June 16, 2009

AR

And for the kids, who we are clearly raising to become wizards:
June 14, 2009

INFINITELY MORE USEFUL

one giant leap for robotkind: robot successfully opens doors, plugs own power cord No matter how fast they can think or how many things they can process at once, robots will be infinitely more useful if they’re independent. That includes being able to overcome obstacles – such as the nigh-immovable hindrance we call “The Door” – and more importantly, be able to feed itself, which obviously translates into recharging. thx Lally
June 13, 2009

IN THE YEAR 2009

http://fractionalactorssub.madeofrobots.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/robot-emotions.jpg thx kb
June 11, 2009

STILL MORE VIDS FOR SUMMER USE

And I should have added this to the blog long ago:
June 1, 2009

MORE SUMMER USE

Hulu has some SciAm vids with Alan Alda that are worth bookmarking here. See below the jump. The first is on robots at MIT’s media labs. I’ve posted most of the bots here already, but its a good overview of the work they are doing with social robotics. However, at the start of the program Alda unbelievably says “The problem with most robots is that they tend to be robotic. They know nothing, they aren’t programmed to know. And they do nothing, they aren’t programmed to do. But for many applications where robots could be useful, they need to be more like humans.” My diss is now titled “Rethinking Machines: why Alan Alda is wrong about everything” The second vid is Alda again working with some cybernetically enhanced humans, regaining either the rudimentary power to hear or to see. The bit where Alda describes what it is like to hear a human voice with the cochlear implants is terrifying. This is much more of a human interest piece, and I can’t help but feel sorry for early adopters.
May 21, 2009

I’LL TURN YOU INTO ME, I’LL TURN YOU INTO ME

Robots Evolve And Learn How to Lie (Discover) Robots can evolve to communicate with each other, to help, and even to deceive each other, according to Dario Floreano of the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Floreano and his colleagues outfitted robots with light sensors, rings of blue light, and wheels and placed them in habitats furnished with glowing “food sources” and patches of “poison” that recharged or drained their batteries. Their neural circuitry was programmed with just 30 “genes,” elements of software code that determined how much they sensed light and how they responded when they did. The robots were initially programmed both to light up randomly and to move randomly when they sensed light. To create the next generation of robots, Floreano recombined the genes of those that proved fittest—those that had managed to get the biggest charge out of the food source. The resulting code (with a little mutation added in the form of a random change) was downloaded into the robots to make what were, in essence, offspring. Then they were released into their artificial habitat. “We set up a situation common in nature—foraging with uncertainty,” Floreano says. “You have to find food, but you don’t know what food is; if you eat poison, you die.” Four different types of colonies of robots were allowed to eat, reproduce, and expire. By the 50th generation, the robots had learned to communicate—lighting up, in three out of four colonies, to alert the others when they’d found food or poison. The fourth colony sometimes evolved “cheater” robots instead, which would light up to tell the others that the poison was food, while they themselves rolled over to the food source and chowed down without emitting so much as a blink. Some robots, though, were […]
May 20, 2009

I AM THE CYBORG ANTICHRIST

Lally, always on top of the newest and best on the net, linked me to a great feature on oobject about the top current cyborg technologies. 16 Genuine Cyborg Technologies Just how much of the human body can you replace or augment: seemingly everything apart from the tadpole like remnants of the brain and spinal chord. Bionic eyes, ears, hearts, lungs, kidneys, livers, hands, feets, legs, arms and skin are now real science rather than concept designs. For this list, we have gathered together as many real devices including commercially available products rather than concept designs or imagery that appeal based on gimmick value. The one exception is the tooth and ear cellphone implant which is feasible today. An interesting idea is how the notion of a cyborg might change (often imagined as fusion of mechanical and electronic technology with human biology), since many of these devices use technology that is itself principally biological, such as stem cell lines in the bioreactor liver or artificial skin. At the top of list when I last checked was the Bionic Contact Lense bionic-lense Researchers have developed new contact lenses that contain circuits, LEDs, and a “powder” of electrical components that can enable an average human being to possess superhuman vision. The contact lenses would allow images to be displayed in a person’s vision, superimposed on the real world. … The researchers explained that one of the most difficult parts of designing the lenses is making them biologically safe. So far, they have only tested the lenses on rabbits, with no negative effects. Electrical circuits consist of toxic chemicals, but the scientists built them from layers of metal only a few nanometers thick. Now is a great time to be a rabbit. In any case, the rest of the list is pretty sweet […]
May 20, 2009

ROBOT MONSTER

thx Bdizzle
May 20, 2009

ROBOT ETHICS. MMHM.

Robot warriors will get a guide to ethics New ‘Terminator’ Robots Go in Harm’s Way 090518-robotwarrior-hmed-11ahmedium maars-robot-540×380 terminator-400×540 Lethal military robots are currently deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Ground-based robots like QinetiQ’s MAARS robot (shown here), are armed with weapons to shoot insurgents, appendages to disarm bombs, and surveillance equipment to search buildings. Robots with a set of ethical guidelines, or perhaps how we ought to treat robots ethically? Or maybe — “This is trying to give a team of soldiers a ‘tenth man’ that is expendable to enemy fire,” said Quinn. “[The robots] can take a beating,” said Robert Quinn, an engineer at Foster-Miller. “Some of our robots have been blown up 10, even 15 times, and they still work.” “Robots don’t have an inherent right to self-defense and don’t get scared,” said Arkin. “The robots can take greater risk and respond more appropriately.” Oh yes, I see. (Thanks Max and Paul!)
May 12, 2009

THE ETHOS OF INTERNET

at least it’s an ethos This viddie is a rather boring demonstration of Wolfram Alpha. It does basically what it has claimed to be able to do: it can process data in a variety of domains, answer queries in natural language that pertain to the data, and present answers and other relevant or useful information in a human readable form. The internet has been hyping and/or cynically doubting Alpha for the last few weeks, and although looks like it works pretty well I don’t think it deserves either. The fervor Alpha has generated is really due to a misunderstanding of what Alpha is. Alpha is a systematic attempt to formalize the ontologies of certain scientific domains in order to query that data for specific kinds of information. It is an attempt, Wolfram suggests, of making science computable. This is a big project, and certainly worthwhile (if just a little wide-eyed). But it is also something that Wolfram has been working on for decades, and it appears to be a legitimate attempt. Alpha is not a foundation for a semantic web. Look: the semantic web is going to happen one way or another. It is the looming peak in the distance, and someone will scale it, and I imagine it will happen fairly soon. But this is not it. I have lots of complaints about the vision here, but my biggest complaint is certainly this: Alpha requires expert humans to explicitly build ontologies and pour in the data. This works well in certain scientific domains, but its not the sort of thing you can lay on top of the internet to create SmartGoogle, which is what everyone expects from the semantic web. Ontologies cannot be planned in advanced. Ontologies are not pure formal properties that bind together a domain through pure […]
May 4, 2009

FOR SUMMER USE

thx Jason
April 28, 2009

WHATS WRONG WITH ROBBY?

Computer Program to Take On ‘Jeopardy!’ I.B.M. plans to announce Monday that it is in the final stages of completing a computer program to compete against human “Jeopardy!” contestants. If the program beats the humans, the field of artificial intelligence will have made a leap forward. … The I.B.M. researchers and “Jeopardy!” producers said they were considering what form their cybercontestant would take and what gender it would assume. One possibility would be to use an animated avatar that would appear on a computer display. “We’ve only begun to talk about it,” said Harry Friedman, the executive producer of “Jeopardy!” “We all agree that it shouldn’t look like Robby the Robot.” … The real difficulty, Dr. Nyberg said, is not searching a database but getting the computer to understand what it should be searching for. The system must be able to deal with analogies, puns, double entendres and relationships like size and location, all at lightning speed. Thanks Schaaf!
July 1, 2010

CROSSROADS (WHAT TO DO) – CREATIVEAPPLICATIONS.NET ON VIMEO

Shared by Daniel Awesome. #htec The video installation “crossroads (what to do)” deals with the influence of others onto one’s own path of life in an abstract way. visit www.garvin.it
July 1, 2010

YOUTUBE – ENOUGHPROJECT’S CHANNEL

Shared by Daniel Talk about this and Foxconn #htec Share your videos with friends, family, and the world
July 1, 2010

NEW CHEMBOT PROTOTYPE CONTINUES TREND OF VAGUE DISTURBINGNESS

We’ve covered a couple different proposals for DARPA’s Squishbot Chembot program, including a blobbot powered by air and a robotic amoeba powered by chemicals. This latest Chembot prototype is a collaboration between iRobot, MIT, and Harvard, and like its Chembot compatriots, the system of movement it employs is quite simple: by selectively inflating compartments on its exterior, the robot can roll itself forward. Ultimately, this robot would be powered by chemical pressure (instead of compressed air), achieved through thermal expansion or phase transition or “smart fluid” (whatever that is). It goes without saying that I find this whole program extremely cool and innovative, but also a little bit, I dunno, freaky. I think it’s because these Chembots strike some sort of Uncanny Valley chord with me… Not in terms of their resemblance to a human (obviously), but in a more general sense: they appear biological while being artificial. And this pseudo-biological construction and behavior comes across in a not great way, like space alien brain slug laying eggs in your eyeballs biological. I think it’s the way it pulses or something. But maybe that’s just me. I do think that robots like these have a lot of potential, specifically because they are so different. DARPA thinks so too, of course, but it’s fun to think about what kinds of non DARPA-y applications a Chembot might have… Like, I dunno, maybe blobbing around inside my couch looking for loose change, or landing a starring role in a horror movie or something. [ MIT CSAIL DRL ] VIA [ Hizook ]
June 29, 2010

VIRTUAL REALITY HAIRCUT SIMULATOR TEACHES YOU HOW TO GIVE BAD HAIRCUTS [BAD IDEAS]

Air-Hair is a “virtual reality haircut simulator” from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, although it looks like that virtual reality is more Lawnmower Man than…whatever good virtual reality is. More »
June 29, 2010

3D DISPLAYS AND HAPTIC INTERFACES COME TOGETHER IN HIRO III

The Kawasaki and Mouri Laboratory at Gifu University in Japan are researching and developing a touch interface which, combined with 3D displays, could offer a new way to simulate the touching of objects. HIRO III is a haptic interface robot which can provide realistic kinesthetic sensations to the user’s hand and fingers, while the 3D display provides the visual experience. Possible applications include medical diagnostics training, but for now, HIRO III is still in the lab. Interestingly, we’ve seen a very similar — albeit more scholastic — take on the same idea very recently. Hit the video below for a fuller look at this one. Continue reading 3D displays and haptic interfaces come together in HIRO III Filed under: Displays, Robots 3D displays and haptic interfaces come together in HIRO III originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | source DigiInfo | Email this | Comments
June 29, 2010

MICROSOFT HINTS AT TOUCHLESS SURFACE COMBINING CAMERA AND TRANSPARENT OLED (VIDEO)

We’ve always wondered whether Microsoft’s multitouch table would actually ever arrive, dreaming of Minority Report hijinx all the while, but after seeing what the company’s Applied Sciences Group is currently cooking up — a touchless telepresence display — we’d rather drop that antiquated pinch-to-zoom stuff in favor of what might be Surface’s next generation. Starting with one of Samsung’s prototype transparent OLED panels, Microsoft dropped a sub-two-inch camera behind the glass, creating a 3D gesture control interface that tracks your every move by literally seeing through the display. Combined with that proprietary wedge-shaped lens we saw earlier this month and some good ol’ Johnny Chung Lee headtracking by the man himself, we’re looking at one hell of a screen. Don’t you dare read another word without seeing the prototype in a trifecta of videos after the break. Continue reading Microsoft hints at touchless Surface combining camera and transparent OLED (video) Microsoft hints at touchless Surface combining camera and transparent OLED (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink OLED-Info | source Microsoft Applied Sciences Group | Email this | Comments
June 29, 2010

GOOGLE STRUGGLES TO KEEP CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAPPY WHILE PROVIDING UNCENSORED SEARCH RESULTS

Shared by Daniel #htec What should Google do about China? A while back, Google made the bold decision to stop censoring search results in China. As a consequence of this action, the company is now a little bit nervous about its future in the country:
June 29, 2010

SWITCHED ON: TOKEN GESTURES

Shared by Daniel So we’ve gone from WIMP -> MPG. What’s after MPG? Direct neural interfaces? #htec Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. In early 2005, even after the launch of the Nintendo DS, Switched On critiqued pen computing, noting that it was too cumbersome and unnatural to become a mainstream input method. That column was validated by the launch of the iPhone, which banished the stylus to “blown it” status and popularized “finger-friendly” handset designs from all major smartphone OS developers. Many have described the user interfaces of products such as the iPhone and Surface as ushering in the post-WIMP (windows-icon-mouse-pointer) era . Former Windows Magazine editor Mike Elgan has referred to the new paradigm as “MPG” (multitouch, physics, gestures) However, while these user interfaces feature streamlined designs and more direct manipulation, they still form a bridge with the graphical user interface. The main shift has been to more direct manipulation as the device processes more natural inputs. The same can be said for Kinect . For a tidy sum and some untidiness, Kinect enables the kind of motion-sensing gameplay that has become the Wii’s hallmark without having to strap the controller to various limbs (as with EA Active for Wii). In fact it eliminates the need to hold a controller entirely, just like the iPhone and iPad free users of mice and styluses. Beyond Soviet Russia, the input device uses you. Continue reading Switched On: Token gestures Switched On: Token gestures originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments
June 29, 2010

TRY AND TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS IPAD ARTWORK AND A REAL MASTERPIECE

Shared by Daniel #htec. What are the differences is artistic technique between this and ‘real’ painting? We’ve seen some extraordinary creations coming from the iPad Brushes app, but I think my favorite so far is David Kassan’s portrait of a live model who sat still for three hours (all livestreamed, naturally) while Kassan fingerstroked his iPad.
June 29, 2010

GOOGLE’S FACEBOOK KILLER “GOOGLE ME” CONFIRMED BY FORMER FACEBOOK CTO

When Digg founder Kevin Rose tweeted about the existence of “Google Me,” Google’s supposed “Facebook killer” social-networking site, I’d love to know whether he expected Facebook’s former-CTO to jump into the fray and confirm it, saying it’s a “real project.”
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