Forbes.com (link) :
Gadgets and gimmicks and concept robots from huge corporations all presage the moment that open-architecture robots will catapult robotics out of its niche. As soon as the next generation of teen nerds can get their fingers into the brains of $200 'bots, robotics will be unleashed into the outward spiral of acceptance. The nerds will run with the technology and do for robotics what they did for computing in the 1970s and 1980s.
Yes. Hai. Ya. Agree.
Just a matter of time before I get my cold, grubby hands on some soldering equipments, and all hell will break loose. Got a few ideas now, like switching on/off the room fan from the bed. Till then, I'll just be learning Python and reviving the 10yr old PC to use Linux.
If I do eventually venture into the robotics field, heck even if I don't, I still would really, really want to see robots become the next PC. MOAR AUTOMATION AS WELL !!! Hope robotics become the next big-thing. That, and prosthetics. And my personal flying car.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Lynxmotion BH3-R Walking Robot
WANT!Have a thing for a robo-spideys, courtesy of GitS Tachikoma. I've got a few nice 'applications' for this thing.
Uses Sony Playstation controller to navigate. Comes at USD750. Product page
Saturday, March 1, 2008
[BBC]Girls 'more skilled at IT'
Boring month. Not many interesting news around. So, here's an obligatory dump.txt
Survey results show that more than boys have created MSWord docs, have a page on networking websites or uploaded a YouTube video....
....more acceptable for girls to be geeks....
meh, you don't even get a bit of geek cred if you haven't taken a philips screwdriver and pried open the cpu casing.
....Boys = Games, Girls = more involved....
I personally feel that playing PC games would get you more computer savvy than just browsing profiles on Friendster. For example, you're bound to come across more problems/jinxes while trying to get a (usually pirated) game to run compared to pointing, clicking and typing comments. BSODs, driver/hardware problems, getting around DRM, you know the drill.
Survey results show that more than boys have created MSWord docs, have a page on networking websites or uploaded a YouTube video....
....more acceptable for girls to be geeks....
meh, you don't even get a bit of geek cred if you haven't taken a philips screwdriver and pried open the cpu casing.
....Boys = Games, Girls = more involved....
I personally feel that playing PC games would get you more computer savvy than just browsing profiles on Friendster. For example, you're bound to come across more problems/jinxes while trying to get a (usually pirated) game to run compared to pointing, clicking and typing comments. BSODs, driver/hardware problems, getting around DRM, you know the drill.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Contact Lens with Superimposed Displays
Ghost In The Shell is here.
"Engineers at the UW have for the first time used manufacturing techniques at microscopic scales to combine a flexible, biologically safe contact lens with an imprinted electronic circuit and lights.
"Looking through a completed lens, you would see what the display is generating superimposed on the world outside," said Babak Parviz, a UW assistant professor of electrical engineering."
This is just too exciting. There are way too many applications for this tech aside from gaming. GPS(me), first-person view of another person(armed forces), image filters/enhancers(everyone), too many, just too many. Any app on the computer could be ported.
But, from comments I read, some people aren't really comfortable with contact lenses. Would certainly gain more acceptance if they did superimposed displays on spectacles instead. (Dennou Coil, anyone?)
Futhermore, in cases when the displays malfunction/get hacked, users can conveniently remove the specs. Sensitive eyes are common too. Eyes sometimes become sensitive from wearing contact lenses 24/7. And then, there's the question of hygiene.
IMO, this is certainly more viable and non-invasive compared to bionic eyes like those in GitS.
It would be nice to have a user interface too. Primitive and currently viable ways would be to tracking eye-movement or blinks. Or we could just implants electrodes into the brain(previous post).
Functionality aside, there's aesthetics to be considered too. Coloured contact lenses no-es, metallic contact lenses FTW.
100% WANT!!!
I don't care whether it makes it into the mainstream market, as long as I get to use them, I'll be more than happy.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Monkey Controls Robotic Limbs With Brain Implants
Duke University teamed up with Japan Science and Technology Agency(JST) to carry out an experiment that utilized brain activity to remotely control a robot. The experiment was led by Dr. Miguel Nicolelis (Duke U.), collaborating with Mitsuo Kawato (JST).Prior to the experiment, two monkeys were trained to walk upright and had electrodes implanted into the part of the brain that controls walking. Later, they hooked up one of the monkeys, Idoya, to a robot, Computational Brain Project, in Japan.
With latency at a quarter second, it came close to real-time synchronization. But the most interesting part was when the researchers stopped the treadmill Idoya was walking on. With only visual feedback, Idoya's Japanese counterpart continued walking, controlled by the monkey's thoughts.
Wow, this would be really good news be for amputees and paralysed people. On a side note, cyberimplants could be on the way too.
Lifespan Increased By Ten-fold
Looks like Methuselah's record as the longest-living man in recorded history may be challenged. Well, almost, just short of 169 years.
Researchers from University of Southern California annouced that they can "slow aging and extend life span in organisms ranging from yeast to mice". By tinkering with some genes, researchers are able to increase the life span by 10-fold.
They say can extend the lifetime of yeast to 800 years. Awesome, but erm, who's gonna be the one testing whether yeast can still be used to bake a cake 800 years later?
Researchers from University of Southern California annouced that they can "slow aging and extend life span in organisms ranging from yeast to mice". By tinkering with some genes, researchers are able to increase the life span by 10-fold.
They say can extend the lifetime of yeast to 800 years. Awesome, but erm, who's gonna be the one testing whether yeast can still be used to bake a cake 800 years later?
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Crowd Behaviour
Here's a simulation on how a crowd will probably react during an emergency, rushing towards an exit.
http://www.geosimulation.org/crowds/
This reminds me of my secondary school. There's only one exit when the school bell goes off. And its 1 1/2 meters wide. I estimate about 600-700 students trying to cram through that gate within 10 minutes. The school principal had the second gate closed due to ' safety' concerns.
Go figure.
http://www.geosimulation.org/crowds/
This reminds me of my secondary school. There's only one exit when the school bell goes off. And its 1 1/2 meters wide. I estimate about 600-700 students trying to cram through that gate within 10 minutes. The school principal had the second gate closed due to ' safety' concerns.
Go figure.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
JHU's Bionic Arm
Quote from previous post:
"Next thing we know, the robot can play fantasie impromptu."
I've totally forgotten about an article(PopSci) on a bionic arm that I came across a couple weeks ago. Really cool, the thing has 25 joints, (FTA) nimble enough to play the piano. A normal arm has 30 joint motions, this is only short of 5 more, double yay! Proto 2, as it is called, was developed by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab. It uses myoelectric sensors to move the arm. From what I gather, myoelectric signals are are electrical signals that allow us humans to control our muscles. (n00b here, correct me if I'm wrong.)
Getting this 25 joints onto a robot and controlling them probably wouldn't be much of a big problem, afterall the robot doesn't need to worry whether the arm will be able to synchronize with its muscles, since it has none to begin with. Now that there's the mechanics available, it's only a matter of time before somebody writes the software needed for a robot equipped with this arms mechanics to pay fantasie impromptu. Ouch! I think I'll go and practise my piano when I'm done with this post.
My heart skips a beat everytime I read/hear about advances in bionics and robotics. I don't know, these things totally captivate me.
These are the other websites I read from:
"Next thing we know, the robot can play fantasie impromptu."
I've totally forgotten about an article(PopSci) on a bionic arm that I came across a couple weeks ago. Really cool, the thing has 25 joints, (FTA) nimble enough to play the piano. A normal arm has 30 joint motions, this is only short of 5 more, double yay! Proto 2, as it is called, was developed by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab. It uses myoelectric sensors to move the arm. From what I gather, myoelectric signals are are electrical signals that allow us humans to control our muscles. (n00b here, correct me if I'm wrong.)
Getting this 25 joints onto a robot and controlling them probably wouldn't be much of a big problem, afterall the robot doesn't need to worry whether the arm will be able to synchronize with its muscles, since it has none to begin with. Now that there's the mechanics available, it's only a matter of time before somebody writes the software needed for a robot equipped with this arms mechanics to pay fantasie impromptu. Ouch! I think I'll go and practise my piano when I'm done with this post.
My heart skips a beat everytime I read/hear about advances in bionics and robotics. I don't know, these things totally captivate me.
These are the other websites I read from:
Friday, December 7, 2007
Toyota's Violin Robot
Toyota researchers just unveiled their violin robot to the press. Very, very impressive. No, let me rephrase that. It's DAMN COOL!!! Here: http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=72177
FTA, the robot has 17 joints in both of its hands and arms. Very dexterious bunch of fingers that thing has. I can't think of any specific everyday-task that will put that skill to use for now, folding paper cranes, perhaps? The people from the medicine field might want it for operations, which requires precision and steady hands. What I can think of, is that the mechanics used here would be another step closer to Ghost In The Shell-like prosthetics.
I'm feeling pretty noobish now. I've spent 4 years learning the violin, and I don't think my playing sounds as accurate as the robot... The things even does vibrato, which I'm still struggling to master. I didn't see the robo's wrist move, but there was vibrato anyway.
Next thing we know, the robot can play fantasie impromptu. You know, all those passages with running notes. Aww man, I've spent like, the last couple years trying to play the first section, and it's still no good.
I think the robots will surpass me at playing violin/piano soon. *sigh*
FTA, the robot has 17 joints in both of its hands and arms. Very dexterious bunch of fingers that thing has. I can't think of any specific everyday-task that will put that skill to use for now, folding paper cranes, perhaps? The people from the medicine field might want it for operations, which requires precision and steady hands. What I can think of, is that the mechanics used here would be another step closer to Ghost In The Shell-like prosthetics.
I'm feeling pretty noobish now. I've spent 4 years learning the violin, and I don't think my playing sounds as accurate as the robot... The things even does vibrato, which I'm still struggling to master. I didn't see the robo's wrist move, but there was vibrato anyway.
Next thing we know, the robot can play fantasie impromptu. You know, all those passages with running notes. Aww man, I've spent like, the last couple years trying to play the first section, and it's still no good.
I think the robots will surpass me at playing violin/piano soon. *sigh*
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