The Robotarium X at Jardim Central, Alverca (Vila Franca de Xira), Portugal, is the first of its kind in the world.
Conceived for a public garden it is constituted by a large glass structure containing 45 robots, most powered by photovoltaic energy and a few plugged to the ceiling or to the ground.
The robots are all original, created specifically for the project, representing 14 species classified by distinct behavior strategies and body morphologies. Obstacle avoidance, movement or sunlight detection and interaction with the public are some of the robots skills.
Robotarium X, the first zoo for artificial life, approaches robots very much in the way as we are used to look at natural life. We, humans, enjoy watching and studying other life forms behavior and, sadly, also to capture them. However, in this case, although the robots are confined to a cage it can be said that, not like animals, they enjoy it. In fact the Robotarium is their ideal environment with plenty of sun, smoothness, tranquility and attention. There are no fights or aggression and the only competition is to assure a place under the sunlight.
Robotarium X is also an art work of a new kind of art that realizes a critical questioning of knowledge and culture. Notions like nature, life, the artificial, machine, art, culture and science, are challenged by this display.
Stalker remotely controls family cellphones, even when they're off - Engadget
Topic: Technology
10:42 am EDT, Jun 26, 2007
To use a TV news cliche, it's like a horror movie come true: three families from Fircrest in Washington State are being harassed by a unknown individual, who somehow has the power to turn cellphones on, send messages, and change ringtones. Over the last few months, the families have had calls that threaten death and violence against them, calls that tell the people what they're doing at that time, and calls that originate from the cellphones of other members of the family. In one case, the stalker changed the ringtone of a phone to say "answer your phone." According to one James M. Atkinson, an apparent expert in these matters who used to provide the CIA with advice in counterintelligence, the technical profficiency to pull off this level of stalking isn't that high: if the FBI can do it, why not some anti-social kid, right?
New system detects calls while driving - Newlaunches.com
Topic: Technology
10:04 am EDT, Jun 18, 2007
Statistics show that driving while talking on the cell phone increases the chance of an accident by 400 %. Though speaking on the cell phone while driving is not a crime in many states as of yet taking into consideration the statistics it will eventually be banned in all the states. A new company Highway and Safety control is releasing a device to automatically detect drivers talking on their cell phones. Instead of police officer needing to observe a cellphone in use, the system automatically detects a cell phone call and records which car was making the call. Already in use in a few European countries the system will make it to the US this fall it is designed to detect, identify and cite drivers who break cell phone us laws." . The company attaches a paint gun to mark the car, or even an EMP gun that can disable the offending cell phone.
You can be the hero of the neighborhood with this Meraki Solar Powered Outdoor Wi-Fi Access Kit, spreading a broadband wireless signal up to 700 feet in all directions. Simply mount this $99 weatherproof unit to a high outside wall or pole, plug your broadband Internet service into it with the included outdoor Ethernet cable, and this repeater transmits that signal far and wide, ready for the whole neighborhood to use a high-speed Internet connection for a few bucks a month. Best of all, it can supply its own power with an optional solar array.
Scotsman.com News - Sci-Tech - Welcome to Mars express: only a three hour trip
Topic: Technology
10:56 am EDT, Jun 13, 2007
AN EXTRAORDINARY "hyperspace" engine that could make interstellar space travel a reality by flying into other dimensions is being investigated by the United States government.
The hypothetical device, which has been outlined in principle but is based on a controversial theory about the fabric of the universe, could potentially allow a spacecraft to travel to Mars in three hours and journey to a star 11 light years away in just 80 days, according to a report in today's New Scientist magazine.
Adobe Photoshop was, for a time, the killer app for the Macintosh. During the mid-nineties, publishing and graphic design had supplanted consumers as the most important market to target, at least in the eyes of former Apple CEOs Gil Amelio and Michael Spindler. Consumer Macs languished as Apple poured resources into multi-processor Macs and ill-conceived operating system replacements for the Mac OS. Even after Apple emerged from its crisis of the mid '90s, Photoshop is still immensely popular and has even been adopted as a verb for retouching or modifying images much to the consternation of Adobe.
Researchers have placed in the wild a very special male that, like its wild cousins, can put on physical displays to establish its dominance.
But this reptile's skin is made of rubber, not scales, and its "heart" is a nickel-cadmium battery.
The alpha male in question is "Robo-Ollie," a robotic tuatara created to help researchers understand the behavior of these rare reptiles, the last species in a family that dates back 200 million years.
BBC NEWS | Health | Bear robot rescues wounded troops
Topic: Technology
10:57 am EDT, Jun 8, 2007
1. Teddy bear face designed to be reassuring 2. Hydraulic upper body carries up to 227kgs (500lbs) 3. When kneeling tracked "legs" travel over rubble. Switches to wheels on smooth surfaces 4. Dynamic Balance Behaviour (DBB) technology allows the robot to stand and carry loads upright on its ankles, knees or hips for nearly an hour
Sure, the new Metal Gear Solid looks pretty dope on your handheld. But what if you had a Game Boy or a Playstation Portable that was powerful as a supercomputer? That's what the way-out thinkers at Darpa have in mind with their $13 million, "STAP-Boy" project.
