Emerging Tech

March 19th, 2010

An augmented reality windshield from GM

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 12:19 am

Categories: Engineering & Innovation

Tags: Vision, General Motors Corp., Automotive, Chris Jablonski

Over the past ten years, General Motors has poured over $11 million into a research partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, and there are signs that the relationship is bearing fruit.

The human/machine interface department at GM has developed a working heads-up display that turns an ordinary windshield into an augmented reality information dashboard.

The “enhanced vision system” can help drivers by highlighting landmarks, obstacles and road signs on the windshield in real-time to improve safety and navigation– it even brings GPS functions right into the dashboard by outlining the exact building you’re going to.

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March 11th, 2010

Scientist creates trout with 'six pack abs': potential boon for aquafarming

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 10:46 pm

Categories: Science & Nature

Tags: Gene, Asset Based Security, Fish, Investment, Finance, Chris Jablonski

In the transgenic freak show department:

A decade-long effort by a University of Rhode Island scientist to develop transgenic rainbow trout with enhanced muscle growth has resulted in fish with what have been described as six-pack abs and muscular shoulders.

Inhibition of myostatin results in fish with 'six-pack abs' (Credit: Gizmag)

Assuming successful safety assessments and regulatory approval, the development of more muscular trout could boost commercial aquaculture because aquaculturists could grow larger fish without increasing the amount of food the fish are fed. Read the rest of this entry »

March 7th, 2010

'Microring' wireless devices could nix wires in homes, offices

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 10:06 pm

Categories: Wireless & Telecom

Tags: Purdue University, Researcher, Radio Frequency, Radio, Laser, Computer, Media, Productivity, Network Technology, Networking

Wire clutter at work and at home may soon be a thing of the past. Purdue University researchers have developed a system capable of converting ultra fast laser pulses into bursts of radio-frequency signals using “microring resonators.” The technology could apply to high-definition television broadcasts, Internet connections and even for transmitting wireless signals inside cars.

These microring resonators are tiny silicon devices consisting of a radio transmitter, just 10 microns (one millionth of a meter) in length, crafted into a solid-state device. A series of the microrings were combined in a programmable “spectral shaper” 100 microns wide, or about the width of a human hair.The tiny circuits are activated by 100 femtosecond (100 quadrillionths of second) bursts of light from diode lasers.

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March 1st, 2010

'Skinput' turns the body into an input surface

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 11:53 pm

Categories: Computers & Internet, Science & Nature

Tags: Body, Armband, Projectors, Keyboards, Monitors & Displays, Hardware, Components, Peripherals, Chris Jablonski

It seems as if just about anything can now be turned into an interactive display. As fellow blogger Mary-Jo Foley writes, Mobile Surface from Microsoft Research can transform any surface, such as a coffee table, into a gestural finger input canvas with a mobile device and a camera-projector system.

That’s exciting, but there may be times when tables or flat surfaces are not present. Your skin, however, is always with you, so why not turn yourself into a touchscreen?

Credit: Chris Harrison, Desney Tan, Dan Morris

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February 26th, 2010

5 ways to critically evaluate a trend or forecast

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 12:01 pm

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags:

Guest editorial from Adam Gordon, a strategic foresight specialist and the author of Future Savvy.

Business leaders, especially those of us interested in technology as a way of propelling business, are often inundated with information about the next “big thing”.  Existing in the blogosphere are herculean chunks of information about upcoming tools on the technology tarmac that will be changing lives and jobs in the next decade.

Of course, being the tech savvy crew we are, we understand the advantage of living on the cusp of technology.  As a business driver, technology advances have certainly increased efficiency and indeed made “buy-in” to technology a must for anyone wishing to compete, regardless of industry. And there is much to be said for being an early adopter, especially when the early adoption leaves the competition to play catch-up.

But, along with the spot-on forecasts, there are many trend predictions that are hailed as credible when they in fact, have no merit at all. So how do we know when a predicted trend or forecast has value?  There is no cast-iron system for trend evaluation, but there is a set of criteria one can follow to help discern a quality forecast from a baseless guess or worse, a source with a hidden agenda.

Here are five keys to unlocking trend quality:

1. Understand intentions. There are dozens of ways to classify forecast materials, but the most useful way of categorizing them is by stated or implied intention, in other words, why the forecast has been made in the first place.  What can be gleaned about why it exists, who put it out, or what the intention of the forecaster was? Is the forecast upfront about its purpose? 

   All forecasting is done for benefit. By recognizing the interests at work behind a forecast, one can make a better judgment as to potential strengths and weaknesses. We may ask, what action or concerns is the forecast trying to arouse? How is it legitimating a view that the forecaster or forecast organization holds?

2. Check the data is real. Data is never as solid as it seems. Among the problems are validity of definitions, validity of sampling, how research is skewed by the form of questioning, and so on. A particular problem in forecasting is that sometimes data points used in discussion are not real recorded figures but “future” data points that have been projected from past data, which raises obvious questions about how this projection has been done and how valid the process is. A good forecast will carefully distinguish real data from projected data.
3. Be critical of insiders and ‘experts’. The “expert” spearheading a particular future study may not be the most intuitive thought-leader when looking at forecasts. Experts are necessary in a specialized world and expertise and credentials are important in forecasting, but experts are wrong as much as anyone. This is because a field’s experts are particularly likely to be heavily invested in the status quo, and be expert precisely in its existing procedures, attitudes, and prejudices. Change often comes from outside and experts – blinkered by their knowledge of today – are often the last to see it.
4. Beware of attempts to influence the future.  Forecasts fall into two main categories: future-aligning, where forecasters anticipate change in order to adapt early and successfully to it; or future-influencing, where forecasters are trying to influence events. Future-aligning approaches aim to be objective. They may fail, but the intention is there, so, on balance, this approach will be more accurate. Future-influencing forecasts aim to succeed on other terms – alerting and shaping opinion, changing minds, and harnessing action. Forecasts that are trying to lobby or change industry conditions make themselves known by seeking publicity, and often being a forecast of extreme optimistic or pessimistic outcomes (to be aspired to or negated).
5. Consider blocking forces.  All drivers of change work against the frictional resistance of the status quo—the systems and solutions that people are currently invested in and comfortable with. They also face direct ‘blockers’ and ‘turners,’ which are forces that have a vested interest in the status quo and don’t want to see change, or that have an interest in another type of change.

   A good forecast will assess the strength of resistance to change and anticipate specifically if and how this resistance will be overcome, if indeed it will be, and account for the resources required to achieve this. Rather than running with the breathless wow-of-the-new, the forecast will display a measured pragmatism in the face of constraints, and adjust the forecast direction and/or timing accordingly.

February 24th, 2010

An artificial hairy surface that refuses to get wet

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 11:28 pm

Categories: Engineering & Innovation, Science & Nature

Tags: Surface, Droplet, Network Technology, Networking, Chris Jablonski

For the first time, a water-repelling surface has been developed that is almost perfectly hydrophobic and uses no chemical treatments.

Engineering researchers at the University of Florida have created a novel plastic surface by dint of mimicking the random shape and patterns of the minute hairs that grow on the bodies of spiders. The result is a water phobic surface where droplets skitter across it like ball bearings tossed on ice.

Wolfgang Sigmund, a professor of materials science and engineering, discovered the new material, and a paper about the surface appears in this month’s edition of the journal Langmuir.

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February 21st, 2010

'Seeing sound': 5 remarkable examples of cymatics and beyond

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 11:28 pm

Categories: Engineering & Innovation, Science & Nature, Uncategorized

Tags: Liquid, Cymatics, Collin, Corporate Communications, Media, Marketing, Chris Jablonski

Unless you’re one of the lucky (unlucky?) few who experience synesthesia, visualizing sound is typically the province of imagination. For centuries, however, scientists have been experimenting with making sound and vibration visible by way of exciting media like liquids and particles. It’s a recognized field of science that Swiss medical doctor and pioneer Hans Jenny, named cymatics.

Today, the application of cymatics is wide-reaching and includes artists and DIY experimenters alike looking to uncover the nature of sound–often resulting in great eye candy. Cymatics is also increasingly being applied in fields as diverse as oceanography and sound healing.

The following is a mixed bag of 5 remarkable sound visualizations from around the world. (Note: Not all are exactly cymatics, but close enough.) Read the rest of this entry »

February 17th, 2010

Researchers create hands-free alternative to texting while driving

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 11:40 pm

Categories: Computers & Internet, Engineering & Innovation, Wireless & Telecom

Tags: Ars Technica, Phone, VoiceTEXT, Telecom & Utilities, Chris Jablonski

Researchers at Clemson University’s Human Centered Computing Lab (HCCL) have developed a hands-free alternative to cell phone texting while driving.

Dr. Juan Gilbert, professor and chairman at the school’s Human Centered Computing Division, and his team have created an application called VoiceTEXT, that allows drivers to speak text messages and keep their eyes on the road at the same time.

VoiceTEXT works by connecting a cell phone to an in-car hands-free system and setting it to “vocal” mode. According to Ars Technica, this action connects the phone to a central server, which can then record and send messages. The message is then transmitted as a voicemail message, an e-mail with a link to the message audio file, or transcribed using speech recognition software and sent as an SMS message. The format delivered is dependent on the status of the receiving phone. So text messages sent to the phone in “vocal” mode can be read aloud to the driver using text-to-speech software. Read the rest of this entry »

February 7th, 2010

Report: Acts of space warfare likely by 2025

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 1:15 pm

Categories: Defense & Security, Space & Aerospace

Tags: Technology, Hoey, Robots, Nanotechnology, Monitors & Displays, Emerging Technologies, Hardware, Components, Chris Jablonski

It’s no secret that the extension of military weapons beyond the atmosphere is a priority for space-faring nations that need to protect their increasing military and commercial assets in orbit. For instance, in 2001, a commission headed by then US Defense Secretary-designate Donald Rumsfeld warned about a possible “space Pearl Harbor” which led to the development of the Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) project.

Credit: Enjoyspace.com

But the concern over space supremacy runs deeper than threats of Russian anti-satellite weapons. A forecast published by the Military Space Transparency Project (MSTP) warns of a second arms race that can erupt if the international community doesn’t take steps toward a space treaty program.

“Given how easily information can spread about the globe today, it is inevitable that space warfare technologies will proliferate. Once one country sets its sights on space domination, other countries are sure to follow,” writes Matthew Hoey.

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February 2nd, 2010

Japanese machine transforms office paper into toilet paper

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 12:01 am

Categories: Energy & Environment, Engineering & Innovation

Tags: Toilet, Machine, White Goat, Corporate Communications, Marketing, Chris Jablonski

Aptly named “White Goat”, a machine created by Oriental, Co. Ltd is one of latest offspring of the eco movement.  According to sources,  it uses 40 sheets of standard A4 office paper and water to make one roll of toilet paper in roughly 30 minutes.

If the novelty turns heads, so does the price tag. White Goat is set to go on sale this summer for $100,000.  To break even requires 200,000 roles produced, which can take 11 years if operated non-stop, and that does not include the cost of operating the machine. For some corporate paper wasters, however, saving trees may be justification enough for such a machine, with or without the pro forma case.

As the video below reveals, the patent-pending White Goat operates by first cutting paper into ribbons with its built-in shredder. (Shredded paper can also be dumped into machine). The ribbons then move to a pulper where they dissolve in water and the resulting pulp is thinned out, dried, and rolled up into ready-to-use toilet paper which is dispensed from the opposite end of the machine.

(via DVICE)