Friday, June 29, 2007

Piracy police raid Honeywell site



Police raid a manufacturing plant in Scotland after allegations of a large music filesharing network.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Apple's iPhone makes it to stores



Apple's much-hyped iPhone handset goes on sale across the US, after thousands queued for hours.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Acting Robotic Desk Lamp



Guy Hoffman of
MIT's Robotic Life Research
group is merging robots and the art of acting by animating a
robotic desk lamp named
AUR with a little inspiration from a 5-axis robot arm.
AUR's debut is a
play at MIT's Dramashop, touted as the first step in
an effort towards a fully autonomous robotic actor.
Video shows the lamp
following a human's lighting needs in a dimly lit room.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

'Violent' game ad condemned



A computer game poster is criticised as "irresponsible" by the advertising watchdog.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Private-eye hackers are convicted



Two police officers who set up a detective agency are convicted of hacking into e-mails on behalf of clients.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Supercomputer steps up the pace



The world's fastest commercial supercomputer is launched by the computer giant IBM.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

BBC web downloads set to launch



The BBC's on-demand TV service, the BBC iPlayer, will launch on 27 July, the corporation says.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Nintendo to open up Wii console



Hobby and student game makers are getting a chance to make games for the Wii console.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Social sites battle for new users



Research reveals which social network site is capturing the hearts and clicks of Britons.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Whiteboard projector safety fears



Documents reveal potential risks to eyesight from the projectors used in schools' interactive whiteboards.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Cyber-bullying gathers pace in US



Survey finds that one third of online teenagers in the US have been victims of cyber-bullying.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Apple's iPhone makes it to stores



Apple's much-hyped iPhone handset is due to go on sale in the US this evening, with large queues expected.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Hands in the Air if your Robot Handles Eggs



The Swirling
Brain alerted us to a
breitbart.com story about another "world's first", this time a Kyoto
robotics company named Squse is
claiming to have created the world's first robot hand powered by air
muscles and able to do delicate tasks like handling an egg. The main
visible difference between this and previous air muscle hands seems to
be that Squse covered theirs with a flesh-colored glove. The UK Shadow Robot Company shipped an
air muscle hand called Shadow
Hand in 2005 and
demonstrated prototypes as early as 2001. The Squse site has video of the hand
attached to an android arm and torso. The Squse press release has
some additional photos. Interestingly, there didn't seem to be any
photos of the Squse hand gripping an egg but here's the Shadow
Hand holding an egg.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

What is Intelligence?



Many of the terms dealt with by roboticists such as consciousness,
emotion, and intelligences are notoriously difficult to define.
Researchers Shane Legg and Marcus Hutter have put together a
very interesting collection of
over 70 definitions of intelligence (PDF format), creating the
largest and most well-referenced such collection to date. With a little
effort, I bet we could expand their list to twice the
size! They've
divided the list into collective definitions, psychologist's
definitions, and AI researcher's definitions. Among the definers you'll
find Minsky, Schank, Warwick, Lenat, Feigenbaum and other well-known AI
and robotics researchers. Definitely worth a read if
this is a topic you wrangle with when designing your robots.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Cultural past of the digital age



Regular columnist Bill Thompson asks how technology is changing the way we think about books and film.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Mobile phone firms lose tax case



Mobile phone firms lose their legal fight to reclaim tax they said they paid to acquire expensive licences in the UK.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Mobiles are 'offensive weapons'



Mobile phones should be classed as a potentially offensive weapon, a teaching union argues.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Two-tiered net could be coming



An analyst firm predicts ISPs could start charging websites for faster, prioritised access to its customers.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

'Day of silence' for US web radio



Web radio broadcasters go off air in protest at plans to hike royalty payments when music is played online.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

EC threat to BBC over downloads



The BBC is threatened with a complaint to the EC over use of Microsoft software in its iPlayer.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Monday, June 25, 2007

Yahoo sees advertising shake-up



Yahoo is overhauling the way it sells advertising in the US, in an effort to help revive the business.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Computers 'can raise attainment'



A study says high levels of computer technology can improve school results, but the picture is mixed.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

California landing for Atlantis



US space shuttle Atlantis touches down in California, after bad weather prevents a Florida landing.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Cern particle lab schedule slips



The giant particle accelerator will now be powered up in May 2008 after a series of set-backs, say scientists.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Leader of net piracy gang jailed



A Briton who operated a net piracy gang out of his Australian home is jailed in the US for 51 months.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Social sites reveal class divide



Social networking sites are proving a good guide to socio-economic divisions in the US, reveals research.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Friday, June 22, 2007

Cyborgs at the Olympics and on the Dancefloor



Jamais Cascio
of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging
Technologies
posted a new article on the future of
Cyborgs in our society. He
comments on several trends such as baby boomers pushing the demand for
higher fidelity hearing aids and faster product development cycles. Any
article on Cyborgs has to mention the huge number of amputees being
generated by Bush's war in Iraq. The sheer number of amputees is driving
demand for prosthetics and resulting in rapid progress. People using these
new prosthetic legs expend 20% less energy walking or running than
people with natural legs. One South African is running fast enough with
his unpowered prosthetics to qualify for the Olympics, which has the
Olympic committee worried that natural humans may not be able to compete
against cyborgs in the near future. He also notes that prosthetics legs
are even becoming quite
fashionable on the dance floors.



Source: http://www.netchain.com

NASA Releases Robotics Software, Almost



A Slashdot
article notes that NASA's JPL
has released to the public their Coupled Layer
Architecture for Robotic Autonomoy or CLARAty software. It was
initially believed the software would be released under a Free Software
or Open Source license, however this turned out not to be the case. The
software was released under something called the "CLARAty
Open Source License", which, despite the name, fails to meet either
the FSF free
software definition or the OSI Open Source
definition. On the upside, the software can be downloaded at no cost
it's possible to view at least some of the source code, and use software in
non-commercial applications. Any commercial use or derived works are not
allowed, however. While
the closed, proprietary license is disappointing, perhaps having access
to the software will facilitate the development of similar functionality
in free software.



Source: http://www.netchain.com

Original Lost in Space Robot Donated to NASA



Robot B9 is one of the most famous hollywood robots of all time. Two
B9 Robots were made for the Lost in Space TV series, one a fully detailed
shell with space for an actor inside
and the
second, a less-detailed background prop. In 2003 the lesser of the two
robots sold for $230,000 on
eBay to a private collector. The restored,
fully detailed B9 has been in the hands of Sheila Allen, wife of Lost
in Space creator Irwin Allen - until now. Allen
has donated the robot to
NASA where it will become a "permanent resident of the Kennedy Space
Center' Visitors Complex."
For more, video and audio are available
in NASA's
weekly podcast for June 15. If you'd like your own B9, don't forget
that licensed, full size
B9 replicas are being produced for anyone who can plonk down $25,000.



Source: http://www.netchain.com

Random Robot News Roundup



The mailbox has been overflowing with robots news. Jimmy Atkinson
writes, I just posted a how-to guide to transforming
oneself into a cyborg over here at Free Geekery
. Roland
Piquepaille sent us links to his latest blog posts about a globetrotting robot
that's been exploring the oceans of the world
and a robotic arm
scanning a manuscript of Homer's Iliad to help create a
high-resolution, 3D, virtual book from the ancient parchment. The Swirling
Brain sent us
links to a Slashdot story on DARPA's
LANdroid army and a TechDigest
post about Roboquad spider robot. Last, there was a release
announcement for the latest version of Fast Genetic Algorithm, a C++
library that provides " a simple yet powerful implementation of a general
genetic algorithm, and provides many types of crossover and selection
procedures."
The library is Free Software
licensed under the GNU LGPL. Know any
other robot news, gossip, or amazing facts we should report here? Send 'em our way please.



Source: http://www.netchain.com

The Google Master Plan



I’ve come across this interesting movie clip called The Google Master Plan in Youtube quite some time ago. It’s a movie directed and produced by Ozan Halici & Jürgen Mayer for their Bachelors’s Thesis at the University of Applied Sciences Ulm, Germany.
The movie basically talks about how Google can use their free services like Google [...]



Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

UK Shopping Search Engine



Online shopping has gain its popularity all around the world nowadays with the advance of the Internet. Just like the amount of websites we can find on the Internet, there are too many online deals for us to choose from. Hence we do need a search engine which helps us to aggregate all merchant offers, [...]



Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

Differences Amongst Windows Vista Versions



I’m sure many of us are thinking of upgrading our computer operating system to the latest Windows Vista. Apart from wondering will the current computer hardware be compatible to Windows Vista, probably we are facing the dilemma of choosing which version of Windows Vista.
Basically, there are 5 versions of Windows Vista to choose from, they [...]



Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

iBegin Source - Place To Get Local Business Data



Yellow pages is often the source for us to search for local stores and services, be it online yellow pages or printed yellow pages. I particularly like online yellow pages very much, as usually I am just a few clicks away from what I want to find in my local area.
However, in many cases accurate [...]



Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

New Yahoo boss buys sport site



Jerry Yang makes his first move as chief executive of Yahoo, buying the college sports website Rivals.com.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Attack closes Pentagon e-mail



The Pentagon shuts down e-mail accounts after a hacker manages to penetrate the system.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

E-vote 'threat' to UK democracy



Unreliable electronic voting systems could undermine UK democracy warns a report



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Thursday, June 21, 2007

From here to cyberspace



Regular columnist Bill Thompson takes a look at the future of social networking sites.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

The Tech Lab: Dave Winer



Dave Winer, considered by many to be the father of blogging and a pioneer of RSS feeds, offers his new technologies vision.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Esa, Nasa unite for key missions



The US and European space agencies signal their desire to co-operate on the biggest missions.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Earth observer contract signed



Europe orders up Sentinel 1, the first bespoke spacecraft for its new global monitoring programme.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

YouTube goes international



YouTube announces nine international versions of its popular web video service.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Volunteers sought for Mars test



The European Space Agency will put six volunteers in an isolation tank for 17 months to simulate a Mars mission.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Hackers target 'legitimate' sites



Thousands of websites have been infected with code that tries to install keylogging software, say security firms.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Murdoch 'in talks' on Yahoo deal



News Corp is reportedly considering selling MySpace to Yahoo for a 25% stake in the internet search firm.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Ofcom secures radio mic future



Regulator u-turns on decision to auction off spectrum relied on by theatres, broadcasters and concert organisers.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Hyper-personal search 'possible'



Google says it would consider keeping search data for longer than 18 months in an opt-in scheme.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

New Yahoo boss buys sport website



Jerry Yang makes his first move as chief executive of Yahoo, buying the college sports website Rivals.com.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Banned video game is 'fine art'



The US publishers of a video game banned in the UK and Ireland describe it as a "fine piece of art".



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Toward a Robot-Independent Programming Framework



The USC Center for Robotics and Embedded
Systems published an interesting dissertation by Evan Drumwright
titled "The Task
Matrix: A Robot-Independent Framework for Programming Humanoids"
(PDF format). In the paper, Drumwright attempts to separate humanoid
robot tasks into robot-dependent and robot-independent tasks. The goal
is to improve software reuse by identifying a primitive task set for
humanoids that allow a broad range of higher level tasks. He also
provides an example of an XML posture description language. For more,
see Drumwright's Task Matrix
webpage, which includes videos of
simulated robots expressing various postures and movements.



Source: http://www.netchain.com

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

The Tech Lab: Niklas Zennstrom



Niklas Zennstroem, the co-founder of Skype, explains how the net will shape the emergence of new technologies.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

ISS computer woes irk Europe



The space station's troubled computer systems are also incorporated into Europe's new lab and cargo ship.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Police smash paedophile ring



A man is jailed after police smashed a paedophile ring run from the UK and involving people from 35 countries.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Contract signed on Earth observer



Europe orders up Sentinel 1, the first bespoke spacecraft for its new global monitoring programme.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Yahoo boss steps down from post



Terry Semel quits as the chief executive of internet search firm Yahoo and is replaced by co-founder Jerry Yang.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

YouTube makes international move



YouTube announces nine international versions of its popular web video service.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Robotic Wedding MC



Hanool
Robotics' Tiro participated
in the wedding
of one of its designers on Sunday in Daejeon South Korea -
apparently a first in robotics.
Since Tiro is not an ordained robot, the civil ceremony will
have to be backed up later with legal registration.
Hanool also produces the Hanura-RD4,
the Ottoro
cleaning robot,
various
military and law enforcement platforms,
education
kits, and subsystems.



Source: http://www.netchain.com

Monday, June 18, 2007

Hackers meet for coding festival



The BBC and Yahoo are holding a hack day for web developers and designers.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Sony apologises in game row



Sony apologises for using Manchester cathedral as a backdrop to one of its violent games.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Warnings of 'internet overload'



BBC Click investigates claims of the internet collapsing under pressure from the YouTube generation.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

ISS computer woes concern Europe



The space station's troubled computer systems are also incorporated into Europe's new lab and cargo ship.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Half of Britons 'e-mail addicts'



Half of Britons could not exist without e-mail - with 30 or 40-somethings more addicted than teens, a survey says.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Blockbuster to focus on Blu-ray



Film rental firm Blockbuster says it will rent only Blu-ray high-definition DVDs at 1,450 of its US stores.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Tiny Eye Movements Prove Necessary



The EyeRIS
platform at the Active Perception Laboratory of Boston University is
being used to understand and model the tiny, simple eye movements we
unknowingly use to aid vision. Small movements of the eye, along
with movements of our head and body, prevent us from maintaining a
static image. Since stable stimuli fade on the retina, it is thought
that the movements are used to improve the signaling received by the
brain and are an important part of vision processing. A proper
understanding of this could lead to improvements in robotic vision
sensors and processing algorithms.



Source: http://www.netchain.com

Welcome to the Robotarium



A tiny article
in The Portugal Resident alerted us to the June 12 opening of the Robotarium,
a sort of self-contained zoo of autonomous robot plants and animals. The
Robotarium
is the idea of artist Leonel
Moura.
According to the website, "The Robotarium is a structure of metal and
glass, in which a set of totally autonomous robots will start 'to live',
divided in different species and with different characteristics and
capabilities. Some robots have wheels and resemble small vehicles
similar to the ones that currently are used in space exploration; others
will be similar to bugs, small animals and plants; others will be
different from any thing that can be found in nature."
The Robotarium X webpage includes
photos of the exhibit and the individual robots.



Source: http://www.netchain.com

Friday, June 15, 2007

Robotics Educators Conference Aug 2007



The
Robotics Educators Conference sponsored by
Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Academy will be held
in Pittsburgh this August to help inform educators about
current options for teaching robotics.
Dick Swan will speak about ROBOTC,
Professor CJ Chung of Lawrence Technological University will
talk about ROBOFEST,
Dr. Robert Rasmussen will present guidelines for
making use of LEGO products,
Professor Jeanine
Meyer will show how she uses
innovative ways to excite her students about programming
and how she helped implement a college level robotics program,
Tom Burick, inventor of PC-BOT,
will showcase his creations and speak about future applications of
robotics, and many more.



Source: http://www.netchain.com

The Tech Lab: Niklas Zennstroem



Niklas Zennstroem, the co-founder of Skype, explains how the net will shape the emergence of new technologies.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Zimbabwe bugging law attacked



Zimbabwe's internet providers condemn the law to let the government monitor e-mails and other communications.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

London leads in city wi-fi race



The numbers of wi-fi access points in London grew by 160% in a year, suggests a survey.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Angry eBay pulls Google adverts



Auction website eBay pulls its US advertising from search engine giant and adversary Google.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Sony apologises over violent game



Sony apologises for using Manchester cathedral as a backdrop to one of its violent games.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Web tool to help survivors cope



US researchers are turning to peer-to-peer technology to help in the wake of natural disasters.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Firm rockets into space tourism



The aerospace company EADS Astrium says it will build a plane to take fare-paying passengers on sub-orbital space rides.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Web creator gets Queen's honour



The inventor of the world wide web receives one of Britain's most prestigious honours, the Order of Merit.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Computer crash hits space station



Russian computers controlling the
International Space Station's position and supply of oxygen and water fail.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Sound start to music on mobiles



Swedes are the first to try a music service for mobiles that lets them download unlimited tracks for a weekly fee.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

FBI tries to fight zombie hordes



The FBI is stepping up its fight against hijacked home computers known as zombies or bots.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Google backs green PC plan



Leading hardware and software firms join a campaign to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from computers.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Web inventor gets Queen's honour



The inventor of the world wide web receives one of Britain's most prestigious honours, the Order of Merit.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Tracking Airborne Pathogens with UAVs



The
Engineer Online describes a newly developed UAV that detects and
tracks airborne pathogens above agricultural areas. The autonomous
flying robot samples the air hundreds of meters above the ground,
tracking pathogens such as the Fusarium genus of fungi, which can travel
long distances at high altitudes. The autonomous robots have advantages
over both manned flights and radio controlled drones. The UAV,
developed by David
Schmale and other researchers at the Virginia Tech Center for Autonomous Systems,
can sample the air in precise patterns, often in coordinations with
other UAVs working simulatneously at different altitudes. With just 75
flights, the researchers have already cataloged 500 colonies of Fusarium
including 11 species not previously known to be transported this far
above the Earth's surface. The research will expand to
other types of pathogens, marking the begining of a field one scientist
calls aerogenomics. For more details see the Virginia
Tech news release or the VT Environment Innovations poster, Exploring
atmospheric microbial communities with autonomous unmanned aerial
vehicles.



Source: http://www.netchain.com

First zero-emission home unveiled



The UK's first zero-emission house is unveiled, setting the environmental standard for all future homes.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Grand Theft Auto firm to cut jobs



The firm behind video game Grand Theft Auto says it will cut jobs to reduce by costs by $25m a year by 2008.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Download store 'takes on iTunes'



British download store 7digital relaunches with a promise to offer cheaper prices and greater ease of use than iTunes.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Sony upbeat in DVD format battle



Sony predicts shipments of Blu-Ray DVD players could grow six times in the US as rival format lowers its target.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Google cuts data retention times



Search engine giant Google is to cut the length of time that it retains users' personally identifiable data.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

YouTube to test video ID software



Online video site YouTube is to test a new video fingerprinting technology to address copyright concerns.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Design boost for European rover



The ExoMars project to land a European robot rover on the Red Planet moves forward with an enhanced design.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Yahoo's China policy rejected



Yahoo shareholders reject plans for the company to adopt a policy opposing censorship on the internet.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Google backs green computer plan



Leading hardware and software firms join a campaign to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from computers.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Microsoft to reflect UK dialects



Microsoft asks UK users to make final submissions to a project to keep regional dialect alive in Word.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Microsoft unveils patch package



Windows users are being urged to download the latest batch of security updates from Microsoft.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Robots Becoming Part of the Family



LiveScience
reports that a new NSF study on the social impact of robots reveals
that the iRobot Roomba is becoming part of the families who buy it.
While people sometimes noted that the Roomba wasn't ideally suited to
cleaning their house, they frequently named the robots and treated them
as if
they had personalities. The study also revealed that pets reacted to the
robots in much the same way as the humans. One cat became friends with
the Roomba, sitting near it to keep it company. A geriatric dog was
reported to be scared of the Roomba. One family noted that letting their
daughter "adopt" the Roomba result her cleaning her room much more
frequently. This research was done by Jodi Forlizzi who has done previous studies of
Human-Robot interaction.



Source: http://www.netchain.com

ZigBee Hardware Reviews



An Electronic
Design article gives an overview of ZigBee technology and starts a
series of hardware reivews. Many robot builders are discovering that ZibBee
is an inexpensive way to get a wireless link between a robot and a
computer, useful for either recording telemetry or issuing commands to
the robot. There's a lot of cool hardware coming out and Electronic
Design is going to be reviewing some of it, starting with a review
of Daintree Networks Ethernet to ZigBee adapter. Another great source of
USB-ZigBee hardware for robots not mentioned in the article is New Micro, Inc.



Source: http://www.netchain.com

Get The Best Deal Online - Dealighted



If you are a frequent online buyer who purchases computer stuffs and digital devices via the Internet, you don’t want to miss out this website called Dealighted!
Its name doesn’t explain much of its operation. Dealighted is a free tool to help online buyers to find the best bargain for the products they are looking for! [...]



Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

Monday, June 11, 2007

Wireless energy step closer



US researchers demonstrate a system to transfer energy to devices without the need for wires.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Shuttle docks with space station



Space shuttle Atlantis links up with the International Space Station, where astronauts will carry out maintenance.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

First zero-emission home unveiled



The UK's first zero-emission house is unveiled, setting the environmental standard for all future homes.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Success for Mars rover bag test



Engineers test an airbag system that could be used to cushion a European rover's landing on Mars.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Taskforce to cut 'cyber warming'



Reducing carbon dioxide emissions from computers will be the aim of a new government taskforce.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Cathedral to demand Sony apology



The Church of England will ask Sony to apologise over the use of Manchester Cathedral in a violent game.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Smart clothes to monitor health



Scientists are developing clothing embedded with sensors which they say will be able to monitor your health.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Google ranked 'worst' on privacy



Google is sharply criticised in a report looking at the privacy policies of popular net firms.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Random Robot News Roundup



Here's another weekly dump of robot links from our news inbox. Roland
Piquepaille sent a link to his latest blog post
about Lord of the Rings special effects people building
a robot to help save a 200-million year old reptile species. We also
received a link to a YouTube video about
Mr. Woo, a Chinese man who builds walking robots of all sizes; some
small enough to hold in your, others big enough to ride on. Dominic
Létourneau sent a link to Reddy, an emotional
humanoid robot from RoboMotio. The Swirling
Brain pointed out a Planetary
Society story about the next generation Mars Rover, a really creepy-looking child android
named CB2, and a Slashdot
article about the Hubo
FX-1 chairbot, a chair that's also a biped robot. VIA sent us
pricing info on the Pico-ITX motherboards
that we reported on a couple of months ago. Expect them to retail for
$230-260 in the US. Know any other robot news, gossip, or amazing facts
we should report here? Send 'em our
way please.



Source: http://www.netchain.com

Japanese Robot Disgusted with President Bush



According to a Reuters
story (alt
link), the creepy-looking Japanese humanoid robot, Kansei, generates
appropriate
facial expression when you talk to it. The facial expressions are based
on the most common reaction that normal people have to a database of
500,000 English words. For example, hearing the word sushi makes the
robot smile; hearing the words Bush or Iraq causes expressions of
disgust and fear. The robot's face is equipped to generate 36 different
facial expressions in many different combinations. The expressions are
intended to improve human-robot interaction by mimicking normal human
expressions that occur during conversations. Kansei was developed as
part of a research project by Professor Takeno Jun'ichi at
the Robot and Science Lab of
Meiji University. For more you can read a
2005 Discovery
Channel report on Kansei (PDF format). There's also a short YouTube video
about Kansei. We reported on Kansei a couple of years ago when
it had a smaller vocabulary



Source: http://www.netchain.com

100 Million iPod Sold



iPod’s fans have made history as Apple announced yesterday that there have been 100 million iPods sold to date, since its launch in November 2001! 100 million sold in five and a half years is incredible and there is no doubt iPod is still the pioneer in music player industry.



Aside from making history, one of [...]



Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

Friday, June 8, 2007

Facing up to Facebook fears



Internet law professor Michael Geist says attempts to block social media sites such as Facebook are misguided.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Shuttle heads for space station



Space shuttle Atlantis launches from the US Kennedy Space Center in Florida, for its first mission in 2007.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Bank claims deluge legal service



The government's Money Claim Online small claims service is being overwhelmed by claims for bank charges.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Atlantis orbiter set for launch



Following lengthy repairs because of storm damage, the Atlantis orbiter is now ready to launch to the space station on Friday.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Bear bot rescues wounded troops



The US military develops a robot teddy bear to carry injured soldiers away from the battlefield.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Call to open up public data use



The UK government must do more to help web users make the most of public data, says a report.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Wireless energy promise powers up



US researchers demonstrate a system to transfer energy to devices without the need for wires.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

DARPA Urban Challenge Update



DARPA's Urban
Challenge robot contest hasn't captured the imagination of robot
builders and the news media in the same way as the more interesting Grand
Challenge. The result is a lot fewer stories on the event and the teams
involved. There are 53 teams who intend to participate in the contest.
A CNET
article offers a nice update on the contest and includes details on
a few of the teams. Unlike the earlier Grand Challenge which allowed
innovative robot designs, the Urban Challenge allows only stock vehicles
that have been modified to be autonomous. The contest will take place on
3 November, 2007



Source: http://www.netchain.com

Pointing Device For Your TV



Ever think of using a “mouse-like” device as pointing device for your TV instead of the dull TV remote control? You know, like having a cursor moving in your TV just like what we have for PC?
Hillcrest Labs actually has this revolutionary pointing device for TV called HōMETM Interactive Media System.




Quoted:
Hillcrest Labs’ HōMETM Interactive Media [...]



Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

Web Based Remote Computer Technical Support Service



Remote computer support can be provided either via Windows Remote Assistance or software that specially designed which we have to install on our PC. As a result, there is always a hassle to install a separate software onto the PC in order to provide or receive remote assistance.
To save the one who provides or receives [...]



Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

Make Cheap Long Distance Calls Using Comfi.com



Cost of making local and international call using phone/calling cards is quite cheap nowadays. I like to use phone cards to make international call especially when I’m traveling instead of making expensive roaming calls. There is one thing I don’t like about ordinary phone cards is that we need to remember the PIN number on [...]



Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Complacency 'rife' in IT projects



Half of European IT managers say that delivering projects late will have no effect on their career prospects.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

City wi-fi plans under scrutiny



City-wide wi-fi networks are growing but how do councils and citizens get the most out of them?



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Intel steps up cheap laptop race



Intel is working on another laptop aimed at serving the developing world.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Green light for flash fantastic



Europe launches a project to build a super-brilliant X-ray laser to probe the atomic structure of materials.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Talking paper made by scientists



Researchers create digital paper that emits recorded sound in response to a user's touch.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Phone responds to human touch



A handheld device that recognises the way a finger sweeps across the screen has been developed by Taiwanese phone maker HTC.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

BBC celebrates Webby awards



The BBC News website and Radio 1 are among the winners at a prestigious internet awards ceremony.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

E-petitions 'should prompt votes'



Online petitions could be used to decide issues to be debated in Parliament, David Cameron suggests.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Ask re-writes web search rules



Search site Ask revamps its results pages to set it apart from rivals such as Google and Microsoft.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Censorship 'changes face of net'



Human rights group Amnesty calls for tougher action against nations who seek to repress online freedoms.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Good privacy pays for web stores



Shoppers will pay a premium if re-assured about personal privacy, suggests US study.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Bear robot rescues wounded troops



The US military develops a robot teddy bear to carry injured soldiers away from the battlefield.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Pop-up porn case to get new trial



Bloggers have helped to force a fresh trial in a case which saw a teacher accused of letting pupils see porn.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Are Consumers Afraid to buy Robots?



The
Christian Science Monitor posted an article about consumer
acceptance of the increasing number of robots available in the
marketplace. They predict we will be seeing more
simple robots in American households but suggest potential customers
suffer from unrealistic expectations and a "Frankenstein complex" that
makes them fear robots. It appears that many people expect robots to
have human-level intelligence. Meanwhile, Hollywood seems to have done a
nice job convincing everyone that intelligent machines are evil,
apparently leading many potential customers to believe their Roomba may
try kill them if they don't keep an eye on it.



Source: http://www.netchain.com

Tiny Terminators: DARPA's Cyborg Bugs are Back



We reported back in
2006 on DARPA's HI-MEMS
project to engineer cyborg
miltary insects. The Cyborg bugs are back in the news today. The
Swirling Brain sent us a link to a new post in the
Infowars blog commenting on a recent
Article at The Register based on an article
in the UK TimesOnline from a week ago that quotes Rodney Brooks,
"This is going to happen <...> A bunch of experiments have been done
over the past couple of years where simple animals, such as rats and
cockroaches, have been operated on and driven by joysticks, but this is
the first time where the chip has been injected in the pupa stage and
'grown' inside it."
The Register decribes the process succinctly as
"chipping-up innocent creatures and turning them into zombie slaves
under computer control." Best of all, the Times articles refers to these
things as "tiny Terminators".



Source: http://www.netchain.com

HomeBrew Robotic Chip Programmer



Even though I'm limited to English, pictures of ASTLab's
robotic chip programmer
completely conveys what an industrious tinkerer
can create with a handful of RC servos, custom fabricated brackets,
a breadboarded circuit, a vacuum pump, and what looks like a PC-based
control system running a VB program. If you've got the time to wait for
the 12MB download, I highly recommend viewing the video of this impressive
device.



Source: http://www.netchain.com

Simplicity and Self-Reproduction



A reader submitted a link to a new PhysOrg.com story
on robotic self-reproduction. The article describes research done at
Cornell on self-reproducing machines. The researchers have manually
designed both real and virtual self-reproducing machines to demonstrate
their feasibility. They are now starting to artificially evolve
self-reproducing machines. The manually
designed prototypes are called molecubes and look like 10 cm cubes that
can swivel and connect to other cubes. The cube-based robots are able to
assemble exact duplicates of themselves. The researchers believe the key
to making this work is keeping the building blocks simple, just as
evolution resulted in complex biological organisms built from a
repertoire of only about 20 different amino acids. In addition to
self-reproduction, these robots can reconfigure at will, a feature handy
on long space missions where unforseen problems might
require specialized robots. For all the details, see the paper released
by the researchers, "Evolved and
Designed Self-Reproducing Modular Robotics" (PDF format). We've also
covered some of this research in our an
article last year about resilient machines.



Source: http://www.netchain.com

Movable Type 4 Targets Business Blogging Market



Today marks the release of Movable Type 4 (MT4) beta version! By the way, MT is an alternative to the popular Wordpress blogging platform. It is developed by Six Apart.



MT4 is believed to target business bloggers and further expand its market share. Currently Six Apart is already having some enterprise customers such as Intel Corp., [...]



Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

Monday, June 4, 2007

Glimpsing the mobile future



What will tomorrow's mobile devices look like? asks Bill Thompson



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

'Personal data' in iTunes tracks



Apple is facing questions over user data placed in DRM-free tracks sold through iTunes.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Sony price cut for Blu-ray player



Sony catches the technology industry off-guard by slashing $100 off the price of its new Blu-ray player.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Launch date for iPhone revealed



Apple says its much-anticipated iPhone product will hit US stores on 29 June, at a cost of $499 for the entry product.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Friday, June 1, 2007

Motion-sensitive PC put to the test



The BBC's Click programme road-tests three gadgets making the news.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Anger over DRM-free iTunes tracks



Apple is facing questions over user data placed in DRM-free tracks sold through iTunes.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Inside a Ducted Fan UAV



Trek Areospace's

OVIWUN UAV uses twin counter-rotating ducted fans built of
lightweight materials, dual 450-watt electric motors,
a high-efficiency drive train, 14 volt rechargeable battery power
system, 3-axis gyro, a low-power PC104-based
processor, and open-source flight control software. The vehicle is
about 14" tall, weighs a tad over 6 pounds, and is capable of 40+
mph with a maximum hover ceiling of more than 3 miles. Typical battery
life is about 20 minutes. It's amazing that $15k can now buy a UAV that
would have costs millions only a decade ago.



Source: http://www.netchain.com

Anger over DRM-free iTunes tracks



Apple is facing questions over user data placed in DRM-free tracks sold through iTunes.



Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

ManyEars Microphone Array Processing Software



Dominic
Létourneau alerted us to the first software
release from the ManyEars
project. What does the software do? "The ManyEars project makes
use of an array of microphones to perform
sound source localization, tracking, and separation. It is designed to
provide auditory capabilities to mobile robots, but it can equally be
used for video conferencing or other applications. It is based on the
FlowDesigner development
environment."
Microphones can make inexpensive sensors for mobile
robots. If your robot doesn't sense sound yet, this might be an
interesting way to add that capability. ManyEars is Free Software
licensed with the GNU GPL.



Source: http://www.netchain.com