A cheetah can run faster than any other animal. A gecko’s feet can stick to almost any surface without using liquids or surface tension. And some roaches scurry at nearly 50 times their body length in one second, which, scaled up to human levels, can be around 200 miles per hour.
MIT professor and robotic designer Sangbae Kim has looked at members of the animal kingdom in the past and successfully replicated their impressive abilities–two of which being the Stickybot,which can climb walls similar to a gecko and the iSprawl, a robot which mimics a cockroaches movement.
Kim’s next animal that he and his students are going to attempt to imitate is the cheetah. Current robots can be very efficient on flat terrain but in rough areas speed and mobility is very limited. The PackBot, for instance, which is used by the U.S. Military is barely able to go 5MPH.
Kim hopes that over the next 18 months he and his students are able to create a prototype that will have enough power to reach 70 MPH quickly.
The first step will be to create a computer model to calculate the optimal limb length, weight, gait and torque of the hip and knee joints.
The biggest challenge in this project won’t be the structure, but getting enough power from a motor to get to the desired speed quickly, says Kim.
If successful this could be a huge break through in the fight to bring functional sci-fi-esque robots to the world we live in. We will still be leagues away from an I,Robot or Star Wars world but imagine the uses of a robot capable of covering terrain quickly and efficiently! As long as it can handle stairs better than the Honda Asimo and can take control of our hands forcing us to learn an instrument by endless repetition then we will be impressed.
Then again, this could also be a huge break through in a robot uprising leading to the eventual destruction of the human race. One way or another, this is cool. [wired]
These videos show the VASIMR VX-200–the worlds hotest, most powerful space ship engine–being tested in a vacuum chamber. One of the best achievements of the VASIMR is that the plasma engine will make a huge cut in fuel consumption required for space travel. Currently 7.5 tons of propellant are used each year in the shuttle and other spaceships. With the VASIMR that will be cut down to 0.3 tons.
The engine is also much faster. So fast that instead of the current 6 months it would take us to get to Mars it would only take roughly 39 days.
The VASIMR will be tested at the International Space Station in 2013.
At first sight the picture above looks like the control panel from a Sci-Fi space ship. It is actually a sketch of apples latest patent which is suppose to be a large multi-touch surface that can recognize all 10 of your fingers and palms as well as your cheek and nose when you smoosh your face against it.
In the patent filing they claim that this system would provide, “unprecedented integration of typing, resting, pointing, scrolling, 3D manipulation, and handwriting into a versatile, ergonomic computer input device.” Whether they plan on making a futuristic keyboard, mouse replacement or they are looking to put this technology on the Apple Tablet we are excited to see this come to the market. If Apple decided to put it on the Coca-Cola Freestyle Dispenser we would still be excited to see it.
You thought I was kidding!? Well, I was–kinda. Activelink’s ‘Power Loader’ is constructed of 500lbs of aluminum alloy and 18 electromagnetic motors. The Power Loader also has force feedback so you can in a sense feel what the arms feel as far as if you have something in your hand or not.
The suit right now is limited to being able to pick up 220lbs but that is still pretty cool since it requires literally no work on your side.
They hope to have a version that is more fluid and capable of lifting more commercially available by 2015–not official but we believe they will have jet packs as well.
Hiroo Iwata–developer of the robot tiles seen above–has created what will one day be a virtual floor at a VR lab at the University of Tsukuba in Japan. The Robot Tiles are covered with a conductive fabric that is able to detect the direction you are walking and bring the blocks in place in front of your feet.
As they are this is not very functional but with some work these could potentially be a seamless, infinite floor. In a virtual reality environment this could allow you to realistically feel like you were walking from California to New York while remaining in a relatively small room.
Once these became more efficient and usable they could even create different textured blocks or blocks with varying densities so that if in your virtual environment you walked from a street to the grass you would feel the difference below your feet.
AT&T has announced that they will be rolling out their 7.2Mbps HSPA 3G this year to a few markets. T-Mobile is now claiming that they will do the same–maybe they will start by rolling standard 3G out to more markets, we are still without 3G for T-Mobile where I live.
So, where do we go from here? Most carriers will soon be talking about their 4G networks however, T-Mobile is boasting their super-boosted 3G rocking out at 21Mbps.
While most carriers are doing the smart thing and dropping 3G at the 7.2Mbps barrier and moving up to 4G, T-Mobile is going to use and abuse the 3G network for as long as they can. They claim that they will be able to reach near 4G speeds in 2010. [mocoNews]
On Sunday a MQ-9 Reaper drone became self-aware and attempted to wipe out the human race suffered a system malfunction that ended in its swift demise. As the UAV sped towards Afganistan’s airspace the pilots of the heavily armed, un-maned vehicle lost control.
Almost immediately there was a maned airplane on its six that successfully took out the UAV before it crossed over into Afganistan’s airspace.
These UAVs are programmed to–in the event that they lose contact with the pilots–return to their home base. This is usually what happens but apparently this isn’t the first time that robots have over-ruled their creators a UAV has been intentionally shot down by friendly-fire. How many times does it need to happen before there is cause for concern? [PopSci]
Bear with me here. Yes, the music and AI voice is terrible and makes me feel like I am about to be checked into an alien processing plant for humans after they have taken over our world–but the concept idea is awesome!
We have been blasted with augmented reality programs and concepts but this is a unique idea in comparison to the “find your favorite restaurant” or “see landmarks in the area” programs.
This, if tweaked to be less in your face and obstructive could be a really helpful tool in many work environments. With wireless built into the system you could even receive updates about a certain part of the car having poor compression or getting particularly hot.
Another similar technology that is being worked on is an augmented reality device that fits in a contact lens.
This contact lens contains the circuits, antennas and LED display all in the lens. How does it get power? Wirelessly via RF technology! They currently have tested it in bunnies to confirm how safe it is and its functionality.
They have a few road blocks that are holding them back before everyone is walking around with this technology–such as the fact that red LEDs are toxic and wouldn’t bode well in your eye–but they are making giant leaps forward. Another hurdle is creating an array of LEDs that will make the image look like it is in front of your face by a foot or so. [IEEE Spectrum]
Alright, fine, “right around the corner” may have been a small exaggeration but there is no question about it, these concept designs from the Electrolux design lab 09 are pretty awesome. While none of these really seem possible or cost effective right now we could begin seeing them over the next 5-10 years.
Of course if the ‘Teleport Fridge’ technology existed we would never have need to leave the house–via car anyway.[EDL]
Have you ever sat and thought to yourself: “I wish there was a robot that could take control of my body and teach me to play the piano”? Yep, me neither, but one company has developed a device that will make this dream come true for some out there. Concert Hands is a robotic device that is attached to your piano or electric keyboard. There is a rod that goes the length of the piano that sits in between you and the keys. You sit down in front of the piano and the Concert Hands latch onto you like a leech you lock your wrists into the slides that move your hands to the spot on the piano where they need to be and then slide your fingers into the finger sleeves that make your fingers press the correct keys.
If you aren’t sold on this great idea press play on the video above and let the mind controlling hypnotist Concert Hands advertiser convince you. I–personally–am creeped out.
The idea is that repetition will force your body to memorize how to play a song–muscle memory–just like anything you have done so much that you can do it without looking, like changing chords on a guitar or typing on a keyboard.
I am not saying this won’t work; in theory it sounds like it very possibly could. All I want to know is who thought of this? And one way or another you aren’t really learning to play the piano. A robot is training another robot your brain to play one song at a time through grinding repetition.
For more information I would tell you to go visit the Concert Hands website but at the time of this post it is down due to them exceeding their monthly bandwidth limits…
In the past, any time a book needed to be scanned it had to be done assembly line style–page by page. Researchers in the Ishikawa Komuro Lab at Tokyo University have developed a prototype scanner that may potentially change that. Their prototype can scan the pages of a book as you flip the pages.
The camera is able to adjust for light and movement distortion using a laser grid to assess the current page geometry and is able to create copies that are true to the original. Right now it is just a concept but with some funding this could be a huge time saver for large corporations, schools and print shops. [PlasticPals]
Of all the good ideas and technological advancements there have been, this one isn’t. Well, ok I guess it as the idea is good. The robot is designed to enter buildings that are too dangerous for firemen. It–via remote control–can scout for any injured/unconscious individuals and chomp them to bits pick them up and spit them back out at a safe location. Lets just hope there is something good to watch in case someone wakes up while in the bowels of the rescue robot.
The Chevy Volt may be the first car publicly available to get a 3 digit MPG rating in the city.
The catch?
It doesn’t really get 230 MPG.
This morning, Government General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson made the incredible announcement,
“Having a car that gets triple-digit fuel economy can and will be a game changer for us.”
While we would definitely agree something must first be explained.
For the first 40 miles you drive the Volt will be running on battery power and use virtually no gas. After that the gas engine will kick in and take you from there. Henderson said, “most Volt drivers will operate on a daily basis without having to use a single drop of gas,” claiming that 3 in 4 drivers travel less than 40 miles a day. After the vehicle runs out of battery power in that first 40 miles or so the gas engine will kick in that could get as much as 50 MPG.
Determining fuel economy on a true electric car can be tricky. With a Toyota Prius it is relatively easy because all of the driving power of the Prius is still generated by gas, it just handles its energy more efficiently than a standard vehicle. The Prius averages 46 mpg while other similar sized vehicles only get low 20s.
The Volt is different in that it gets its energy from two different sources, a battery–charged by an outside sourc–as well as gasoline. On the gas the Volt may get the same fuel economy as the Prius but that is not accounting for the fact that the Volt has already gone 40 miles on battery power and used no gas.
So, if you never go more than 40 miles a day then your gas mileage will be roughly infinity. The way that GM has been able to come up with the 230MPG figure is by assuming that the average person will travel roughly 50 miles a day. The first 40 miles will consume no gas and then for the last 10 miles 0.2 gallons will be used. 50 miles on roughly 0.2 gallons equals 250 MPG which is really impressive. But if you go 300 miles the fuel economy would only be 62.5 mpg.
Don’t get me wrong that is still excellent but it is no 230 MPG which is very deceiving. Still at 40 cents a charge driving to work and back could be really cheap if these vehicles are reasonably priced when they come out.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have come up with an idea that would allow you to use scratching as an input method. The idea is that any surface can be turned into an input device allowing you to turn down the music at a party by scratching the wall anywhere in the room in a certain way or doing basic commands on your computer by scratching your desk. In theory it is a pretty good idea but probably one of those that we will never see make its way into our daily lives.
We all think the same thing as we pull out that digital camera to snap some quick shots, “man, I wish this thing had a projector built in!!” Now all of our hopes and dreams have come true.
Information has leaked about the next line up of Nikon digital cameras. The one that has stood out to us the most is the S1000pj. It comes complete with a built in projector that can push a 40″ image onto any flat surface.
“The Coolpix S1000pj is the first digital camera with a built-in projector that lets users project photos or movies clips on any flat surface at up to 40 inches in size. A handy projector stand is included, as is a remote control that can be used to operate the projector, release the shutter, and more. This model features an effective resolution of 12.1 megapixels and a 5x Zoom-Nikkor lens with 28mm (equivalent) wide-angle coverage, along with a similar image stabilisation system to the Coolpix S640.”
Now this does actually have potential to be really cool. If the quality of the image or video that is projected is high enough it would be worth every penny of the leaked $587 USD.
In a demo by Craig Mundie–Microsoft’s top research and strategy officer showed how computers in the future will have multiple touch screens as well as voice and gesture controls.
“His demo included hologram-like videoconferencing, a virtual digital assistant, and multiple surface computers, along with voice-, touch- and gesture-recognition technology. The desk in the demo was a multitouch surface computer, and the office’s walls were also a display that could easily switch from being a virtual window or collection of digital photos to a corkboard of sticky notes or various workspaces. In one case, Mundie also used Project Natal-like depth cameras to put himself in the middle of an architectural demo, essentially putting himself inside a building that was not yet built.”
This has the potential to change everything. Productivity would sky rocket–as well as entertainment. Imagine when Google Real Estate comes out and you are able to do a virtual tour and walk through a house as if you were there.
The possibilities are endless when you think of what could be done with a workstation like this–especially if teamed up with The Emperor. For instance you could video conference with several people and all of you could be sitting in a virtual room where you could look around the room and see each other and see where the other was looking. With the Natal technology it could even sound like you were in the room with each other.
Unfortunately when if a computer comes out like this many people will probably have to choose between buying a house or buying this… We know what we would choose.
This morning Microsoft and Yahoo announced that they will be merging in order to acquire the “resources to create the future of search”, says Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
This seems strange since Microsoft just came out with their search enging which they are spending $100 million dollars. Possibly this was to scare Yahoo! into merging with Microsoft or to show Y! that they could pull off a search engine.
I will be interested to see how this turns out since we don’t have many details at the moment. What we do know is that Microsoft and Yahoo! are making it very clear that they are only partnering up in the search and releated ads area of their business. [CNET]
Watch the video. While awesome I see this potentially causing head aches at our favorite–greasy–fast food joint. Coca-Colas idea is awesome: one dispenser that is easy to refill, easy to monitor and remotely manage. The machine will send info to let Coca-Cola monitor different trends, see when a certain drink is selling well, see if they need to recall another or see if something needs to be repaired. This will also make it easier for the owner of the machine to see when something is about to run out, etc.
The bad? Two things. The first–most concerning–problem from this is Coca-Cola’s ability to remotely manage the machine and release some kind of widespread liquid based epidemic. Lets face it this is bound to happen sooner or later will probably never happen but still–scary.
Seriously though. Here is the real issue.
Making something more complex than it needs to be.
Renting a movie at RedBox could not be simpler–easier than going to another store, walking through to find the movie you want then standing in line to pay for it–however those who are technologically challenged still take 10 times longer than it should to rent a movie. During my time in retail I saw that the majority of people would rather stand in a line of 5 to 10 people than use self checkout.
Now Coca-Cola is hoping to have standard fountain machines in restaurants replaced with these “Freestyle” drink machines. What do most of us think? Awesome! With the ability to choose from over 100 drinks on a touch screen that all come out of the same place we all feel a little bit closer to the Jetsons. But techy people aren’t the only only people who go to Mcdonalds. So, when we begin to see the “Freestyle” in our fast food restaurants expect to stand in line behind a few tech illiterate people who are starring at the screen confused and slightly scared.
Help them figure it out. You may be their only hope.
First, here is one of the videos introducing the super fast Samsung Jet.
Pretty cool–yet gimmicky–way to introduce a phone. In order for Samsung to pull off this flashy display they used a combination of motion sensing–much like Microsofts Natal–and 3D imagery. It is still a little gimmicky and not as fluid as Natal but for being designed for a phone presentation I say well done.
Life being on Mars now or at some time in the future has become a definite possibility with he discovery of water–and evidence of water–as well as methane on Mars. Now biologists have discovered microbes that can withstand extreme heat, cold and other harsh environments with little to no moisture–conditions much like Mars.
Methanosarcina barkeri is the most versatile survivor. It isn’t picky about where it lives and can even create its own organic molecules from scratch using phosphate, sulfur and some other minerals found in soil and nitrogen from the atmosphere. M. barkeri can even create its own energy solely from hydrogen and carbon dioxide–both of which are believed to be on Mars.
Biologists are to begin rigorous testing on the microbe to see just how much it could handle and see if it could truly survive on the red planent. I for one can see this going horribly wrong if the microbe is modified by a shaky hand or too close to a giant laser.
One day biologist hope to do a real world test with the microbe on Mars.
In the past, any time a book needed to be scanned it had to be done assembly line style–page by page. Researchers in the Ishikawa Komuro Lab at Tokyo University have developed a prototype scanner that may potentially change that. Their prototype can scan the pages of a book as you flip the pages.
This morning Microsoft and Yahoo announced that they will be merging in order to acquire the “resources to create the future of search”, says Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
Making something more complex than it needs to be.
Life being on Mars now or at some time in the future has become a definite possibility with he discovery of water–and evidence of water–as well as methane on Mars. Now biologists have discovered microbes that can withstand extreme heat, cold and other harsh environments with little to no moisture–conditions much like Mars.