Tobii Glasses. A new headmounted eye tracker. Appears the rumor was true after all, the guys at Tobii today announced the "Glasses" which integrates a miniature eye tracking system into the frames of a pair of glasses. The sleek form factor differentiates it from the alternatives which requires either a helmet or a camera attached to a extended rod. Whats really impressive is that they've managed to integrate a front facing scene camera (black arrow) and the eye tracking camera (blue arrow), IR illumination and a remote IR control mechanism (above the scene camera) for external scene markers into the small form factor.
Tobii Glasses, a new headmounted eye tracker. Both cameras appears to operate at 640x480 resolution at 30 frames per second, a tad slow for eye tracking but that's a trade-off for the small form factor, I guess the sensor is similar to the ones you will find in cellphones and webcams. Above the tracking sensor there is the IR illumination which probably consists of a single IR LED. More information at the Tobii site. Www.lenovo.com/shop/americas/content/user_guides/x220_x220i_x220tablet_x220itablet_ug_en.pdf. Modding: adding 3G to my Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet | Digital Tirades of an Early Adopter. Its been about a week or so with my Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet (TPT) and I must say that I am digging it. The Pen/Stylus works pretty decent minus the lack of apps and Honeycomb is a nice upgrade from using Gingerbread on my previous Android tablet (Galaxy Tab).
However, one thing that I really missed on my ThinkPad Tablet when traveling was built-in 3G data. I still believe that mobile internet on tablets is still the killer app. Today, we’ll take a look at the guts of my ThinkPad Tablet and how one can add a 3G to it. Keep reading for the photos, notes and links! After realizing that the TPT had a sim card slot, I initially believed that all I needed was a sim card with a data plan. Over on the Lenovo forum boards (original thread here), several brave early owners decided to try out a Gobi 3000 WWAN PCI-e modem card (Model# 0A36185, amazon link here) in the TPT and found that it worked beautifully with their AT&T sim card and TPT.
x220 always goes to sleep upon lid close. VGA to Composite Video Converter -- DataPro. Turn Your Windows 7 Laptop into a WiFi Hotspot with Connectify. In some computing situations, you might need to create a WiFi hotspot quickly so other wireless devices can use an Internet connection. Today we take a look at Connectify which easily turns your Windows 7 machine into an instant WiFi hotspot. You might be at a location where there is only one Ethernet connection available (hotel room, office or meeting room etc.) and you need to share the Internet connection with other people or devices.
Connectify is a free utility which is light on system resources and makes it easy for you to set up your Windows 7 machine as a secure WiFi hotspot. Note: Connectify only works with Windows 7 Home and above, Starter is not supported. Connectify Installation is quick and easy, and once complete, you can access Connectify from the icon in the Taskbar. Under settings, type in a name for the WiFi network, a password to access it, then decide the type of internet connection you want to share. Wait for a moment while a network address is acquired… Myvu Crystal wearable, part 2. Myvu Crystal wearable.
Microsoft patent points to head-mounted, laser-based display technology. Anyone who gets their hopes up every time a tech company files a new patent for some revolutionary dream device will get their heart broken more often than not. That said, we're unreasonably excited that a new Microsoft patent for a "laser-scanning virtual image display" could actually point to plans for the company to jump into the world of virtual reality gaming. Microsoft first filed the patent back in 2010 but it was just recently published by the US patent office (and unearthed by Patent Bolt). The document describes both a helmet and a set of eyeglasses (which "could be at least partially transparent"), using two laser-based, "dilation optic" displays to project what appears as a 21-inch diagonal, 16:9 ratio image viewed at arms length.
This should theoretically help with the eye-crossing problem of focusing on displays held too close to the eye. By displaying slightly different images to each eye, the projected image could appear in stereoscopic 3D to the viewer. Bluetooth Mini Keyboard Integrated Mouse Track. Not everyone like palm-sized mini keyboard. So if you prefer this kind of portable keyboard, or also need mouse function, the following mouse track-integrated bluetooth keyboard might be suitable.
As we see from the images, this is a bluetooth wireless keyboard that measures about 200 x 105 x 22mm, and weights 205g. It features 82 keys (56 normal keys), built-in Left and Right Click mouse, mouse track, touch scrolling function, and On/Off switch. Besides, 2 AAA batteries can provide 150 hours continuous operation. The bluetooth wireless keyboard integrated mouse track is compatible with various bluetooth enabled devices such as laptop, PC, iPad, iPhone, and etc.
Additionally, if you need more selections, you might like to check the Rii mini keyboard, the handheld bluetooth keyboard, and more via “wireless keyboard” tag. VP6364 - Wireless Ultra-Mini Touchpad Keyboard. Looking for a mini wireless keyboard? The new Wireless Ultra-Mini Touchpad Keyboard is the ideal companion for computer control from across the room. The game controller-like shape is instantly familiar in the hand. Typing is intuitive for Internet searching, texting and emailing. The integrated touchpad provides accurate and quick navigation with the shoulder buttons providing left and right mouse buttons. With up to a 33 foot wireless range, the Wireless Ultra-mini Touchpad Keyboard is perfect for home theater, living room, boardroom and classroom. Give it a try. Steve Mann. Steven Mann (born 1962) is a researcher and inventor best known for his work on computational photography, particularly wearable computing and high dynamic range imaging.
Early life and education[edit] He is also General Chair of the IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society, Associate Editor of IEEE Technology and Society, is a licensed Professional Engineer, and Senior Member of the IEEE.[6] Career[edit] Mann is a tenured professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with cross-appointments to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Faculty of Forestry, at the University of Toronto, and is a Professional Engineer licensed through Professional Engineers Ontario. Ideas and inventions[edit] Many of Mann's inventions pertain to the field of computational photography. Mann also works in the fields of computer-mediated reality.[16] He is a strong advocate of privacy rights, for which work he was an award recipient of the Chalmers Foundation in the fine arts.
Trust and Complex Technology: The Cyborg’s Modern Bargain. A few weeks back, I wrote a post about special pieces of technology (e.g., backpacks, glasses, a Facebook profile), which become so integrated into our routines that they become almost invisible to us, seeming to act as extension of our own consciousness. I explained that this relationship is what differentiates equipment from tools, which we occasionally use to complete specific tasks, but which remain separate and distinct to us.
I concluded that our relationship with equipment fundamentally alters who we are. And, because we all use equipment, we are all cyborgs (in the loosest sense). In this essay, I want to continue the discussion about our relationship with the technology we use. Adapting and extending Anthony Giddens’ Consequences of Modernity, I will argue that an essential part of the cyborganic transformation we experience when we equip Modern, sophisticated technology is deeply tied to trust in expert systems.
Anthony Giddens. Immersive HMD (Head Mounted Display) Full Assembly Now you know where everything is supposed to go, it's time to put it there! As this was the first rendition of these, I decided to forgo adjustability, and fix everything in place with hot glue. It actually works perfectly for this project thanks to its short dry time! Mount the Camera: After locating the camera in a place where it wont interfere with the lens, glue it in (making sure its pointing as level as possible.)
The camera needs to be fairly solidly mounted as I also used it to hold the lenses/screens in place. Once its glued in place, run the cable around the border of the mask to the exit point and secure it in place with glue. Mount the Lenses: This part is tricky, as the lens alignment is very important! Attach the Headphones: I used the clips that attached the strap as a point to glue the headphones to, Make sure you have the location of the headphones before you do any gluing as this is important to the fitment of the whole unit!
Kinect Hackers Are Changing the Future of Robotics | Wired Magazine. The Kinect lets people navigate the digital world through gestures rather than mouseclicks.Illustration: Justin Wood For 25 years, the field of robotics has been bedeviled by a fundamental problem: If a robot is to move through the world, it needs to be able to create a map of its environment and understand its place within it. Roboticists have developed tools to accomplish this task, known as simultaneous localization and mapping, or SLAM. But the sensors required to build that map have traditionally been either expensive and bulky or cheap and inaccurate. Laser arrays cost a few thousand dollars and weigh several pounds, and the images they capture are only two-dimensional.
On November 4, a solution was discovered—in a videogame. Within weeks of the device’s release, YouTube was filled with videos of Kinect-enabled robots. Robot freaks weren’t the only people to explore the Kinect’s possibilities. None of these projects were sanctioned by Microsoft (especially that last one). CES 2012, HMD, - Silicon Micro Display. iOptiks contact lenses project 3D images right into the eyeball. Augmented Reality has become a massive topic of research these days. The hype is all about the applications of this technology.
Designers and engineers draw inspiration from science fiction movies. If we recall the movie Minority Report, the first thing that strikes our mind is Tom Cruise wearing lenses that delivered information. Various gadgets, goggles and head mounted displays etc. have already been made taking inspiration from sci-fi movies, but the idea of incorporating 3D vision in a lens sounds novel. US based company Innovega has announced that they would be releasing 3D focusing contact lenses by the year 2014. The company claims that these lenses would project 3D images on the eyeball. DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has also been spending a lot of money to develop head mounted displays and now it is working with Innovega on iOptik lenses. Via: Dailymail Feb 4. How to make a cheap heads-up display - HUD. Tracking - The VR Geeks Association.
PirateBox DIY - David Darts Wiki. Myvu Crystal 701 iPod Edition. For makers of wearable video displays—essentially, nose-mounted miniature video monitors with supporting frames, capable of letting you watch an iPod’s video without squinting at a tiny Apple screen—it has long been believed that mainstream popularity will come at a point when pricing and aesthetics become comparable to a good pair of sunglasses, rather than an expensive pair of goggles. Major strides have been made over the last several years, as companies such as Myvu and Vuzix developed lightweight dual-screen displays that looked like little more than an anonymizing black plastic bar in front of your eyes and ears, selling in the $200 to $300 range.
While not attractive in the strictest sense of the word, the displays have become increasingly neutral, and by the end of last year rested on the fine edge of public tolerance. This year, for better or worse, manufacturers decided to design their way out of visual neutrality. Shades and Crystal both include the same general components. DIY Wearable Computer Turns You Into a Cyborg | Gadget Lab. Someday humans and computers will meld to create cyborgs. But instead of waiting for it, Martin Magnusson, a Swedish researcher and entrepreneur, has taken the first step and created a wearable computer that can be slung across the body.
Magnusson has hacked a pair of head-mounted display glasses and combined it with a homebrewed machine based on an open source Beagleboard single computer. Packed into a CD case and slung across the shoulder messenger-bag style, he is ready to roll. A computer is a window to the virtual world, says Magnusson. “But as soon as I get up and about, that window closes and I’m stuck within the limits of physical reality,” he says. Magnusson’s idea is interesting though one step short of integrating a machine inside the body. For his wearable computer, Magnusson is using a pair of Myvu glasses that slide on like a pair of sunglasses but have a tiny video screen built into the lens. Magnusson says he wants to use the wearable computer to “augment” his memory.