WebUrbanist » Technology & Futurism

Lifebook: Single Device that Combines Every Gadget

Delana — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:00:38 +0000

One of the marks of our modern culture is the proliferation of gadgets most of us carry around. From digital cameras to cell phones to tablet computers to laptops to MP3 players, we have our hands full just trying to keep track of all of them. This excellent concept could go a long way toward streamlining our technology while still keeping us as connected as always.

(all images via: YankoDesign)

One of the problems with having too many different pieces of technology is the fact that hardware and functions are often repeated between the devices. Your digital camera and cellular phone both take pictures; your tablet and MP3 player both play videos; your phone and laptop both store your data. The Lifebook concept could solve several of our modern first-world gadget problems.

According to designer Prashant Chandra, combining all of our gadgets would make life simpler and allow all of our technology to share resources. Rather than having the same bits of data stored on multiple devices, Lifebook would let each device form part of an overall super-gadget. It’s sort of like Voltron – but instead of being composed of vehicles, it’s made up of a tablet, a camera, a phone/music player and a laptop.

The laptop serves as the base for all of the devices. There is no physical keyboard; rather, a touch keypad appears whenever the tablet is plugged into the laptop base. The phone/music player is fully integrated into the laptop as well, and all of the devices share memory and data as soon as they are plugged in.

In addition to streamlining the process of storing and transferring data between devices, the Lifebook concept would allow users to charge all of their devices in one place without that huge, ugly tangle of cords we all hate. Although the Lifebook is still in the concept stage at the moment, it is not hard to imagine it becoming an indispensable piece of technology in the foreseeable future.

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Terrific Tech: 10 Futuristic Advances in Robotics

Delana — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:00:43 +0000

Everyone loves a great robot story. Whether the robots are cuddly, intimidating, smart, or scary, they never fail to capture our attention. These bots range from updates on older technology to totally new inventions to futuristic concepts that haven’t even been built yet. Step into the future as you peruse some of the world’s most awesome recent robot advances.

Depression-Fighting Babyloid

As humans get older, they often become susceptible to depression. Other than drugs and counseling, what can be done for seniors in need of help? Giving them something to take care of might be the answer. The Babyloid robot, developed by researchers at Chukyo University in Japan, promises to keep older people feeling happy and fulfilled just by virtue of its adorable robot presence. Babyloid cries, laughs and sleeps like a human baby, letting older folks tend to its every need. Just 90 minutes a day with the sweet little robot has been shown to increase the moods of nursing home patients.

Self-Assembling Robot Furniture

Thanks to Ikea and other purveyors of flat-pack furniture, most of us are used to putting our own furniture together in order to save a few dollars. But the Roombots are – more or less – furniture that assembles itself. Developed by Swiss BioRobotics Laboratory, this fantastic set of roving robots rolls into position and assembles into whatever piece of furniture you need at that moment. Each component is a small robot and they all work together to invent and re-invent furniture where and when it is needed. And when you don’t need a table, chair, desk or other object, the Roombots can simply take the form of a wall.

The Human Consciousness Robot

As our proficiency in robot programming grows, so does the desire to create something that is almost human. Bina48 is a robot endowed with the personality of a real human…who is also named Bina, of course. The human Bina spent many hours with robot Bina, having “conversations” and uploading her memories and personality to the robot head. The somewhat-creepy project is the work of the Terasem Movement, an organization that seeks to prevent the finality of death by allowing humans to store their consciousness in technology, where it will live on forever.

Wi-Fi Swarm

In times of emergency when communications systems fail, a reliable alternative is needed right away. Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne believe that swarming flying robots could be just the alternative we need. The flying robots could form fleeting wireless networks by virtue of a small module in the wing of each unit. The modules would emit wireless signals to allow communication between rescue workers on the ground, probably allowing them to save many more lives than they could have without adequate communication.

Robotic Weight Loss Coach

Losing weight is never easy, but it’s even more challenging when you try to do it on your own. That’s why Autom, this adorable big-eyed robot, wants to know all about you. She asks questions about your food intake and activity levels every day, then gives you tips on getting and staying healthy. Autom works on the idea that humans are much more likely to stick to their goals if they have a buddy to keep them accountable and on track.

Terminator as a Baby

Have you ever wondered what the T-1000 would have looked like if it had ever gone through an infant stage? Probably a lot like this horrifying bot. The skinless robot baby was actually filmed while it was still a work in progress; later it was given skin and used as a human “baby” on a television show. And as the above video shows, its movements were creepily realistic. According to the special effects studio that made this awesome abomination, the clients could not believe it wasn’t a real baby when seeing it for the first time.

Seeing Eye Dog-Bots

Raising and training helper dogs for seeing impaired people takes a lot of time and a lot of money, and the dogs don’t have a very long professional life. So how about using technology to lead visually impaired humans around safely? The Japanese engineering firm NSK developed a line of quadruped robots that could eventually be used as a substitute for guide dogs. GPS and proximity sensors all over the robots’ bodies would let them steer their masters safely to wherever they need to go. A commercial version is still quite a way in the future as safety tests are still being carried out, but the “dogs” can already climb and descend stairs with ease.

Outsourced English-Teaching Robots

Some South Korean students are learning English from outsourced teachers who happen to be based in the Philippines – but the teachers have a constant classroom presence in the form of egg-shaped robots. The bots feature screens that display nondescript Caucasian faces to the students while cameras and microphones allow the teachers to see and hear everything that’s happening in the classroom. The schools are happy because the robot teachers are cheaper than human teachers, and the students are happy because many of them find a robot less intimidating than a human teacher.

Insect-Inspired Swarming Robots

Sending one robot into enemy territory to gather intelligence? Way too financially risky. Sending hundreds or even thousands of tiny, cheap, easily replaceable robots? Much smarter. Researchers are developing itty-bitty solar-powered robots that could move in swarm formations to gather data from targets…and it wouldn’t matter much if some were lost or destroyed in the process because they would be so cheap to produce.

Next-Generation Telepresence Robot

Robots that let users essentially be in two places at once are immensely useful, and the Telesar V is even more amazing than the rest. The telexistence robot lets a user see, hear and even feel its environment, even when the user is physically very far away. The head-mounted 3D display and tactile gloves work to transmit the three senses, giving the user an unprecedented amount of data that could be used for a mind-boggling array of practical applications.

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24 Poke-worthy Facebook Timeline Covers

Marc — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:00:24 +0000

Facebook changes can often cause a landslide of creativity, as all the artsy types and tech-inclined push the limits. The new Facebook Timeline, with its new cover image, is the perfect playground for those who want to impress their friends.

(Images via mad4flash, technodesire, digitalwizdom, fbupdates)

Why not use the cover photo as a way to show off favorite personal images in a new and interesting way? Toss up some polaroids of the good old days, and they’ll be emphasized a whole lot more than they would be if they were tossed into a dusty album nested deeply inside your profile.

(Images via mameara, techomag, pixgateway, techomag)

It’s important to have fun when adjusting a profile. Eye-catching images and manipulated backgrounds can showcase new facets of one’s personality… and that’s the whole point of a profile, isn’t it?

(tweeting, pixgateway, reface)

The best Facebook Timeline cover photos step outside the box to display a quick scene or quirky setup for the rest of the page. Some careful planning and photo-editing software is all one needs to be the talk of the newsfeed.

(Images via mashable, v3im, dailylinked)

Use the integration of the cover image and your profile picture carefully. With the right tweaking, the cover image can replace the need for the profile photo, and become newsworthy in its own right.

(Images via hongkiat, mad4flash, techomag)

The huge area at the top of the Timeline is perfect to advertise one’s pet causes. This area can be the perfect space to share important ideas with friends and family.

(Images via redux, dailypics)

Art fans can put themselves directly into their favorite galleries, or slip their photo into some of the most famous masterpieces.

(Images via techomag, dailypics, openforum)

One of the easiest ways to customize a cover image is to add a profile picture like normal, and then overlay it over a humorous scene. Animal lovers will immediately see the benefits of this design.

(Images via dailypics, dailypics)

Nostalgic for old videogame favorites? Make everyone happy by adding an old school flair to the newest in social media tech.

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Wood Rings Translated Into Moody Piano Music

Steph — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:00:24 +0000

If trees could play music, what would it sound like? That may seem like a silly question, but artist Bartholomäus Traubeck has found a way to answer it. The appropriately titled ‘Years’ project translates the rings of tree slices into piano music using a vintage turntable, a Playstation Eye Camera and a computer running the software ‘Ableton Live‘.

YEARS from Bartholomäus Traubeck on Vimeo.

The effect, as you can hear in the video above, is surprisingly somber and haunting. The German-born artist, who divides his time between Rotterdam, Netherlands and Linz, Austria, explains that the music software reads the rings as they shift and change and translates that raw sound into a pre-selected musical sound – in this case, piano.

“A tree’s year rings are analysed for their strength, thickness and rate of growth. This data serves as basis for a generative process that outputs piano music. It is mapped to a scale which is again defined by the overall appearance of the wood (ranging from dark to light and from strong texture to light texture). The foundation for the music is certainly found in the defined ruleset of programming and hardware setup, but the data acquired from every tree interprets this ruleset very differently.”

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Real Life Sim City: 3D Printers Turn Virtual to Reality

Delana — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:00:08 +0000

Remember SimCity 2000? It was so easy to waste hours and hours planning and building cities, then watching disasters befall the unfortunate citizens. But the problem was always that you had to eventually quit and go back to the real world. Thanks to a young architect with access to a 3D printer and a love for SimCity, the world now has a fantastic tabletop version of the game.

(all images via: Thingiverse)

Using Google Sketch-Up to create the buildings, Thingiverse member Skimbal printed them out at 10X scale to allow for a greater level of detail.

Each building is printed on a little square base. All of the bases can fit together in a grid – just like in the game – to make a unique and colorful miniature city.

When the buildings are all printed, you can arrange and rearrange them just like you did during those endless hours playing SimCity. Skimbal was kind enough to post his Google Sketch-up files so that everyone with a 3D printer can make their own tabletop SimCity.

After you print your very own buildings, you can play Supreme Ruler and rain down all kinds of misery on the imaginary residents of your new locality. Because, after all, isn’t that the best part of being in charge of your own city?