Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Dexterous Robotic Hand

Dexterous Robotic HandDexterous Robotic HandThe Shadow Robot Company is now publicly offering the world’s most advanced Dexterous Hand. The Hand is equipped with 186 force sensors and joints controlled by pairs of Air Muscles that are matched in opposing directions like the human hand. This is ground breaking technology which will surely find it's place in something I like to call 'human modifications'. I've always had this idea that one day, people will be able to change themselves or shall I say upgrade themselves to something that suits them for what they do. Not your ordinary plastic surgery or prosthetic arms and legs. Instead, being able to change fully functional body parts that will be designed to make you more efficient, maybe even make you live longer? We are in a very pre-mature stage of this type of thing. People able to change skin tones, liposuction, breast implants... etc... we are probably just touching the surface. I guess we will see what happens. In the meantime, our imaginations can run wild.

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Friday, May 13, 2005

Model a City in Hours

Model a City in HoursAvideh Zakhor and her team at UC Berkley recently modeled downtown Berkeley in 4½ hours (26 minutes of driving plus 4 hours of data processing). How is this possible!? Professor Zakhor and her team mounted lasers and digital cameras to virtually any vehicle, thus making truck or plane a highly efficient large scale scanner. Initial usage of the device is aimed at military purposes using unmanned aircrafts in swarms to scan and model enemy territory for further study. Zakhor is also developing a time based scanner resulting in a 4-dimensional model.

Here is a video of Professor Avideh's talk on 3D city modeling at Google, October 2006; 60 mins - Good job to her and her team that is focusing on this topic. They are raising the bar and breaking new grounds in the realm of 3D modeling and data collection:

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Thursday, May 12, 2005

The New Anti-Doomsday Plan

The New Anti-Doomsday PlanI found something very interesting the other night while surfing the web... I came across a site called The Lifeboat Foundation. Their name actually suits their purpose. They claim that they are nonprofit, nongovernmental organization dedicated to encourage scientific advancements in technology which will provide aid towards the survival of humanity. The Lifeboat Foundation is aiming to launch self-contained space arks by 2020 as an 'insurance policy' against Grey Goo and weapons deadly to the human race. Don't take my word for it, check out the links if this topic interests you.

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Friday, May 6, 2005

Bluetooth Capable Motorcycle Helmets

Bluetooth Capable Motorcycle HelmetsNow this is a good idea! A bluetooth capable motorcycle helmet. I have good feelings about his invention in the near future. Motorcycle drivers don't even have the option to pick up thier cellphone while on the road. Though this may cost much, there is a compnay that started making affordable versions such as the Scala Rider by Cardo Systems. The same company is also developing a bluetooth FM radio and handle-bar remote! Keep popping out products like these and I'm going to want to have my own motorcycle.

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Thursday, May 5, 2005

Bluetooth Transmitter Relays Auto Diagnostic Data

Bluetooth Transmitter Relays Auto Diagnostic DataVital Engineering created the OBD Bluetooth Transmitter. A toolkit designed to connect to the OBD-II system (a system which became a standard on most cars built since 1996). What this transmitter does which I find really cool, is that it will diagnose your car and wirelessly send the data to a PC or any bluetooth device. Thus, eliminating the need (in most cases) to open the hood and guessing what is wrong. I love the direction of this technology.

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Sunday, May 1, 2005

Bendable Concrete

Bendable ConcreteWhat will they come up with next?! Victor Li, at the University of Michigan has invented a new fiber-reinforced bendable concrete. It is said that this new type of concrete are superior to other similar types of concretes because the ingredients to the concrete itself was specifically designed to provide more flexibility. The Engineered Cement Composites (ECC) is 40% lighter, 500 times more resistant to cracking, 37% less expensive, consumes 40% less energy, and produces 39% less carbon dioxide than regular concrete! The stats alone seems greener, and more efficient. I wonder how far this technology will go. I would imagine this to affect the construction industry in a global scale. I would also be interested to see how this technology is being applied.

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