Archive for April 2013
Shape-shifting MorePhone curls to indicate incoming calls
The MorePhone’s curling capabilities come courtesy of shape memory alloy wires that are sandwiched underneath the flexible display and contract when a call, text or email comes in. The curling can be customized by the user, with a curl of the top right corner to indicate a text message and a curl of the bottom left corner to indicate an email, for example. The corners can also curl and uncurl repeatedly to indicate high priority messages.
"Users are familiar with hearing their phone ring or feeling it vibrates in silent mode,” says Dr. Vertegaal. “One of the problems with current silent forms of notification is that users often miss notifications when not holding their phone. With MorePhone, they can leave their smartphone on the table and observe visual shape changes when someone is trying to contact them."
The MorePhone was developed by School of Computer students Antonio Gomes and Andrea Nesbitt, under the tutelage of Dr. Roel Vertegaal, director of the Human Media Lab. Dr. Roel Vertegaal is also responsible for the PaperTab tablet and PaperPhone smartphone, which like the MorePhone, are both built around Plastic Logic's flexible E-ink touchscreen displays.
While Dr. Vertegaal anticipates bendable, flexible smartphones could be available to consumers within five to 10 years, visitors to the ACM CHI 2013 (Computer-Human Interaction) conference in Paris can get a glimpse of this possible future when the prototype is unveiled this week.
Those unable to make the conference can check out the MorePhone in the following video.
Suunto's second generation of Ambit GPS watches hit the training track
The original Ambit broadened the appeal of GPS watches past Lycra-wearing triathletes and runners to outdoor users that wanted features like route navigation and tracking. With the second generation, Suunto is keeping things relevant to those outdoor users, while broadening the Ambit's appeal for sports and training.
The new Ambit2 S is a lighter, sleeker Ambit option for training. It drops some of the outdoor functions of the original Ambit, while offering support for cycling, swimming, running and multi-sport training.
Cyclists can make use ANT+ power meter support with several power measurement values and a variety of analysis options, while swimmers will have their stroke recognized and values such as pace, distance, automatic intervals, stroke rate and swimming time related to different pool lengths measured. Suunto advertises the FusedSpeed accelerometer-integrated GPS, interval timer and autolaps feature for runners, and its multi-sport switching for multi-sport athletes.
While its outdoor feature set isn't as robust as the Ambit, losing the barometer, barometric altimeter and thermometer, the Ambit2 S does include route navigation, route planning and "Find back" support.
The Ambit2 combines all of the multi-sport support of the Ambit2 S with the outdoor focus of the original Ambit. Features include route navigation, "Find back," barometric information and altimeter, and temperature reading.
Both watches support Suunto's App Zone and Movescount.com. Suunto also says that the App Zone has been upgraded to allow users to create and share even more advanced apps. Since launching late last year, the App Zone has spawned more than 5,000 apps. The Movescount website will be upgraded with new analytical, navigation and sharing tools to better support the new watches.
Both the Ambit2 and Ambit2 S will hit the market in May, with the Ambit2 S priced from US$400 to $450, depending on the finish, while the Ambit2 ranges from $500 to $650.
Source: Suunto
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Space coffee, just the way you like it
Hot coffee has been a part of space travel since the beginning of the Apollo program, which included a source of hot water for reconstituting food and drink. There are now many versions available, all freeze-dried and reconstituted using hot water at 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit).
Astronauts can choose from ordinary coffee (leaded or unleaded) and Kona coffee. It comes black, with artificial sweetener, with cream(er), with both, with sugar, or with cream(er) and sugar. And it all tastes bad.
"The key to freeze-dried food is Tabasco sauce."
The above quote is from a hiker and hunter, but is apropos here. Although modern freeze drying methods have greatly improved the taste of freeze-dried food and drink, even on Earth such foodstuffs are widely regarded as providing only a limited imitation of the taste experience that goes with ingesting "real" food and drink. Freeze-drying can cause the loss of some of the more volatile aroma compounds, thereby altering the taste. In addition, changes in texture during the freeze-drying process can alter the experience of eating a particular food. Tabasco sauce and similar condiments and additives can kick the flavor up a notch.
An additional factor in our appreciation of food and drink is related to the well-known psychological phenomenon of the Uncanny Valley. The Uncanny Valley is a concept used to explain why humanoid robots are so difficult to accept. If a robot is only vaguely humanoid, we take it for what it is. However, if it is close enough to appearing human, we concentrate on every aspect that makes it appear non-human, with the usual result being a "creepy" feeling.
A similar phenomenon takes place in food and drink. A processed food with a dramatically altered gustatory experience can be evaluated on its own merits. However, a processed food that is nearly correct will be perceived in terms of its difference from the ideal. In this case, the food will generally be perceived as "off" or on the verge of being spoiled. Sometimes food that is a bad imitation of some ideal food will be preferred to a fair to good imitation.
Culinary challenges in space
Do food and drink taste the same when you're in a small weightless capsule in orbit? In a word, no. The reaction of our taste buds is limited to five sensory responses (bitter, salty, sour, sweet and umami), but the experience of eating or drinking is strongly affected by a number of other sensory modes. These would include smell, texture, temperature, and chemesthesis(through which we gain the sensation of piquant flavors from chili peppers, black pepper, ginger, and horseradish). Of these, the sense of smell has perhaps the strongest influence on the experience of eating and drinking, and is particularly known to evoke old memories of events associated with similar odors.
The effect of weightlessness on the taste experience results from at least two physical effects. When sampling food on Earth, the aroma molecules from warm food are carried quickly into the nasal cavity by thermally-driven convection and turbulent flow. The main mechanism is that hot gas rises, and cool gas falls – a process driven by gravity. However, in weightlessness thermally-driven motion of gases is much slower than on the ground. In the absence of the odors of food, the experience of the taste of food is greatly suppressed.
The second effect of weightlessness is that fluids within the body are not pulled into the lower body by gravity. As a result, fluids accumulate in the astronauts' upper body, so that they chronically suffer severely stuffy noses. We are all acquainted with how bland food tastes during the course of a cold, but for astronauts the cold doesn't go away.
Space coffee
"Moderation in all things" is a general guideline for life that apparently originated with the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. When it comes to coffee, NASA may have gone missing that day in school. Black coffee is difficult to ruin, although the freeze-drying process does change the taste. However, there is a particular problem with premixed NASA coffee with additives. If you want sugar and/or creamer in your premixed NASA coffee, the result is a cuppa rendered syrupy with huge amounts of these additives. Astronauts complain more about the artificially large viscosity than about the taste, but both receive failing grades.
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| Rice University students, from left, Robert Johnson, Benjamin Young and Colin Shaw show their coffee as you like it for astronauts aboard the International Space Station |
Among the goals of the Texas Space Grant Consortium (TSGC) is to provide opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in space based research and exploration. One mechanism for implementing this goal is the TSGC Design Challenge. Designing a “coffee the way you like it” system for the use of astronauts on the International Space Station was one of the 2013 Challenges taken up by a trio of Rice University engineering students (Robert Johnson, Colin Shaw and Benjamin Young) and their faculty sponsors, Drs. Ann Saterbak and Matthew Wettergreen of Rice's Bioengineering department.
The challenge was to develop a method and equipment that allows astronauts to add liquid ingredients (cream, sweetener, and lemon juice) from a foil package to another that contains black coffee or tea. No spills in microgravity can be allowed, as these have a tendency to migrate into equipment and cause faults.
The Rice freshmen designed their system around the existing black coffee pouches. NASA supplied them two-ply heat sealed pouches to hold the sugar syrup and cream. The beverage and condiment pouches all have a septum which allows access to their contents without allowing any of the liquid contents to escape.
How is the new system used to make coffee with sugar? In use (see the video below), hot water is injected from a pistol-like dispenser through a septum into a coffee pouch and a sugar pouch. After dissolving the contents, a roller mechanism similar to those used to dispense all the toothpaste out of a toothpaste tube is engaged on the sugar pouch. The rollers were made on a 3-D printer.
To prepare coffee with sugar, a pouch to pouch drinking tube is inserted into the coffee and sugar pouches through their respective septums. A few cranks on the roller, and the coffee has just the right amount of sugar. The drinking tube is clamped shut, the contents of the coffee pouch are mixed by squeezing the pouch repeatedly, and then the drinking tube is unclamped so the astronaut can drink the coffee made to order. The spare sugar and creamer can be stored for later use.
Source: Rice University
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NASA's goggle-eyed SPHERE robots create 3D maps on the fly
Take the little floating ball that gave Luke Skywalker so much trouble during lightsaber practice, slap a pair of huge welder’s goggles on it and you start to get a picture of NASA’s latest foray into flying robots. Currently being tested aboard the International Space Station (ISS), MIT Space Systems Laboratory’s SPHERES-VERTIGO system is a free-flying robot with stereoscopic vision that is part of a program to develop ways for small satellites to autonomously create 3D maps of objects such as asteroids or disabled satellites.
The first part of the SPHERES-VERTIGO system is the Synchronized Position Hold Engage Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES). Developed as part of a DARPA project, SPHERES may look like a plastic toy, but it hides some fairly sophisticated technology inside. It is designed as an experimental testbed for guidance, navigation and control algorithms and is being used for autonomous docking, formation flying and tele-operation tests.
Three of the free-flying robots have been aboard the ISS since 2006. Each one is 21.3 centimeters (8.3 in) in diameter, weighs about 4.16 kilograms (9.17 lb) and moves about by means of a carbon dioxide cold-gas system for both propulsion and attitude control. Navigation is achieved by means of a ”pseudoGPS” ultrasonic time-of-flight sensing system that uses sonic beacons mounted on the inside of the ISS module’s hull, while onboard gyroscopes estimate the position, orientation, linear and angular velocity with respect to the interior of the ISS.
To help them accomplish its tasks, the SPHERES robots have a Texas Instruments C6701 Digital Signal Processor and a 900 MHz low-bandwidth modem for communication with a laptop. This is all powered by 16 AA non-rechargeable batteries.
The VERTIGO Goggles make up the other half of SPHERES-VERTIGO. VERTIGO stands for Visual Estimation and Relative Tracking for Inspection of Generic Objects and since October 2012, MIT Space Systems Laboratory and Aurora Flight Sciences have had astronauts putting the VERTIGO Goggles through their paces on the ISS.
Weighing 1.6 kilograms (3.5 lb), The VERTIGO Goggles are an add-on for SPHERES and are a self-contained, battery-powered unit made of a pair of cameras in a synchronized stereo configuration hooked to a 1.2 gigahertz Linux data processor, a 802.11n network card and a 128 GB flash drive. The unit is intended to be easily modified with different sensors and configurations.
Put together, SPHERES-VERTIGO is designed to perform research on the inspection of unknown, non-cooperative targets that may be moving and tumbling in space. The SPHERES robot’s job is to navigate around an object while the VERTIGO Goggles uses its cameras to build up a 3D model of the object by matching up the images taken against “feature steps,” such as corners. It does this autonomously in order to avoid delays that occur in communicating with ground control or a space station during an actual mission. All data processing is done by the VERTIGO goggles and it can stream video to the astronaut operator by Wi-Fi or ethernet in real time.
NASA sees SPHERES-VERTIGO as the precursor to a number of possible missions, including the recycling of old aperture satellites, mapping of an asteroid for exploration, simpler docking techniques, better satellite station keeping for formation-flying missions, and Earth-based applications in surveillance, mapping, communications and navigation.
The ISS tests are under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-funded International Space Station SPHERES Integrated Research Experiments (InSPIRE) program, which uses astronauts to carry out “rapid, iterative experimentation and design of space capabilities.” The aim of the program is to speed up technology development and, through the ZERO Robotics Competition, provide the next generation of scientists with experience in space experiments quickly and cheaply.
The MIT video below shows a SPHERES-VERTIGO’s-eye view a target.
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Disused helipad transformed into Foro Ciel rooftop garden and office
When Coca-Cola found itself with an unused helipad on top of its building in Mexico City, the simplest thing to do would have been to strip everything down, leaving a bare rooftop. But that would have been a waste of usable real estate, not to mention just plain dull. Instead, the company enlisted the help of design teams at Rojkind Arquitectos and AGENT to convert the area into a sustainable rooftop garden and customizable office space.
The new roof, named "Foro Ciel," is now covered in a variety of local vegetation, including some species of cacti and a few small orchards. All of the plants are partly maintained through a rainwater collection and irrigation system that was built onto the existing structure using recycled materials. According to the designers, this system will recycle 4,872 liters of rainwater over the course of a year, and the resulting vegetation will collect 81 kg (179 lb) of airborne pollutants and CO2.
A wooden walking path with a few benches has also been implemented to turn the space into a pleasant spot for workers to relax.
Adding a garden to the roof would have been a welcome enough change to the building, but the designers also adapted the area below the former helipad into an eco-friendly office. Using the structural elements already in place along with low-impact materials, the team constructed an open space filled with locally-made furniture that's designed to be easily rearranged into different configurations. The idea is to provide a co-working office that can be customized as needed for different groups and projects.
Windows surrounding the office provide natural lighting during daylight working hours, with LED-based lights in place for later on. A series of solar panels are spread throughout the rooftop to generate a reported 3,840 kW of electricity per year, which the designers say will be enough to meet the office's energy requirements.
Coca-Cola, Rojkind Arquitectos and AGENT, have managed to transform a neglected 500 square-meter (5,382 square-foot) roof space into a unique green oasis. Foro Ciel's office space is currently home to Transformada Ciel, a program that helps community-centered projects in Latin America find funding and support.
Source: Rojkind Arquitectos
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Klauf Light Bar: LED lighting made cheap, easy and extendable
The latest LED lighting product to hit Kickstarter, Klauf Light Bars are semi-portable, low-cost LED strips which can be connected end-to-end more or less straight out of the box. They come in 6-inch and 12-inch (15 and 30 cm) lengths, which can be arranged as you like up to a length of 15 feet (or about 4.5 meters). They can either be slotted together directly or connected with cables, which is handy if you intend to install them under kitchen cabinets which extend around a corner (recommended), or make giant illuminating nunchaku (less so).
Usefully, the Light Bars plug directly into a socket. If you're looking for an LED system to install permanently, you might be best off hiring an electrician to escape trailing-cable syndrome, but, if you can see yourself needing to cart your new LED friend between your garage, your kitchen, your garden, and your desk, the semi-portability could be a boon. (In future, Klauf Lighting tells Gizmag it intends to offer 9- and 12-ft extension cables to plug into.) All the necessary electronics are integrated, so there's no hassle with external transformers or DC converters.
Also firmly in the Klauf Light Bar's favor is its warm 2,700-K color appearance, by way of a phosphor diffuser that absorbs light from the high-output blue LEDs inside at one wavelength, before belching it out at another.
And, as much as it pains me to type the words, perhaps best of all is the price. That's right folks, with the temporary starting price of just… Look, seriously, these things are going pretty cheap: $US55 for a 12-inch Light Bar, $45 for the 6-inch (and less, if by some miracle I finish this article in such time that the early bird offers haven't all gone.) There are two finishes: powder black and anodized.
On a cautionary note, though, as LED lights go, these aren't amazingly efficient. The 6-inch and 12-inch models emit 435 lumens and 210 lumens apiece, with a stated efficacy of 50 lumens/watt (though for the 9-watt-rated 12-incher, we make that nearer 48 lm/W). As a very loose comparison, see the 80 lm/W or more of current LED light bulbs. Note that in many cases, those bulb will end up inside a light shade, limiting its performance. Being the complete package, diffuser and all, the Klauf Light Bar has already made its compromises. Still, perhaps efficiency gains will be made in future models, should the product take root.
See below for the Kickstarter vid.
Source: Klauf Lighting, Kickstarter
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Umbrella facade designed for Shanghai complex
The new umbrella facade will replace the bamboo louvers on folding steel frames that currently surround the building's glazed walls and 1.5-meter (5-ft) wide terrace. Unfortunately the bamboo and frames have degraded since the pavilion was converted to a retail and office complex following the 2010 Expo, during which it hosted a low-cost housing exhibition.
The design from the 3Gatti design team maintains the public interaction of the original facade, and allows people to adjust shades to provide the desired light levels. Each umbrella is controlled by a pulley system that operates a central spring loaded joint mechanism identical to a standard umbrella, though slightly too heavy to slip into your handbag, being made from steel.
When all umbrellas are open the facade becomes a flat surface protecting the interior from strong winds and blocking excess solar gain. The design details from 3Gatti also confirm that the star shaped sticks of the closed umbrellas are aerodynamic, deflecting wind in case of typhoons.
Each umbrella frame is made from aluminum while the surface uses the increasingly popular perforated Corten steel. Adjoining facade panels are also made from Corten steel, with the ground floor walls remaining glazed to allow increased light at this level.
The new facade is scheduled for a construction period in the Autumn of 2014.
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Bugatti to produce eight World Record Car special editions
Bugatti has introduced the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse World Record Car limited edition. That's an awful mouthful for the name of a car – 254 mph (408.84 km/h) tells the story much more concisely, as does "world's fastest convertible." Just eight lucky multimillionaires will get to drive home in one of their very own.
Now that all the world record melee is over (for the time being), Bugatti can get back to what Bugatti does best – launching marginally altered versions of the Veyron at major auto shows around the world. Bugatti carefully planned a China-focused debut for the world's fastest convertible, inviting Chinese entrepreneur and car enthusiast Anthony Liu to drive the car into the TÜV-certified record books just prior to premiering the car at China's largest auto show.
"China is one of the most important markets in Bugatti’s strategy for the future and we are aiming for a growth here that will be stable and sustainable," explained Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber, Bugatti's president.
The Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse World Record Car receives no power increase or suspension tuning, relying on the Vitesse's plenty-potent 1,183-hp quad-turbo 8.0-liter W16, racing chassis and carbon monocoque. After having its Veyron Super Sport world record thrown into question, Bugatti was mindful to note that the Vitesse used in the world record run had no modified technology.
The separation between the Vitesse and World Record Car edition is entirely superficial, therefore, consisting of an Arancia orange on visible black carbon motif. The orange can be seen on key parts of the exterior, including the front wings, rims, grille surround and rear wing underside.
Not surprisingly, the Arancia-splashed black theme continues into the cockpit, where orange stitching permeates a largely black design with orange leather on the seats. The visible carbon also finds its way inside, dressing the top of the steering wheel, door inserts, center console extension, iPad console edging, belt outlet trims on the seats and EB logo in the leather back panel.
Bugatti will sell each WRC model for €1.99 million (approx. US$2.6 million) plus tax. According to Autoweek, all eight are spoken for.
Source: Bugatti, Autoweek
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