ICYMI: Robot news round-up, 3D hand scanner and more

Today on In Case You Missed It: iRobot sold its line of military robots to a US-based firm to focus on Roomba and a new chameleon robot changes color to blend in; a student built a 3D scanner with cameras and Raspberry Pi that is much cheaper than...

Smart car algorithm sees pedestrians as well as you can

It's one thing for computers to spot people in relatively tame academic situations, but it's another when they're on the road -- you need your car to spot that jaywalker in time to avoid a collision. Thankfully, UC San Diego researchers have made tha...

Refined Crossing

The Glass Sign is a solar powered pedestrian crossing that is quite funky. The sign stays mostly off and when a pedestrian needs to use it, they just swipe the signal pole to activate the light. The duration of the signal depends upon the width of the road to be crossed. I love the awesome glow-red-effect the lamp has on for the night.

Designer: Almasov Aibek

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(Refined Crossing was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Volvo revamps its pedestrian detection system to automatically brake for cyclists (video)

Volvo revamps its pedestrian detection system to automatically break for cyclists (video)

Cars that automatically stop when a pedestrian is in the way have been in Volvo's fleet for a while now, but the automaker has just unveiled an update to its existing tech that'll stomp on the brakes when cyclists are too close for comfort. Announced at this year's Geneva Motor Show, the revamped system detects how close objects are with a grille-mounted radar and then uses a high-def camera within an auto's rear-view mirror to discern whether it's barreling down on a pedestrian or a biker. When bicyclists swerve in front of an automobile heading in the same direction, the setup immediately alerts the driver and applies full brake power -- a world's first Volvo says. According to the Swedish manufacturer, all vehicles outfitted with the pedestrian detection will have the cyclist spotting technology baked in, and it'll show up in mid-May within the new Volvo V40, S60, V60, XC60, V70, XC70 and S80. Head past the break for a video of the feature in action.

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Via: The Verge

Source: Volvo

Guardian Concept Uses Lasers to Tell Pedestrians When to Cross

Thousands of people lose their lives each year to car accidents. The sad thing is some of these deaths could have been prevented, had they taken more care when crossing the road. We can only do so much by raising awareness. The second step is coming up with a system to force people to be aware of their surroundings, so they will only actually attempt to cross the road when it’s safe. That’s where the Guardian comes into play.

GuardianHo-Joon Lim’s simple, but smart concept uses laser lights to guide people on their short walk across the street. It also works effectively to keep people off the streets and on the sidewalk when it’s not time to cross the road yet.

Guardian1

The only real challenge with the design is that you need some sort of fog or smoke in the air to make low-power laser beams visible – especially in daylight. So unless you live in a really foggy city, or the design incorporates a smoke machine, it might not be too practical.

[via Yanko Design]


GM testing pedestrian detection system powered by WiFi Direct (video)

GM testing pedestrian detection system powered by WiFi Direct

Car makers have been peddling wireless pedestrian avoidance systems almost as long as there have been automobiles. (We believe one of the earliest was called the "side view mirror.") GM's new experiment though, differs from other implementations by skipping out on the 3G, cameras and radar -- instead going for a model built around WiFi Direct. The peer-to-peer 802.11 standard hasn't exactly set the world on fire, but the WiFi Alliance is diligently tweaking the platform and apparently GM thinks its a perfect match for connecting cars, cyclists and pedestrians to each other. Unlike 3G-based systems, there's little lag between locating and identifying bikes or people crossing the street since the signal doesn't have to be bounced off a satellite. It also has a leg up on radar detection since WiFi can be a two way pipeline -- alerting someone out for a stroll of an oncoming vehicle. Of course, it will be some time before anything like this actually makes it into a production vehicle. But, in the meantime, you can check out the PR and video after the break.

Continue reading GM testing pedestrian detection system powered by WiFi Direct (video)

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GM testing pedestrian detection system powered by WiFi Direct (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic details radar-based technology that can detect collisions in low light

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Collision detection for cars? Yeah, scientists are on that. But whenever we read about concepts like this, the accompanying literature is often curiously light on details pertaining to real-life driving conditions; it's often unclear how well the tech will fare if you dredge it up on a foggy day, or in the middle of torrential storm. But in that press release you see down there, low visibility and poorly lit roads are all Panasonic wants to talk about. The company just unveiled its new crash-avoidance system, which, like other concepts we've seen, uses millimeter-wave radar technology to detect pedestrians and bicyclists. Since humans tend to reflect weaker radar signals than cars, Panasonic has designed a new pulse radar code sequence that allows pedestrians to leave a bigger footprint. It's so effective, the company claims, that it can detect bystanders up to 40 meters (131 feet) away, and will work at night and through rain, fog, snow and blinding sunlight. That all sounds promising, of course, but as with other concepts, it's not clear, when, exactly we'll see this system put to good use in the real world.

Continue reading Panasonic details radar-based technology that can detect collisions in low light

Panasonic details radar-based technology that can detect collisions in low light originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Student’s push to make Raleigh more walkable relies on homemade signs and QR codes

Guerilla urbanism campaign walks the walk in Raleigh with QR code signs
Walking is apparently underrated. So University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student Matt Tomasulo decided to engage in some "guerilla urbanism" in January with fellow fans of bipedal activity, posting 27 signs at three Raleigh, NC intersections as part of the "Walk Raleigh" project. The cardboard and vinyl signs contained snippets about how many minutes it would take to walk to must-see destinations like Raleigh City Cemetery, as well as QR codes for downloading directions. Like the activity it promotes, Tomasulo says the idea behind the project is simple: It's OK to walk. Apparently, Tomasulo and his buddies did such a great job with the signs that it took the sharp folks at the city government a month to catch on and take the stuff down. The city has since walked back its opposition to the signs, however, and put them back up as part of a 90-day pilot project. In the meantime, Walk Raleigh has turned into a Walk [Your City] Kickstarter campaign to put your wallet where your feet are.

Student's push to make Raleigh more walkable relies on homemade signs and QR codes originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 02:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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