Tag Archives: motion sensor
Kovaluu’s Beats and Loops app uses your phone as a drum pedal
This smart door handle solves 4 issues of its predecessors
Smart homes are no longer a thing of the future, it all started with TVs and mobile phones but now most appliances in our home have an ‘above average IQ’. One of the first few converts were lights, refrigerators, and thermostats, we also have a few smart handles and locks but they are just not ready to take the SATs (I can’t be the only one who finds these entertaining!). They are often overlooked when we think of smart appliances but this conceptual handle is here to ‘unlock’ some new levels in the smart home game.
The Handle solves a lot of the issues that come with the current smart locks in the market. The invisible tech feature has a human body sensor so the backlight in the handle will light up when you approach thus making it easier for you to touch the fingerprint identification on the backside of the product. The frontside has a laser microvia touch keypad which lights up subtly when needed and literally looks like someone has imprinted the handle with characters using a fine-tip glow pen. You can set a number password, icon password or pattern password on this keypad.
The indoor handle (when you are inside the room) has an unlock key to open the door and an ergonomic toggle switch you can use to lock the door. Unlike most smart handles and locks, the Handle is not black or bulky, it is slim, very sleek and has a modern yet minimalist design that makes it merge with any interior environment. The handle is here to open the door to a brighter future of smart homes.
Designers: Wayne Lu and Wenjie Zheng
GE’s wireless smart switch works without a hub
It's been a while since we heard from GE about its smart home arm, but today the company announced several new items designed to make its already straightforward lighting ecosystem even easier to use. Most notable of the bunch; a new smart switch and...
Drones Can Now Dodge Balls
If you aren’t afraid of drone attacks on humans in the near future, you should be. And if your plan was to simply knock them out of the sky, well, forget that. Drones can now dodge balls that are thrown at them. So, they will probably be very good at dodgeball – and also can not be taken out of the sky as they attack you. Depressing I know.
University of Zurich’s Robotics and Perception Group recently showed off an autonomous quadcopter that uses motion sensors to dodge balls that are thrown at it. The drone uses special motion-detection sensors which can identify pixel-by-pixel changes in a scene in microseconds. A regular camera takes milliseconds to do the same thing because those typically compare entire frames. The result of using the motion sensor is that this drone is incredibly fast at dodging objects.
The question now is: how are we going to get them out of the sky now? We need an EMP weapon I guess.
[via Boing Boing via Geekologie]
Kinect-Powered PomPom Mirror Highlights Fluffiness
Snow White’s stepmother would have a hard time finding out who’s the fairest of them all, as everyone’s reflection in this Kinect-powered mirror looks equally fluffy.
New York artist Daniel Rozin seems to have developed an obsession for mirrors, considering that most of his portfolio focuses on them. His latest creation, simply titled PomPom Mirror, might convince you that Rozin is not a big fan of sharpness. The contraption makes use of a Kinect sensor, motors and plenty of faux fur pom poms to create fluffy reflections of whoever stands in front of it.
Obviously, the effect couldn’t have been achieved with a small number of faux fur pom poms and motors. With that in mind, Rozin employed 464 motors that turn 928 spherical puffs from beige to black depending on what motion is captured by the Kinect sensor.
People’s reaction to seeing this concept is preponderantly positive, with some of them even wanting to sleep on this mirror. Well, the surface definitely wouldn’t suffice, but maybe that’s what people should suggest Rodin to try in this future projects: a full length mirror that doubles as a fluffy mattress when not in use. After all, the ladies may want to admire their dresses, and the current PomPom Mirror cannot encompass their entire length.
The Kinect sensor tracks the people standing in front of the mirror and sends the data to a microcontroller that, in turn, flips the motors to determine the change in color. The reflection appears in real-time, but don’t expect instant reactions. After all, something as fluffy as this mirror shouldn’t make sudden moves, as they would contradict the whole concept. One might argue that the fluffy mirror has a life of its own, and if you’re considering its aspect and motion, you wouldn’t be that far from the truth.
In case the above video isn’t enough for you, and you happen to be in the Big Apple these days, don’t hesitate to visit the Descent with Modification artworks exhibition. Rozin’s PomPom Mirror is currently showcased there, and can be tested by any of the visitors. The exhibition runs through July 1, 2015, so don’t miss your chance of witnessing a completely unique form of art. Unique and fluffy, that is.
Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the depth-sensing cameras on Kinect v2, or how Disney Aireal enhances Kinect gaming with tactile feedback.
Pokémon VR: First-Person Trainer
Step into the surprisingly floppy robotic body of a Pokémon trainer with Pokémon VR. YouTuber misterbunbun – there’s a 90% chance he’s a 4-year old’s pet rabbit – made the short virtual reality game for the Leap Motion 3D Jam. The game puts you in control of Pikachu as you take on a wild Magnemite.
If played with the Leap Motion, you can pick up and throw Pikachu’s Pokéball, press onsceen buttons and overall control the game with your hands. Otherwise you can use a keyboard or voice commands (via a program called VoiceAttack) to play the game.
What will your starting link be? Choose this one to download Pokémon VR or this one check out the other Leap Motion 3D Jam games.
[via Siliconera]
Cyberith Virtualizer VR Treadmill Virtually Funded on Kickstarter
Late last year we talked about the Cyberith Virtualizer, an omnidirectional treadmill and motion sensor for use with virtual reality devices like the Oculus Rift. After three prototypes, Cyberith is now raising funds on Kickstarter to finalize and produce commercial versions of their promising device.
The final version of the Virtualizer works just like the prototype we saw last year. It has a flat low friction base with omnidirectional sensors, a height-adjustable harness that detects changes in position and keeps you from falling off the base, and straps that help you crouch, sit or kneel.
In addition, the Virtualizer’s base will also have transducers to provide haptic feedback. If a game doesn’t have native support for haptic feedback, the Virtualizer will look at audio signals from the game and use those to make appropriate rumbling effects.
Pledge at least $699 (USD) on Kickstarter to receive a Virtualizer as a reward. Cyberith is also offering a dummy Virtualizer – i.e. no sensors, just the base and the harness – for people who intend to use other VR sensors and are looking for a device that will keep them in place while they’re plugged in.
AllSee Low-power Sensor Uses Ambient Radio Signals to Detect Gestures
Many gesture detection devices, including the Kinect and the Leap Motion, use infrared cameras to sense movement. They also have dedicated chips that process the data from the cameras. These components are power-hungry, especially if they’re turned on at all times. Researchers from the University of Washington have developed a gesture detection device that uses 1,000 to 10,000 times less power than its counterparts.
Bryce Kellogg, Vamsi Talla and their teacher Shyam Gollakota call the device AllSee. Instead of cameras and infrared light, it measures how the user’s hand affects ambient TV signals: “At a high level, we use the insight that motion at a location farther from the receiver results in smaller wireless signal changes than from a close-by location. This is because the reflections from a farther location experience higher attenuation and hence have lower energy at the receiver.”
The signal can also come from a dedicated RFID transmitter such as an RFID reader; future models may even use ambient Wi-Fi signals. The researchers even built prototypes that used TV signals both as source of data and as source of power, eliminating the need for a battery or plug.
Wave at your browser and go to the AllSee homepage for more on the device.
[via DamnGeeky]
CES 2014 in Las Vegas Highlights: iHealth Wireless Blood Pressure Wrist Monitor from iHealth Lab Inc
The much awaited Consumer Electronics Show (CES), also known as International CES is just only a few days away from now. We have been eagerly waiting for this event since last and can’t wait anymore...
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