Saturday, July 31, 2010
DIY Wearable Computer Turns You Into a Cyborg
Someday humans and computers will meld to create cyborgs. But instead of waiting for it, Martin Magnusson, a Swedish researcher and entrepreneur, has taken the first step and created a wearable computer that can be slung across the body.
Magnusson has hacked a pair of head-mounted display glasses and combined it with a homebrewed machine based on an open source Beagleboard single computer. Packed into a CD case and slung across the shoulder messenger-bag style, he is ready to roll.
A computer is a window to the virtual world, says Magnusson.
“But as soon as I get up and about, that window closes and I’m stuck within the limits of physical reality,” he says. “Wearable computers make it possible to keep the window open. All the time.”
Magnusson’s idea is interesting though one step short of integrating a machine inside the body. In 2008, a Canadian filmmaker Rob Spence decided to embed a tiny video camera into his prosthetic left eye. Spence, who is still working on the project, hopes to someday record everything around him as he sees it and lifecast it.
For his wearable computer, Magnusson is using a pair of Myvu glasses that slide on like a pair of sunglasses but have a tiny video screen built into the lens.
A Beagleboard running Angstrom Linux and a Plexgear mini USB hub that drives the Bluetooth adapter and display forms the rest of this rather simple machine. Four 2700 mAh AA batteries are used to power the USB hub. Magnusson has used a foldable Nokia keyboard for input and is piping internet connectivity through Bluetooth tethering to an iPhone in his pocket.
Magnusson says he wants to use the wearable computer to “augment” his memory.
“By having my to-do list in the corner of my eye, I always remember the details of my schedule,” he says.
Check out photos of his gear:
The innards of the homebrewed machine are glued to a CD case. The CD case is slung across the shoulder by attaching it to a strap using velcro.
Here’s what the homebrewed computer looks like.
See Also:
- BeagleBoard Gives New Power to Open Source Gadgets
- Why Arduino Is a Hit With Hardware Hackers
- Tech Specs: Less Geek, More Chic
- Wired 11.04: Wrist-Top Revolution
Photos: Susanna Nilsson
Full story at http://feeds.wired.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/CyQ5r-eKE_g/
70-Gigapixel Photo of Budapest Offers a Great View
Supersized panoramic photos of cities are the flavor of the season. After Prague and Dubai, it’s the turn of Budapest to get a detailed online photo that you can zoom in and out of and play around with–almost like Google Earth.
The photo shot over four days has 70-gigapixels. If the finished picture is ever printed, it would make a a poster 156 meters (511 feet) long and 31 meters (101 feet) tall. The amount of paper it would take would cover two apartment blocks at least 10 floors tall.
To shoot the photo, two 25-megapixel Sony A900 cameras were fitted with a 400mm Minolta lens and 1.4 X teleconverters and placed on a robotic camera mount. 20,000 test images later, the file was processed to create a single interactive photo.
Check out the Budapest photo here. It’s a tad blurry and sometimes pixelated if you zoom in too much but still fun to play around with.
See Also:
- Gigapan Robotic Camera Rig Goes Pro
- World’s Largest Panoramic Photo Is the Size of 1200 Billboards …
- 18-Gigapixel Panorama Offers Breathtaking View of Prague
- Hands-On With the Gigapan Epic 100 Panorama Robot
Photo: 70 Billion Pixels Budapest
[via Engadget]
Full story at http://feeds.wired.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/65VyMwcjcSY/
LoveFilm gets DRM and video optimisation technology
Dawinderpal Sahota, Computing, Friday 30 July 2010 at 16:47:00
Widevine's solution will allow video to be streamed across a broad range of
devices
Postal movie rental service Widevine will provide a solution that allows the company's digital content to The agreement will see LoveFilm further develop its digital content to be
LoveFilm
has signed an agreement with US-based digital media solutions
Widevine
to provide DRM across its catalogue.
be streamed on a broad cross-section of devices.
playable on a number of new devices. Widevine's DRM, adaptive streaming and
virtual-DVD-like trick play technologies will ensure the video remains secure
with viewing quality unaffected, according to the company.
Full story at http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/news/2267395/lovefilm-gets-drm-video
Area on Mars could hold fossilized remains of life
Full story at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38494792/ns/technology_and_science-space/
Another ugly reminder to check your Facebook settings ? NOW!
Full story at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38474945/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/
Posts
