Let's flash back to the heady days of CES 2014, shall we? Sony embraced the wearable bandwagon (again) with the "tiniest gadget" it's ever made, and now the Americans reading this can go out and nab one of their own.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/05/japanese-phone-company-softbank-shows-off-its-new-robot-customer/
Japanese telecom Softbank and its CEO Masayoshi Son have never been afraid to push the envelope, and now the exec is presenting a new development: robots. Presented at a press conference earlier today in Japan (take a peek at the live video stream embedded after the break) it's called Pepper, and uses technology acquired from the French robotics company Aldebaran. Those are the folks behind the Nao humanoid robots we've been covering for years, from their first steps to the inevitable dance-offs that followed. Aldebaran CEO Bruno Maisonnier credited Son for believing in its vision, saying robots that can recognize human emotion will change the way we live and communicate -- and this is a big step towards getting bots into daily lives, at least if you live in Japan. The robots will debut at two stores tomorrow in their customer service capacity, but Softbank is planning to put them on sale to the public next year, priced just shy of $2,000.
Pepper can communicate through emotion, speech or body language and it's equipped with both mics and proximity sensors. Inside, it will be possible to install apps and upgrade the unit's functionality, the plan being to make Pepper far more smarter than when you first bought it. It already understands 4,500 Japanese words, but perhaps more impressively, Pepper can apparently read into the tone used to understand its master's disposition. Maisonnier claims this will be the start of a robot revolution that rivals the rollout of the PC and smartphone. According to him "With Pepper, the future begins today."
Filed under: Cellphones, Robots, Mobile
Source: Engadget Japanese
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/05/art-projector-dancing-shadows/
You know how to turn crooked vases into an interesting art installation that remind us of Beauty and the Beast's singing pots and candlesticks? We'd like to say magic, but since we don't live in a Disney movie, the right answer is motion tracking and real-time 3D rendering. The installation's creators, artist Laurent Craste and digital agency Dpt., used a hidden projector to make the vases' shadows dance whenever a viewer swings the lamp above them. Their movements even depend on the lamp's swing, so side-to-side swinging triggers the same animation, while a more circular one also shows the lamp's shadows going in circles. Sadly, you can't see this in person anymore (it was displayed at a festival in Montreal in May), but you can watch the video after the break.
Filed under: Misc
Via: Laughing Squad, Colossal
Source: dpt, Laurent Craste
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/05/control-vr-motion-tracking-gloves/
With the sale of Oculus Rift to Facebook for $2 billion, virtual reality has officially become very interesting for developers. One of the companies trying to ride that wave is Control VR, which is ready to launch its gesture control gloves on Kickstarter. Though VR gloves have been around for a long time, so far they've been prototypes, DIY projects or very pricey devices used for surgery, robotics and other specialized fields. Control VR is aiming wider, however, with an early backer price of $350. It believes it can hit that number using DARPA-designed microsensors which detect small inertial changes in order to finely track your arms, hands and fingers. That'll let you control virtual objects like game characters and 3D animations, or even physical devices like robots or military hardware.
The development kit will come with 20 free demo apps, and support Windows, Android and Mac operating systems. In addition, the team will supply an open-source SDK to create software for the Oculus Rift, Google Glass and even the Parrot AR drone. As with Oculus, Control VR is targeting consumers as much as it's targeting businesses. Potential uses include 3D motion capture (including the difficult-to-animate fingers), music composition, design, a control interface for Google Glass and Oculus Rift, a controller for games and apps like Google Earth, and even a drone control interface.
While all of this sounds pretty ambitious, the company believes there's no similar tech that's close to the same state of readiness. As such, they're seeking $250,000 when Control VR launches today on Kickstarter at 12:30 PM ET (that's the same sum Oculus originally sought, by the way). A $350 pledge will get you on the early backer's list and net you a one-arm system with a 7-sensor glove, a one-sensor chest piece, an arm sensor, 20 app demos and the SDK. $699 will get you a two-arm system. If you're among the first 1,000 backers of either package, Control VR says you'll receive it sometime in December of this year, while later backers will receive theirs in January 2015. You can make your pledge when the Kickstarter page goes live at 12:30 PM ET -- at which point you'll get all the info and a more detailed video.
Filed under: Wearables
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/asus-padfone-x-for-att-2014-6
If you've been on the fence about buying a tablet, Asus thinks it's solved your problem.
The PadFone X, which will be available on AT&T in the coming weeks, is an Android smartphone that comes with its own accompanying tablet.
The catch, however, is that you can't use the tablet without plugging the smartphone into its back.
The tablet portion is essentially a shell for the smartphone.
As its name implies, the PadFone X is meant to be a smartphone and tablet in one device — not separate. The result is a somewhat bulky combination that provides a generally mediocre overall experience.
That being said, the PadFone does have its benefits. You pay one price — $199.99 on a two-year contract with AT&T — and get the benefits of a phone when you need it and a tablet when you want it.
You also don't have to worry about scouting out a Wi-Fi network to use the tablet if you're already using AT&T's data.
Here's a quick look at what it's like using the PadFone X.
The smartphone slides into a slot in the back of the tablet.
Once you slide it in, the tablet powers on.
The phone is literally being used to power the tablet, which means you can make phone calls with it.
Or send text messages.
The PadFone X is slated to hit AT&T stores later this month. Stay tuned for our full review.
SEE ALSO: Now Windows tablets will be just as thin as the iPad thanks to Intel's new chip
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