Of the future

Why You Should Read a Future Technology Blog Now

2012-07-16T10:33:00.001+01:00

Yes, you’d find a future technology blog or blogs featuring topics of the future over the web even today. These places online introduces you to possibilities you can expect in the near future. You’ll read about science concepts or technological advancements which are currently being developed or studied. You will have a glimpse of the future now through a future technology blog.

Skeptics may say that a technology of the future blog isn’t as important as news or updates of the present. This is both true and not. While we should not set aside the need to be always updated with what’s happening around us at present, we must also have an idea about what’s in stored ahead. It’s like preparing for what’s coming up of the future in the same manner as we would plan day to day activities in a scheduler or journal.

There is no truth in the thought that anything of the future is not our concern today. Although there is a possibility that some future technology may be something we won’t live to see, a lot of them are definitely soon to be released before we even realize it. It was only more than two decades ago when the first fully functional mobile phone was released. No one would have expected that these phones will become what they are today. We’ve seen how portable cellular phones become smaller, slimmer, and smarter with the rise of touch screen technology, mobile Internet, and apps.

The same applies to computers. No one would have predicted that those bulky computers will evolve into laptops, notebooks, and tablet PCs. Only a futurism blog or site would bother to discuss or feature ideas that do not yet exist today but may possibly become an everyday gadget soon enough. Thus, reading a future technology blog will let you know what to expect of the future.

Anything of the future blog is also everyone’s concern. It’s not only the responsibility of scientists or geeks. Even regular people who would like to make a contribution to mankind in the field of science and technology should be involved with ideas of the future.

Everyone is familiar with bar codes. But this type of technology had been expanded with more improved functionalities and features. We now see QR codes, Microsoft Tags, and NFC technology everywhere. QR codes and Microsoft Tags can be easily spotted due to a bar code like logo in black and white or colorful designs. These function through scanner apps which can be downloaded through your mobile device. Simply scan the tags or codes and you will redirected to the website to get more information about the product or service being promoted by codes or tags.

The reason why this had been mentioned is due to the progress of NFC related technology. The NFC forum which consists of leading companies in mobile phones and communication had encouraged the participation of small businesses and even private individuals towards the development of this technology. In the same manner, a future technology blog will be able to disseminate the information about upcoming technologies of the future to the public and possibly persuade them to participate directly and indirectly.

Crime of the future - check it out

2012-07-15T09:43:00.001+01:00

Some great information from Marc Goodman on crime of the future. Gives the viewer an interesting new outlook on crime. Even criminals in San Francisco have built their own mobile masts to get their own service for phones that can not be tapped.

Test

2012-07-12T14:15:00.001+01:00

Test

Bill Gates releasing mosquitoes at TED

2012-02-11T14:59:00.000+00:00

All things bright and beautiful.: Dallas Skyline

2012-02-10T13:08:00.000+00:00

All things bright and beautiful.: Dallas Skyline: Image: Trey Ratcliff @stuckincustoms This just looks absolutely brilliant doesn't it? Down town Dallas in all its glory!

Charger of the future

2012-02-10T12:47:00.000+00:00

Charger concepts

By Andrew Williams

The days of the smart phone have ironically fettered mobililty, caging us in red and amber bars. What with manufacturers' obsessions with silly-speed processors and gargantuan bright screens, it's little wonder your juice is sluicing away in the blink of an iPhone.

You may be reluctant to relive the 1980s fashion for carrying around battery bricks, obsessed as you are withraz(o)r-thin handsets, so we need some fresh thinking. If you're sick of being in a perpetual state of tension over your phone croaking, like a particularly dull series of 24, then fill your boots with these phone charger concepts -- some ready to buy, some still glints in the developers' eye.

10. Slider charger

If we're talking about retro revivals, how about slider phones? No, not Qwerty keypads, but a charger that slips off the back of your phone, plugs into the wall when you're at work, and slides back in when it's play time again. Nope, we can't see that one getting lost in our desk full of widgets, dongles and USB sticks either.

9. Andru Android charger

No self-respecting Android fanboy should be without gorgeous little Andru. He spews juice downs the line in aDroidy-shaped charger. One unfortunate drawback of a toy-like plug is that it transforms the domestic socket into a source of naive curiosity. "Mummy, I want my eyes to light up too, what if I stick my finge..." pzzzzt.

8. PowerTrekk water-charger

Coming as it does via the Daily Mail, we'll take the claims that this charger provides 10 hours of battery life from a spoonful of water with a pinch of salt. Make that sodium silicide -- that's the magic ingredient that's said to react with the water to produce hydrogen gas to power your handset. Perfect for when you find yourself face-down in a puddle at the end of a heavy night out, badly in need of a taxi home.

7. Pedal power

One of the reasons your battery's constantly running dry is because you're sat on your widening derriere gawping at YouTube videos all day. Who can blame you when cats insist on behaving so cutely? Alleviate the guilt and a few calories with the K-TOR Power Box mobile phone-charging pedalo. If you can be bothered.

6. Gas mask charger

Don't waste your breath on the pedalo. Literally -- while you're working up a sweat with your tootsies, strap on thisfetching gas mask charger. It powers your phone through kinetic energy, effectively transforming your gob into a mobile wind farm. And if you're cycling around, you can imagine yourself being a speeder bike pilot in Return of the Jedi (as if you don't do that already).

5. Wind chargers

Talking of wind power, strap a line of these wind chargers under your wings and traverse the streets like an environmentally friendly cyborg Ravanelli Airbus.

4. Apple desk charger

Granted, Steve Jobs was a bit clever. But the one enduring failure of his legacy was not inventing a phone that lasted longer than a mayfly. And if you're fidgeting with your iJobbies all day, you're going to be left with one shrivelled-dry Apple. Sit your iPhone on the iDesk while you're at work, and problem solved.

3. Suitcase charger

One of our favourite chargers, if only for conjuring visions of tanned business executives rocking their suitcases back and forth like a pram in the VIP lounge. Re-juice your cell as you trudge through check-in with this ingeniousluggage-based tech breakthrough. By the looks of things, your phone appears to be suspended in mid-air by the charging cable, so you might also want to check your travel insurance for mobile theft cover.

2. Camping charger

Camping at a festival and your battery's as fried as you are? Then fire up the BioLite stove, which -- apart from not needing gas, which is ingenious enough -- will recharge your battery by burning twigs and pine cones. Just plug in your USB cable and the heat of the fire will do the rest. (Okay, who remembered to pack the USB...?)

1. Kitten charger

Undoubtedly the finest invention of the 21st century thus far. The tech world has yet to harness the seemingly boundless resource that is kitten power. Which is why this kinetic ball of wool charger simply had to come into existence. And if you don't have a cat, amuse yourself for hours rolling it back and forth on your desk, while the head of HR looks on quizzically and digs out your personal file.

TAKEN FROM C-NET

Phone cover of the future

2012-02-08T09:27:00.002+00:00

Before you look at this picture, scroll right to the bottom of this whole website and look at the little fishes that follow your mouse. Now that your back from the bottom, you can carry on reading...

Ok, ok, admittedly the title is realllyyyyyy boring but, its genuinely quite interesting. I took this article from a site called "Tested" but before we go into the body of the text, i want to show you this picture...

Ta da....

How cool is that?

Very cool, that's the answer.

Now onto the waterproof shizzle you can put on iPhones.

"Nanocoating" - just trying to sound clever.

Years and years of use train us to expect certain things of our electronics. How do you react when a smartphone falls in a tank of water and doesn't immediately short out? Shock? Confusion? 2012 might be the year that reaction begins to change. Water-resistant coatings made big waves at CES this year by doing the seemingly impossible: shielding sensitive electronics from water with no visible casing or coating.

Liquipel, HzO and P2i all showed off waterproof nanocoatings at CES that are 1000 times thinner than a human hair. The services are essentially identical: a nanometer-thin coating is applied to a device as a gas, allowing it to penetrate inside the casing and repel liquids. Any of the three could be integrated into the smartphone manufacturing process in the near future, but only one--Liquipel--is offering a service directly to consumers.

All three nanocoating services describe their products with very similar language. Liquipel claims to be a "revolutionary process that applies a waterproof coating to your electronic device to protect them in the event of accidental exposure to liquids." That doesn't address the actual technology at work, but Liquipel's videos confirm the nanocoating is applied with a vapor process in a vacuum. They also use some seriously hyperbolic marketing language.

HzO's website is a bit more descriptive: they say their product is "a chemical vapor deposition that blankets vital electronic circuitry with a nano-thin film containing highly effective, water-repelling properties."

P2i's process dramatically reduces the surface energy of a product, so that when liquids come into contact with it, they form beads and simply run off.

P2i does the best job of detailing its nano coating: "P2i's patented technology employs a special pulsed ionized gas (plasma), which is created within a vacuum chamber, to attach a nanometre-thin polymer layer over the entire surface of a product. This process dramatically reduces the surface energy of a product, so that when liquids come into contact with it, they form beads and simply run off."

Here's where they diverge: HzO and P2i are shopping their coating process around as an addition to manufacturing. Both are outwardly optimistic about making deals with major manufacturers and bringing their technologies to the smartphone market sometime this year. And as futuristic as this all seems, it's not a completely new technology: P2i has videos on Youtube dating back to 2009, and nanotechnology has been showing up in consumer products for years before that.

P2i's already found a customer in Motorola. The RAZR ships with a coating called "SplashGuard," but a test from HzO seems to indicate the coating isn't fully waterproof.

Potential HzO bias notwithstanding, SplashGuard doesn't seem to live up to the standards of the tissue paper tests put forth by all three companies.

Liquipel will coat your smartphone for $60, so long as it's on the list of approved devices. The fact that Liquipel exists is actually great for this nanotechnology in general. If consumer feedback from coated devices comes back positive, companies like Apple and Samsung will be that much quicker to jump on board and integrate nanocoating into the manufacturing process.

That's all for today folks

Bloggy Bloggy Bloggy

2012-02-07T19:18:00.000+00:00

Didn't post anything today because i'm too cool.

BUT... wait for tommorow, very interesting article coming up, can't tell you what it is yet, that would ruin the surprise now wouldn't it, did i just remind you of when you were younger and you were actually excited for Christmas? No? Didn't think so, oh well, gave it a shot...

Kind regards

Person of the future.

Communication of the future

2012-02-06T10:59:00.000+00:00

How cool would it be if we had holographs of each other as communication? Read this...

Communication of the future

From future of communication.

This episode of Future Talks is on the question of what is the future of communication and converstion.

The proliferation of communication technologies is influencing not only what it means to be in touch with our networks of family, friends, and colleagues, but also with ourselves. In observing the ways in which communication—and its more nuanced cousin, conversation—are evolving, we have a chance to reflect on what it means to be connected. The wide-ranging technologies bring a variety of usage styles, defined in part by generational preferences, but also influenced the attraction of novelty.

Brevity is the soul of bits. Studies of online communication done in the 1980’s already pointed to the shortening of messages that is now de rigueur in the world of IM and internet chat. We find politeness often sacrificed in the truncated exchanges, which permit less time for the niceties of face-to-face conversation. But parallel to this, especially among the Digital Natives, we also find that the quickness of messaging and variety of gadgets leads to a type of multi-conversational, multi-media, multi-tasking that allows users to live in a state of near constant electronic contact—a manner of being in the world unknown to previous generations, and one that brings with it different rules of engagement.

To arrive at a complete picture of communication in the digital age, however, we must note that video is on the rise (in contradiction to the expectation that we wouldn’t want to see ourselves “talk on the phone”), and coffee shops, travel opportunities, and social memberships abound—suggesting that we are still very much in tune to our need for a full-on, in person experience of ourselves as part of the human family. The challenge would appear to lie in finding opportunities to productively tune out, capturing the moments of quiet reflection that give our lives depth and balance.

In fact, as each wave of communication innovation subsumes the one that came before, we expect one of our greatest challenges to be not the integration of the technologies, but the ability to remove ourselves from constant connectivity. Will we find ourselves vacationing in electronic communication free zones? Will the Slow Food movement find a new voice in Slow Talk? Whether it is with others or with ourselves, we may the old Ma Bell jingle has a new imperative: “Unplug, unplug and touch someone.”

Writing

2012-02-04T15:47:00.000+00:00

I won't be writing till Monday due to a few personal circumstances.

Bicycle of the future

2012-02-02T11:32:00.001+00:00

Before reading "Bicycles of the future", read through this. It’s about the IPO of facebook. Would be really interesting to see what happens to these technology tycoons.

Facebook files $5 billion IPO, values the company at nearly $100 billion

By Dante Cesa

The rumor, speculation and awkward Winklevii jokes can end (at least for now) as Facebook has officially filed for its public offering. Underwritten by Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs amongst others, the internet's most popular site seeks to trade under the stock symbol "FB" when it goes public later this year. The company is seeking to raise $5 billion, according to this early filing, amounting to a lofty (and still tentative) valuation of almost $100 billion. If that turns out to be accurate, though, Zuck will be one (especially) rich man: with a nearly thirty percent share in the company, his net worth would balloon to almost $30 billion.

The process of going public also provides a rare glimpse into internal stats previously kept private, with documents revealing the service has 845 million active users each month -- nearly half of which log in and actuate 2.7 billion likes and comments each day. The filing also sheds light on the company's balance sheet, with revenues of $777 million, $1.97 billion and $3.71 billion in 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively. All told, it logged profits of $229 million and $606 million in those years -- earnings that were bested by the $1 billion it netted in 2011. The majority of its revenue comes from advertising, yet a sizable chunk (12 percent) of last year's figure comes courtesy of Zynga. All in all, that's enabled the company to stash away nearly $4 billion in cash -- a sizable nest egg for a company only eight years old. As for Zuck, his 2011 salary of $500,000 will be cut to $1 as of January 2013, but he'll be more than comfortable, thanks to that 28.4 percent stake in the company.

Now, back to the main subject…

'Intelligent' bicycle of the future unveiled

A bike, with computer-like intelligence, which can never be stolen and has puncture-proof tyres could be in everyday use by 2029, says British Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman.

Chris Boardman hopes companies will have the courage to invest in something different.

By Sasjkia Otto

Mr Boardman, 40, a former racing cyclist who won an individual pursuit gold medal at the 1992 Olympics, has unveiled a design that makes bikes as “intelligent” as computers.

Its system incorporates an “unbreakable” locking device that allows only the owner to open it via fingerprint recognition.

Other features include puncture-proof self-inflating tyres, a mini computer that counts calories as the pedals turn, a spokeless, lightweight carbon fibre frame and solar-rechargeable lights.

A battery-assisted motor, run by solar panels, takes over the pedalling after a long day and music accompanies the ride.

The bike could be created were a company willing to produce it, insists Mr Boardman, as "everything in it already exists".

This concept lets you control your bicycle by your brainwaves.

You’re looking at the bike of the future, where you’ll control gear shifts with your mind. This design concept is now in the prototype stage, and from the looks of the video above, it’s well on its way to a high-end bike shop near you.

Cyclists will adore the bike’s multiple aerodynamic design features and carbon fiber construction, but the most astonishing thing about the bike is its ability to change gears using its rider’s brain waves.

Before riding while using its mind-reading capabilities, a cyclist needs to train the bike to read his mind. Its “thought sensitive” helmet picks up brain waves, which are transmitted to the bicycle’s brain-controlled electronic “neurotransmission. “

The cyclist acquaints brain with bike by practicing with an experimental iPhone app, moving a cube on its screen until the neural technology associates that thought with the neurotransmission. Once the link is made, all the cyclist has to do is think in that way and the bike’s gears will shift accordingly.

This is some serious magic. But it’s altogether possible – in fact, we’ve tested tech such as the XWave that lets you control objects on a screen with your brainwaves, and it actually works well.

The Prius X Parlee is sponsored by bikemaker Parlee and Toyota as part of its Prius Projects program.

It’s an outstanding idea, but can these designers and innovators mass-produce the bicycle at an affordable price? Update: Alas, the designers say, “The bike is intended only as a design exploration and will not be for sale.”

This video is related. Gives a different insight from a more design perspective rather than technology.

And finally, here is a few designs from a different concept. Enjoy...

Custom Bicycle Concepts | Throughout its lifetime of over a thousand years, the bicycle formula hasn’t changed much– a pair of wheels, a seat, a frame and pedals. While you shouldn’t always fix something that isn’t broken, progress is progress– and these 10 custom bicycle concepts show just how far progress can go. Some are strange, others are sexy, but all of them represent where the future of cycling could go, or reasons why it should stay the same. That much is up to you.

Artikar by Ben Wilson

Part bike, part car, part… halo? Ben Wilson’s Artikar is a four-wheeled recumbent bicycle enclosed within a fluorescent light halo. The light may be all for show, but bikes tend to be as much about style as they are about transportation nowadays. Recumbent bikes can register some pretty high speeds, and this flashy light becomes a safety measure when Ben weaves through the busy traffic in downtown London. Nice work, Mr. Wilson.

Artikar Gallery

Cube Urban Street Bike Concept

This fierce, folding fixie-style bicycle concept adds an entirely new frame philosophy to high speed bike design. The Cube Urban Street Bike Concept ditches the seat tube and top stoy sections of the traditional bike frame for this three-piece system that leaves the back wheel floating. Technically, this design could remove a significant amount of weight from the modern bicycle, but this design appears a bit bulky. Bulky or not, sexy it is. Can you imagine the heads you’ll turn carving up the pavement with this thing? We hope Cube has addressed stiffness issues, as working without those rear tubes can be problematic.

Forkless Cruiser Bike Concept by Olli Erkkila

While the Cube bike above ditched a few back bars for performance, the Forkless Cruiser Bike Concept by Olli Erkkila ditched the front fork altogether. Turn the handlebars and a long, curbed tube moves the front wheel side to side, effectively steering the bike. To see Olli ride it will appear confusing, as the missing front fork looks like some sort of magic trick. While this bike may not represent advancements in future biking, it is still an achievement which we haven’t seen done in the past. That’s enough to warrant inclusion in this list, from our perspective.

Forkless Cruiser Bike Concept Gallery

Furious Sports Bike Concept

The Furious Sports Bike Concept by Nenad Kostadinov is another experiment with the traditional bike frame, this time removing the down tube and top stoy. Unlike other concepts, however, this one appears to provide the support and stiffness needed for an efficient, comfortable and stable ride. Yet the change in frame structure isn’t what makes this bike special, it’s the on-board computer which displays various information about your ride. Speed, location, calorie consumption and other information is shown to the rider front and center throughout their session, be it for pleasure or a daily commute.

Furious Sports Bike Concept Gallery

Chris Boardman’s Intelligent Bike Concept

Pro cyclist Chris Boardman has pontificated on what the future of cycling may hold with his Intelligent Bike Concept. The Intelligent Bike Concept features a solar-powered backup motor, an onboard computer, a fingerprint security scanner and a spoke-free wheel design. We’re having a tough time spotting the photovoltaic panels, but since this is just a rendering we imagine they’ll be added later. Boardman’s bike concept is designed to add all the future-level functionality to a bike today, giving a rider a rounded cycling experience that may not be seen on the road for decades. Oh, and did we mention that it looks awesome?

Wire Bike Concept by Ionut Predescu

The Wire Bike Concept by Ionut Predescu is designed to be as light as a feather and as stiff as a board, achieving significant weight loss by using a suspension frame system instead of the standard bike frame. Think of it like a suspension bridge, where the weight of the payload helps sustain the structure’s form. Losing the top tube and the down tube of a traditional frame easily drops some weight from this bike, making for a lighter, more efficient ride. The solid pieces of this frame will be carbon fiber, while the cables themselves will be light kevlar.

Wire Bike Concept Gallery

Ruiter Simplicity Bike Concept

Designer Joey Ruiter developed a bike concept based on a philosophy of simplicity. All his bike needed was a pair of wheels, handle bars, a seat and pedals, in this case connected directly to the rear wheel. The Ruiter Simplicity Bike Concept ditches the crank, the chain and most of the frame of a typical bike, yielding a basic commuter bike to help its rider get from point A to point B. For us, the jury is out on this bike until we could get a chance to ride it. No gear system means low speeds (which removes the need for that front brake), the two-bar frame means it may not be stiff enough to remain stable and efficient, and that seat looks less-than-comfortable. What we do know about this bike is that it looks entirely lovely, and should reflect a philosophy of simplicity that other bike manufacturers can learn from.

Ruiter Simplicity Bike Concept Gallery

Eco 07 Bike Concept by Victor Aleman

Victor Aleman’s Eco 07 Bike Concept is designed not to fold down to size, but to be completely disassembled and fit into a box not much larger than a brief case. When you transport this bike, its space saving functionality is nearly unparalleled– for a full size bike. The Eco 07 Bike Concept isn’t designed to be deconstructed every day, just when it won’t be used for a while. Otherwise, this lovely orange, gray and silver bike looks like a fierce little fixey we’d love to pilot on the hard concrete.

Eco 07 Bike Concept Gallery

Peugeot B1k Concept Bicycle

Peugeot has established a long tradition of producing not only fine automobiles, but progressively designed bicycles as well. The Peugeot B1k Concept Bicycle is the latest and clearly the greatest in this tradition, a serious speedster with a range of next gen performance components. Its seat is raise higher than its joystick-style handlebars, its solid pedal-and-crank turns a chain-free rear wheel, and a carbonized construction means this bike weighs little more than a standard road bike. As far as this list goes, the Peugeot B1K Concept Bicycle is our clear favorite, easily the sexiest bike we have ever seen.

Peugeot B1k Concept Bicycle Gallery

Plus Bike Concept by Bortolani and Righi

The Plus Bike Concept by Bortolani and Righi is a gem in bicycle design, a form that throws aerodynamics out the window for an almost Victorian-inspired upright setting. Its futuristic frame shows the plus sign for which it is named, with a seat post separated from the central frame and lighting in both the back and front of the main tube. Like many others on this list, the Plus Bike may never see production, let alone a prototype, but we admire the ingenuity of Bortolani and Righi and salute them for this design.

Plus Bike Concept Gallery

So, what is your favorite bike from this list? It’s hard to beat that Peugeot B1k, but there are others that’ll give it a good ride for its money. Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and share with us any futuristic bike concepts you’ve seen that you think deserve a spot here.

Clothing of the future

2012-02-01T12:59:00.000+00:00

Watch this first, quite cool.

Scientists are now experimenting with what our clothing will look like and, more importantly, do for us in the years to come. For example, some day we will be able to charge our iPods with body energy converted to electricity. Other futuristic products include clothing made of self-cleaning material that doesn’t require much washing, outfits made with carbon nanofibers that act as armor, soft helmets that turn hard in case of a crash, and wool that doesn’t itch or shrink. Finally, there is experimentation with byproducts such as chicken feathers or rice straw being turned into material to cut down on petroleum-based synthetic fabrics. We guess that means that you can double your clothing as pillows or sleeping bags, should the need arise.

Lacoste on the future of tennis clothing!

This video features an ad from lacoste about tennis in the future, in the year 2083 to be exact. Pretty cool future concept and great computer animation. But why would the technique and footwork change completely, he doesn’t move like a tennis player at all more like some anime character. Plus, his uniform looks like some prediction of what 2010 would look like from the 60′s.
Watch the video yourself:

Back to clothes that charge iPods!!!

I have been struck by inspiration rather hard on the head to write a post aboutclothing of the future. Do you like the sound of Charging iPods from clothing that harnesses energy from our body? Or Carbon nanofiber turning your clothes into impenetrable armor? Read on to find out more.

My inspiration came from a fantastic documentary on the BBC about various future technologies. I wanted to read more and went Googling around for a while until eventually I realized I could turn my interest into a blog post. What fun!

First up is the clothes that harness kinetic energy from the skin using nanotechnology to convert the energy into electricity. Wearing such an item you will basically be a Terminator turned inside out, “let me just plug my phone into my… LEG!” This also means that in theory all the heat that is given off by the billions of people on earth can be turned into something useful. At the end of your day, or perhaps week or month you will have generated and saved up a load of electricity. That could be interesting in the bedroom!

“Honey, why don’t you take your clothes off?”

“That would be a waste of electricity, this is the only exercise I get!”

That is if people are still having biological sex by this time. We will probably be able to beam seamen via teleportation straight to the required destination. Intriguing, as that would mean you could impregnate every woman on the planet at once at the press of a button.

Moving on. This is a clothes blog. Not a play ground for my smutty humor.

Second up, are clothes that monitor our health and emotions. These clothes could activate fragrances and provide life saving drugs when needed. For example for an asthmatic having an asthma attack. Presumably however, this could be done with any kind of body-monitoring system, it doesn’t have to be clothes. Although adjusting things like temperature would have to be done via the clothing.

Thirdly there is spray on clothing. These are ultra short-term clothes, ’spray and go’ type thing. The benign chemicals would turn into fabrics which would bind together. I like this idea, however I wouldn’t want a trouser leg growing out of my eye. And I wouldn’t want to spray on a bra by mistake, when I wanted a t-shirt.

Below is a smart T-shirt created by the Sensatex Company. It already exists! It has sensors that send information to a computer about health and bodily performance. It will be useful for sportsmen and athletes to find out how much more they can push themselves and could also be very useful in the army I’d imagine.

Could in 20 years we be searing for retro clothing, but with a twist – of tiny cables?

Kitchen of the future

2012-01-31T18:23:00.001+00:00

Right, before you read this article, i would like you to take a long look at this picture.

Looked at it yet?

Good

Now, heres an article for the ladies...

Kitchen of the future

Behold what IKEA thinks your kitchen will look like in 2040:

electricpig.co.uk

ElectricPig shares the scoop on IKEA's vision of kitchens of the future! They'll come complete with self-cleaning counters, appliances with 3-D holographic displays and even something called a "3-D food printer" (number 2 in the top left). We're not quite sure what all these gizmos are meant to do, but we love the idea of incorporating our iPads into our kitchen design!

Moms, it's time for you to dream! What would you want in your kitchen of the future?

Kitchen of the future 2

Tomorrow’s kitchens may be radically different from the ones we have now. They need to be space-saving, sophisticated, and more than anything, be kind to the environment. Take a close look at these kitchens of the future for you may be using one sooner than you expect (Especially since some of them are already out on stores!).

The above kitchen (designed by Cheng He, Liu Guang Kui and Zhou Dong from China) was the winning design at “Kitchen is heart of the home”, a kitchen design contest organized by DesignBoom where 2980 designers from 102 countries participated. Sow how does it work? Here is the description from the designers themselves.

(1). Creating the new concept of happy kitchen: Sharing the joy with relatives and friends face-to-face.
(2). Cupboard adopts double-deck rotator structure, can rotate 180°respectively, the three major work center of washing, mixing and cooking can rotate in the front of the operator, let “zero” distance in each workflow; And can lift in certain distance in order to be suitable for the different operator.
(3). Flume has two kinds of outlets: The parallel water outlets of induction type lie on both sides of flume; The holding type faucets with metal hose lie in the middle of two flumes, that can be suitable for operating under various environments.
(4).Abandon the board type, slide rail and hinge of the traditional cupboard completely. This cupboard regards the structure frame of aluminium alloy and the combination of stainless steel pipe as the integer structure. Adopt level bearing, hydraulic pressure system, shutting system to realize lifting of cupboard and wall cupboard.
(5). Integrative structures with operational table-board, flume and kitchen, cupboard distribute icebox, disinfector and oven symmetrically, other borders are closets.
(6). Lower cupboard is drawing structure, can pull out wholly while using, and make the operation simplify. Hang the kitchen ventilator under the top cupboard with function of illumination.

Here is another concept kitchen designed by Hieu Tranngoc and Hao Tran from Vietnam which drew inspiration from the shape of an apple tree with fruits hanging from its large branches. It incorporates a closet, a small fridge, an electric cooker, and the microwave oven the two large fruits hanging from the two branches. Additionally, there is provision for mounting an LCD monitor if you are into browsing while you cook.

At first glance, Lebrun‘s design looks more like a kitchen garden than the actual kitchen. But that is before you get to know that the panel can be opened to reveal a workspace, cooking surface and sink. The plants on top are specialized ones that were developed by the aerospace industry for their filtering and cleaning properties. They provide a renewable supply of clean water and vegetable soap.

If you are conscious of conserving space, you will like this design by Fevzi Karaman which packs nearly everything the kitchen needs in one sleek module.

[Via]

Alight kitchen from Altera Design Studio is an award winning design at the Incheon International Design Competition 2007 and it hosts a number of features.

Only ready-made food and beverages are consumed in sheet-metal packaging so people will be conscious about what and how much they eat.
Food and beverages packs will be kept inside the cooling unit of the system. It only allows storage of 3 days’ worth of food.
A Smart oven warms up the food in groups to minimize how often it’s used. It arranges the ideal time and temperature for the packs by reading their barcodes.
There are 4 hollow plates located on the main dining table. Each of them can rotate on its center-axis so you can eat on the either side of the plate. The center of the table houses a small flatware station.
The integrated dishwasher conserves water by filtering and reusing previous wash water.
All plates are stored underneath in their own compartments.

Whirlpool’s ‘green kitchen’ is a concept that pays a lot of attention to reduce wastage by diverting 60% of the water and heat generated from itself to fuel other appliances or functions in the kitchen. For example, it uses the heat from the fridge compressor to produce hot water for the dish washer.

Okay, so far we showed you kitchens that are not in the market yet. But those below are already out.

For example, this tech kitchen from designer Sebastien Poupeau is height adjustable, music enabled and web connected.

Who says the kitchen table needs to be rectangular? Not Enex… Their curvilinear design breaks away from the conventions and the kitchen seems to be taken right out of a Sci-Fi flick! Built in entertainment system seems to be a nice touch too.

More curvy kitchen workspaces…

This unit from Tokyo Kitchen can be arranged in a variety of ways depending on your space. It is aesthetic and functional with three electric cooking rings, a generous circular sink and plenty of space for storing kitchen items.

Buildings of the future

2012-01-30T11:35:00.000+00:00

Future Architecture : Floating Ecopolis for Climate Refugees:

According to the less alarming forecasts of the GIEC (Intergovernmental group on the evolution of the climate), the ocean level should rise from 20 to 90 cm during the 21st Century with a status quo by 50 cm (versus 10 cm in the 20th Century). As a solution to this alarming problem architect Vincent Callebaut came up with this ecotectural marvel that could serve as a luxurious future retreat for 50,000 inhabitants seeking refuge from rising waters due to global warming. He believes the world will be desperately seeking shelter from the devastations of climate change, and hopes the auto-sufficient amphibious city will serve as a luxurious solution. To bad that right now we are close to 7 billion people and this luxurious future retreat is just for 50,000 inhabitants ( just for rich people ).

Vincent Callebaut called this project “Lilypad“, but this ecotectural marvel is also called as “Floating Ecopolis for Climate Refugees”. The whole structure is covered in green walls and roofs, the top portion covered in grasses with the inner portion featuring a palm oasis, and the under portion serving as a bed for natural sea planktons and oceanic plants. Finally if you were already planning to reserve a place to this luxurious future retreat stay calm, because Vincent Callebaut hopes that “Floating Ecopolis for Climate Refugees” will make the transition from design to reality around the year 2100.

Unbuilt Buildings: 12 Awesome Future Architectural Designs

By Steph in Architecture & Design, Environment & Nature

(images via: Green Roofs)

The Songjiang Hotel by Atkins Design makes use of a beautiful water-filled quarry in the Songjiang district just outside Shanghai in China. This innovative design features a green roof, geothermal energy and underwater areas including a restaurant and guest rooms. The quarry provides an ideal setting for sports and leisure including swimming, water sports, rock climbing and bungee jumping. The Songjiang Hotel was originally slated to be completed by May 2009, but as of now it’s still just a concept.

Dragonfly, a Metabolic Farm for Urban Agriculture

(images via: Vincent Callebaut)

From Vincent Vallebaut, designer of the Lilypad concept, comes another stunning sustainable design that aims to meet the food, housing and energy challenges of the future. The Dragonfly is an urban farm concept for New York City’s Roosevelt Island, modeled after the wings of a dragonfly and designed to provide fresh, local food within an urban environment. Fruit, vegetables, grains, meat and dairy would be produced on the Dragonfly’s 132 floors and the entire structure would be powered by a combination of solar and wind power.

The Venus Project: Working Toward Sustainable Global Civilization

(Designed by Jacque Fresco – images via: The Venus Project)

In order to survive global warming, the growing human population and other challenges in the upcoming centuries, some believe that we must start from scratch with a new model of human civilization that directs our technology and resources toward the positive, for the maximum benefit of the people and the planet. The Venus Project is a vision for a brand new world civilization and redesign of our entire culture. Circular cities with built-in farms and public transit, along with sea cities that can accommodate millions, are just part of this complex and visionary idea to take us “beyond politics, poverty and war”.

The Origami, Seamless Indoor/Outdoor Apartment Living

(images via: ArchDaily)

By making apartment buildings entirely vertical, we could enhance the livability of urban residences and provide lush green gardens for each apartment dweller to enjoy. The Origami by Kann Finch, designed for Meydan City in Dubai, would give each apartment an open quality that extends the internal living areas to extensive balconies with uplifting window walls. A patterned solid/glass screen gives the building visual interest from the outside and provides shade and privacy for the residents.

Dynamic, Wind-Powered Rotating Tower

(images via: Dynamic Architecture)

Italian architect David Fischer designed the Dynamic Tower Skyscraperso that each of its 80 floors would rotate according to voice command. Fischer wanted to design a space where you could enjoy the sunrise and sunset from the same room. The rotation takes up to 3 hours and is powered by solar panels and 79 wind turbines, with one turbine located between each floor. Almost the entire structure will be pre-fabricated offsite. Construction is due to be completed by the end of 2010.

Højblokka / Puls High-Rise

(images via: ArchDaily)

The Højblokka_PULS project by MAPT + DARK architects is another approach to vertical urban living, taking advantage of vertical space to expand the capacity of large cities as the population grows. The idea is to have buildings with smaller footprints that is woven into the circulation of the area, combining office spaces, hotels, leisure and shopping facilities with sunlit public spaces in its low-rise urban block.

Green and Modern Fair & Exhibition Space at the Punta Umbria Pavilion

(images via: DailyTonic)

MRDP Arquitectos, a Spanish design firm, wanted to create a space for fairs and exhibitions that would remain lively even in between events, maximizing the usage of the space. Their design for the Punta Umbria Pavilion is situated on an urban plaza and is contained under an expansive green roof covered in native, weather-resistant, low-maintenance plants. A 17m tower serves as a ‘lighthouse’ that provides views of the river and its surroundings.

Sky-Terra Skyscrapers: Urban Recreation in the Sky

(images via: The Design Blog)

As cities become more crowded, green urban space comes at a premium. One idea for preserving recreation space in urban environments is the Sky-Terra Skyscraper by San Francisco-based designer Joanna Borek-Clement. Sky-Terra is a neuron-like network of skyscrapers that tower over the city, bringing public parks, amphitheaters, fields and public pools closer to the sun. The inner core of each structure has elevators to transport people from street level to the top.

The Future World Trade Center

(images via: WTC)

New York was deprived of its Twin Towers in 2001, but it will soon have a whole new World Trade Center gracing its skyline. Made up of five new skyscrapers, a museum, a transportation hub, a retail complex and a performing arts center, the new design aims to make the World Trade Center a cultural and commemorative destination. The memorial plaza is scheduled to open on September 11th 2011, followed by the underground memorial museum and Tower 4 in 2012 and the Freedom Tower in 2013. The economic meltdown has slowed progress and it’s unknown when towers 2, 3 and 5 will be completed.

‘My Dream, Our Vision’ by Design Act

(images via: ArchiCentral)

Singapore-based design firm Design Act created the ‘My Dream, Our Vision’ concept for the World Expo 2010 Singapore Pavilion Competition. It uses permutated cubes to generate a pixelated-looking sculptural building that that looks like an illuminated ‘digital cloud’ hovering over a constantly changing green pasture. Designed to present Singapore as the ideal example of a city that can transform the lives of everyone who comes into contact with it, the ‘My Dream, Our Vision’ concept encourages visitors to post their dreams inside.

No Man’s Land: Fresh Water, Clean Energy… and Peace

(images via: Inhabitat)

Can architecture foster peace in the Middle East? The No Man’s Land concept by New York-based architect Phu Hoang Office solves some site-specific issues such as friction over water control and also provides recreation, tourist attractions and renewable energy. The No Man’s Land design is made up of a network of islands, creating an artificial archipelago that actually extracts water molecules from the air to be desalinated, providing fresh drinking water.

Dystopian Farming in Manhattan

(images via: eVolo)

Resembling the nest of an insect, the Dystopian Farming project by Eric Vergne combines farms, worker housing and market places, mixing politically opposing classes – farmers and urban consumers. The idea is to reject the romanticizing of food projection and embrace genetic engineering, airoponic watering and nutrient technologies in a fully man-controlled environment in order to meet Manhattan’s food production needs.

Rollercoaster of the future

2012-01-29T18:25:00.000+00:00

Today, i was thinking what to write about. I thought it has to be good because my readers must be pissed off about me not writing yesterday. You must so heavily rely on my writing and it has most probably ruined your day if not your life, when i do not write. For some of you that haven't realised... this was a joke... or a poor attempt at one. Anyway, the reason i wrote this article is because i went to Disney World in summer and thought it would be appropriate and interesting to write about the future of ROLLERCOASTERS!!! YAYYYYYY. So, here you go my cult of fantastic followers!

The Future of Roller Coasters

Taken from techyzone

Nothing symbolizes the thrill of the amusement park like a roller coaster with its twists and turns and gravity defying loops. The roller coaster is one of the most popular rides for adults and children and has always been the ultimate attraction at antheme park or fair.

The invention of the roller coaster can be traced back to theRussian ice slides which involved large platforms made of wood which held up thick sheets of sloping ice. People would climb up to the top of the platforms and slide down the ice slide in carts and sleighs. The rides slowly grew in length and height as more turns and curves were added to them. The roller coaster cars also great improvements where wheels were introduced to them and rails were added to the slopes.

Roller coasters also moved from being built entirely of wood to being built entirely of steel when it was discovered that steel tubing provided stronger and better loops.

Today, roller coasters have come a long way from the wooden ice slides that they once were. Roller coasters are now considered to be the ultimate scream machines and boast intricate loops and drops that are almost as tall as skyscrapers. Some of the world’s best roller coasters include the Bizarro in New England, the Top Thrill Dragster in New Jersey and theSilver Star in Germany.

However, this invention of the roller coaster has not yet reached its zenith as inventors and game ride engineers are not thinking of new ways to improve these speed monsters to make them faster, taller and safer.

Many of the older and traditionally designed roller coasters use chains to propel the carts up and down the rides. The chains are gradually tightened and pull the coaster up the slope, after which the cart is released and its wheels are left to travel on the ride’s rails. The acceleration and thrill of the downward drop is created automatically by gravity.

The use of cablesinstead of the traditional chain has resulted in a faster and smoother roller coaster ride. Many of the world’s most famous roller coasters use cables to carry cars and coaches. Here passengers are launched uphill on the cables and travel faster with velocity and gravity working together with the smooth and strong metal cables. Such coasters are called launch coasters and are capable of moving passengers from 0 to almost 200 kilometres per hour in 4 seconds. The coasters are also capable of taking cars over a 130 meter curve.

Roller coasters are also expected to be much safer for passengers in the future with the use of technology. Currently it is the cable and chain roller coasters that dominate most amusement parks and it is only the more modern parks that have put up hi-tech coasters. These hi-tech coasters use thousands of sensors that evaluate air pressure, weight and weather conditions before launching the carts.

However, cable and chains are only small steps in the development for roller coasters, which have now grown in size and height along with technology. The future roller coasters are expected to use electromagnetic power to have death defying drops with sophisticated coaches that travel at extreme speeds. Electromagnets are used as launch mechanisms and create magnetic waves that push the roller coasters cars down the track.

These futuristic coasters will be able to incorporate giant loops and inversions that human beings are able to survive only because of the carefully calculated designs. Roller coaster designers use special programs and computer-aided design platforms that are capable of estimating just how high a hill or drop can be before it becomes life threatening. This is because the human body is not capable of withstanding speed and g-forces beyond a certain limit, after which it will stop blood flow. As a result, roller coaster engineers use specific geometry programs to establish safe and exciting tracks that allow for speed but minimize g-force.

These coasters use electromagnetic power to hold the cars to the rails and sophisticated computer technology and linear-induction motors to direct the coasters. Such roller coasters are expected to require less maintenance and man-power and be run entirely on computers. Future roller coasters may be outfitted with sensors and automatic detectors that will evaluate the launch conditions – a process that may soon become as detailed and as sophisticated as a rocket launch!

Our future roller coasters will have both single cars and group cars and feature multiple inversion loops, drops and climbs with many curves interloping with each other. They will feature complicated designs that will create both fear and excitement in the hearts of all that see these rides and will yet have lines of people waiting for their turn. Some of the world’s most advanced roller coasters are the Universal Orlando’s Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit and the Kingda Ka.

Green Fun with The Shweeb (Human-Powered Monorail)

Check out this new fun way to reach from one place to another. “The Shweeb”, (Pedal Powered Monorail) is really cool and best example of green fun. This concept can surely change the way of public transportation. If you are planning to stay in a futuristic city or town then it will definitely have this amazing concept. This monorail consists of 200 meter long overhead rail circuits that vary in height. This Pedal Power concept is very efficient and good in performance. Once you have entered in this monorail, you will just feel like you are having a roller-coaster ride.

Source : Shweeb

Boat of the future

2012-01-27T14:24:00.003+00:00

0digg

If you’ve spent any time in a harbor, you’ve noticed one fateful failure: most yachts lack any semblance of uniqueness. While the sea may be filled with countless cookie-cutter ships, there are some designs that stand out strongly. To celebrate the works of today’s greatest boat designers, here is a list of 10 yachts that truly push the cutting edge of sea-faring design.

The Solar Sailor Sun-Powered Catamaran

The high seas — unobscured by trees or buildings — is the perfect location to harvest the power of the sun. The Solar Sailor glides across the water on this axiom, fueled by the sun and its boundless energy. Solar Sailor is not just one cutting-edge catamaran, but a series of ships powered by Solar Sailor’s system. Be it a private yacht, a luxury cruise line or a colossal container ship, this system energizes the sea with the power of the anchor of our solar system. [link]

EarthRace Biodiesel Powerboat

Like the Solar Sailor above, this boat is powered by the sun– but with an assist from the fruit of the earth. EarthRace is a boat built to speed across the planet fueled by eco-friendly biodiesel. Earth, water and seed were livened by the sun to sprout vegetation, and this vegetation was harvested to fuel the EarthRace superboat across our tiny blue planet. EarthRace did so– and fast. This amazing, high design ship sailed the seven seas in a mere 61 days (a world record!) powered without a single drop of oil. That’s one hell of a feat… and this is one hell of an aggressive ship! [link]

The Code X Yacht

Captain this catamaran across the clear seas and you’ll be the envy of everyone. The Code X Yacht isn’t just pretty, she’s fast to boot. Code X is a 48′ catamaran with 1420 horse power under the hood pushing this sexy beast to 80 knots. If that’s too quick for your speed, take a look at the connecting piece over the catamaran– that solar panel will power an electric motor to 9 knots, a leisurely speed that’s perfect for entertaining sunset guests. Fast and furious or green conscious, the Code X Yacht is hungry for the waters in your neck of the woods. [link]

The Oculus Yacht

Oculus– in latin, the eye. In this case, the “eye” in this yacht’s nomenclature is centered on the grand eye of the dolphin that inspired this design. Oculus Yacht is a sea spectacle of the most true order, a shining example of aqua ingenuity in this watery world. [link]

The Wallypower 118 Super Yacht

It’s official. Ride the waters on this one, you’re either a Bond villain or a mad scientist. The Wallypower 118 Yacht is an aggressive, angular poweryacht with the most progressive design on this list. There is nothing more stylish on the seven seas than this Wallypower, and if you can prove otherwise, do so in the comments! [link]

The Modern Houseboat by X-Architects

Scoop this modern houseboat out of the water and drop it in the hills of Hollywood, it would appear no different than the mid-century designs that grace that landscape. The Modern Houseboat by X-Architects is a sea-bound home with the metal structure, the floor-to-ceiling windows that would make the architecture world jealous. Okay, perhaps it’s not that progressive, but this is one houseboat you cannot ignore. Lovely… [link]

The Sea Shadow Stealth Warship

If you see this one coming, you’re lucky– because it certainly won’t show up on your radar. The Sea Shadow Stealth Warship is invisible to most radar systems of the 20th century, which is what made it a Navy secret until recently. This sea-carving catamaran might be yours for a price, at it has faced retirement and is up for consideration by those at the Pentagon. Can you imagine breaking the waves with this bad ass? If money is no object, you might just be able to talk the Justice Department into pulling some strings for you… [link]

The Sea Phantom by Maritime Flight Dynamics

Does it look like a killer whale with corporate sponsor decals? It does to us. Then again, when you start it up, you won’t be laughing. The Sea Phantom V-10 is a water-hungry sea beast with plenty of performance history. Designed by Maritime Flight Dynamics, the Sea Phantom was built to reach cruising speed on the open water, then achieve a wing-bound “flight” to skip across the surface with it’s unique aerodynamic design. [link]

The Eden Luxury Motoryacht

The old woody’s of yesteryear have given way to a fresh new design sensibility in the world of luxury yachts. The Eden Motoryacht is only typical in it’s size and function, it’s design is as organic and progressive as it comes. From bow to stern, head to toe, the Eden Motoryacht carries it’s passengers in ultimate sea-friendly style. We wouldn’t mind being one of those passengers ourselves… [link]

The Oasis of the Seas Cruise Ship

The world’s largest cruise ship– you’re looking at it. While these images of the Oasis of the Seas may have been only renderings, this boat is now sailing on the open seas, passengers included. The last time such bold claims were made, however, a ship of this sort sunk on its maiden voyage from Liverpool, England. (side note– if this writer’s grandmother’s train hadn’t derailed en route to the Titanic back in 1912, you wouldn’t be reading this article right now. no joke) [link]

If you had to break waves in one of these mega boats, which would you choose? We might opt for that Wallypower yacht, we get excited thinking about how that one will break the waves. Let us know which of these you might take into the wild blue yonder. Afterward, check out these other TheCoolist features we think you might enjoy:

Megaupload was the future

2012-01-26T20:55:00.000+00:00

Kim Schmitz, a legend, a hero and now a myth. Why would one person get 50 years in prison for the provision of free knowledge? Why can they not advise the mastermind on how to pay for the licenses through commission based revenue? Because in our world, money means more than anything... anything.

Write a comment below saying "Keep" as a petition against this abomination.

We need megaupload and megaupload needs us.

Talking of the future

2012-01-26T16:14:00.003+00:00

Before you stop reading this blog, reply to my questions at the bottom.

For just under a month now, i have been talking of the future, what the future holds and subsequent subjects that may have slightly deterred from the original subject. Well, this is one of those posts, the ones that deter slightly from the subject. Not interested? Good.

The future does not only hold technological development but also political and economical development. Through the past century, we have all witnessed the unsuccessful reign of communism and the interpretation of its failure through marxist theories, stating that without capitalism, communism could have been successful through socialist policies; the example could be the collapse of the Russian economy in the early 90's where the default on their debt caused negative speculation about the validity of communism. So what does the future hold? Capitalism? Cronyism?

2500 of the most influential heads in the world gathered today at Davos, Switzerland. Discussions were held and plans were illustrated. Out of them 2500 people, one of them was my Uncle. Obviously i can't be disclosing names publicly but there we go. Very proud.

So today, i want to ask two questions. Two of them off-topic and one of them on-topic:

1. If you had a time machine what era would you go back to? The era of the Roman Empire?

2. What would you bring with you? Guns? An iPhone?

3. What do you think the future holds for the world? Crisis? Capitalism? Socialism? (All three seem to go hand in hand).

OR

Finally, check this out, the best and most awesome stunts ever seen on video!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/Aged6T/www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo0Cazxj_yc%2F

Verrrryyyyyy Niceeeeeee

Table of the future

2012-01-25T09:36:00.000+00:00

We haven't got these yet! Definitely got to get one.

Microsoft table of the future

Kitchen Table of the Future Imagined by The New York R&D Times Lab

BY RUSTY BLAZENHOFF ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab recently got a peek of our “reading around the breakfast table” future imagined byThe New York Times Company’s Research & Development Lab. Using Microsoft’s surface technology, thistouchscreen kitchen table allows sharing of the morning news with your loved ones. More than that, it is “highly personal and highly social”, interacting with everyday objects and making sharing of news easy. Wonderful.

I put my phone down, I get these little red radials coming out of it. And now I’m presented with a list of those articles that have been shared with me. I can tap that last one that’s been left, and then it comes right back. I can take a look at that and see what’s been left for me. And that could have naturally spawned some sort of an alert on my phone, or on my laptop at work, in a couple of different ways.
And certainly we can have the table react to other objects, as well — you know, it is a table, first and foremost. So you might be eating your breakfast or having a cup of coffee. That gives us an opportunity to be a little playful with the ad experience, as well.

Shopping of the future

2012-01-24T11:27:00.000+00:00

Cisco: The Future of Shopping

Watch these video's. Interesting to see what the future holds for the ladies.

1 minutes

Waving hands about to try on clothing at a store? This is how Cisco ushers out their vision for the future of shopping. Overall it just seems pretty far fetched that the main innovation in the experience shown is that of their new business router. On the other hand, Microsoft Xbox’s Project Natal may in fact be the technology that leads to such a customer experience. All in all, such an experience would be much better suited for home shopping. The primary benefit of in-store shopping really is the hands on touchy feely aspects… not the fact that they have mirrors.

Helicopter of the future

2012-01-23T11:25:00.000+00:00

Transport Heavy Items With Special Designed Helicopter

Use of Helicopters for lifting heavy items are not that trendy in the recent world but still there is always a need of a helicopter that can lift gigantic items for easy and quick transportation. This heavy lift robotic helicopter concept was designed during last 2008 with keeping giant lifting capabilities in mind. The innovative design will let the helicopter to pull a remarkably high object and the placing of the propellers have made them easy movable to offer better control. Both of the landing beams are supported with three hydraulic legs that can increase or reduce the height of the giant lifter.

Jon says:
The basic principle for the helicopter is to serve in the military as an unmanned helicopter to help out the construction crews build bases quickly. Dual propellers mounted on either side give stability as well as an incredible amount of lifting capacity considering the size of the vehicle. It’s just near the size of an average sedan but could easily lift a military grade hummer or whatever supplies the crew/troops need.

Maneuverability is key and so the engine pods can pivot in any direction needed to fit into small spots or to find its way through a city. Two cables come down from both ends of the vehicle to attach onto the object needing transport. The landing gear can also be used to pick up objects or to give the object some stability when in motion.

Designer : Jon Russel
Source: Tuvie.com

Facebook bed of the future

2012-01-22T13:35:00.000+00:00

Just something interesting i thought i would post. What is the world coming to! LOL.

Robotics of the future

2012-01-22T12:50:00.001+00:00

Its amazing how the world has evolved from a crappy old black and white Nokia with snake, to iPhones within a 10 year period. Now its time for robotic evolution; robots that do our daily chores or maybe even act as surrogates. Talking about Nokia, on my next post i will be talking about their new invention, a flexible phone!

So today i have brought you 3 different articles all written by Alex Knapp (Forbes).

Robots Are Learning To Take Care Of Pets

(Photo credit: Jessica McConnell Burt/The GeorgeWashington University)

Over at the University of Pennsylvania, robotics researchers have taught the Willow Garage PR2 to pick up dog leavings, so you don’t have to.

But now researchers at George Washington University are taking that pet-care robotics research one step further – they’re teaching PR2 robots to walk dogs and play fetchwith them.

The students proposed tasks that they would tackle, first in simulation and then in the real world with the robot,” Dr. Drumwright explained. Most of students chose pet-related tasks—things a robot would do in the course of taking care of a pet. Mr. Zapolsky proposed teaching the robot to walk a dog. Ph.D. student James Taylor worked on a “fetch” game, where the robot would throw a ball for a pet to retrieve. And Ph.D. student Roxana Leontie developed a program that would allow the robot to carry items without stable centers of gravity—say, bottles of water or half-filled bags of pet kibble.
[...]
Mr. Zapolsky said the course was appealing because he had taken a lot of advanced mathematics courses and was interested in applying what he’d learned. One of his biggest challenges during the semester was learning several programming languages as a first step, before he could even begin working on simulations for the robot. And his dog-walking problem was one of the most complex of the semester.
“Walking a dog is a difficult concept, since dogs are variable creatures,” he said. “You’re not just dragging a dog—they’re in front of you but still following you. You realize how smart dogs are when you try to get a robot to do it. So it’s turned into a project about walking a robot.”

This is a pretty fascinating project, that both illustrates some of the cool things that we can do with robots. But it also illustrates just how difficult robotics programming still is. That said, I do love Willow Garage’s PR2 because it’s where I think a part of the future of robotics is going – general purpose robots that are capable of doing lots of things, rather than specialized robots for particular tasks.

Let’s just hope that they don’t turn dogs against us in the inevitable robot apocalypse. We need those dogs to let us know when a person is really a Terminator.

Ask For a Sandwich and This Robot Will Go to Subway For You

A PR2 (Image by robbie_shade via Flickr)

Longtime readers know that I’m a fan of Willow Garage’s PR2 robot, which is being used all over the world for robotics research. It’s also been used in student projects to perform tasks that seem relatively simple for humans, but are actually rather hard for robots, including baking cookies, solving Rubik’s cubes, and doing the laundry.

Now here’s an even more interesting piece of programming. A team of researchers from both University of Tokyo and Technische Universität München have joined forces to develop what they’re calling “semantic search” for use with the PR2. Evan Ackerman explains:

“Semantic search” is simply the ability to make inferences about an object based on what is known about similar objects and the environment. It sounds complicated, but it’s really just a computerized version of what we humans think of as “common sense.” For example, if someone asks you to bring them a cup without telling you exactly where the cup is, you’re probably clever enough to infer that cups can be found in drawers or cabinets or dishwashers, and that drawers and cabinets and dishwashers are all usually located in a kitchen, so you can go to the kitchen, poke around for a little bit, and find a cup. Semantic search allows robots to do the same sort of thing.

Now that’s a pretty innovative piece of programming. What’s more interesting is that it will also learn. So if you store something in a room not normally associated with the object – say, your phone chargers in the hall closet – it will learn to associate phone chargers and the hall closet.

You can see a demo of the PR2 with semantic search below. Here, the robot is given a simple command – to get a sandwich. It first checks the kitchen, fails to find a sandwich, and then goes somewhere else where sandwiches are found – the local Subway. It even knows what floor to take the elevator to. Check it out.

Robots as Surrogates for the Disabled

Robotics company Willow Garage has teamed up with the Healthcare Robotics Group at Georgia Tech on a project they’re calling Robots for Humanity. For the first part of the project, they’re working with Henry Evans, who is a mute quadriplegic after suffering a stroke. He can, however, control one finger and the motion of his head, and that’s been enough for him to interface with one of Willow Garage’s PR2 robots. Here’s how Willow Garage puts it:

Last year, Henry caught a TV interview of Georgia Tech Professor Charlie Kemp showing research with the Willow Garage PR2 robot. Willow Garage and Professor Kemp were contacted by Henry shortly afterwards, and we have been collaborating since then.
We are currently exploring ways for Henry to use a PR2 robot as his surrogate. Every day, people take for granted the simple act of scratching an itch. In Henry’s case, 2-3 times every hour of every day he gets an itch he can’t scratch. With the aid of a PR2, Henry was able to scratch an itch for himself for the first time in 10 years.
While this is only a first step, it demonstrates how people with severe physical disabilities could use personal robots to gain independence. In another example, Henry recently used the PR2 to shave his cheek. We are actively researching ways for Henry and others to perform tasks like these on a daily basis.

This is a very cool use for robots, and hopefully one that can become more common in the years to come.

Below, you can check out a video of Henry using his PR2 to perform some of his everyday tasks:

Networking IS the future

2012-01-21T22:40:00.002+00:00

Rethinking Information Diversity in Networks

by Eytan Bakshy on Tuesday, 17 January 2012 at 16:00

How do your friends shape the information you see and read online? Social networking technologies like Facebook let us connect to hundreds, even thousands of people -- and have fundamentally changed how people get their information.

While much of our time is spent communicating with close friends about events in our personal lives [1], we also use online networks to share breaking news, discuss political issues and learn about new trends. In 2010, my colleagues Itamar Rosenn, Cameron Marlow, Lada Adamic and I conducted a study on Facebook to understand the nature of information spread in social networks.

Some claim that social networks act like echo chambers in which people only consume and share information from likeminded close friends, stifling the spread of diverse information. Our study paints a different picture of the world.

Instead, we found that even though people are more likely to consume and share information that comes from close contacts that they interact with frequently (like discussing a photo from last night’s party), the vast majority of information comes from contacts that they interact with infrequently. These distant contacts are also more likely to share novel information, demonstrating that social networks can act as a powerful medium for sharing new ideas, highlighting new products and discussing current events.

The research suggests that Facebook isn’t the echo chamber that some might expect – online social networks actually increase the spread of novel information and diverse viewpoints.

Social Networks as Information Pathways

Economic sociologist Mark Granovetter was one of the first to popularize the use of social networks in understanding the spread of information. In his seminal 1973 paper, The Strength of Weak Ties [2], Granovetter found that surprisingly, people are more likely to acquire jobs that they learned about through individuals they interact with infrequently rather than their close personal contacts.

To explain this phenomenon Granovetter used social graphs to illustrate how networks relate to information access (Figure 1). When a person interacts with two individuals frequently, those individuals are also likely to interact with one another. It follows that people tend to form dense clusters of strong ties who are all connected.

Figure 1: We are connected to core groups of strong ties that we interact with frequently and weak ties that we interact with infrequently. Granovetter's hypothesis about the "strength of weak ties" states that weak ties facilitate information flow from disparate clusters of people.

What do these structures have to do with information access? Since people in these clusters all know each other, any information that is available to one individual spreads quickly to others within the cluster. These tight-knit social circles tend to be small relative to people's entire social network, and when it comes to information about future job opportunities, it can be hard to find new leads.

Granovetter used the relationship between interaction frequency and social structure to explain why information about jobs is instead found through weak ties that we interact with infrequently. Weak ties help spread novel information by bridging the gap between clusters of strong tie contacts. The strength of weak ties informs much of the popular understanding of information spread in social networks.

Birds of a Feather Surf Together

But what about information that is more widely available, like news on the Internet? To understand the flow of more general types of information in society, it’s important not only to take into account how people are connected, but also the commonalities that promote the spread of information. One of the most robust findings in social networks is that of homophily [3], the tendency of individuals with similar characteristics to associate with one another. Individuals are connected to each other through workplaces, professions, schools, clubs, hobbies, political beliefs and other affiliations. The homophily principle holds true for any kind of social network you can think of: close friends, professional contacts, classmates and even the people you ride the bus with.

Today, these commonalities not only shape how often people interact and what they talk about, but also what kinds of information they as individuals seek on the Web. Homophily suggests that people who interact frequently are similar and may consume more of the same information. Individuals that interact less often tend to be dissimilar and may consume more diverse information. This view of the world is illustrated in Figure 2 below.

Figure 2: Information spread in online social networks. Our study suggests that strong ties are similar and more likely to be tuned into the same web sites. Weak ties, being more dissimilar, tend to visit different websites.

Interest and Novelty

To understand how online social networks affect the spread of information, we used random variation in the News Feed to determine how likely a person is to share Web content if she did or did not see the content shared by her friends. We found that people are more likely to share the information they were exposed to by their strong ties than by their weak ties on Facebook (Figure 3).

Figure 3: People are more likely to share information (links to Web pages) that they were exposed to by strong ties in their News Feed [4]. Tie strength between two individuals is measured by the number of comments a person received from their friend on Facebook. Other measurements of tie strength, like the number of messages, co-appearances in photos, and discussion on posts are discussed in our paper [5].

There are many possible explanations for the increased flow of information across strong ties. One reason is that close contacts are more likely to be similar to one another, and therefore find content shared by their close friends more interesting. An alternative explanation is that strong ties are more "influential", so that people are more likely to be persuaded to share information from their close contacts.

We also investigate how Facebook amplifies information distribution. That is, if a friend shares something on Facebook, how many times more likely are you to share that information as a result of seeing it in the News Feed? The figure below shows how this multiplicative effect depends on the strength of your tie with that friend.

Figure 4: Weak ties spread novel information that people are unlikely to otherwise see. The figure above shows how many times more likely people are to share a page because of exposure via the News Feed from strong and weak ties.

We found that information shared by a person's weak ties is unlikely to be shared at a later point in time independently of those friends. Therefore, seeing content from a weak tie leads to a nearly tenfold increase in the likelihood that a person will share a link. In contrast, seeing information shared by a strong tie in News Feed makes people just six times as likely to share. In short, weak ties have the greatest potential to expose their friends to information that they would not have otherwise discovered.

The Collective Influence of Weak Ties

Ultimately, we are interested in how these network effects shape information spread as a whole. Even though a person is more likely to share a single piece of information from one of their close contacts, it turns out that weak ties are collectively responsible for the majority of information spread.

Let's consider a hypothetical example (illustrated in Figure 5). Let's say a person has 100 contacts that are weak tie friends, and 10 that are strong tie friends. Suppose the chance that you'll share something is very high for strong tie friends, say 50%, but the weak tie friends tend to share less interesting stuff, so the likelihood of sharing is only 15%. Therefore the amount of information spread due to weak and strong ties would be 100*0.15 = 15, and 10*0.50 = 5 respectively, so in total, people would end up sharing more from their weak tie friends.

Figure 5: People are more likely to share information from their strong ties, but because of their abundance, weak ties are primarily responsible for the majority of information spread on Facebook. The figure above illustrates how a majority of influence (orange) can be generated by weak ties, even if strong ties are individually more influential.

It turns out that the mathematics of information spread on Facebook is quite similar to our hypothetical example: the majority of people’s contacts are weak tie friends, and if we carry out this same computation using the empirical distribution of tie strengths and their corresponding probabilities, we find that weak ties generate the majority of information spread.

Conclusion

The information we consume and share on Facebook is actually much more diverse in nature than conventional wisdom might suggest. We are exposed to and spread more information from our distant contacts than our close friends. Since these distant contacts tend to be different from us, the bulk of information we consume and share comes from people with different perspectives. This may provide some comfort to those who worry that social networks are simply an echo chamber where people are only exposed to those who share the same opinions. Our work is among the first to rigorously quantify influence at a mass scale, and shows that online social networks can serve as an important medium for sharing new perspectives, products and world events.

Footnotes

[1] Common experience would suggest that we spend most of our time communicating with only a few individuals on Facebook. To a large extent, this is true, and documented in Backstrom, et al. Center of Attention: How Facebook Users allocate Attention. ICWSM, 2011.

[2] M. Granovetter. The Strength of Weak Ties. American Journal of Sociology, 1973.

[3] An extensive and accessible introduction to homophily can be found in McPherson et al. Birds of a Feather Flock Together. Annual Review of Sociology, 2001.

[4] It is important to note that very often, information does not "cascade" very far along the network. This phenomenon has been observed in earlier research on Twitter in Everyone's an Influencer: Quantifying Influence on Twitter by Bakshy et al. and has been studied across other networks more extensively in upcoming work by Sharad Goel and Duncan Watts at Yahoo! Research, NY.

[5] The Role of Social Networks in Information Diffusion. Bakshy et al. 2012

Robots of the future

2012-01-21T16:38:00.001+00:00

That is genuinely really really weird. I don't like it. Think it's going to get into my nightmares. Some scary shizzle.

Life Like Robots

Robotic engineers are designing the next generation of robots to look, feel and act more human, to make it easier for us to warm up to a cold machine.

Realistic looking hair and skin with embedded sensors will allow robots to react naturally in their environment. For example, a robot that senses your touch on the shoulder and turns to greet you.

Subtle actions by robots that typically go unnoticed between people, help bring them to life and can also relay non verbal communication.

Artificial eyes that move and blink. Slight chest movements that simulate breathing. Man made muscles to change facial expressions. These are all must have attributes for the socially acceptable robots of the future.

The brain behind the beauty will be the key to turning a realistic looking machine into a life like robot. AI plays a pivotal role in successful human/robot interaction.

Robotic Pets

Pets of the future might be robots with artificial intelligence.

Robotic Pets

TOPIO - Ping Pong Playing Robot - Creative Commons image

Rescue Robots

Imagine yourself lost deep in the forest on a cold autumn night and nightfall is rapidly approaching. Too windy for search aircraft and too dark for ground teams, this could be a life threatening situation. Fortunately for you, it is ten years into the future and hundreds of tiny intelligent robots will be combing the woods for you throughout the night.

All terrain robots (ATRs), will truly function as a team by sharing their locations, discoveries, search patterns and more. Large ATRs could carry many smaller robots and provide them with localized control and power.

These smaller more specialized robots will have cameras, sonar, heat sensors, motion detectors and can be sent out by the large ATRs as needed. Smaller robots might work together to perform tasks such as moving a large obstacle.

Wikipedia extract

Types of robots

Humanoid robots:

Lara is the first female humanoid robot with artificial muscles (metal alloy strands that instantly contract when heated by electric current) [1] [2] instead of electric motors (2006).
Asimo is one of the most advanced projects as of 2009.

Modular robots: can be built from standard building blocks that can be combined in different ways.

Utility fog
M-Tran - a snake-like modular robot that uses genetic algorithms to evolve walking programs
Self replicating robots [3] [4] - modular robots that can produce copies of themselves using existing blocks.
Swarmanoid [5] [6] is a project that uses 3 specialized classes of robots (footbots, handbots and eyebots) to create an effective swarm. Such swarm should be able, for example, tidy a bedroom with each robot doing what it is best at.
Self-Reconfiguring Modular Robotics

Educational toy robots:

Educational toy robots

Sports robots:

[edit]Applications

Caterpillar plans to develop remote controlled machines and expects to develop fully autonomous heavy robots by 2021 [7]. Some cranes already are remote controlled.
It was demonstrated that a robot can perform a herding [8] task.
Robots are increasingly used in manufacturing (since 1960s). In auto industry they can amount for more than half of the "labor". There are even "lights off" factories such as an IBM keyboard manufacturing factory in Texas that are 100% automated^[1].
Robots such as HOSPI [9] are used as couriers in hospitals, etc. Other hospital tasks performed by robots are receptionists, guides and porters helpers, [10] (not to mention surgical robot helpers such as Da Vinci)
Robots can serve as waiters [11] [12] and cooks [13].

[edit]Market evolution

Today's market is not fully mature. One or more software compatibility layers have yet to emerge to allow the development of a rich robotics ecosystem (similar to today's personal computers one). The most commonly used software in the robotics research are Free Software solutions such as Player/Stage or cross-platform technologies such as URBI. Microsoft is currently working in this direction with its new proprietary software Microsoft Robotics Studio. The use of open source tools helps in continued improvement of the tools and algorithms for robotic research from the point one team leaves it.