SpaceX successfully blasts off from NASA’s famous launch pad

After a last-moment delay, SpaceX has put NASA’s legendary Launch Complex 39A back into action. The company successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket from the historic pad (best known for the Apollo 11 mission) Sunday morning, and topped it off by landing the first stage nearby. This is the first time the complex has been used since Space Shuttle Atlantis took off in 2011 — and by extension, the first time a private spaceflight outfit has launched from it.

This is SpaceX’s tenth supply mission for the International Space Station, but the Dragon capsule on the rocket is carrying a special payload. It’s hauling an experimental module, Raven that will test autonomous space rendezvous technology: its three-sensor array will track spacecraft visiting the station and help guide them safely to their intended destination.

Expect launches from 39A and elsewhere to be relatively commonplace. SpaceX vowed that it would launch rockets every 2 to 3 weeks, and it’s clearly making good on that promise so far. The company is clearing its backlog of launches following the September explosion and wants to satisfy customers (including NASA) who’ve been waiting months to get cargo into orbit.

Source: SpaceX (YouTube)

Apple Acquires Israeli Firm RealFace Specializing in Facial Recognition

Apple has bought Israeli startup RealFace, a cybersecurity and machine learning firm specializing in facial recognition technology.

The Times of Israel reported on Sunday that the Tel Aviv-based company, founded in 2014, was snapped up by Apple for an estimated $2 million, while Hebrew-language Calcalist said the deal was worth “several million dollars”.

RealFace’s website is currently offline, but according to promotional material, the startup had developed a unique facial recognition technology that integrates artificial intelligence and “brings back human perception to digital processes”. RealFace’s software is said to use proprietary IP in the field of “frictionless face recognition” that allows for rapid learning from facial features.

The Israeli startup also developed a now-defunct app called Pickeez, which selected and collated a user’s best photos across various platforms using the RealFace recognition software.

Demo of RealFace’s face recognition software.
According to iPhone 8 rumors, Apple may ditch Touch ID along with the physical home button, in favor of a facial recognition-capable front-facing 3D laser scanner, although with the RealFace acquisition coming at such a late time, it’s unlikely that the any of the startup’s technology will feature.

RealFace is the fourth Israel-based firm Apple is known to have acquired. In 2011 it bought flash memory maker Anobit for a reported $400 million, then in November 2013 it acquired 3D sensor company PrimeSense for an estimated $345 million. Most recently in 2015, Apple bought LinX for around $20 million.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8 (2017)
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Awesome tech you can’t buy yet: folding canoes, cheap mobile VR, and more

At any given moment, there are approximately a zillion crowdfunding campaigns on the web. Take a stroll through Kickstarter or Indiegogo and you’ll find no shortage of weird, useless, and downright stupid projects out there — alongside some real gems. In this column, we cut through all the worthless wearables and Oculus Rift ripoffs to round up the week’s most unusual, ambitious, and exciting projects. But don’t grab your wallet just yet. Keep in mind that any crowdfunded project can fail — even the most well-intentioned. Do your homework before cutting a check for the gadget of your dreams.

Nolo — motion-tracking system for mobile VR

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Want a room-scale motion-tracking VR system without having to dish out big bucks on an HTC Vive and a VR-ready gaming PC? Nolo is a set of peripherals designed to work with lower end, smartphone-based VR headsets like Google Daydream, Samsung Gear VR, and even those cheap cardboard headsets that everyone makes these days. Just clip a sensor onto your headset, set up the sensor beacons, grab the controllers, and you’re off to the races.

Sure, the graphics processing abilities won’t be as robust as what you’d get with a full-fledged VR setup (you’re still using a smartphone, after all), but Nolo will definitely expand the range of games you can play — and also what you can do inside them. Room-scale motion tracking is quite literally a game changer. With the ability to move around freely inside your VR world and manipulate objects with your hands, you’ll be able to play games and use apps like Job Simulator, Tilt Brush, and dozens more. Early-bird backers can snag the kit for just $99, but even if you’re late to the party, you can still lock one down for $109. That’s pretty cheap when compared to HTC’s Vive.

Read more here

Awesome tech you can’t buy yet: folding canoes, cheap mobile VR, and more

At any given moment, there are approximately a zillion crowdfunding campaigns on the web. Take a stroll through Kickstarter or Indiegogo and you’ll find no shortage of weird, useless, and downright stupid projects out there — alongside some real gems. In this column, we cut through all the worthless wearables and Oculus Rift ripoffs to round up the week’s most unusual, ambitious, and exciting projects. But don’t grab your wallet just yet. Keep in mind that any crowdfunded project can fail — even the most well-intentioned. Do your homework before cutting a check for the gadget of your dreams.

Nolo — motion-tracking system for mobile VR

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Want a room-scale motion-tracking VR system without having to dish out big bucks on an HTC Vive and a VR-ready gaming PC? Nolo is a set of peripherals designed to work with lower end, smartphone-based VR headsets like Google Daydream, Samsung Gear VR, and even those cheap cardboard headsets that everyone makes these days. Just clip a sensor onto your headset, set up the sensor beacons, grab the controllers, and you’re off to the races.

Sure, the graphics processing abilities won’t be as robust as what you’d get with a full-fledged VR setup (you’re still using a smartphone, after all), but Nolo will definitely expand the range of games you can play — and also what you can do inside them. Room-scale motion tracking is quite literally a game changer. With the ability to move around freely inside your VR world and manipulate objects with your hands, you’ll be able to play games and use apps like Job Simulator, Tilt Brush, and dozens more. Early-bird backers can snag the kit for just $99, but even if you’re late to the party, you can still lock one down for $109. That’s pretty cheap when compared to HTC’s Vive.

Read more here

Awesome tech you can’t buy yet: folding canoes, cheap mobile VR, and more

At any given moment, there are approximately a zillion crowdfunding campaigns on the web. Take a stroll through Kickstarter or Indiegogo and you’ll find no shortage of weird, useless, and downright stupid projects out there — alongside some real gems. In this column, we cut through all the worthless wearables and Oculus Rift ripoffs to round up the week’s most unusual, ambitious, and exciting projects. But don’t grab your wallet just yet. Keep in mind that any crowdfunded project can fail — even the most well-intentioned. Do your homework before cutting a check for the gadget of your dreams.

Nolo — motion-tracking system for mobile VR

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Want a room-scale motion-tracking VR system without having to dish out big bucks on an HTC Vive and a VR-ready gaming PC? Nolo is a set of peripherals designed to work with lower end, smartphone-based VR headsets like Google Daydream, Samsung Gear VR, and even those cheap cardboard headsets that everyone makes these days. Just clip a sensor onto your headset, set up the sensor beacons, grab the controllers, and you’re off to the races.

Sure, the graphics processing abilities won’t be as robust as what you’d get with a full-fledged VR setup (you’re still using a smartphone, after all), but Nolo will definitely expand the range of games you can play — and also what you can do inside them. Room-scale motion tracking is quite literally a game changer. With the ability to move around freely inside your VR world and manipulate objects with your hands, you’ll be able to play games and use apps like Job Simulator, Tilt Brush, and dozens more. Early-bird backers can snag the kit for just $99, but even if you’re late to the party, you can still lock one down for $109. That’s pretty cheap when compared to HTC’s Vive.

Read more here

Barbie Hello Hologram is a tiny virtual friend for girls

Smart home speakers like the Echo and Google Home can tell you the weather, play music and look up stuff for you. However, they stop short of attaching a face to those actions, and certainly don’t have any sense of sartorial style. Mattel’s latest creation, the Barbie Hello Hologram, rectifies that by placing the iconic doll into her own tiny holographic world and letting children talk to her directly. She can chat about the weather, crack corny jokes and even dance. Barbie can dab with the best of them.

This isn’t in the same category as the smart speaker that Mattel introduced back at CES. The Aristotle is essentially a caretaker for your child, starting out as a baby monitor and growing up with the child to serve such functions as a night light and storyteller. The Hello Hologram is more of a friend. She doesn’t control anything and can’t order from your favorite shopping site — a relief to parents, for sure. What she can do is answer simple questions, keep a calendar and even change her looks. That means not just her clothes, but also her hair and skin tone for a truly personalized play experience. The demo on display at Toy Fair only had three types available, but more will be added to the final product before launch.

Though the holographic Barbie is a 3D computer animation, the projection itself is only 2D, and won’t appear if you look at the box from the side. The tech powering Barbie’s conversation skills is a bit more advanced: it’s the same we saw in Hello Barbie and the Dreamhouse from previous years, and yes, there’s an app. A smartphone isn’t required to use the Hello Hologram, but it gives parents some control over their child’s interaction with it, like setting a bed time so they don’t sit up all night gossiping with the blonde (or brunette) avatar.

Toys that listen to your children certainly have their share of privacy issues, but Mattel says no information is stored on its servers and claims the final product will be compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA). Data will be encrypted and parents can review everything the system collects.

When its raining Barbie will run to her window and see actual cats and dogs falling from the sky. We have no idea what Barbie might see in other types of weather — the demo on display at Toy Fair was a rough prototype and no date and price available are available for the Hello Hologram yet. We’ll just have to hope virtual Barbie has a virtual parka in time for next winter.

Children’s Organic Storybook ‘Green Riding Hood’ is Apple’s Free App of the Week

Apple is currently promoting interactive children’s storybook Green Riding Hood as its Free App of the Week on the iOS App Store. Notable for its hand-drawn artwork, the app by Bobaka introduces kids of ages 5 and under to a healthy lifestyle in a cheery spin-off of the original folk tale.

The “organic fairytale” revolves around the bucolic daily life and escapades of a little girl, her grandma, a host of cute-looking animal friends, and a hungry wolf, but parents can rest assured, no-one gets eaten. Apple’s App Store editors have this to say:

Recasting Grandma as an herbal tea-sipping yoga teacher is just one of the fun ways this gorgeous storybook encourages kids to develop healthy habits. (You’ll love Bobaka’s take on the big, not-so-bad Wolf, too.) We’re having a ball exploring each interactive page, and the app’s tasty vegetarian recipes make great projects for the whole family.

Alongside the friendly narrative elements and grandma’s cookbook, Green Riding Hood features a series of mini games to keep kids engaged and a voiceover by Scottish actor Alistair Findlay, known for roles in such movies as Highlander and In the Name of the Father, as well as for narration in the acclaimed Nighty Night HD series of kids’ apps.

Usually $2.99, Green Riding Hood supports multiple languages and is currently a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Tag: App Store
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Free App ‘Reverb’ Brings Amazon’s Alexa to Mac Desktops, iPhones and iPads

Developers at U.S. digital consultancy Rain have created a little-known app called Reverb that allows users to access Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant from their Mac desktop or iOS device.

Launching the free Mac app prompts users to sign in to their Amazon account, after which a window opens showing the familiar blue Alexa ring on the desktop. Click and hold on the ring with the mouse cursor, and provided an internet connection is active, the virtual assistant listens and responds to the sort of spoken questions and commands usually directed at Amazon’s Echo range of smart speakers.

The iOS app works similarly, and the latest version of Reverb uses Alexa v2, which adds support for news flashes, timers, alarms, long form audio, audiobooks, and more. It can also interact with smart devices that are compatible with Alexa, such as lights, switches, and thermostats compatible with Samsung SmartThings, WeMo, Philips Hue, and others. The only Alexa service Reverb does not support is playing music, due to restrictions Amazon has placed on using Amazon Music in apps.

In addition to the above, users can enable third-party skills through the app with a simple voice command – “Enable Bird Songs”, for example. In testing, the Mac app also responded to new skills enabled through Amazon’s Alexa iOS app, which officially supports and integrates with the Reverb app for iOS.

The apps provide a convenient solution for Echo owners wishing to make Alexa available in, say, their office room or study, without having to buy an additional supporting device. It also offers prospective Echo buyers an opportunity to test the service prior to making a purchase, and at the very least gives curious Mac users a chance to compare Alexa’s and Siri’s smarts side by side on their desktop.

Reverb for Amazon Alexa is a free download available for Mac from the Mac App Store [Direct Link] and for iPhone and iPad on the iOS App Store [Direct Link].

Tags: Amazon, Alexa
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Self-driving car race finishes with a crash

Fans attending Formula E’s Buenos Aires ePrix got a nice treat: the first ‘race’ between self-driving cars on a professional track, courtesy of a test from Roborace. Only… it didn’t quite go according to plan. Roborace’s two test vehicles (known as DevBots) battled it out on the circuit at a reasonably quick 115MPH, but one of the cars crashed after it took a turn too aggressively. The racing league was quick to tout the safety advantages of crashing autonomous cars (“no drivers were harmed”), but it’s clear that the tech is still rough around the edges.

Not that Roborace is likely to dispute the need for improvement — that’s what a test like this is for. The race series organizer won’t fulfill its dream of full-scale driverless competition until it knows the cars can navigate on their own without making unforced errors, and that means subjecting them to race-like conditions. While it’ll be difficult to completely avoid crashes, the vehicles have to be intelligent enough that most of the starting lineup in a given race will cross the finish line.

Papelón de un vehículo autónomo en Puerto Madero: el Roborace sin conductor chocó contra la estatua de Lola Mora
Más https://t.co/fEzjiYCJAM pic.twitter.com/8B3bufHJwX

— Autoblog Argentina (@Autoblogcomar) February 18, 2017

Via: Electrek

Source: Roborace (Twitter), Autoblog Argentina (Twitter)

Shia LaBeouf’s anti-Trump livestream is reborn in New Mexico

Shia LaBeouf’s anti-Trump livestreaming art piece in New York City was ignominiously shut down just a few weeks into its planned 4-year run, but it’s getting a revival… albeit nowhere near its original home. LaBeouf and his artist partners have relaunched the anti-Donald Trump project, He Will Not Divide Us, at the Historic El Rey Theater in Albuquerue, New Mexico — not exactly a convenient move if you’d been considering a visit to the original site. It’s now much more likely that the livestream is your only way of seeing what all the fuss is about.

LaBeouf and crew also have some more choice words for the Museum of the Moving Image, which shut down the original project. They dispute the museum’s claim that the art project led to violence, and argue that officials were far from communicative. They didn’t mention any instances of violence and didn’t even respond to requests for a way to report hate speech incidents, according to a statement. The creators also accuse the museum of caving in to “political pressure,” pointing out that its attorney Brendan O’Rourke (who told LaBeouf’s team about the shutdown) also represents Trump.

Whoever you believe, the shutdown and reopening highlight both the advantages and perils of live internet art. While it’s great that the piece is accessible anywhere at any time, it’s clear that exhibitions like this can only work if there’s enough cooperation to guarantee a safe, harassment-free space.

Via: The Verge

Source: The Campaign Book, He Will Not Divide Us