DLP projector | GIZMODO.cz

How do you make a projector that looks like a cross between a telescope and an artistic, sculptural element integrated into your decor? You take a lesson from the PHOS, a home-cinema projector that I can, with conviction, say is one of the most beautiful pieces of tech I’ve seen. The PHOS, unfortunately conceptual, is the brain-child of Jacopo Mauro, who believed appliances could be made to look absolutely addictive… and he’s right. With its capsule-shaped frame, rotating cylindrical projector, use of matte metallic gradients and frosted glass, and lastly, a marble base for the perfect premium touch, the PHOS is pure eye-candy.

The projector stands vertically, occupying a fraction of the space most projectors do, and when switched on, rotates to aim forward at an angle that best suits the space it’s in. It comes with an equally gorgeous, minimal remote controller that lets you control the projector and media playback, as well as a smart-base to point your remote at, that sits in front of you. The smart-base controls the projector and beams media to it over Wi-Fi, essentially making it easier to to point a remote towards the front while the projector sits behind you. The smart-base even houses the hi-fi speakers that deliver rich sound to complete your viewing experience, while the DLP projector behind you can focus (no pun intended) on what it does best… delivering crisp, clean visuals while absolutely looking like a sheer treat for the eyes!

Designer: Jacopo Mauro

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon have developed a prototype smart headlight which blots out individual drops of rain or snow -- improving vision by up to 90 percent. Made with an off-the-shelf Viewsonic DLP projector, a quad-core Intel Core-i7 PC and a GigE Point Grey Flea3 camera, the Rube Goldberg-esque process starts by first imaging raindrops arriving at the top of its view. After this, the signal goes to a processing unit, which uses a predictive theory developed by the team to guess the drops' path to the road. Finally, the projector -- found in the same place as the camera -- uses a beamsplitter like modern digital 3D rigs. Used in tandem with calculations, it transmits a beam with light voids matching the predicted path. The result? It all stops light from hitting the falling particles, with the cumulative process resulting in the illusion of a nearly precipitation-free road view -- at least in the lab. So far, the whole process takes about a hundredth of a second (13 ms) but scientists said that in an actual car and with many more drops, the speed would have to be about ten times quicker. That would allow 90 percent of the light located 13 feet in front of the headlights to pass through, but even at just triple the speed, it would give drivers a 70 percent better view. To see if this tech might have a snowflake's chance of making it out of the lab, go past the break for all the videos.

Continue reading Carnegie Mellon smart headlight prototype blacks out raindrops for clearer view of the road

Carnegie Mellon smart headlight prototype blacks out raindrops for clearer view of the road originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 13:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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