October 11, 2010
Ever heard of diminished reality? It’s much like the augmented sort, except instead of using computers to add information to one’s field of vision, DR is about taking things out\. That easy enough with a still image, perhaps, but the Technical University of Ilmenau’s figured out a way to do it with full motion video. Just draw a circle around the object you want to disappear, and poof, it’s practically gone, as the image synthesizer reduces the quality of the image drastically, removes your target and re-enhances in just 40 milliseconds per frame, using object tracking algorithms and guesswork to maintain the illusion as a camera moves around in 3D space. The framework’s presently running on Windows, but the team tells us it has plans to port it to Android soon, and it will likely be free for non-commercial use. See it in action after the break. [Thanks, Lars W.] Continue reading German university makes objects disappear in real time, will bring the magic to Android (video) German university makes objects disappear in real time, will bring the magic to Android (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 04:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Datensicherheit | source TU Ilmenau | Email this | Comments
October 8, 2010
Posting all the sordid details of your life on Facebook? Fine, if you’re into that sort of thing. Posting all the sordid details of someone else’s life, without their permission? That’s when you start to wade into slightly murky ethical waters, and when that other person is a baby it’s an even more questionable situation. A study commissioned by AVG finds that 92 percent of American children have some sort of “online presence” by age two, with an average “digital birth” happening at around six months. That means most children will have had some picture posted or status updated before they’re walking, while a third get online before they’ve even left the womb, pics popping up on Facebook before doctors get a chance to wipe the sonogram jelly from mummy’s tummy. It’s all innocent enough, but a bit disconcerting too, with AVG CEO JR Smith summing it up nicely: It’s shocking to think that a 30-year-old has an online footprint stretching back 10-15 years at most, while the vast majority of children today will have online presence by the time they are two-years-old – a presence that will continue to build throughout their whole lives… it reinforces the need for parents to be aware of the privacy settings they have set on their social network and other profiles. Otherwise, sharing a baby’s picture and specific information may not only be shared with friends and family but with the whole online world. You do know how to manage your privacy settings, right? Continue reading Study finds 92% of kids are online by age 2, baby dating site valuations soar Study finds 92% of kids are online by age 2, baby dating site valuations soar originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 12:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use […]
October 7, 2010
Cheating cheaters using smartphones and GPS to make mazes less fun When you enter a maze you are looking to do one of two things: get lost and have fun finding your way out, or save yourself from an axe-wielding maniac whose manuscript isn’t quite coming together as he’d hoped. Unless you’re going for option number two we’d have to say anyone who cheats to escape the maze is rather missing the point. That includes a growing number of visitors to Britain’s giant yew maze at Longleat house in Wiltshire, a beautiful structure with seven foot tall walls that, on average, takes a person about an hour and a half to get through. However, lately it’s been taking as little as 10 minutes as short attention spanned visitors get bored, whip out their smartphones, and load up whatever satellite imagery app is at their disposal. Effective? Yes. Defeating the purpose? Obviously. Cheating cheaters using smartphones and GPS to make mazes less fun originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | source Daily Mail | Email this | Comments
October 7, 2010
Really, I have no idea what this means. It’s “Keepon Dreaming” and it’s apparently not a Photoshop, but comes from the official BeatBots blog. Maybe this is the new $30 consumer version of Keepon? Maybe? Please? [ BeatBots ]
October 6, 2010
So, let’s paint the picture, shall we? There’s a rat, a bundle of electrodes, more wiring than an electrician would know what to do with and some sort of wheeled apparatus. In the background stands a team of crazed Japanese scientists, intent on never sleeping again until said rat controls said vehicle entirely with his mind. Nah, it’s not a re-run of a WB classic — it’s real life, and it’s happening now in a dark, shadowy corner at the University of Tokyo. The RatCar is a newly developed rat-vehicle experiment that researchers hope will open new doors for those with mobility issues; we’ve seen brain-machine interfaces change the lives of the disabled before, but giving them the ability to control their wheelchair with their mind (for instance) would be taking things to an entirely new level. As of now, the team still has to figure out how to accurately determine how much movement is coming from the rat’s feet and how much is coming from its mind, but there’s no question that the research shows promise — just don’t let the humanoids learn of our findings, okay folks? Rat controls vehicle with its brain, Pinky and The Brain apply for ‘one last run’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 21:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Switched, Popular Science | source IEEE Spectrum | Email this | Comments