MIT Femtosecond Laser Camera Shoots Pics Around Corners, No Periscope Required

To most of us, seeing what's around the corner before rounding the bend is known as premonition. For students and professors at MIT's Media Lab, it's called physics. The lab is working on a laser-based camera that can snap images around corners, imaging scenery that is beyond direct line of sight.

The camera works by incorporating complex computer algorithms with blasts from a femtosecond laser that issues ultra-short bursts of light lasting just one quadrillionth of a second. Those intense light bursts charge forward and illuminate a scene – even a scene around the corner from the source – sending photons bouncing around the area. Some of those photons make it back to the camera, which uses aforementioned complex computer mathematics to rebuild the scene around the corner, pixel by pixel.

Professor Ramesh Raskar, head of the Camera Culture group at MIT's Media Lab, equates the technology to X-ray vision, but instead of going through an obstacle the camera uses light to go around it. That could have some seriously handy applications in the arenas of defense, search and rescue, or machine vision. Rescuers could use the technology to map collapsed buildings to search for survivors or determine the safety situation inside, and robot cars could quickly map the area directly around a corner before it begins a turn to ensure it charts the proper path.

There's a bit more information via the Media Lab, but for more serious details check out this paper on transient imaging by one of the grad students involved with the project.

[MIT, TechRadar]

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Stuxnet Worm is a "Game Changer" for Global Cybersecurity, Top U.S. Official Tells Senate

The Stuxnet worm has generated plenty of commentary from computer industry experts and security pundits, but yesterday the U.S. government's senior cybersecurity expert at the Department of Homeland Security weighed in, calling the malicious program a "game changer" in cyber warfare. The head of the DHS's Cybersecurity Center, Sean McGurk, made the statement to the Senate Homeland Security Committee Wednesday.

We already knew Stuxnet was unprecedented, but it's what is unknown about it that makes it so unsettling. The code can enter systems undetected, steal information or alter processes, and basically live there causing a mess of things while the system appears to security software to be working properly. But authorities don't know where the Stuxnet worm came from, or what it was specifically designed to attack, McGurk told Senators.

That last part is debatable. While there is still a degree of uncertainty about Stuxnet's aims, cybersecurity firm Symantec released a report Friday saying that all evidence points to Iran as the target of the worm. "Stuxnet is a threat targeting a specific industrial control system likely in Iran, such as a gas pipeline or power plant," the report reads. "The ultimate goal of Stuxnet is to sabotage that facility by reprogramming programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to operate as the attackers intend them to, most likely out of their specified boundaries."

Symantec researchers were able to deduce this from the fact that Stuxnet requires specific industrial control systems from very specific vendors (one in Finalnd, the other in Tehran) to work, and more than 60 percent of infections have been reported in Iran (there have been approximately 44,000 unique infections reported; just 1,600 are in the United States). That has led to speculation that Stuxnet was designed to sabotage Tehran's controversial uranium enrichment program.

Still, global security experts appear co closer to pinpointing a source of the attack, which is a serious threat to systems that control infrastructure like power grids and pipelines around the globe. That's more than a little unsettling in a wired world. According to one cybersecuiry expert quoted by CNN, "we're not only susceptible, but we're not very well prepared."

[CNN, Symantec]

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Brilliant 10: Maurizio Porfiri, the Water Wizard

His research could lead to self-powered underwater vehicles that lead sea creatures away from manmade hazards

What does an engineer do when he needs insight? "I don't think," says Maurizio Porfiri. "I watch an insane amount of movies." He also tends listens to the Cure, devours novels, and tends to his tomatoes. That's not to say Porfiri is a slacker. He works across several fields to build underwater devices and puts in 12-hour days at the lab, but his best thoughts come to him while he's relaxing.

Consider his idea for biologically inspired robots that might influence animal behavior in nature. "If we borrow design from nature to build our robots, why not use the robots to assist nature?" says Porfiri, who is an assistant professor at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University. "Can we close the circle?" Maybe a robot fish could guide real fish away from power turbines or oil spills. Drawing on research that suggests that fish school by following the wake of other fish, Porfiri designed his robot to generate fishlike turbulence. An electric current from a battery makes a polymer in the tail expand and contract like muscles, producing an eerily natural-looking and silent movement. This spring, he put a biomimetic robot together with actual lab fish, which followed it about 25 percent of the time.

"As a kid I was always asking 'why this? why that?' until the family would get fed up," he says. That curiosity led him to a doctorate in theoretical and applied mechanics in his native Italy and, because he wanted to work over here, an American one in engineering mechanics. Then he fell into a postdoc working on algorithms to control autonomous submarines, and underwater applications became his life's work. The waters that cover about 70 percent of the Earth's surface are basically unexplored. But underwater vehicle systems lag behind their surface counterparts in power (solar can't be used in the deep) and communications systems (Wi-Fi doesn't exactly crank through 300 feet of liquid).

Porfiri's lab could close that gap. He's creating simple algorithms that could help underwater robots form into schools, he's been investigating polymers that harvest kinetic energy from water, and he's designing a new robot—a mammal-safe one, without external blades. If any of those things trip him up, he says, it will be time for a sixth viewing of Fargo.

See the rest of PopSci's Brilliant 10 for 2010.

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Best iPod Nano Watch Strap?

There are several other companies making watch straps for Apple’s latest iPod Nano but the NanoWatch is by far my favorite. The designers have been working feverishly since the Nano (6G) made its debut and although technically late in the game, I believed it paid off. The back of the strap is debossed to perfectly level the Nano’s built-in clip. It’s the only company I know of that makes their straps out of eco-friendly silicon – that’s no nickel or phthalater. It’s also the only company who makes silicon to perfectly match the Nano’s color range. Only €18.00.

Designer: Thomas Frederiksen (Buy it here)

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Yanko Design
Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!

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Awesome Screenshot Captures and Annotates Web Sites in Google Chrome [Video]

Chrome: Awesome Screenshot is a screen capture and annotation tool with text editing, drawing, and free image sharing—all accessible from the Google Chrome toolbar. More »

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How To Track Your Vehicle on the Cheap [Howto]

Lo-Jack schmojack. You don't need some spendy GPS unit and to keep tabs on that new Escalade. Uplinking your wheels to the great eye in the sky without breaking the bank is easier than you think.

Standalone GPS units can cost hundreds. And that's not counting the installation and (frequently hefty) activation and monthly fees associated with whatever service you do choose. For most of us, it's overkill. The good news is that if you happen to have a GPS-equipped phone lying around, you can rig your own vehicle tracking system for virtually nothing. Here's how it's done:

BURNER PHONE + FREE MAPPING = INSTANT TRACKING
What You'll Need
• A pre-paid phone with a data plan
• An InstaMapper account
• Access to, duh, the Web.
What It Costs
• About $30 for the phone and a little over $10 a month, depending on the cellular plan.
Optional Equipment
• 12V car adaptor (to keep your makeshift GPS unit juiced).

Here's How to Do It:

GET A PHONE
• If you already have an old handset (make sure it has GPS), skip directly to software installation bit.

• If you don't, head over to Boost Mobile and buy one. Don't worry, they're cheap. We recommend the Motorola i290—at $30, it's the cheapest burner you can get. (Other cheap iDEN phones are also available at Best Buy and Target.)

SET IT UP
• Regardless of which phone you select, make sure you turn on its Internet access (this is not a smartphone, and you have to manually activate that in the settings). Otherwise your phone won't be able to transmit data.
• Tweak the settings. Presumably, you're only going to use this for vehicle tracking, so you'll want to set the ringer volume to 0 and mute the keypad. No point in alerting thieves to the fact they're being tracked, right?
• Next step is choosing a tracking/mapping service. There's no shortage, but we likeInstaMapper because it's free, you can install it over the air (download this tool, and then grab this .zip file), and it's easy to use. AccuTracking is another alternative, but it'll cost you about $6/month.
• Launch that bad boy. On the i290, it'll be located under "Java Apps" and called "GPS Tracker." (Look for the satellite icon). Now enter the device id you got from your InstaMapper account and click "save". The phone will ask for your permission to access the GPS chip. (Select "yes.") When the status message changes from "Locating..." to "Tracking..." you're up and running. You should see the location of your phone on InstaMapper's website.

STASH IT
• The final step is the trickiest. For real 24/7 tracking, you'll need to hardwire the phone to your car's battery. This means getting intimate with the electrical system. If you're not comfortable doing that, ask someone who is...like a professional installer. If you are...proceed.
• You'll first want to pick up a Motorola car charger, like the Syn1630. Next, connect it to car's wiring with a 12V Accessory Outlet. The trick here is finding a 12V circuit in your car that's NOT always on—if you connect it to something that doesn't shut off when you power down your ride, you could drain the battery when the car is parked for a long time. We recommend the light in the glovebox—consult the wiring scheme for your car or ask your mechanic.
• Voila, the adapter will power on your phone automatically whenever you (or a thief) starts the car.
• Finally, you'll want to hide your little tracking device. Since you wired the thing into your glovebox, you might want to stash the phone in there. Now visit the InstaMapper site and track to your hearts delight.

See? It's not that hard. And now that you've saved as much as a grand by not springing for that Lo-Jack, go ahead and use the extra cash for something truly worthwhile, like, say, some nice 20-inch spinners.

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Splashtop Remote Desktop brings Windows PC access to your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

Oh, sure -- you've got a smorgasbord of virtual machine clients out there for the iDevice in your life, but you haven't had this one. Until today, of course. Splashtop (the former DeviceVM) has just unleashed its Remote Desktop app for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, enabling users to funnel Windows PC content onto their handheld. The catch is an obvious one -- you'll need a WiFi connection to make the magic happen, though we're assuming you wouldn't even want to imagine how sluggish the process would be over 3G. The company claims that this app will let users "watch movies, listen to music, or access any other Windows files and programs, including full web browsers with Flash," and you'll need a WiFi-connected Win7, Vista or WinXP machine nearby to take advantage. We've got a feeling this won't work nearly as well as advertised (sorry, it's just the nature of tunneling / emulation), but those willing to take the plunge can tap into the App Store as we speak.

Continue reading Splashtop Remote Desktop brings Windows PC access to your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

Filed under: Software

Splashtop Remote Desktop brings Windows PC access to your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 06:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rugged POV.HD video system captures 1080p through anything, for a price

The POV.HD video system is a new offering from V.I.O positioned as a more professional-grade alternative to other film-through-hell helmet cameras such as the GoPro HD or Drift Innovations HD170. Its two-ounce IP67 certified camera sports a six-element glass lens and a native 1080p CMOS sensor that can capture a 142 degree field-of-view -- claimed to be the widest on the market -- in full HD at 30fps. The head unit can also be adjusted to record 720p at 60fps with a 92 degree FOV for faster shots. A separate recording unit features Texas Instruments' latest Da Vinci DM368 processor and supports a real-time video pipeline while storing up to 4.3 hours of 1080p H.264 video footage on a 32GB of SDHC. It's also equipped with a two-inch LCD viewing screen with exposure and footage tagging controls. Priced at $600, V.I.O is currently accepting pre-orders, which if made between November 15th through December 17th, are guaranteed to arrive by December 22nd -- just in time for your family's' homebrew holiday response to Jackass.

Continue reading Rugged POV.HD video system captures 1080p through anything, for a price

Rugged POV.HD video system captures 1080p through anything, for a price originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 09:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Droid 2 Global hands-on

At this point we're completely amused that the Droid 2 Global has managed to leak out, get advertised, go on sale, and even arrive in customers' hands without so much as a PR peep from Verizon, so we leapt at the chance to get a quick hands-on with it last night here in NYC. Nothing here you wouldn't really expect, and we weren't able to run any performance tests on the speedbumped 1.2GHz processor, but we were able to solve the mystery of that camera bulge: turns out the Droid 2 Global is a hair thinner than the standard Droid 2, and the bulge pops out just enough to make up the difference. It's not dramatic, by any means -- if we hadn't been looking, we probably wouldn't have noticed. Oh, and it's definitely running Blur on top of Android 2.2, so you know, that's "awesome." Anyway, at the rate we're going we'll have a full review up and this thing will be discontinued before Verizon ever formally acknowledges it, so hit the gallery for a quick hands-on with The Droid That Doesn't... Exist.

Gallery: Motorola Droid 2 Global hands-on

Motorola Droid 2 Global hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 09:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic Lumix GF2 reviewed: smaller, simpler, and arguably better than the GF1

Panasonic's DMC-GF1 proved itself as a tasty go-between, filling the gap between high-end compact and DSLR. The GF2 will soon arrive and, according to Photography Blog, if anything it slots in a little closer to the compact side of things thanks to a new user interface that ditches many buttons and dials in favor of touchscreen menus. This will drive some users mad, but ultimately the up-rated features here still make this a worthy choice over the GF1, including video recording at 1080i60 and a new body that's a fifth smaller and seven percent lighter than before despite still containing a pop-up flash, 12.1 megapixel sensor, and image quality that's about as good as you're going to get out of a shooter this size.

Panasonic Lumix GF2 reviewed: smaller, simpler, and arguably better than the GF1 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 10:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon's Droid lineup available at Amazon for a penny per handset with no activation fee

Yeah, retailers are always undercutting carrier pricing, sometimes pretty dramatically, but Amazon's taking things to the limit this weekend. You can score any of Verizon's major Droid phones for a penny, and Verizon is also fronting the $35 Verizon line activation fee. Of course, you'll have to sign up for a two year contract, and you'd better not think about canceling out of it: Amazon has a $250 per device cancellation fee on top of Verizon's own hefty charge. Ah, the price of free.

Verizon's Droid lineup available at Amazon for a penny per handset with no activation fee originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 14:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TikTok and LunaTik iPod nano watch kits look awesome, despite Ke$ha naming convention

We know it seems like everyone and their mom is turning Apple's latest iPod nano into a watch, but the TikTok and LunaTik concepts by Scott Wilson of Minimal Studios are definitely the best looking "iWatch" accessories we've seen to date. We say concept, because technically the products are still pipe dreams flowing through the funding platform Kickstarter.com -- but seeing as it has already doubled its requested funding goal, there's a very good chance these concepts will actually ship out. The TikTok features a simple snap-in design for quick wrist-mounting and is tentatively priced at $35. The LunaTik, on the other hand, is marketed as a "premium conversion kit" that secures the Nano in a two-piece CNC-machined aluminum case held together with stainless steel bolts, and should ship for $70. As with many Kickstarter projects, pledging some funding to the cause can score you either model at a cheaper pre-order price. Now if only the iPod nano was actually a good watch... Video after the break.

Gallery: TikTok and LunaTik iPod Nano Watch Accessory Gallery

Continue reading TikTok and LunaTik iPod nano watch kits look awesome, despite Ke$ha naming convention

TikTok and LunaTik iPod nano watch kits look awesome, despite Ke$ha naming convention originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos 101 now shipping, Android tablet game really heating up

We were really digging this 10-inch Android tablet when we spotted it back in August, and now it's shipping for a totally palatable $300 pricetag. It's powerful enough to play 720p video, has a 1024 x 600 screen, HDMI out, 802.11n WiFi and even a front facing camera. Plus there's even the somewhat comforting notion that this isn't Archos' first time to the Android tablet rodeo. Of course, the big drawback is the lack of Android Market, but there are always hacks to solve that, and Archos preloads some good apps to get you started. The tablet is shipping with Android 2.1, but Archos pinky swears it'll be getting 2.2 by the end of the month. Can't handle 10 whole inches of Android? Try the 7-incher Archos 70 on for size. You can't say they aren't trying.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Archos 101 now shipping, Android tablet game really heating up originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 22:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kinect hack creates world's greatest shadow puppet (video)

Hey Xbox 360 Kinect owners, want to spice up those family shadow puppet shows? Then check out the installation prototype created by Emily Gobeille and Theo Watson using an Xbox Kinect connected to a laptop using the libfreenect Kinect drivers and ofxKinect. The openFrameworks system tracks the elbow, wrist, thumb, and tips of the fingers to map a skeleton onto the movement and posture of an animated puppet. And get this: it was made in a day. So just imagine the Kinect homebrew we'll have around this time next year. See it in action after the break.

[Thanks, Pradeep]

Continue reading Kinect hack creates world's greatest shadow puppet (video)

Kinect hack creates world's greatest shadow puppet (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 03:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PCI Express makes the 3.0 leap, doubles bandwidth over PCIe 2.0 spec

First Bluetooth, then USB and now PCI Express. It's clearly the era of version 3.0, and given that the PCI Express specification has been humming along at 2.0 speeds for over two years now, we'd say an update was definitely due. Thankfully, the PCI-SIG has announced the availability of the PCIe Base 3.0 specification to its members today, and the highlights are certainly notable. There's a new 128b/130b encoding scheme and a data rate of 8 gigatransfers per second (GT/s), doubling the interconnect bandwidth over the PCIe 2.0 specification. And since we're sure you're fretting it, we'll go ahead and affirm that it maintains backward compatibility with previous PCIe architectures. We're also told that based on this data rate expansion, "it is possible for products designed to the PCIe 3.0 architecture to achieve bandwidth near 1 gigabyte per second (GB/s) in one direction on a single-lane (x1) configuration and scale to an aggregate approaching 32 GB/s on a sixteen-lane (x16) configuration." A lot of technobabble, sure, but one thing's for sure: your next graphics card is bound to murder your current one if paired with a PCIe 3.0 motherboard.

Continue reading PCI Express makes the 3.0 leap, doubles bandwidth over PCIe 2.0 spec

PCI Express makes the 3.0 leap, doubles bandwidth over PCIe 2.0 spec originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 03:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lego Laser 3D Scanner Scans Lego Pieces to Make More Lego [Video]

There's no limit, no limit I tell you, to the power of Lego. This is a do-it-your-self 3D laser scanner made of Lego used to scan Lego pieces to use it in a Lego 3D design software to build more Lego.

The scanner uses a NXT controller, Lego pieces and modifications to connect the laser reader to the software. The results are incredibly good. These are the scanned pieces, in the 3D CAD software LDraw:

I love the idea of Lego scanning Lego to create Lego. You know where all this is going: It involves paradoxes, judgment day, bleeding goats and inter-dimensional portals. [Brothers Brick]

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LaCie's Newest Flash Drive Is Tiny and Supa-USB 3.0 Fast [FlashDrives]

LaCie's got their hands on what they say is the smallest current USB 3.0 flash drive—about the size of a pack of gum. (Clearly not Orbit gum!). Sizes up to 120GB, and speeds up to 260MB/s.

The AES 256 encryption-enabled FastKey is pretty chic looking too—encased in tough aluminum—and available in 30GB and 60GB versions as well, starting at $150. [LaCie]

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ITG xpPhone on sale at long last!

Feel like stretching the very definition of "phone" for the sake of functionality or sheer bravado? You get to be friends with us. We've always had a soft spot for ITG's bizarrely conceived xpPhone, which does indeed run Windows XP, albeit the Embedded version, and the monstrous thing is now on sale after almost two years of teasing. It's running for a mere $798 PayPal Bux in its 3G incarnation, $732 for 3G-free, and $666 (yes, that 666) for the 3G-less version with DOS instead of Windows. We could go on all day listing specs for this thing, so we recommend you hit up that source link and feast on them for yourselves -- just make sure to have your PayPal login handy for when the irresistible nerdery of this thing reaches out and grabs you and never ever lets go.

[Thanks, Eman Z]

ITG xpPhone on sale at long last! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 17:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon launching '4G' smack talk campaign against AT&T

Never ends, does it? The top four carriers in the US love slinging mud, but the trash-talking between Verizon and AT&T is always particularly vicious -- and it's showing no signs of ebbing. As you might expect, Verizon intends to use its new LTE network as a weapon in the fight, and like both Sprint and T-Mobile, Verizon will be very loudly labeling it "4G" to the ITU's chagrin. The latest promotional posters compare maps of Verizon's combined 3G / LTE network with AT&T's 3G-only network, but considering how limited Big Red's initial LTE launch is, there really isn't much difference with what they've shown in the past. The posters also proudly proclaim Verizon as having "the fastest 4G network in America," which is false on at least one level -- LTE isn't really 4G, as we said -- and remains to be seen on another. At any rate, as always, it'll be interesting to see how AT&T responds. Nerd fight!

[Thanks, Kal]

Verizon launching '4G' smack talk campaign against AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 18:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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