We’ve got a few months yet until December, when DARPA will hold their 2013 Robotics Challenge, but that hasn’t stopped the MIT team from releasing an “unboxing” video of their Atlas robot, delivered from Boston Dynamics. And while we had a chuckle at the Atlas robot’s previously aired automotive difficulties, and previously mentioned some elements of this year’s challenge, the unboxing vid prompted us to take a closer look at what DARPA’s got in mind for 2013—and it’s pretty nutty. Inspired by the unfortunate events at Fukushima, robot entrants in this year’s competition have got a ridiculously difficult road ahead of them.
Task 1 requires the robot to drive a utility vehicle through a primitive obstacle course. Doesn’t seem too bad, right?
“What we see here [in Milan] from the Italian manufacturers is very safe,” he explains. “On the other hand, you have a world of technology that’s very dynamic. What I’m missing is for those two worlds to come together more.”
“It’s not about putting a speaker in a chair, or putting a TV in a bed. That’s not how technology and the home intersect. For me, it’s about sensors, about the home knowing where you are.”
August Smart Lock
In May this year, shortly after we filmed this interview, Behar launched a new company and product called August Smart Lock, which replaces physical keys with a smartphone app and opens automatically as you approach the door.
“Cars have been like this for years,” Behar says in the movie. “Keyless entry in a car is something that we’re used to. Somehow, the home has been very resistant to this. Some of it has to do with security, but today we know that technology, when things are invisible, is actually safer than physical artefacts.”
Jawbone Up
Looking to the future, Behar believes that wearable technologies, such as the Up wristband he designed for San Fransisco company Jawbone, provide an exciting opportunity for integrating technology into the home.
“The next step for me with the Up is how it talks with the rest of the home,” he says. “It’s an object that can tell the home where I am and what I’m doing. Am I tired from a long day so the lighting should be really mellow and calm, or do I need to be energised so the ambience is going to be rocking? Am I about to get home, so maybe the temperature should go up?”
He concludes: “There are all kinds of new intuitive ways that these technologies that we’re wearing can interface with the technologies in our home. For reasons of efficiency, but also for having a home that responds to you in ways that are going to be magical.”
With aging populations all over the world, its no surprise that healthcare and health monitoring devices have become big business. Japan in particular boasts one of the lowest birth rates in the world and thusly one of the largest elderly populations. It is against this backdrop that the University of Tokyo’s Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO) research group led by Professor Takao Someya and Associate Professor Tsuyoshi Sekitani, in collaboration with Johannes Keplar University in Linz, Austria, have developed the world’s lightest and thinnest circuit. In contrast to similar circuitry designed to come into direct contact with skin (the lick and stick circuits from UIUC come to mind), the ultra-thin electronics from U of Tokyo are incredibly robust for their discreet profile.
Professor Takao Someya commented on the design of the circuitry as having great potential in a number of different arenas.
The new flexible touch sensor is the world’s thinnest, lightest and people cannot feel the existence of this device. I believe this development will open up a wide range of new applications, from health monitoring systems, wearable medical instruments, and even robotic skins in the future.
The prototypes of the feather-light circuits exist as a 12×12 array created by two thin layers, one a integrated circuit and the other a tactile sensor. Additionally, they boast a fairly incredible bend radius of 5 microns, ability to endure 233% tensile strain—impressive for electronics that are just one-fifth the thickness of your average saran wrap. While all of this may sound fine and dandy, its pretty incredible when compared to traditional IT device manufacturing that typically employs rigid silicon.
Les créations de Maiko Gubler sont aussi surréalistes qu’elles semblent réelles tant les textures réalisées par modélisation 3D sont irréprochables. Une artiste dont le talent n’est plus à prouver qui vit à Berlin et qui travaille notamment pour des marques comme Volkswagen, Puma ou Nike. De superbes images à découvrir.
The Jell Balls is a home appliance that can be used for cleaning up the floor. It basically uses the jell surface tension principle to make the eight jell surfaced balls to roll around a space and clean it. The appliance analyses an area and then disperses the balls to do their job. The balls can be used in wet areas like the bathroom and the kitchen.
– Yanko Design Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Shop CKIE – We are more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design! (Jell Balls That Clean was originally posted on Yanko Design)
Here is an enterprising concept that will not only get you where you want to be but also keep you in shape and help conserve energy. The 1/2 Lift Energy Saving Elevator is a lift that stops at half floors. For example, instead of stopping on the second floor, the elevator will stop between the second and third floor, and those who want to go to the second and third floor can get off here. Superb!
By lowering the frequency of stoppages a lot of electricity is conserved. Plus it will do you good to take the stairs even if it is for just half the floor!
Designer: Dengjun
– Yanko Design Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Shop CKIE – We are more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design! (Half an Elevator was originally posted on Yanko Design)
Le designer américain Stefan Sagmeister a crée The Happy Show. Avec The Bicycle Installation dont les néons actionnés par le pédalage des spectateurs diffusent des maximes, elle propose aux spectateurs une réflexion sur la signification du Bonheur. Une installation à découvrir en exclusivité à la Gaîté Lyrique du 28 novembre 2013 au 9 mars 2014 et à découvrir en images dans la suite.
A l’issue de la compétition organisée par les studios 3D Print UK et CG Trader, l’artiste néerlandais Sam Abbott a été choisi pour réaliser la première planche de skateboard twin-tip dont l’impression est 3D. Faite de trois parties collées ensemble, la planche est complètement utilisable. Plus d’images dans la suite.
À l’occasion du salon de Francfort, le 10 septembre prochain, Ferrari présentera sa 458 Speciale, dont le moteur V8 dépasse les 600 chevaux et la structure s’allège et s’affine. Ce prodige de technologie atteint les 100km/h en 3 secondes et les 200 km/h en moins de 10. À découvrir en images et en vidéo dans la suite.
Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have unveiled a prototype electric car that folds in half.
The Armadillo-T was conceived by a research team led by In-Soo Suh, associate professor of the Graduate School for Green Transportation at KAIST, to enable drivers to park in tight spots within dense urban environments.
When folded, the micro-car shrinks from 2.8 metres down to 1.65 metres. “Once folded, the small and lightweight electric vehicle takes up only one-third of a five metre parking space, the standard parking size in Korea,” said Suh.
Suh and his team based the car’s design on the behaviour of an armadillo, which rolls into a ball when faced with threats from predators. “Just as armadillos hide themselves inside the shell, Armadillo-T tucks its rear body away,” Suh said.
Watch the Armadillo-T in action:
Using a remote control, drivers can roll up the back of the car, spin it 360 degrees into the correct position and reverse it snugly into a parking space.
The prototype car features two seats and it has a motor in each of the four wheels. The vehicle’s battery and motors stay in the same place when the car folds.
It weighs 450 kilograms, has a maximum speed of 60 kilometres per hour and can travel 100 kilometres on a 10 minute charge of the battery.
KAIST unveils foldable micro electric car, Armadillo-T
The small and light electric car completely folds in half when parking, making it a perfect fit for public or private transportation in an urban environment.
Looking for a parking space for hours at a busy shopping mall or being stuck on roads jammed with cars releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide are all-too-familiar scenes for city dwellers.
A group of researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) recently developed a possible solution to such problems: a foldable, compact electric vehicle that can be utilised either as a personal car or part of the public transit system to connect major transportation routes within a city.
In-Soo Suh, associate professor of the Graduate School for Green Transportation at KAIST, and his research team introduced a prototype micro electric car called Armadillo-T, whose design is based on a native animal of South America, the armadillo, a placental mammal with a leathery shell.
The research team imitated the animal’s distinctive protection characteristic of rolling up into a ball when facing with threat from predators. Just as armadillos hide themselves inside the shell, Armadillo-T tucks its rear body away, shrinking its original size of 2.8 meters (110 inches) down to almost half, 1.65 meters (65 inches), when folding.
Armadillo-T is a four-wheel-drive, all-electric car with two seats and four in-wheel motors. Since the motors are installed inside the wheels, and the 13.6 kWh capacity of lithium-ion battery pack is housed on the front side, the battery and motors do not have to change their positions when the car folds. This not only optimises the energy efficiency but also provides stability and ample room to drivers and passengers.
Once folded, the small and light (weighs 450 kg) electric vehicle takes up only one-third of a 5-meter parking space, the standard parking size in Korea, allowing three of its kind to be parked. With a smartphone-interfaced remote control on the wheels, the vehicle can turn 360 degrees, enhancing drivers’ convenience to park the car, even in an odd space in a parking lot, the corner of a building, for example.
Professor In-Soo Suh said, “I expect that people living in cities will eventually shift their preferences from bulky, petro-engine cars to smaller and lighter electric cars. Armadillo-T can be one of the alternatives city drivers can opt for. Particularly, this car is ideal for urban travels, including car-sharing and transit transfer, to offer major transportation links in a city. In addition to the urban application, local near-distance travels such as tourist zones or large buildings can be another example of application.”
The concept car has loads of smart features on board, too: the cameras installed inside the car eliminate the need for side mirrors and increase the driver’s ability to see the car’s right and left side, thereby reducing blind spots. With a smartphone, the driver can control Armadillo-T and enable remote folding control. The car has a maximum speed of 60 km/h, and with a ten-minute fast charge, it can run up to 100 km.
Professor Suh explained that the concept of Armadillo-T was originally initiated in 2011 as he focused his research interest on the sub-A segment of personal mobility vehicles (PMVs), which are smaller and lighter than the current compact cars, as a new personalised transport mode.
“In coming years, we will see more mega-size cities established and face more serious environmental problems. Throughout the world, the ageing population is rapidly growing as well. To cope with climate, energy, and limited petroleum resources, we really need to think outside the box, once again, to find more convenient and eco-friendly transportation, just as the Ford Model T did in the early 1920s.
A further level of R&D, technical standards, and regulatory reviews are required to have these types of micro vehicles or PMVs on the market through test-bed evaluations, but we believe that Armadillo-T is an icon toward the future transport system with technology innovation.”
The research project has been supported by the Korean government, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement, since December 2012.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
