Join Pico-Projector phone, to use or not to use?
I always try and keep my eye out for the latest in mobile technology. Considering that we communicate through email and texting, technologies that we didn’t even really conceive two decades ago, I can’t help but wonder how we will communicate by the year 2031.
How about cell phones with pico-projectors? They already exist, so why not make it so you can communicate via projected screen?
This comes in handy for when you need to swap photos or drag other files from one place to the next. Of course, you will need the recipient’s permission. Check out the video after the jump for more information.
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Frauenhofer Institute’s robot spider
We have reported on robots that can search through rubble before, such as the Omnitread. Generally, these types of robots are snake-shaped so they can fit into narrow crevices.
This robot from the Frauenhofer Institute in Germany is arachnid in shape, but it is essentially the same thing. These eight legs are all on hydraulics, and four of its legs on the ground at the same time.
As for the body of this robot, it has many sensors, including radiation monitors in case it has to go into irradiated zones. It also has video cameras so it can find what is really important: survivors.
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Multicopter uses sixteen deadly spinning blades for flight
Sure, you could take a ride in a helicopter with one giant spinning rotor on top, or even go with two. However, why not live on the edge and go with sixteen smaller ones.
This is e-volo multicopter from Germany, and even though I would never risk being the pilot, I admire what they were trying to do. Like most new flying vehicles, the first flight was not long. Pilot Thomas Senkel used a handheld wireless control unit to keep it up in the air for 90 seconds, but he could have kept the gas/electric hybrid multicopter up in the air for about 30 minutes. There is a video after the jump if you want to see some more about it.
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Microsoft’s new video shows us what the future will look like, again
About a few years ago, I reported on a video that Microsoft made showing what the future could be like.
This is apparently the new version of this video. The video, which can be viewed after the jump, is half propaganda for Microsoft and the other half a realistic view of the future.
There is a definite emphasis on mobile technology being thinner, as the tablets and mobile phones are as skinny as credit cards. Considering that the new RAZR from Motorola is going to be the thinnest smartphone at 7.1 mm, I can easily see it going down from there.
Continue reading » Microsoft’s new video shows us what the future will look like, again
Digimo Camera Concept
As you can tell by the headline, this is a concept camera. The Digimo has three cool features, and even one would be enough to sell it on the existing camera market.
The first is that it can split in two. This comes in handy for situations where you need to take a picture of something remotely. You can even see a picture of what you are taking, as there is an LCD on both halves.
The second feature is that it can do 3D pictures. As you might know, 3D pictures are taken with two different camera lenses. When both halves are put together, this camera can get you the 3D pics that you want, if you are into that type of thing.
The third feature is that the Digimo is very modular. It has an extendable telescopic leg that can reach up to 50 centimeters, and you can see the ball and socket connectors that can stand one half of the camera at an angle.
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Mag Surf makes Hoverboards real thanks to superconductive liquid nitrogen
What you are seeing in the photo and the video after the jump is a demonstration by the Universite Paris Diderot at a science fair. This is the Mag Surf, and it makes our Back to the Future II hoverboard dream a reality.
The trick is that the super-cold liquid nitrogen in this board makes it superconductive, which means that it repels the magnetic field on the track. With one little push, this hoverboarder, for lack of a better word is floating across the room.
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Condition One could change movies as we know it, provided you’re watching them on a tablet
Now that the tablet market has taken off with the advent of the iPad, more and more people are watching movies on a touchscreen. A group known as Condition One has decided to take advantage of this trend with a new form of cinematography.
Simply put, this new technology allows the user to interact with the movie by shifting the camera angle with a flick of a finger. As you can see in the video after the jump, the user finally gets a chance of seeing what is happening past the edge of the screen.
Not only that, the user can physically move their screen and see from a movie camera’s point-of-view. You will have to see that to believe it. It is especially poignant to see a film about Libya.
Continue reading » Condition One could change movies as we know it, provided you’re watching them on a tablet
Microsoft OmniTouch gives us what we all want, maybe
What you are seeing here is a project from Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University, and it could easily be the future.
This OmniTouch has the amazing ability to turn any surface into a touchscreen. All of this is possible with this shoulder-mounted device that is both pico-projector and Kinect.
So if you want to use your hand to run applications, just hold it out and the proper buttons will appear. Forget about a tablet PC, all you need is just a paper tablet!
Continue reading » Microsoft OmniTouch gives us what we all want, maybe
