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Video: Super-efficient Chicken Breast Deboning Robot

Posted: 15 Jun 2011 03:42 AM PDT

First the strawberry-picking robot, now another super-efficient industrial robot from Japan. This one is the brainchild of Mayekawa Manufacturing, and it can automatically debone chicken breasts – quickly and accurately.

To be more concrete, Mayekawa says the robot can debone about 1,500 chicken breasts in one hour, theoretically replacing ten human workers. The key factor here is an advanced image recognition function, which makes it possible to make accurate cuts: at the end of the deboning process, all that’s left are bones, according to the robot’s maker.

Mayekawa is selling the system in Japan and elsewhere for about $560,000.

This video (shot by Diginfonews in Tokyo) provides more insight:

Must-Have For Minecraft Fans: Grass Block Mousepad

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 05:30 PM PDT

If you’re deeply into Minecraft, as I know many of you are, you might find this grass block texture mousepad fulfilling (there’s a Creeper one as well). Etsy seller DesignNoy has a ton more of iconic game graphics, if blocks and building aren’t your thing.

That is all.

[via Technabob]

Crytek Developer: New Xbox Coming At E3 2012

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Despite industry sources and commentators suggesting that 2014, or 2013 at the earliest, would be the timing for a new generation of consoles, one insider claims Microsoft is planning on revealing it in the next 12 months, also known as “in the next year.”

The anonymous source at Crytek told VideoGamer.com that the company is already developing a new game (TimeSplitters 4 of all things) for the next system, using DirectX 11 and prototype hardware (something we’ve heard before, though it was denied).

Personally I’m not convinced. With the Kinect selling strong and a ton of big games in the pipes for the next year (including Halo 4 and tons of “real” Kinect-powered games), it doesn’t seem likely that Microsoft and partners would be doing active development on a brand new system and launch titles.

[via 1up]

Meet The Robostir, A Robotic Soup Stirrer

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 04:00 PM PDT

You like soup, but you don’t want to stir it? What to do? Buy a robostirrer, of course! The Robostir robot stirrer is a stirrer that is a robot. It costs $11 and runs on 4 AA batteries and stirs your soup or polenta or whatever like a freaking champ. Soup? Check. Minestrone? Damn right. Italian Wedding Soup? Umm, yeah? It’s a soup, right? Get with the program. Pea soup? Hello? Are you paying attention? Oatmeal? Yes! For the thousandth time!

You can apparently buy it here and your soup will thank you.
via RedFerret


Engineer Has Been Helping Paraplegic Gamers Play Using Modified Controllers For 30 Years

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 03:37 PM PDT


Here’s a story to warm the cockles of your hearts, dear readers. Since 1981, Ken Yankelevitz has been designing modified controllers for gaming systems that allow people with no use of their arms or legs to play games. Using variations on the sip/puff mechanic, operating buttons with the nose or lips, and other tools of the trade, he’s made gear for everything from Ataris to Xbox 360s. Let’s just take a second to acknowledge how awesome that is.

It reminds me of the story from last year in which a guy helped a blind gamer beat Ocarina of Time. The loss of vision, hearing, or the use of one’s limbs can be devastating to a hobby like gaming, but with a little help from your friends, anything is possible.

Check out the modified Dual Shock and 360 controllers; more information is available throughout the Quad Control site. We salute you, Ken! Keep up the good work.

[via Hack A Day]

This Can’t Possibly Work: “Hoverbike”-Style Dual-Rotor Flying Machine

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 03:00 PM PDT


I can’t be the only one who has doubts about the safety of this particular setup. The creator, an Australian (naturally) by the name of Chris Malloy, claims it’ll be able to fly at 173 MPH at 3000 feet. Yeah, I can see that — if you can get to that height without flipping over or falling off the thing after hitting a pocket of turbulent air.

Right now its testing seems to be largely theoretical, which is a nice way of saying he hasn’t let it out of his back yard or local parking lot yet. But based on its weight and power, he thinks it’ll go for an hour at 92 MPH. What about the possibility of accidental ejection? He’s hoping to add in parachutes and do something about those pesky exposed rotors.

Yeah, I wouldn’t take that thing to 3000 feet for a million bucks. But I look forward to hearing more about it. There’s a distinct lack of hoverbikes in my life.

[via Wired]

Another 2048×1536 Asset Suggests Upcoming Retina Display On iPad

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 02:37 PM PDT

Back before the iPad 2 was announced, there was some speculation that it might have a “Retina” style screen at a doubled (horizontal and vertical) resolution of 2048×1536, based on some extra-large assets found deep in the OS. That turned out not to be the case, but I still strongly believe it’s in the future for Apple’s tablet, and now a mega-sized Twitter image from iOS 5 lends further credence to the rumor.

The image (sent by @frankrockz to TechUnwrapped), backgrounds from within the Twitter .framework, are indeed 2048×1536, and exist alongside the existing 1024×768 assets. But they are the only ones found so far, suggesting that iOS 5 isn’t going to be the one that ships with this mythical display. It’s also entirely possible that it’s a desktop asset, but Apple’s 16:9 displays aren’t right for it. The fact that it’s a semi-transparent PNG means it’s an overlay, probably for a centered notification.

It could also be a mistake or fabrication, but with a precedent set in the iBooks asset, it seems more like an oversight. We’ll check around ourselves and see what we come up with.

Airbus Shows Off Concepts For 2050 Air Travel

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 02:30 PM PDT


What do you think planes will be like in 2050? You’re probably wrong. I’d definitely be wrong. And Airbus is probably wrong too, but they’re in the business, so they might be a little closer to the mark. At the very least it’s a sneak peek at what the aviation giant is thinking about for its next next generation of airliners.

To begin with, the plane itself will be fashioned from a material that mimics bird bones: light yet rigid (and described as “bionic” by the Guardian, which I think is not accurate). Parts of the material would also be able to switch between transparent and opaque, something that exists already to some extent.

The cabin would feature form-fitting seats and built-in high-speed internet connections. Notice they don’t mention price!

Then there are several zones: “vitalising,” with vitamin air and acupressure therapy; “interactive,” with games and shopping; and “smart tech,” which I think had to remain somewhat vague, as no one knows what “tech” will look like in 40 years.

It’s all very silly, since the next few decades will likely bring changes we have no precedent or expectations for, but it’s fun to think about anyway — just as it was fun to think about the year 2000 back in the 40s and 50s. (Those future visions and also the decadent air of the period were brilliantly satired in Bruce McCall’s “Zany Afternoons,” which I highly recommend).

More info and weirdness at Airbus’s future stuff site.

“$35″ “Indian” Tablet To Ship This Month (For $50)

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 01:57 PM PDT

While neither the cost nor the design origin of the Sakshat super-basic tablet talked up by Indian officials is exactly as advertised, the device may in fact be getting a release this month at the price advertised, despite delays earlier this year.

The low-cost tablet, rather an international collaboration made possible by globalized creation tools than an country-specific device (the same could be said for the iPhone, of course), will have 100,000 units shipped throughout India this summer if all goes well.

The official price would actually 2200 rupees, or around $50. The Indian government, however, is planning on offering a 50% subsidy on purchases, bringing the price below the original $35 estimate. 10,000 would be sent out to Rajasthan this month and 90,000 more to other areas over the summer.

The aim of the project is presumably similar to that of the OLPC, though with an added aspect of positive nationalism to it. Like China, which is working on its own processors to rival Intel and ARM, India would like to reduce its reliance on foreign IP. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose, though much of this ostensibly Indian project is demonstrably foreign in origin. Small steps, though.

[via TechIT.in]

Rez Creator Mizuguchi: Bring On The 3D And Crazy Control Methods

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 01:30 PM PDT


At E3, while checking out both the Wii U and the Vita, I was struck by the creative possibilities these novel control methods provided. Developers can be immensely creative people, and with the right one, something like a rear touch surface can become a truly powerful gameplay device. Tetsuya Mizuguchi, creator of Rez and Lumines, is especially excited about these new technologies, and I for one am excited to see what he and his team will do with them.

Speaking to Develop, Mizuguchi described his interest in these new technologies:

Before Child of Eden we tried, and we had the chemistry, but the not the technology. Now, with new technology like high definition, 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound, and even 3D, there are many opportunities for this kind of game to realise its full potential.

…The more paintbrushes we have, the more we can do. It is simple.

He also waxed philosophical on the possibilities of synaesthetic gameplay like that hinted at in Rez and perhaps better wrought in Child of Eden. And although he also compared game design to writing a poem (“Keeping things small, using very few words, you can still make the reader feel”), he suggested that technology has been driving creation since the 8-bit era.

Thunderbolt Gear And Final Cut Pro X To Arrive Next Week?

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 01:00 PM PDT

Back at NAB in April, Apple took over the Final Cut Pro Supermeet to announce the brand new version of their powerful video editor. Powerful new functionality was demoed, as well as some (to me) disturbing concessions to iMovie, but the $299 price impressed. June was the target for release, and if you’ll check your calendar, you’ll find that is this month.

MacOtakara claims to have heard that next week will be the week for the new app, as well as some Thunderbolt video accessories, like the LaCie drive and the media gear from elsewhere at NAB. We’ll find out soon.

[via MacRumors]

This Robot Can Beat Ms. Pac-Man Faster Than You Can

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 12:30 PM PDT

Three students at the University of Essex, Philipp Rohlfshagen, David Robles, and Simon Lucas, built an AI that can play Ms. Pac-Man like a champeen, hitting 70,000 points in a few minutes thanks to forward-thinking algortithms. It’s actually quite fascinating to watch the AI in action as it hovers over various dots and decides whether or not to take certain tunnels.

The project was part of an evolutionary computing conference and pitted game player AIs with enemy ghost AIs written by other participants. You can download game code below.

Project Page


Garmin To Buy Navigon

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 11:52 AM PDT


Garmin Ltd. and Navigon AG just announced that the two companies have reached an agreement and a subsidiary of Garmin will acquire the privately-held navigation company. The financial terms of the transaction was not released.

German-based Navigon pulled out of the North American PND market in 2009 and has since focused on the European region and smartphone apps. It’s likely that these two areas of investment were key to Garmin’s interest. We reviewed Navigon’s last US-centric GPS units in 2009 and while they were competent, failed to eclipse Garmin’s or TomTom’s models in anyway.

Navigon is also a major player in the automotive OEM field, which might lead to big things for Garmin and consumers. Right now most baked-in GPS solutions aren’t exactly impressive and could a dash of Garmin charm would go a long way.

Going forward, Navigon will operate as a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd pending the acquisition’s approval and closing.

CrunchBase Information
Garmin
Information provided by CrunchBase

Samsung’s “Attempt To Harass” Apple Gets Rough Response

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 11:32 AM PDT

Remember that one time when Samsung asked Apple to hand over the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 for legal inspection, just in case the companies' future products crossed the line between similar and strikingly similar yet again? Well, Apple didn't like that very much, and has called the request "copyist."

It all started back in April, when Apple saw some bothersome similarities between Apple's iPad 2 and iPhone 4 and certain products from Samsung's Galaxy and Infuse lines of products. Apple sued, Samsung counter-sued, and now we're basically in a vicious cycle of "which came first: the iPhone 4 or the Samsung Galaxy S II?"

As part of the lawsuit, a federal judge ordered Samsung to give Apple access to the Galaxy S II, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, the Infuse 4G, and the Infuse 4G LTE, so that the Apple legal team could determine if its intellectual property rights had been violated. Two of the five devices had yet to be released, but were still leaked on to the web with descriptions and photos. In other words, everything Apple got a peak at was no longer a secret.

Samsung, on the other hand, went for the jugular in its request to view products, asking for the next-generation iPhone and iPad – two products locked tightly away in a Cupertino vault, we'd assume. Now, nearly two weeks later, Apple has responded with a filing to block the request:

Samsung's Motion to Compel is an improper attempt to harass Apple by demanding production of extremely sensitive trade secrets that have no relevance to Apple's likelihood of success on its infringement claims or to a preliminary injunction motion. Apple made a compelling showing in its motion to expedite discovery that Apple needs samples of products that Samsung has already announced, distributed, and described, so that Apple can evaluate whether to file a preliminary injunction motion against those products, which look strikingly similar to the distinctive trade dress of Apple's current products. Samsung has made no such showing about Apple's future products. Therefore, Samsung's Motion to Compel should be denied.

Samsung's argument goes a little like this: If the next-gen iPad and iPhone don't wear the same design "dress" that Samsung has been accused of copying, then Apple can't justifiably accuse Samsung of stealing consistently Apple-esque designs. On the other hand, Apple claims that the suit is centered around current products, and that future products bear no relevance to the case at hand.

Samsung promised in its request to play by the same rules Apple is required to follow, and only allow outside legal counsel to inspect Apple's products. But Apple isn't likely to take this request lying down, knowing full well that anticipation is part of what makes the iPhone and iPad so buzz-worthy. June 17 is the deadline for Samsung to hand over those products for Apple's inspection, and we'll know in the next few weeks whether a judge will agree with Samsung's request.

[via MobileBurn]

Fun Fact: Your Headphone Remote Works As A Camera Shutter Button in iOS 5

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 10:47 AM PDT

When Apple was showing off iOS 5′s myriad new features, they mentioned one neat little trick that the camera app had up its sleeve: you could now fire off pictures with the device’s volume down button.

Read More

Do Not Swallow: Olympus Releases Tiny E-PL Promotional Cameras

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 09:34 AM PDT

No, you cannot take pictures with these tiny E-PL1 and E-PL2 cameras, but you can, feasibly, buy one and carry it around on your keys. Sadly, you can’t take pictures with these tiny, removable-lens cameras, although that would be amazagasmic.

And remember: “It’s love, It’s a pen.” There are only 100 available and they cost about $7 each.

Product Page


Up Close With The Uber-Expensive Ulysse Nardin Chairman Phone

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 08:40 AM PDT

Last week I got the chance to play with the Ulysse Nardin Chairman, a goofy, expensive phone with a small, built-in mechanical rotor for manual winding. I interviewed the head of UN’s cell division, Paul Williams, about his experience building the phone as well as his background at Nokia’s Vertu line. The phone will run Android and will be available next year. If anything can be said of this phone it’s that it is real, it is a serious piece of electronics, and yes, someone will probably buy one or one thousand.

The WD Nomad Rugged Case Will Protect And Serve My Passport External Hard Drives

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 08:38 AM PDT


External hard drives are notoriously fragile devices. They do, after all, contain what is essentially a miniaturized multilayer record player. It’s in this spirit that Western Digital just announced the WD Nomad case for the My Passport External hard drive line. A elastomer interior holds the drive tight while a polycarbonate casing serves as the front line defense. Best of all the case has an included USB port so owners can still access the drive while it’s still protected. The WD Nomad is compatible with all the My Passport products and carries a $29.99 MSRP.

WD® KEEPS PRECIOUS MEMORIES ON MY PASSPORT® DRIVES SAFE FROM BUMPS, DROPS AND SPILLS OF AN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE

WD Nomad™ Rugged Case Protects My Passport® Hard Drives for Outdoor Photographers, Adventurers and Other Road Warriors

IRVINE, Calif. – June 14, 2011 – WD® (NYSE: WDC), the world’s leader in external storage solutions, today introduced the WD Nomad™ rugged case (photos), a durable case designed to protect My Passport® portable hard drives from drops as high as seven feet, moisture and spills and other mishaps associated with active, on-the-go lifestyles, such as those of outdoor photographers, adventurers and other road warriors.
The WD Nomad rugged case features a polycarbonate exterior and shock-absorbing elastomer cushion inside. It conforms to strict military standards (MIL-STD-810G) for ruggedness. The heavy-duty latch and silicon liner seal out dirt, dust, and moisture.
The WD Nomad rugged case is ideal for hikers, business travelers, outdoor and travel photographers, and others who professionally or personally bring their digital equipment and assets with them. The uniquely functional design includes an opening for the drive’s USB connector, so the user can access the drive while it remains in the case. In addition, a molded exterior ring allows users to attach a carabiner, cable, or nylon strap for more convenient accessibility.
"Consumers and professionals are more mobile than ever before and portable hard drives allow them to take their videos, photos and other files everywhere they go," said Dale Pistilli, vice president of marketing for WD's branded products group. "As the worldwide leader in external storage, WD understands how to protect data on hard drives, and we have put the same commitment to quality into the design of this rugged case. With the My Passport drive and WD Nomad rugged case, owners can rest assured they are doing everything they can to protect their digital lives whether they're traveling for fun or doing their daily commute."
"My work as an adventure photographer/filmmaker takes me to remote locations all over the planet. I have always depended upon the ultra-reliable My Passport portable hard drives to back-up my images and video, but Mother Nature has often made this task a bit of a challenge," said Bruce Dorn of the Directors Guild of America and WD Creative Master. "I am often in the wettest, nastiest, grimiest, and most remote locations, so I am thrilled by the new WD Nomad rugged case. Tough as a vault, these handsome new cases are now a permanent part of my kit."
The new WD Nomad rugged case is compatible with My Passport drives including My Passport Essential™, My Passport Essential SE, My Passport Elite™, My Passport for Mac®, and My Passport SE for Mac.
The WD Nomad rugged case is available now at WD's online store (www.wdstore.com) and select U.S. retailers. MSRP is $29.95 USD.

Bowers & Wilkins Announce The Tiny PM1 Audiophile-Class Compact Loudspeaker

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 08:02 AM PDT


Before the Zeppelin iPod dock made Bowers & Wilkins a commonplace name in the world of gadgets, the company was known for its amazing, but pricey, loudspeakers. In that tradition B&W just announced the $2800 PM1 mini-monitors. These bookshelf speakers are a mere 25-inches tall but weigh 20lbs each and use some of B&W’s most advance speaker technology. Forget the sound for a moment, the delicious Mocha Gloss finish makes the speaker look the cost of admission alone.


B&W speakers are instantly identifiable by the iconic Nautilus tapering tube tweeter. But while the tweeter on the new PM1 compact loudspeaker might look like the B&W speakers from the ’90s, it’s an entirely new housing that likely accounts for the vast majority of the high MSRP. The aluminium tweeter doom can now reach 40kHz through a new design that employees a stiffer carbon fiber ring to brace the voice coil and the whole assembly. The result moves the already barely audible break-up frequency range from 30kHz to 40kHz, but produces a larger range as a whole with noticeable difference around the 20kHz range. The PM1′s bass/midrange driver also uses a revamped assembly that sports a new anti-resonance plug that’s shaped like a mushroom and fits tight in the front voice coil.

Expect the PM1 speakers to hit approved B&W dealers this July.

The Good Looks Of The Tissot T-Navigator Watch Collection

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 07:34 AM PDT

Tissot offers up a new T-Navigator watch for 2011 and it is a very desirable collection of timepieces. Relatively affordable and good looking, this range is going to find itself on a lot of wrists. The first thing that I noticed, aside from the aviator style dial, is the amount of detail that went into the case. Most aviator watches have rather blase, ho-hum cases that aren’t very exciting. Offering a more technical and modern interpretation of the classic aviator, Tissot ensures that the cases themselves are as interesting as the dials.

Read the rest here…
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