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Robots For All Korean Households Link The Korean Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) has announced it plans to market three types of network-based robots in the near future (Oct 06) at prices they say won't scare off customers - somewhere in the range of $1,000 and $2,000. Apparently the robots can be sold that cheap because most of their software and programs are not incorporated into the machines. Instead, they will rely outside sources which will provided software and programs via a high-speed Internet pipeline.  The wheeled robots will offer such various applications as cleaning rooms, health-care programs, Internet connections, home monitoring or reading books while kids are sleeping. The always-on mechanical servants, some of which have the ability to re-charge electricity automatically, can also order Chinese food and pizza by connecting to the local information network. According to Information-Communication Minister Chin Dae-je, "On the back of the network robots, we are jockeying to become one of global top three robot producers by 2010. In 2020, every Korean household will have a robot." Chin expected that up to 3 million network robots will be sold through 2011 in Korea alone, creating added values worth 1.47 trillion won. The minister also projected the new-concept robots will evolve into a mainstream model in the global robot market, of which size will be as big as $300 billion a year in around 2015. [ permanent link to this entry ]
DataTiles: Drag And Drop Information Interfaces Link DataTiles by Jun Rekimoto, is inspired by the film "2001: A Space Odyssey", where the memory of the computer HAL was stored in transparent rectangular slabs. The system enables users to manipulate digital data as physical DataTiles.  The transparent acrylic tiles are embedded with RFID tags and serve both as physical windows for digital information and to trigger specific actions (to launch an application, or submit a query) when placed on a sensor-enhanced display surface. When a tile is placed on the tray, its associated function is automatically triggered. For example, placing a weather tile onto the tray retrieves the current weather forecast information from the Internet and displays the processed results on the region of the screen under the tile. The tiles can be used independently or can be combined into more complex configurations. For example you can drag an item from the music tile onto the shopping tile in order to make a purchase, or you can couple the photo album tile with the time machine tile in order to locate an image taken at a particular time and date. Video of the DataTiles in action can be found here, images here, and more info (PDF)here. [ permanent link to this entry ]
Live For 1000 Years - This Man Has The Answer Link The English biogerontologist has made his name by claiming that some people alive right now could live for 1,000 years or longer. Maybe much longer. Growing old is not, in his view, an inevitable consequence of the human condition; rather, it is the result of accumulated damage at the cellular and molecular levels that medical advances will soon be able to prevent - or even reverse - allowing people to go on living pretty much indefinitely. The Chronicle of Higher Education has a substantial piece that outlines de Grey's seven-step plan to cure aging. Read it here. [ permanent link to this entry ]
Stanley's Secret - Teaching A Car How To Drive Link  Perhaps a lesser known feature of the vehicle is the artificial intelligence that enabled Stanley to be taught by watching a human driver as he avoided obstacles. [ permanent link to this entry ]
124 Million Gamers In The US Link According to Yankee Group, there are more than 124 million PC gamers in the United States, 58% of whom play various types of online games. About 62 million PC gamers play casual Internet games, with women constituting 50% of this segment. On average, casual Internet gamers are 36 years old. [ permanent link to this entry ]
Augmented Reality Navigation For Bus Drivers Link The University of Linz (Austria), the Ars Electronica Futurelab and Siemens have developed navigation system that does away with confusing arrows and pictograms. The "augmented reality vehicle navigation" allows the driver to concentrate on the traffic even in an unfamiliar town.  A camera installed behind the shuttle's rearview mirror films the road from the driver's perspective and projects this view of the road like a TV image onto the navigation display. On the basis of the cartographic information and the GPS signal the on-board computer calculates a route which appears as a transparent yellow band placed exactly over the camera live picture. The driver can thus take in the route with just a quick glance and thanks to the camera also has the road in view at all times on the display. A perfectly feasible possibility for the future is an even more realistic form of navigation. At the press of a button a head-up display superimposes a deceptively lifelike pilot vehicle on the windshield that a driver unfamiliar with the place can follow. The driver can concentrate fully on the traffic ahead while the virtual vehicle shows the way. [ permanent link to this entry ]
Broadband From Your Power Socket Link The Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. has developed a technology to do away with all Ethernet cables and hassles of hooking up to a wireless network device, just plug into the power outlet, and surf the web. At present, products are still being developed, but gadgets embedded with the chip from the Japanese manufacturer can hook up to a broadband network by plugging into the common electrical outlet, eneabling the electric wiring in the home to relay not just electricity but also data. This technology has been around for some time though, to be fair, it has been far from optimal. Matsushita's system is unique in that it delivers fast-speed broadband information at up to 170 megabits per second, which is faster than Ethernet. Matsushita hopes to eventually sell refrigerators, TVs and other products with the chip already installed. A network-connected refrigerator may allow users to connect from a mobile phone or laptop to check whether you're low on eggs, for example. Or you may want to turn gadgets off or on, such as your washing machine or air-conditioner, from outside the home. But for now, an adaptor when plugged into an outlet will allow gadgets with Ethernet connections — even those without the Matsushita chip — to receive broadband. [ permanent link to this entry ]
Stroke Research Uses Cyber Space Link A team of four University of Ulster researchers have won an award for their hi-tech work in helping people with strokes regain use of their limbs. They have developed techniques in which stroke victims are immersed in a virtual reality world where they can practice arm and hand movements. It is aimed at providing a stimulating environment to re-learn everyday tasks such as eating, drinking and driving. The new technology will involve the patient wearing a head-mounted display which provides a sense of immersion into a virtual world. The world could be a representation of an environment with which the patient is familiar, such as a kitchen, living room or supermarket, enabling the practice of movements needed to carry out daily chores such as making a cup of tea. [ permanent link to this entry ]
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