Article: Autonomous Materials Will Let Future Robots Change Color And Shift Shape

Some of the applications sound like pure science fiction New robots could take on exciting new forms and applications, with each component of the machine able to react and act on its own, according to a review published today in Science. The materials making up a robot are themselves are becoming...

http://www.popsci.com/future-robotic-will-have-autonomous-materials

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drag2share: Why is this song used in so many GoPro videos?

source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/19/why-is-this-song-on-so-many-gopro-videos/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

February 23rd, 2012. Electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling uploads the official music video for "Crystallize" to YouTube. Two days later, user "riley lux" uploads a video titled "DH long boarding on a windy day." In it, a group of friends enjoy some downhill riding set to Stirling's haunting violin-based soundtrack. The video itself isn't remarkable. Some self-shot GoPro footage, with a few edits roughly in time with parts of the song. But, there's something about each pass of Stirling's bow that balances the on-screen energy with a tangible calm. Later the same day, user "Jvr0s" chooses the same song for a video called "GPK Fun around town." In it, a group of friends practice parkour. This video is entirely forgettable, but for the song -- it somehow manages to elevate the otherwise unremarkable action cam footage.

My first exposure to the track is also on an action sport video, during a wingsuit video marathon, to be precise. Long after my first encounter, I hear the song again on an F-18 pilot's GoPro video; remembering it, I use Shazam to find out what it's called. I scour my YouTube history and realize: This song has been following me for months through its popularity on YouTube GoPro videos and I've only just noticed.

The question is: Why am I hearing this song in videos more than... well, any other? Is it a free download on some action sports site? Was it used in an advert for GoPro? Maybe it's just confirmation bias? Or, perhaps, Stirling's stumbled on a secret formula. Something in the song's DNA that makes it particularly suitable for soundtracking sweet jumps, aerial rides, hula-hooping, surfing, wingsuit flying or, seemingly any and every form of action-based activity?

As of this writing, searching YouTube for "Crystallize GoPro" returns about 12,000 results. By contrast, searching for "Rihanna Diamonds GoPro" (an arbitrarily chosen popular song), you actually get about 10,000 more results. However, scroll down and you'll soon see that the action videos using Rihanna's song are few, and drop off almost immediately. YouTube fills the space with "Results for similar searches." You can go 10 pages deep after searching "Crystallize GoPro," and still find more action videos soundtracked by the song. When I first noticed this, it seemed like an in-joke I didn't know about. Some videos are perhaps less suited for the piece, sure; it's not a panacea. But most -- the clear majority -- are improved by it.

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IBM tech finds virus-laden apps before they reach your phone

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/19/ibm-fights-mobile-malware/

Mobile malware is bad enough by itself, but it's a nightmare at work -- one infection could put everyone's phones at risk, if not the whole business. IBM has a fix, though. A new version of its MobileFirst Protect tool now automatically looks for virus-ridden Android and iOS apps on staffers' phones, and puts any compromised device on lockdown before it can pose a threat to you or anyone else. It immediately limits access to apps and services, and it'll let your IT staff know if there's trouble. The system automatically updates its malware knowledge, too, so it shouldn't be caught off-guard by recently discovered exploits. Yes, IBM's threat tool another form of corporate oversight, but it could prove a lifesaver if it prevents a careless coworker from wrecking your personal phone.

[Image credit: IBM, Flickr]

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile

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Source: IBM

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Tag Heuer will make the first 'luxury' Android Wear watch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/19/tag-heuer-android-wear-google-intel/

There's been plenty of speculation as to how Switzerland's watch making industry will deal with smartwatches. In Tag Heuer's case, the company has decided that if it can't beat Google, it might as well join it, which is why the firm has announced it'll be the first to produce "luxury" Android Wear devices. In addition to working with the search engine, Tag is also enlisting the services of Intel to help build the hardware that'll power this new wearable.

Jean-Claude Biver, head of watches for the luxury group LVMH -- Tag Heuer's parent company -- revealed a few choice tidbits about the decision. For instance, he told BBC News that rather than build a device that worked with iOS, or partner with Apple more generally, he preferred Google since it doesn't produce a watch of its own. There could also be some bad blood there, since Cupertino did steal former Tag sales and retail VP Patrick Pruniaux in the summer of last year. Biver also told an audience member at the event that the device would maintain Tag Heuer's house style. That falls in line with the previous Reuters report, which said that the new watch would ape the classic Carrera model.

The first watch from the partnership will arrive at the end of the year, Biver mischievously describing that as any time between October and December. The executive also revealed that the features and pricing of the watch are already known, but wouldn't be revealed until much closer to the launch date. Given that this is a Tag Heuer watch, however, we can speculate that the price will run from "a lot" all the way through to "woah."

Filed under: Wearables, Google, Intel

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Source: Intel

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Samsung can put 128GB of storage in your low-cost phone

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/18/samsung-can-put-128gb-of-storage-in-your-low-cost-phone/

Just because you're not splurging on a top-of-the-line smartphone doesn't mean that you have to settle for a tiny amount of storage. Samsung certainly thinks that way -- it just announced a 3-bits-per-cell flash memory chip that promises 128GB of storage in "mass market" (read: more affordable) mobile devices. It's based on the plain eMMC tech you see in most phones instead of the fast UFS format inside the Galaxy S6, but you probably won't complain about the speed when it can still read sequential data at a very respectable 260MB per second. The one catch? There's no word on when it'll be ready, so you may be waiting a while before you're carrying a budget phone with more drive space than some laptops.

[Top image credit: Samsung Tomorrow, Flickr]

Filed under: Cellphones, Storage, Mobile, Samsung

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Source: Samsung (BusinessWire)

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