Topic: Holy Crap! *New Tech/Gadget Thread*

[MaryJane]

Or maybe it's because it was the most practical way to show the people watching the MOVIE what the robot was 'thinking'. Of course in real life robots wouldn't need a HUD but showing a bunch of 1001100's or series of electrical synapses wouldn't have meant much to the viewer. Could they have done it some other way? Perhaps, but they likely chose the HUD for easy recognition.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Or maybe it's because it was the most practical way to show the people watching the MOVIE what the robot was 'thinking'. Of course in real life robots wouldn't need a HUD but showing a bunch of 1001100's or series of electrical synapses wouldn't have meant much to the viewer. Could they have done it some other way? Perhaps, but they likely chose the HUD for easy recognition.

I was gonna type the same thing, but did want to take the time to explain it.

[ThePerm]

they do that in the matrix, except some people can read the code too because their crazy future humans. But i would say the robots thats take over the world in the matrix are much better built than the robots that take over the world in terminator.

[TheBlackCat]

I understand it was done for the movie effect, but it is still bothers me.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Google's at it again....
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-were-driving-at.html

Cars that are driving themselves, fully automated cars have logged over 140k miles on public streets so far.

Larry and Sergey founded Google because they wanted to help solve really big problems using technology. And one of the big problems we’re working on today is car safety and efficiency. Our goal is to help prevent traffic accidents, free up people’s time and reduce carbon emissions by fundamentally changing car use.

So we have developed technology for cars that can drive themselves. Our automated cars, manned by trained operators, just drove from our Mountain View campus to our Santa Monica office and on to Hollywood Boulevard. They’ve driven down Lombard Street, crossed the Golden Gate bridge, navigated the Pacific Coast Highway, and even made it all the way around Lake Tahoe. All in all, our self-driving cars have logged over 140,000 miles. We think this is a first in robotics research.

Our automated cars use video cameras, radar sensors and a laser range finder to “see” other traffic, as well as detailed maps (which we collect using manually driven vehicles) to navigate the road ahead. This is all made possible by Google’s data centers, which can process the enormous amounts of information gathered by our cars when mapping their terrain.

I've been waiting on something like this for a while now. Might finally get rid of all those horrible freeway drivers that don't know how to merge or change lanes with the flow of traffic.
No more need for a taxi either after a good night at the bars

[MaryJane]

Has anyone seen the new PSP commercial for their AR camera attachment? Its really deceptive, they show that when they look at nornal stuff, nothing is different, but they don't actually show the card when the kids are fighting them. It shows it on the screen, but not the physical card. Hopefully Nintendo sticks to that promo video showing the card, someone could easily buy the Sony thing, thinking invisible things are randomly going to pop up on the screen.

And I like the idea of self-driving cars. Instead of making new mpg regulations the government should be aiding the production of these cars with stronger GPS and traffic relay systems on the highways. Could be easier than high speed rail, and we wouldn't be playing catch up. We own GM let's do it... That's what I say anyway.

[MegaByte]

Got a link to show what you're talking about?  Augmented reality doesn't require a card; it just makes it easier.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Mazda also just announced that the Mazda 2 will have 70mpg without being hybrid or electric. So I think we should continue to push the mpg regulations because we are bout 10 years behind where we should be in that area. 70mpg on a single fill on a car that will likely double that in the hybrid model and it drives itself for most of the time(atleast on the freeway - what ever happen to drive by wire?) is where we should be today, not 7 years from now.

[MaryJane]

As far as I can tell, AR needs some base to know what to display, whether that is a card, map, or recognizable street sign. What would be the point of simply looking at a wall or floor to display something unrelated to what you're looking at? They have that already, it's called the internet/GPS/video games/T.V/anything else that displays something on a screen without first consulting a camera and overlaying the scene with new information or a new interface.

BnM, you kind of made my point, car companies are doing the mpg thing on their own, and the government regulations are more for gas-guzzling sports cars and trucks. Getting 25-35 mpg in a car whose top speed is 185mph or a truck that can tow 7500lbs is pretty good. But for self-driving cars to work, it's going to take a lot effort on a lot of people's part, especially the government who has to regulate them and ultimately decide their implemantation. They're going so slowly with infrastructure for electric cars, I don't know if they can walk and chew gum at the same time. Mpg regulations are good for now, let's move on the future.

[Stogi]

As soon as I saw that PSP AR commercial, I immediately envisioned an AR soccer game. You would put down a game board, similar to the size of monopoly, and the AR would show the entire stadium, fans and all. You'd then control the players just like you would normally.

I'd buy it.

[MegaByte]

As far as I can tell, AR needs some base to know what to display, whether that is a card, map, or recognizable street sign. What would be the point of simply looking at a wall or floor to display something unrelated to what you're looking at? They have that already, it's called the internet/GPS/video games/T.V/anything else that displays something on a screen without first consulting a camera and overlaying the scene with new information or a new interface.

Like I said, you can overlay without needing a card, as long as your scene recognition is good enough.  But I can't comment further without seeing the said video.

[MaryJane]

@MegaByte:
  I'm using my phone and I can't copy/paste links for some reason, but if you got to youtube and search for 'psp invizimals commercial' it's the 31 second video posted last week.

You also make an itriguing point about 'scene recogniton'. With companies looking to place AR into wearable HUD units, it makes sense that they would more be used to recognize an entire scene (lets say restaurant storefronts, and telling you which has the cheapest prices vs. highest rated food) than a street sign or destination.


@ TheUnagi:
 That would be a great idea and could be used well for football and basketball as well. For football it would be especially intriguing as it could add another level of difficulty and realism. While on offense you have to move the camera left or right to see different receiver options, and on defense, you would get the view of the defensive player you're hovering over/selected. With the 3DS having two screens, one screen could show what you character is looking at, while the other is showing what your hovering over, which could help avoid sacks for the QB, and the defensive player switching before being able to hover over a safety or DB who is down 30yds downfield chasing a receiver you weren't looking at.

I really hope Nintendo goes big with AR, I think they have a serious advantage with two screens, and I hope they lead the way for others to make AR as much a part of life as the internet.

[MaryJane]

http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/25/wi-fi-direct-certification-begins-today-device-to-device-transm/

This is something that really tickles my fancy. Basically Wifi Direct allows any device with the software to set-up a small network between wifi enabled devices to allow for file tansfers. Basically what bluetooth can do, but on a larger scale.

What I really like about this, is that if you buy a device with Wifi Direct today, it will work with a wifi device you bought last year. The 802.11b standard isn't supported, but most devices made within the last few years use 802.11g/n.

Only one device needs to have Wifi Direct for two or more devices to link up to the network and transfer files and other things.

The article says that Wifi Direct 'is simply a pipe that software can dictate as it sees fit' and they expect the various app markets and developers to aid in the rollout of this technology and do interesting things.

One interesting thing to do with this sort of technology would be the transfer of information between similar devices even if their users aren't using the device or aware of the transfer. Yes I do mean Nintendo's Streetpass.

The article doesn't make note of Nintendo utilizing this technology (or something similar) but that was the first thing I thought of. Also, if the 3DS doesn't use Wifi Direct, it could potentially be upgraded to use it with a firmware update. It would Streetpass, but with any wifi device, allowing easy transfer of cell phone pictures to the 3DS for editing, and 3DS pictures to cell phones for web hosting when there is no Wifi router around. I was thinking there would be some piracy issues that would prevent Nintendo from signing on to widespread use, but with regular firmware updates they can combat piracy as actively as pirates develop work-arounds.

This technology could open up a whole new level of harmony between devices if cell phone carriers and other manufacturers don't limit it like they did/do with bluetooth, and other P2P applications.

[Stogi]

I like the idea of simply transferring information without the need for a router or hub or the internet. It's been a bitch using a crossover ethernet cable for that.

Also, this means intranet for all. Torrents are going to be all over this.

[MegaByte]

They've been trying to make this happen for years, so hopefully it will actually happen.  I wonder what system Nintendo is using for StreetPass, as the Wi-Fi setup time might make it unsuitable for the cases where you're literally passing somebody on the street.

[NWR_insanolord]

Super-fast SSDs smaller than a credit card that hold up to 400 GB

Foremay announced on Tuesday that it will begin shipping its new 1.8-inch SSDs. These new SSDs come in two configurations: The first is a 5 mm-thick model; the second is even thinner, only 3.3 mm thick. The company claims that these are the world's fastest 1.8-inch SSD drives, boasting read/write speeds of up to 280MBps.

These new slimline drives, which are available with capacities of up to 400GB, are intended for use in various handheld and portable tech, such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, GPS devices, and digital camcorders. The thought of a fast 400GB solid-state drive within a tablet is certainty a tempting one.

Storage is my most-desired computer spec, and stuff like this makes me very excited for the future of mobile devices. Give me an iPad with one of these, Apple!

[MaryJane]

The Samsung Galaxy S is the first phone to become Wifi Direct certified. The firmware update isn't actually available yet, but at least things are moving in the right direction, and other smartphone manufacturers shouldn't be too far behind Samsung. Things should be getting interesting... I wonder if this will antique bluetooth?

[ThePerm]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101123121113.htm

[MaryJane]

A couple things I thought were pretty cool:

Sony developing holographic games, and same screen 3D multiplayer for the PS3:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/24/sony-working-on-same-screen-3d-multiplayer-holographics-for-ps3/

They don't go much into the idea of holographic games, but imagine the new EyeToy projecting a scene onto your living room with the main focus of the game still on the screen, I suppose you would still need special glasses, but if you're already wearing them for a 3D effect, that's no big deal.

Disposable eReaders?
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/24/new-electrowetting-technique-could-do-e-paper-on-real-paper-lea/

The electrowetting technique changes the properties of paper into a reflective surface, a.k.a a display.


Also, Perm, interesting post! Nanotechnology is pretty much the future of everything.

[BlackNMild2k1]

That same screen multiplayer

"In regards to that we have some new technology that we've shown to developers that uses 3D techniques, it allows two players to play full screen multi-player games but without each being able to see the others view, and they have been massively keen on them." Of course, such a technique isn't exactly new -- we saw prototypes of the sort in use back at GDC -- but bringing them to a market as vast as the PS3 owner pool would definitely be a monumental step.

It sounds like instead of seeing in 3D, Player 1 gets the left eye view and Player 2 gets the right eye view. Not both players seeing 3D at the same time, because that is nothing special.

It's just like that TV that popped up in the MS thread where you 4 different people could all see 4 different things on the same screen at the same time. or 2 different people could see 2 different 3D images at the same time.

[MaryJane]

Ah, you're probably right, but I think 'nothing special'is pretty harsh for something that would be pretty cool. One of the drawbacks of split screen multiplayer is the smaller screen, this solves that, and if it has to be done sans 3D, then so be it.

And the MS technology relied on cameras within the T.V to broadcast the unique feeds.



Harvard researchers have reversed aging in mice. They apparently tweaked the experiment to get the results but let's hope it's a start. It's up at Engadget.

[ThePerm]

yeah I saw the mice article on CNN

its nothing new though. or at least its something thats been talked about for a long while, that is reversing telomere degeneration. Make the candle wick longer yo!

[BlackNMild2k1]

The days of accidental pregnancy are soon to be behind us!!!!

RISUG (reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance) is on the way to save our day
It's cheap, takes 5 minutes, last for 10 YEARS, has virtually NO SIDE EFFECTS and is completely REVERSIBLE
http://www.malecontraceptives.org/methods/risug.php

RISUG is an injectable compound that partially blocks the vasa deferentia (tubes that carry sperm), providing effective contraception for up to 10 years per dose. It is effective immediately, has few side effects, and has proven to be reversible in primate studies. This contraceptive has completed Phase I and II clinical trials in India (Guha 1997). Our research has convinced us that RISUG is the most promising of the potential male contraceptives.

How does it work?
RISUG is an acronym for Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance, and is composed of styrene maleic anhydride (SMA) complexed with the solvent dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) (Guha 1996). RISUG has two contraceptive effects: partial blockage of the vasa deferentia and disruption of the sperm that pass through it.

http://sexologicalblog.com/2010/12/21/new-contraceptive-method-to-move-forward-in-development/

Contraception in development is probably my biggest pet project; I’ve given a couple presentations on the one-time reversible injection method, called RISUG.  After injecting this compound into the vas deferens, the sperm will be unable to penetrate the jelly coat of the egg, and thus, pregnancy is prevented.  The most amazing aspect of this birth control method is that it is effective for at least 10 years, and is completely reversible.  RISUG (which stands for reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance) is cheap and low maintenance, with few to no side effects observed in most subjects.  Plus, the procedure takes about five minutes.

& Reversal* only takes about 2-3 months

The compound can be removed by flushing the vasa deferentia with an injection. One study showed effective reversal using an injection of baking soda dissolved in water. Another study reported a successful non-invasive reversal technique involving massage, vibration and low electrical current.

*reversal has not been tested on humans yet, but has been done in primates.
Things are looking hopeful.

[TJ Spyke]

The days of accidental pregnancy are soon to be behind us!!!!

Because people are too lazy to use the dozens of birth control methods already available. Other than rape, there is zero excuse for unwanted pregnancy anymore. Even if this does eventually get FDA approval, I have a feeling it will have little impact on the rates of unwanted pregnancies. I hope I am wrong though.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Sometimes a condom breaks, sometimes the other methods fail, or a woman forgets to take a pill. Things happen. Now there is nothing to forget because the man will just not be leaving behind any soldiers that may accidentally get the job done.

I actually hoping that this will be a routine procedure done to all kids as they enter middle school. no more accidental teenage pregnancies and the male can go get the procedure reversed when (no sooner than 18) when he feels he is ready. It could become part of every boys 13th Birthday ritual.

It would greatly reduce accidental pregnancies especially in poverty stricken areas where people tend to have children alot more frequently(condoms cost money are a hassle to put on and lessen the enjoyment). STD's will be a problem on a whole new level, but atleast there won't be so many unplanned pregnancies anymore.