Researchers developing new systems to improve voice recognition Graduate students and researchers at UT Dallas have developed novel systems that can identify speaking voices despite conditions that can make it harder to make out a voice, such as whispering, speaking through various emotions, or talking with a stuffy nose. By improving this ability to detect voice through changing conditions, the research could be used in voice recognition applications such as signing into a bank, getting into locked rooms, logging onto a computer, or verifying purchases online. The researchers are working in the Center for Robust Speech Systems (CRSS) under the direction of Dr. John Hansen, associate dean for research in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. Using algorithms and modeling techniques, the group's solutions are being sought after by other researchers in the signal processing field. Last fall, CRSS lab work was recognized with high rankings in the National Institute of Standards and Technology Speaker Recognition Evaluation.
vrKid - Digital Media Bremen vrKid is a virtual reality headset designed especially for babies and toddlers up to 3 years old. The headset has the shape of a hippo and its helmet design secures safe use for children and will protect them when they move around in their physical surroundings while using the device. “It’s closely related to what we do in my company.” “If you buy this you’re the kind of parent who would rather sit and watch TV than spend time with your child.” The helmet has a slide-in part for the smartphone in the front. The size of the helmet is adjustable with a turning wheel in the back, taking into account the growing head sizes of babies and toddlers. “But do you really think the children can tell the difference between what they see and the real world?” “I just love hippos. All quotes are reactions to vrKid from the push.conference 2016 in Munich.
Músculos artificiales son desarrollados para crear robots fuertes Investigadores en la Universidad de Singapur han desarrollado músculos artificiales para que los robots puedan cargar 80 veces su propio peso. Los robots que existen en la actualidad son fuertes. Sí, pero dependen de un sistema hidráulico basado en fluido presurizado que hace que sean lentos y torpes. Además, este sistema también los limita a poder levantar la mitad de su propio peso, tal cual podemos los seres humanos. Estos músculos artificiales están hechos de un plástico flexible que se puede construir en el robot para dar esta función. Aunque algunos investigadores de robótica en el mundo ya han controlado músculos artificiales con impulsos eléctricos, el objetivo de los ingenieros en Singapur va enfocado hacia la fuerza que podrían levantar estos robots. Con esta base, el equipo que trabaja en este experimento ha podido crear músculos artificiales que pueden levantar 80 veces su propio peso, estirándose hasta 5 veces más que su medida original.
A Wearable Computer More Powerful than Glass, And Even More Awkward Steve Mann, a pioneer in the field of wearable computing, has been touting the benefits of head-mounted computers for decades. Now the University of Toronto professor is also lending his weight and experience to a company hoping to loosen Google Glass’s grip on the nascent market with a different take on computer glasses that merges the real and the virtual. The company, Meta, is building computerized headwear that can overlay interactive 3-D content onto the real world. While the device is bulky, Meta hopes to eventually slim it down into a sleek, light pair of normal-looking glasses that could be used in all kinds of virtual activities, from gaming to product design. Meta’s clunky-looking initial product, called Space Glasses, is meant more as a tool for app developers than as a gadget you’d want to actually wear. Space Glasses are not yet shipping widely, but a Kickstarter campaign seeking $100,000 to support the device’s creation brought in nearly double its goal.
IoT Art: Networked Art | Postscapes You pull out your phone and open a map. A blue dot appears, pinpointing your location. Here you are, the dot says. It’s reassuring, accurate, reliable…mostly. But every now and then, the unity of self and dot falters. GPS, the global positioning system, is a bedrock technology of the Internet of Things, one of the earliest ways of representing real-time data about connected devices and objects. But in the parable of the dancing dot, the limitations of GPS are laid bare. Satellite Lamps, a project of design researchers Einar Sneve Martinussen, Jørn Knutsen, and Timo Arnall at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design in Norway (also the group behind the ImmaterialsWiFi and RFID exploration in 2009), illuminates the changeable nature of GPS signals. In time-lapse videos, some lamps shine bright while others flash fitfully between off and dim. As designers, the trio behind Satellite Lamps want to encourage new ways of thinking about a technology that remains largely invisible.
Diminuta lente convierte smartphone en microscopio Un joven ingeniero de la Universidad de Washington desarrolló una lente que se adapta a la cámara de un smartphone o tableta para convertirlo en un microscopio. Para producirlo de forma masiva, Thomas Larson, de 22 años, inició una campaña en Kickstarter para recaudar fondos. El invento se llama “Micro Phone Lens” y según se describe en Kickstarter convierte casi cualquier móvil en un poderoso microscopio. El lente de unos 6 milímetros de diámetro ofrece un aumento de la imagen base de 15X y un máximo de aumento de 60X si se usa el zoom del móvil. Su creador lo recomienda para cámaras que tengan desde 5 MP. El “Micro Phone Lens” sólo se tiene que presionar contra el lente de la cámara del dispositivo. Larson pretende hacer una versión de 150X y para esto ha lanzado la campaña en Kickstarter en la que espera recaudar 28 mil dólares.
Meet MYO - a Revolution in Motion-Sensing TechnologyTech & Innovation Daily The way we interact with the real world and the digital world is about to change dramatically. If you have any doubt, consider the stir that Google (GOOG) Glass is already creating. And the device hasn’t even hit the market yet. But Google isn’t the only company breaking new ground in this exciting area. As you know, I’m keeping you abreast of the most promising new companies in the technology sector in our Top 10 Startups to Watch in 2013 feature. And today, we’re adding another company to the list – Thalmic Labs… The Armband That Reads Your Mind The company was only founded in May 2012. It’s called MYO (which is Greek for “muscle”). Simply put, MYO is an armband that detects the electrical impulses from your brain to your hand and arm muscles. In other words, it’s a mind-reading armband. I know, I know… it sounds like something from “fantasy land.” Do you see why Reuters calls this technology an opportunity to “unleash your inner Jedi”? And Racing Up on the Outside… How is that even possible?
On Speculative Design | Benjamin H. Bratton Benjamin Bratton on Speculative Design, an alternative to mainstream Design that complicates the speculative models that underscore our global economy. He suggests design solutions based on longer and shorter timescales than regular product lifecycles, and geared toward “users” who may or may not be human. This text is based on a transcription of Bratton’s remarks at the launch of the Speculative Design undergraduate major at the University of California, San Diego, February 10, 2016. åyr, Portrait #4, 2016 –> orb 11b Speculative Design (SD) understands itself as progressive alternative perspective to mainstream Design culture (and as an alternative to other alternatives as well).1 It knows that “Design” is not some magic way of thinking (involving stick-up notes, sharpies and colored beanbags) that just makes things better by “building trust,” “understanding the customer” or “getting a seat at the table” or similar. Futurism, Scale Matter, Materialism åyr, Portrait #5, 2016 –> orb 13b 1.