimate worry that the hooks might prevent the buds from sitting tight in your ear, and thus not giving the full "lock" that they need to provide the best audio experience. The Powerbeats² thankfully has adjustable, bendable sections within the part that goes over your ear. This means you can set them up just right for your particular lug-holes, and get the sound piped in without that dreaded "loose" feeling.

Despite being "wireless," there is a cable running between the two buds. This sits comfortably on the back of the neck and even has a widget to let you adjust the amount of slack. It also keep the Powerbeats² from ever parting company with each other of course. The lack of long cable does mean that the remote/control buttons sit quite high up by your left ear, but that's something you will probably get used to with regular use. It's certainly a small trade-off if you're not a fan of wingtips like Beats' Tour model, or Jaybird's BlueBuds. You might also be wondering if there's support for aptX, we were told there isn't, which is a real shame given the asking price (below).

The Powerbeats² launch in Beats' signature colors -- red, white and black -- but cost $199, (whichever hue you go for) when they launch later this month.

Filed under: Wearables, Wireless, Apple

Article: BitTorrent experiments with decentralized private chat service

Are you longing to chat in private — not just "off the record," but off the grid? BitTorrent today released an internal alpha of its server-less chat app, making your dreams for truly private chats a near reality. BitTorrent realized the word "privacy" means different things to different people a...

http://venturebeat.com/2014/06/11/bittorrent-experiments-with-decentralized-private-chat-service/

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Chrome tool lets you see what web apps are really doing

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/11/chrome-tool-shows-what-apps-are-doing/

Chrome Web Store

Ever get the nagging feeling that a Chrome web app or add-on isn't entirely above board? You now have an easy way to prove it. Google has posted a new version of a Chrome developer tool that lets you see just what your apps and extensions are up to. While it's meant for programmers, it should be helpful if you're simply concerned about privacy or security; if a weather app is inexplicably changing pages or sifting through your history, that may be your cue to uninstall it. The tool isn't all that vital now that Google is starting to cut off extensions that don't come from the Chrome Web Store, but one additional safety net won't hurt.

Google's Chrome app developer tool

Filed under: Internet, Software, Google

Source: Chromium Blog

Sigma's unique dp2 Quattro camera can be yours in August for $999

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/12/sigma-dp2-quattro/

The dp2 Quattro is a strange looking camera. Its extra-wide design is quite unusual, but if Sigma's CEO is to believed, the 29-megapixel shooter will deliver superior image quality thanks to its unique sensor design. The Quattro layers pixels in order to capture red, green and blue colors vertically -- there's no need for interpolation, resulting in shaper, more vibrant photos. The company claims that the dp2 can output an equivalent of 39 megapixels, based on tests that pit the chip against traditional sensors. The dp2 is expected to ship in early August for $999, including a fixed 30mm (45mm equivalent) f/2.8 lens. Pricing info for the dp1 and dp3, which come with permanently attached 19mm and 50mm lenses, respectively, is not yet available.

Filed under: Cameras

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