Robots, “Like A Real Runner”!

   In this blog entry I’m gonna talk about the Robots. Robots have proven that they can do all sorts of things, from singing and playing instruments, to learning on their own, but the only limitation that robots have is their running speed and movement, but this latest robot could change that.

    MABEL is the first bipedal robot with knees and it was first built in late 2008, but it has advanced a lot since 2008. It was only a year ago that the University of Michigan's MABEL biped robot was breaking its ankles trying to walk over rough terrain. Now the robot is defying death once again by becoming the world's fastest bipedal robot, with the ability to sprint at up to 10.9 kph and it can navigate through rough terrain at lower speeds on similar way as humans do. 

   Besides running, this robot can easily walk, but it’s definitely not the most silent robot that we saw. In addition, we have to mention that MABEL currently has limited movability but researchers are constantly working on it, and they are hoping to make it able to climb stairs in the future.

   
   More specifically, MABEL is the world's fastest "kneed" bipedal robot, which just means that it's the fastest robot that can run in a similar manner to us humans, leaving those Toyota robots (4.3 kph) and ASIMO (3.7 kph) in the dust.

   MABEL is quite impressive, and although it’s far from being used in everyday situations, we might see it running on its own someday in the future.

   This bipedal technology, which can mimic a human's ability to run and climb over obstacles, may be used to help the disabled walk again, in rescue situations or as the basis of future vehicles that don't require roads or wheels to drive.

   Well, this will be helpful to the disabled to climb the stairs and also helps in many ways for us. By this new technology, we are gaining many positive things. I think, this will come out, with still better features into the market.

Microsoft Next-Generation!

   In this blog entry I’m gonna talk about Microsoft’s next-generation. Microsoft provided another glimpse at changes coming with the next-generation of Windows software that powers most of the world’s computers.

Microsoft is making major improvements to a key Windows Explorer file management program to enhance how it interacts with the coming Windows 8 operating system, according to Windows division president Steven Sinofsky.

   Windows 8 is about reimagining Windows, so they took on the challenge to improve the most widely used desktop tool (except maybe for Solitaire) in Windows," Sinofsky said.

   He further added, "Windows Explorer is a foundation of the user experience of the Windows desktop and has undergone several design changes over the years, but has not seen a substantial change in quite some time.

  A control "ribbon" for commands was added to make them more easily accessible to people other than "power users" familiar with Windows Explorer shortcuts.

  Engineers set out to "return Explorer to its roots as an efficient file manager and expose some hidden gems" in the form of handy commands many people may not know, according to Alex Simmons of the program management team.

  Microsoft in June provided the first sneak peek at the successor to Windows 7, a next-generation operating system designed to work on both personal computers and touchscreen tablets.

   Sinofsky demonstrated some of the features of the operating system code-named "Windows 8" at a D9 technology conference hosted by All Things Digital.

   Sinofsky also mentioned that, “Laptops, desktops -- all can run one operating system."  

   "Windows 8" builds upon many of the features in Microsoft's latest mobile operating system for smartphones, Windows Phone 7, including the use of touch "tiles" instead of icons to launch and navigate between applications.

   Microsoft has promised to reveal more features of Windows 8, which uses Internet Explorer 10 as a Web browser, at its developer’s conference in Anaheim, California, opening on September 13.

   Well, by seeing this latest information many of them are very eager to know the features of Windows 8. Let’s wait, it reveals within two weeks.

New Technology 2 Help Disabled

   In this blog entry I’m gonna talk about the robots, Researchers have developed robots that can be controlled by the user’s thoughts and will be provide help for disabled people in future.

   According to scientists, inventors and enthusiasts, robot avatars will provide a new level of freedom and interaction for the disabled, elderly, or bed-ridden that they do not currently enjoy. These avatars will “fill in” for those who are not able to physically attend - communicating for them, said science fiction author Robert Sawyer.

   In Fox News, Sawyer mentioned that, “this is liberating for the person [who is disabled]."

   Paul Wilford, a senior research director at New Jersey’s Bell Labs, has developed a “telepresence” project called NetHead that will one day help the disabled to participate in meetings, join community groups, attend school functions, and even work in an office -- all from a remote computer.

Robert Oschler

   Robert Oschler, a freelance computer programmer, is developing a robot for the disabled. The robot can move around the room and communicate over a video feed.

   The project, called Robodance 5, uses the Emotiv EPOC EEG headset to read facial movements, jaw clenches, and track eye movements. Oschler mentioned that he had trained the Emotiv system to react to my head and facial movements. He further added that, the system can be trained to create usable triggers using the 14 electrodes and the built-in gyro accelerometer on the Emotiv. For a person with locked-in syndrome [who does not have any freedom of movement], they would train a completely different set of triggers.

   Other robotic systems are already helping those with disabilities. In the UK, a robot avatar named KASPAR (Kinesics and Synchronization in Personal Assistant Robotics), developed at the University of Hertfordshire, interacts with kids who have autism.

   But there's still work to do. Society has not outfitted classrooms, libraries, and other public places with all of the equipment needed to make a robot avatar a reality, Cooper said. For example, there is no existing infrastructure to allow an avatar to work at a library. And wireless speeds are getting faster, but two-way video communication requires far better throughput. 

    Lastly, I can say that robotic avatars could become part of everyday life. This will really help the handicapped, when no one is there at home.

Eco-Friendly Tri-Cycle!!

   In this blog entry I’m gonna talk about a tri-cycle. Eight engineering students from the city build an eco-friendly dream vehicle. They hope to repeat the success of their project last year that placed them third in the national level contest conducted by SAENIS.

   These students are from the PSG College of Technology in Coimbatore, India, worked late nights last year to get their dream vehicle rolling. Their aim was to create a tri-cycle that would be faster, more efficient than a normal cycle yet remain eco friendly. At the end of two months, they came up with ProDrive. This vehicle was placed third in the national level Effi cycle contest conducted by SAENIS (Society of Automotive Engineers North India Section) at the Punjab University in Chandigarh in October 2010. This year too, a team has been chosen from the college for the same competition.The Effi Cycle contest was started by SAE in an attempt to promote eco friendly vehicles and at the same time provide graduate and postgraduate students with an opportunity to fabricate their own vehicles keeping in mind the environmental implications for the automobile industry.

   In order to apply, a project report has to be prepared and sent complete with cost report and marketing strategies. Once, that is approved by a team of experts from companies such as Maruti, TATA and L.G, the next step is a phone interview. K. Gautam Kumar mentioned that they were grilled during the phone interview.

   Sathyaseelan, the team Captain, K.Gautam Kumar, V. Praveen Kumaar and M.B. Sriram, final year Automobile Engineering students were part of the team last year and this year too. They were chosen by their seniors after a round of tests and interviews. Similarly, they have chosen four of their juniors to create the Pro Drive 2011.

   An ordinary cycle can travel at a speed of around 10-15kms/hr. The Prodrive 2010 could travel at a speed of 35-45 kms/hr. It can withstand a weight of 75 kgs over and above the weight of the two drivers. At the competition, a pile of bricks was placed on the vehicle to check if it could withstand the weight. “It was nerve-wracking.

   They had the vehicle ready at least two weeks before the event, so that our drivers could ride it and check for any setbacks. This time around too they hope to have the Prodrive 2011 ready by the first week of October.

   The team has secured the materials for the Prodrive 2011. The vehicle is to be powered with a 400 W PMDC motor that is being brought from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, a 48 V battery and 4 dynamos. “So, the speed of this vehicle would undoubtedly be more than 50 km/hr. Recyclable seats and a better grade of steel that reduces the weight of the vehicle are the improvements these young minds have brought for this time.

   Thanks for those eight engineering students to create this type of Eco-friendly Tri-cycle. Well, I think this time the tri-cycle is going to be selected in the contest. When it enters into the market, these cycles can be used as taxis there is no doubt. Let’s hope…………..

Human Is Replaced By Artificial Intelligence?

    In this blog entry I’m gonna talk about, a non-human DJ. A non-human DJ have taken to the airwaves on August 24th in San Antonio, Texas, in which made a mark another step on the path that puts flesh-and-blood radio personalities out of a job.

   The DJ is an artificial intelligence program called Denise and was built by Guile 3D Studio to serve as a virtual assistant to answer phone calls, check email, conduct Web searches and make appointments, among other tasks.

   Dominique Garcia, a radio personality in San Antonio, purchased Denise for $200 and programmed the AI to serve as a DJ. Denise have hit the airwaves on Aug. 24 from 1 to 4 p.m. CST on KROV.

   Gracia claims that “a lot of radio DJs are pretty upset with me because it does work” – but at the moment, Denise does need the help of human assistance to write the script so that Denise can perform her talk breaks, while slotting the voice track into the playlist. Bear in mind that Denise is relatively useless without a talented writer who can write a compelling script for the listeners. Anyone willing to write scripts for shock jocks like Howard Stern?

   For the most part, the script writer tells Denise exactly what to say, though “she” has the capability to tell jokes when asked, provide the weather forecast and look up things on the Internet. She can’t, however, fill airspace by herself.  That technology does not yet exist in the AI world,” Garcia said. “It is not as sophisticated as that; that’s the ideal situation.”

   This operator work, according to Garcia, should be much cheaper labor than hiring a full-time human DJ and thus ultimately save radio stations millions of dollars. “If you have a staff of five that is paid $100,000 a year each, that’s half-a-million dollars,” he said. “The entire (AI) program is $200, a one-time fee. You never have to pay an annual fee. It never has to go to the bathroom. It never goes on an egomaniac spree. It is always there.” A part-time laborer could be hired as Denise’s human assistant, Garcia reckons, for about $10 an hour.

   The program, Garcia notes, sounds “a tad robotic” and is far from possessing the quick-wit and ability to drone on unscripted for hours that allows some human DJs to command high salaries in today’s market. Nevertheless, for an off-the-shelf piece of software not even designed to be a DJ, the technology could be disruptive to the industry already facing threats from companies such as Pandora, the Internet radio station that hit 100 million users this July.  This is something that can be done today if stations decide to run with it,” Garcia said.

   Thanks to the development of technology, humans are slowly being replaced by robots in certain cases, but what if a human is replaced by artificial intelligence? If you’re considered whether artificial intelligence can do the job as well as human, well, Denise is here to prove that.

Turns Your Fridge Into Facebook!!

   In this blog entry I’m gonna talk which is related to Facebook , If you like looking at your Facebook all the time on your computer, smartphone, tablet and other devices, then you might like this little geeky addition to your fridge.

   This won’t bring actual Facebook to your standard fridge, it’s still a nice decoration for your fridge especially if you’re avid Facebook user. Folks from Fridgebook have released a set of Fridgebook Magnets that turn your fridge into a Facebook wall, or they make it at least look like a Facebook wall. By attaching these magnets on your fridge, you’ll get items such as comments, notes, photos, wall posts, like button, and status updates.

   Although you won’t get feeds from your friends on your fridge, you can write anything on magnets with whitespace on it with any whiteboard marker to write your own comments, notes or whatever you feel like telling people.

   Fridgebook Magnets Features includes,

     Easy to use wipe-clean white board pen

     Twelve wipe-clean magnets include: My Profile, Status, Comment x 2, Friends, Photos, Events, Notes, Like, Dislike, Wall Posts x 2

     Zero technological wizardry or internet connection required

     Suitable for all ages, including under 13s

     No confusing privacy settings

     Compatible with most fridges 

   It features dry-wipe status updates and a zero% chance of account hacking.

   If you’re keen on getting these Fridgebook Magnets, they’re available now only for $19.95.

   It maintains contact among family members, friends, etc. It promotes personal communication and encourage literacy among the youngest contributors and also encourage ongoing family fun via written notes and dialogues. It shares schedules and reminders on the Fridge. Fun and unique gift for any occasion. It is available online only through the fridgebook.com, Amazon, EBay, Etsy. It also helps to see the product and order the product by sending an email to Customer Service including your contact information. These magnets do a pretty good job of replicating the whole experience.