ICYMI: Hairy robots are better than smooth
Today on In Case You Missed It: Roboticists from China created an artificial skin for robots that simulate hair with glass-shrouded microwires. A gripper hand with the ‘hair’ on it’s skin was able to feel when an object was slipping because of the hair, then adjust its grip. Lets just hope they keep the full Teenwolf under control. The helium-filled balloon bot designed for search and inspection jobs is here.
Meanwhile NASA is spending its final days of 2016 by releasing data visualizations of carbon dioxide pollution around the globe, and how extra heat is stored in the world’s oceans. The Chuck E. Cheese challenge video is here and that awkward handshake, here. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
US Navy’s drone ‘swarmboats’ show off pack tactics
While the US Navy’s new state-of-the-art USS Zumwalt destroyer struggles to remain functional, the service branch’s R&D department has been busy investigating cutting-edge tech at a much smaller scale. Back in October, the Office of Naval Research (OCR) demonstrated the harbor defense capabilities of a group of prototype small autonomous boats, aka “swarmbots,” in Chesapeake Bay.
The ONR used four rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIB) — think of the larger soldier-ferrying Zodiacs — to show off the drone squad’s ability to patrol, investigate approaching unknown crafts and relay that information back to a human supervisor. Using autonomous vehicles for dull yet important tasks such as harbor defense is cheaper than using human crews, especially since some of the drone tech used in the demo is off-the-shelf.
The ONR’s autonomous system, Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing (CARACaS), was first demonstrated in RHIBs back in 2014, according to the department’s press release. That exercise showed how the drone boats worked together to escort larger ships and swarm around threats. Since then, the Navy’s boosted CARACaS’ ability to have multiple crafts collaborate on task sorting, expand behaviors and tactics and improve automated vessel recognition.
Using swarms of these refitted unmanned crafts monitored by a few officers is more economical than needing as many boats loaded with 3-4 persons each. But just like expendable aerial attack drones, autonomous units can also be sent on more dangerous missions than those with human crews, like mine clearance. The configuration used in these tests is also beneficial: The Navy already has plenty of RHIBs in their inventory, and refitting it with a CARACaS kit is quick and inexpensive, according to the ONR’s press release.
Source: Office of Naval Research
Facebook Messenger test hints at a bigger role for AI
Facebook wants its M chat assistant to be useful for much more than shopping and travel recommendations. It’s testing an M suggestions feature that has the artificial intelligence offer actions depending on the circumstances in your chat. Some will be familiar: if a friend asks where you are, it’ll give you a Google Hangouts-style opportunity to share your location. Others are more creative, such as suggesting stickers in response to common phrases like “thanks.”
Only a handful of people in the US will see the suggestions right now, and it’s not certain how quickly it will expand. Messenger team lead David Marcus is optimistic, however. He tells BuzzFeed News that M suggestions may well accelerate the deployment of Facebook’s AI by making it available to a much wider audience than the M assistant you see in testing right now. It won’t be as deep as a direct interaction with M, but it would certainly be more accessible — important when Google is ramping up its own AI chat helpers.
Source: BuzzFeed News
Sony’s new high-end wireless PS4 headset coming on January 17
Sony has unveiled the Platinum Wireless Headset aimed at PS4, Playstation VR, and mobile users. The model has hidden noise cancelling microphones and, like the Gold model, supports 7.1 virtual surround sound. However, it’s also equipped with the 3D audio tech used on the PlayStation VR, meaning you’ll be able to get the same surround-sound effects from a regular PlayStation 4 console. Though no PS4 games currently support 3D audio, Naughty Dog will release a patch that brings it to Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
A couple of other games will also support the 3D audio tech later on: MLB The Show 17, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, and Days Gone, with more to be announced later. In a similar way to systems from Dolby and others, it “simulates the effect of audio arriving at your ears from different directions and distances to mimic the behavior of sound in real life,” according to the PlayStation Blog.
The wireless part only works on the PS4 (via a wireless adapter) — for the PlayStation VR and mobile, you’ll need to use the included 3.5mm audio cable. However, Sony has noted before that 3D audio only works on wired headphones for VR, and confirmed that it won’t work in wireless mode on the PS4 either. So for regular PS4 games you can go wireless, but to get 3D audio, you’ll have to plug in which, frankly, is kind of stupid.
For titles that don’t support 3D audio, Sony said in the comments section of the post that the headset “has an enhanced version of 7.1 virtual surround sound. So even in games without 3D audio, the Platinum Wireless Headset will have better virtual surround sound.”
However, the fact that Sony uses its own proprietary 3D audio makes choosing a sound system a bit awkward. The Xbox One, for example, will soon support Dolby Atmos surround sound, and while that’ll only work for Blu-ray playback, at least you can run the audio through a Dolby Atmos receiver to get the full effect. So if you’d rather blast games through your home theater system rather than a headset, it doesn’t appear that you’ll get the full 3D audio effect.
Source: Sony
Instagram Has Gained 100 Million Users After Copying Snapchat
Instagram announced today that it now has more than 600 million users, with the last 100 million of those users joining the photo and video sharing service in the past six months, a period in which it has added several new Snapchat-like features. Instagram has doubled the 300 million users it had in December 2014.
A lot has changed this year, but the Instagram community and the diversity of expression it provides has remained consistent. And you now have more ways to share than ever before with Instagram Stories, live video and disappearing photos and videos in Direct. Additionally, with updated safety tools that give you more control over comments and other parts of your experience, we’re working to make Instagram safer than ever for connection and self-expression.
Instagram, owned by Facebook, has morphed into a Snapchat competitor this year with the addition of “Stories” that disappear after 24 hours, a new “Events” channel, and photos and videos that disappear in direct messages. Facebook has also wittingly added Snapchat-like features to Messenger.
Tag: Instagram
Discuss this article in our forums
Song Learning App Capo 3 for Mac Updated With Touch Bar Support
Popular music app Capo 3 received a major update today, adding Touch Bar support for the 2016 MacBook Pro and other new features that are designed to improve the overall user experience.
For those unfamiliar with Capo 3, it is a music app that can detect the chords in any song, allowing users to isolate specific sounds and vocals to play along with.
On 2016 MacBook Pro models, the Touch Bar can be used to scrub through songs and quickly access playback controls like volume, pause, and more. A waveform scrubber displays the waveform of the song and the locations of regions that have been added by the user.
“The Touch Bar support in Capo 3.5 was fun to build, but it’s even more fun to use,” says Chris Liscio, SuperMegaUltraGroovy founder and chief developer. “It’s great to jump instantly to a point in the song, and if you have regions placed then you can identify them in the waveform overview by color. It’s also helpful to have the audible feedback while scrubbing, so you can hear whether you’re in the right spot.”
Along with Touch Bar support, there’s a new Song Views option, which allows users to choose between a new Practice view and a Tabbing view with the Spectrogram display. New view customization options are available, allowing the tablature display and automatically detected chords to be disabled.
Transcription Playhead, a new playback mode that makes it easier to listen to individual notes has been added, and there’s an improved scrubbing feature, also for better identifying individual notes.
“I spent a week in the summer prototyping a new effect that would allow users to ‘freeze time’ so that they could hold a note still to help identify it by ear. I attached it to Capo’s scrubbing feature–just to see whether it worked–and I couldn’t stop playing with it. Since then, I’ve used it to pick apart some truly difficult solos in the Tabbing view faster than ever before.”
Capo can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $29.99 through the holidays. A free trial is also available from the Capo website. [Direct Link]
Tag: Capo
Discuss this article in our forums
Weight Watchers Offering Apple Watch Series 2 With Membership
Weight Watchers today introduced a variation of its OnlinePlus subscription plan that includes a new 38mm model Apple Watch Series 2 with an annual membership.
The subscription plan has an initial installment fee of $99.95 in the first month, followed by a monthly fee of $34.95 for the next 12 months, for a total price of nearly $520.
Apple Watch Series 2 models start at $369, while a standalone OnlinePlus membership currently costs $242 for 13 months, so the combo would cost $611 if purchased separately.
In other words, if you were already planning to join Weight Watchers and purchase a new Apple Watch Series 2, this promotion will save you around $109.
“Weight Watchers and Apple share the belief that moving more each day has a powerful impact on people’s lives,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s Chief Operating Officer. “We are thrilled that Weight Watchers will be helping their members live a healthier day with the addition of Apple Watch to their OnlinePlus program.”
At the end of the 13-month period, the plan automatically renews for a standard monthly fee of $19.95 until you cancel.
The announcement makes no mention of having to return the Apple Watch at the end of the membership period, but there is a $304 early cancellation fee to pay for the device if you cancel in the first month. The cancellation fee will be reduced by $25.33 per month thereafter until the 13-month installment plan expires.
With an OnlinePlus subscription, the official Weight Watchers app [Direct Link] for iOS and Apple Watch enables members to track their food intake and physical activity with a personalized dashboard. Users can set tailored and adaptive activity goals, access a community exclusive to Weight Watchers, and more.
Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
Discuss this article in our forums
Uber Beacon makes it easier to identify your cab at night
Uber has been saviour to many on nights out. You’ve either missed your last train or fancy the comfort of your own cab. Simply open the app, request an Uber and you’re away, what could be simpler?
- What is Uber and how does it work?
Well sometimes it’s not always that simple, because it’s not always easy to locate your cab when it turns up. Uber is now putting that to bed with the introduction of Beacon. Uber taxis, initially in four cities: Denver, Nashville, Miami and Newcastle, will now have a light inside the windscreen that will shine a colour that you can set from within the app. When the taxi arrives, you can spot your chosen colour and you’ll be in the back of the cab quicker than before.
Another small but useful feature that has also been added is the colour of your cab. The app already tells you what car is on its way, the number plate and a photo of your driver. But now it will also tell you what colour the car is, just in case there’s more than one of the same model turn up at the same time for different people.
The updates have been made just in time for the Christmas party season, so Uber probably knows that people are going to be celebrating more, which could decrease their level of vision at the end of the night.
Uber has also made some small updates to the app, including being able to set favourite places to quickly enter as destinations, schedule trips, ideal for later in the night or early morning and share your journey in real time so your friends can see how far away from the party you are.
The features are rolling out from today on a trail basis, so be sure to look out for the app update.
Re-live the first surgery recorded via Snapchat Spectacles
UK-based teaching surgeon Dr. Shafi Ahmed — the man who previously brought you surgery livestreamed in VR — has repeated a similar feat in a slightly smaller format. After hearing about Snapchat Spectacles, Dr. Ahmed told the BBC that he saw an opportunity to “use cutting-edge technology in relatively low-cost gadgets to teach people everywhere.”
“I’m always looking for ways to develop my teaching, especially using wearable technology,” Dr. Ahmed explained further. “When I saw the Snap spectacles, I asked friends in New York to buy some and send them to me immediately.”
Because Spectacles only record 10 seconds of video at a time, a consultant had to be present to keep hitting record while Dr. Ahmed performed the routine hernia repair. But rather than recording or livestreaming the entire surgery, Dr. Ahmed says he carefully planned out which clips he would record and post in order to demonstrate the procedure to his initial audience of around 200 medical students. While the clips were posted to Snapchat live during the surgery, they’ve been archived on YouTube for future generations to study as an important artifact of 21st century medicine:
Dr. Ahmed is no stranger to new technology in the operating room: in addition to his VR and Snapchat procedures, he previously made headlines by performing surgery while wearing Google Glass. In fact, this wasn’t even the first time he’s operated with tinted lenses. On that point, Dr. Ahmed says the shades actually didn’t restrict him at all and the surgery itself was superficial anyhow, but he still plans to swap in some aftermarket clear lenses before putting them to use on the next procedure.
Via: BBC News
Source: YouTube
21st Century Fox is buying UK’s Sky in $14.6 billion deal
Following talks last week, 21st Century Fox has agreed to buy Sky, the UK’s largest pay-TV network, for £11.7 billion ($14.6 billion). The UK-based pay-TV broadcaster and broadband provider counts nearly 22 million subscribers in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany and Austria. That’ll give Rupert Murdoch a delivery platform for his 20th Century Fox movie studio and Fox TV network, along with cable TV channels like FX, Fox Sports and National Geographic.
The deal “creates a global leader in content creation and distribution, enhances our sports and entertainment scale, and gives us unique and leading direct-to-consumer capabilities and technologies,” 21st Century Fox said in a statement. As part of the deal, Sky headquarters will stay in London and continue a £1 billion ($1.25 billion) expansion of its headquarters.
The Rupert Murdoch-owned media empire already owns 39 percent of Sky and tried to buy the remaining shares back in 2010. However, the company abandoned the attempt after several of the company’s tabloids became embroiled in a the so-called phone hacking scandal.
Rumored talks last week valued Sky as high as £18.5 billion ($23.2 billion). That appears to be spot on, as the price tag is around 61 percent of that sum, exactly equal to the outstanding shares Fox didn’t own. With Brexit significantly weakening the pound, Sky became significantly cheaper for US-based Fox, making it ripe for the acquisition.
Source: 21st Century Fox
AIVAnet 