Showing posts with label computer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label computer. Show all posts

2013-03-29

Beyond The 'Uncanny Valley'

Activision R&D Real-time Character Demo - YouTube



This animated character is being rendered in real-time on current video card hardware, using standard bone animation. ...

Is It Real? With New Technology Has Activision Crossed The 'Uncanny Valley?' : The Two-Way : NPR

Mashable asks the pertinent, philosophical question: Does this next-generation animation cross the so-called "uncanny valley?"

The term was coined in 1970 by the Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori. He said humans can relate to robots — think R2-D2 — but once they get too humanlike, but not close enough — think the animated Angelina Jolie in Beowulf — they feel disgust. That disgust — that "uncanny valley" — subsides at the other side: when the robot is indistinguishable from reality.

So, have we crossed that valley with this animation?

Jorge Jimenez – Next Generation Life


We believe this technology brings current generation characters, into next generation life. At 180 fps in a Geforce GTX 680.
The team behind this technology consists on Javier Von Der Pahlen (Director of R&D), Etienne Danvoye (Technical Director), Bernardo Antoniazzi (Techical Art Director), Zbyněk Kysela (Modeler and Texture Artist), Mike Eheler (Programming & Support) and me (Real-Time Graphics R&D).
You have a teaser of the slides here:
Next-Generation-Character-Rendering-Teaser.pptx

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2012-08-04

India's Aakash Tablet the ‘World’s Cheapest Computer’ Upgraded

Aakash (tablet) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aakash is a series of Android-based tablet computers produced by British company DataWind.[2] It is manufactured by the India-based company Quad, at a new production centre in Hyderabad,[3] with a planned trial run of 100,000 units.[4] The tablet was officially launched as the Aakash in New Delhi on 5 October 2011. The Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development announced an upgraded second-generation model called Aakash 2 in April 2012.[5]

The Aakash is a low-cost tablet computer with a 7-inch touch screen, ARM 11 processor and 256 MB RAM[6] running under the Android 2.2 operating system. It has two universal serial bus (USB) ports[4] and delivers high definition (HD) quality video.[6] For applications, the Aakash will have access to Getjar, an independent market, rather than the Android Market.[4][7]

Test-driving the 'World's Cheapest Computer' - NYTimes.com


The Aakash-2 will be available to Indian students through 20,000 colleges and 416 universities in the country, at a subsidized price of 1,132 rupees, or about $21. The commercial version of the product will cost between 3,499 rupees and 4,299 rupees

[...]

The front is entirely made up of the shiny, seven-inch-long capacitive touch screen, an improvement over the original Aakash, which had a resistive touch screen. (A capacitive screen is more responsive and allows for the use of more than one finger to navigate). Navigation on the Aakash-2’s screen was simple and fast, needing only a light touch.

[...]

The prototype India Ink looked at also allowed users to add a SIM card. This means that the tablet can double up as a phone, but this function is not available on all the upgraded versions. The Aakash-2 will come in two versions: one with a SIM card and one without, with the latter having a second USB port.

[...]

The two versions are being introduced simultaneously to see which better suits students, said a senior official from the Ministry of Human Resources Development who is working on the project.
Sample tablets will soon be sent to students for testing and feedback, a process the ministry officials said should be concluded in the next few months.

BBC News - India upgrades 'world's cheapest tablet' Aakash


                                                        Get Adobe Flash player

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2012-05-25

The APC 8750, A $50 Android PC

APC 8750, $49 energy-saving computer, wants to help people connect to the web  - NY Daily News

Taiwan-based computer chip manufacturer VIA Technologies Inc. has unveiled an inexpensive and compact computer, hoping to help drive innovation in the compact computing market.

The PC, called the APC 8750, measures just 17cm x 8.5cm (almost half the size of Apple’s Mac mini). It is designed with the main focus of getting people connected to the internet and offers an alternative to (more expensive) Windows PCs.

The APC runs a customized version of Google’s Android operating system that is optimized for keyboard and mouse input.


APC » About



$49 Android PC System

APC was not built like an ordinary PC. For openers, we started with an awareness that the purpose of a computer is to connect to the Internet. It is the Internet that now defines computing. When you begin here, magic happens.

Expensive, overpowered CPUs and bloated software are no longer relevant. With this awareness, we were able to drop power consumption to the point of making an energy-saving light-bulb jealous.

Source: APC » About



VIA announces APC 8750 Raspberry Pi competitor | bit-tech.net

Based around a WonderMedia ARM11 processor running at 800MHz - 100MHz faster than the stock Raspberry Pi BCM2835 chip - and with 512MB of DDR3 RAM - twice that of the Raspberry Pi, and faster to boot - the APC 8750 is certainly impressive at first glimpse. Additional features above and beyond that of its credit-card sized competitor include 2GB of on-board NAND flash storage, four USB 2.0 ports, microphone input as well as analogue audio output and an analogue VGA connection in addition to HDMI.

Not everything about the APC 8750 will impress Pi fans, however: for no readily apparent reason, the device is limited to 720p output (1280x720) through its HDMI port, while the Pi manages 1080p (1920x1080) or higher. The system also requires an external power supply, adding to its already sizable dimensions. Finally, the device is also more expensive, costing $49 to the Pi's $35.


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2011-09-01

Wacom Inkling Digital Sketch Pen

Wacom Inkling: Digital Sketch Pen
http://www.dexigner.com/news/23709

  • Wacom Inkling is a new digital sketch pen that captures a digital likeness of your work while you sketch with its ballpoint tip on any sketchbook or standard piece of paper.
  • The Inkling digital sketch pen is comprised of both hardware and software components. Hardware includes both the pen and a wireless receiver that captures a likeness of the sketch and stores it digitally. The ballpoint pen uses Wacom's pressure sensing technology (1024 levels of sensitivity) to detect how hard the pen is being pressed to the paper while sketching. These pressure variations will appear in the digital version of your drawing.
Inkling | Wacom Americas
http://www.wacom.com/en/Products/Inkling.aspx

  • Highlights:

     
    Sketch your ideas on standard paper or sketchbooks while capturing a digital likeness of your sketch.
     
     
    Store hundreds of sketches on the receiver before transferring them to your PC or Mac.
     
     
    Export your sketches with layers directly from the Inkling Sketch Manager software into Adobe® Photoshop®, Illustrator® (CS3+), Autodesk® Sketchbook® Pro (2011+) or Autodesk® Sketchbook® Designer.
     
     
    Files can also be saved in: JPG, BMP, TIFF, PNG, SVG & PDF for use with other applications.
INKLING BY WACOM - YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXbBA1DRE84&feature=player_embedded

TRANSFERRING SKETCHES FROM INKLING - YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhvTQWjLw5g

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2010-09-09

Asus WiCast Wireless PC to TV Connection

Asus partners with Amimon for WiCast EW2000 PC to TV connection | ZDNet



Asus has handpicked Amimon to work on its upcoming WiCast EW2000 kit that will connect PCs to TVs via USB and HDMI.

The WiCast kit will include an HD video transmitter and receiver in one little compact box, seen in the photo above. Users connect the PC to the TV (or gaming console, set-top box, etc.) via HDMI, while the USB port is used to keep things powered.


Asus adopts WHDI with Amimon chipset | Crave - CNET


WHDI is an emerging wireless technology that offers wireless alternatives to the current HDMI cables used in most home entertainment devices for displaying content on TV screen. WHDI is capable of carrying both sound and video signal wirelessly at the same quality as HDMI cables. Earlier this year, Amimon revealed that it had sold half a million WHDI chips to hardware makers, predicting a wide adoption of the technology.
[...]
Apart from computers, the WiCast can also connect any source device with an HDMI port, such as set-top-boxes or gaming consoles, to an HDTV that supports HDMI. The kits includes one HD Video transmitter and a receiver. The former is to be connected to the HDMI port of a source device, such as a computer, and the latter is to be connected to a TV. WHDI kits like Asus' WiCast are necessary for existing HDMI-based devices. Future devices will have built-in WHDI capability, so that they can connect to one another other wirelessly out of the box.



WiCast: Wireless 1080p Broadcast for Much Less

WiCast:  Wireless 1080p Broadcast for Much Less

Until now, users wanting to wirelessly project 1080p video from a netbook/ PC onto a screen had limited options.  The one current option that can handle 1080p graphics costs $599, with others options costing $240 and up for less than full HD graphics.  Now with WiCast, ASUS introduces a groundbreaking full HD 1080p, 3Gbps solution for the killer price of $199 (MSRP).
Wireless HD Visual and Audio Playback
...
Latency Free
...
USB Powered
...
Omni-Directional Broadcast
...
Small Package
...

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2010-07-03

Asetek Liquid Cooled All-In-One PC

Asetek designs liquid cooled All-in-One PC with desktop and mobile parts

The cooling experts at Asetek have figured their business could use a boost and so they have worked on a liquid cooling solution that can be integrated into an All-in-One desktop PC. Such a solution can now be seen in a video uploaded by Asetek on YouTube.


Asetek Liquid Cooled All-In-One PC





Liquid-cooled Asetek prototype redefines our all-in-one expectations (video)


[...] This liquid-cooled beastie -- which proudly proclaims it has the same profile as the iMac at 58mm in thickness -- is capable of powering and chilling both a 2.66GHz Core i7-920 and a GeForce GTX 280M. That's a total TDP output of over 200W, which is handled by a proprietary radiator design that's integrated into the stand and some pump-assisted action convecting the heat away from the chips. [...]
Asetek Liquid Cooled All-In-One PC Delivers True Desktop Performance
Thursday, 01 July 2010 05:00


Asetek Liquid Cooled All-In-One PC Prototype Demonstrates Consumers Need Not Sacrifice Performance for Sleek Styling.
Asetek, the industry leading supplier of liquid cooling systems for computers, today demonstrated how liquid cooling enables all-in-one PCs to deliver performance on par with the best performing desktop systems while maintaining attractive price points & near silent operation. The sleek all-in-one (AIO) prototype features a 24” display and uses a liquid cooled Intel Core i7-920 desktop processor and nVidia GTX280M graphics card in an enclosure that, at 58mm, matches the slender profile of Apple’s iMac. This prototype shows how liquid cooling overcomes the thermal limitations that have historically forced PC manufactures to use more costly, lower performance mobile processors in their all-in-one designs.

Asetek’s AIO prototype takes advantage of liquid cooling’s inherent ability to efficiently capture and transport large amounts of heat to a location where it can conveniently be exhausted from the system. Heat generated by the 130W CPU and 75W graphics processor is captured within the main enclose and transported to the stand of the all-in-one. A small radiator and a pair of fans easily remove heat from the liquid and a pump returns cooled liquid to the main enclosure to capture more heat.

How Liquid Cooling Works



Asetek 510LC Comparison

Watch as we compare the Asetek 510LC Liquid CPU Cooler and the stock Intel Core i7 980X CPU Air Cooler.



Sources
Asetek designs liquid cooled All-in-One PC with desktop and mobile parts | TechConnect Magazine
http://www.tcmagazine.com/tcm/news/hardware/29048/asetek-designs-liquid-cooled-all-one-pc-desktop-and-mobile-parts
YouTube - Asetek Liquid Cooled All-In-One PC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LfIjp4XhcI&feature=player_embedded
Liquid-cooled Asetek prototype redefines our all-in-one expectations (video) -- Engadget
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/02/liquid-cooled-asetek-prototype-redefines-our-all-in-one-expectat/
Asetek Liquid Cooled All-In-One PC Delivers True Desktop Performance - Asetek Inc.
http://www.asetek.com/press-room/news/132-asetek-liquid-cooled-all-in-one-pc-delivers-true-desktop-performance.html
How Liquid Cooling Works - Asetek Inc.
http://asetek.com/technology/how-liquid-cooling-works.html
Asetek 510LC Comparison - Asetek Inc.
http://www.asetek.com/press-room/videos/124-asetek-510lc-comparison.html

Related
Asetek Inc. - Asetek Inc.
http://www.asetek.com/
Asetek Liquid Cooled All-In-One PC Prototype - Asetek Inc.
http://asetek.com/blog/131-asetek-liquid-cooled-all-in-one-pc-prototype.html
Asetek Liquid Cooled All-in-one PC
http://www.techfresh.net/asetek-liquid-cooled-all-in-one-pc/
Asetek Liquid Cooled All-In-One PC Delivers True Desktop Performance
http://www.prweb.com/releases/liquid-cooled/all-in-one/prweb4214154.htm

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2010-04-27

Brain-like Processor on an Organic Molecular Layer

Molecule-Sized Computer Mimics Human Brain At Work



Molecule-Sized Computer Mimics Human Brain A new molecular computer can generate different patterns equivalent to ones and zeroes in a conventional computer. A. Bandyopadhyay et al
collected from this page with Yooper.


Michigan Tech News

Lessons from the Brain: Toward an Intelligent Molecular Computer

April 26, 2010— A team of researchers from Japan and Michigan Technological University has built a molecular computer using lessons learned from the human brain.

Physicist Ranjit Pati of Michigan Tech provided the theoretical underpinnings for this tiny computer composed not of silicon but of organic molecules on a gold substrate. “This molecular computer is the brainchild of my colleague Anirban Bandyopadhyay from the National Institute for Materials Science,” says Pati. Their work is detailed in “Massively Parallel Computing on an Organic Molecule Layer,” published April 25 online in Nature Physics.
[...]
The researchers made their different kind of computer with DDQ, a hexagonal molecule made of nitrogen, oxygen, chlorine and carbon that self-assembles in two layers on a gold substrate.

The DDQ molecule can switch among four conducting states—0, 1, 2 and 3—unlike the binary switches—0 and 1—used by digital computers.

“The neat part is, approximately 300 molecules talk with each other at a time during information processing,” Pati says. “We have mimicked how neurons behave in the brain.”

“The evolving neuron-like circuit network allows us to address many problems on the same grid, which gives the device intelligence," Pati says.
collected from this page with Yooper.


Nature Physics
Published online: 25 April 2010 | doi:10.1038/nphys1636

Access : Massively parallel computing on an organic molecular layer : Nature Physics

Massively parallel computing on an organic molecular layer

Anirban Bandyopadhyay, Ranjit Pati, Satyajit Sahu, Ferdinand Peper & Daisuke Fujita
collected from this page with Yooper.


Quantum Modeling of Nanoscale Materials for Electronics

Computational Molecular Electronics

pat i
Nanoscience is an emerging research area in the 21st century and holds the key to the various physical phenomena that occur in nature as well as in our day to day life. Our motto has been to understand and learn this very basic science and improve upon it whatever we can for the betterment of the mankind.
Ranjit Pati

Associate Professor
Department of Physics
Michigan Technological University

collected from this page with Yooper.


Lifeboat Foundation Bios: Dr. Anirban Bandyopadhyay


Dr. Anirban Bandyopadhyay

Anirban Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D. is Senior Researcher at the Japan National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS). NIMS is Japan's sole Independent Administrative Institution (IAI) specializing in materials science and is charged with basic research and development of materials science, and to advance the level of expertise in the field. Anirban is affiliated with the NIMS Advanced Nano Characterisation Center (ANCC).
collected from this page with Yooper.

Anirban Bandyopadhyay's Lab

A tree never goes to school but performs particularly advanced supercomputing in its leaves, so does our brain without a single logic gate. Ants in the soil, birds in the sky do not have brain but still develop intelligence. Therefore lots of idiots can develop massive intelligence working together, or massive parallel operations can generate intelligence in a single control unit.
[...]
Our objective is to demonstrate that these concepts are not merely theoretical formulation, rather practically realisable at nano-scale using simple molecules in simple experiments.
collected from this page with Yooper.

Sources:
  1. Molecule-Sized Computer Mimics Human Brain At Work | Popular Science
  2. Lessons from the Brain: Toward an Intelligent Molecular Computer | Michigan Tech News
  3. Access : Massively parallel computing on an organic molecular layer : Nature Physics
  4. Computational Molecular Electronics
  5. Lifeboat Foundation Bios: Dr. Anirban Bandyopadhyay
  6. Home
Related:
  1. Researchers develop new brain-like molecular processor | Emerging Technology Trends | ZDNet.com
  2. Brain-like computing on an organic molecular layer
  3. Lessons from the Brain: Toward an Intelligent Molecular Computer
  4. National Institute for Materials Science | NIMS
  5. Molecular machine takes control - Cosmic Log - msnbc.com
  6. BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Chemical brain controls nanobots
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2010-02-05

CAAD -- Computer Aided Architectural Design

Overview
The Master of Advanced Studies in CAAD at ETH in Zurich is a one-year postgraduate program with a focus on computer-based architectural design and its automated production. The program examines the use of current information technologies as an augmentation of concepts of architecture.

Helvepolis - Urban Design in Vitro!

Object-oriented urban design-framework for Processing
In this module, we become urban planner, architect and flaneur at once!
We formulate our own algorithmic building-law and examine the effects in our artificial cities!
Our goal is no less than building rome in a day. We are exploring the diversity and the potential of cities via scripting.
Data abstraction, encapsulation, modularity, polymorphism, and inheritance are brought to urban design.
clipped from www.youtube.com

voxopolis

clipped from www.youtube.com

Attractive City Generator - ETH CAAD

clipped from www.youtube.com

Himmelstadt-CAAD ETH

blog it
Sources:
  1. ETHZ D-ARCH CAAD MAS - Home
  2. ETHZ D-ARCH CAAD MAS - Exhibition
  3. ETHZ D-ARCH CAAD MAS - Helvepolis
  4. YouTube - voxopolis
  5. YouTube - Attractive City Generator - ETH CAAD
  6. YouTube - Himmelstadt-CAAD ETH
Related:
  1. Conway’s Game of Life generates a city | Beyond The Beyond
  2. Make: Online : Automated city design via Conway's Game of Life
  3. Digital Urban
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2010-01-09

Marvell Plug Computer 3.0

clipped from www.techspot.com

Marvell unveils Plug Computer 3.0 with Wi-Fi, hard drive


Marvell has officially revealed the Plug Computer 3.0, an ultra-small, always-on, always-connected system capable of handling basic computing tasks. Powered by the 2GHz Marvell Armada 300 processor, the Plug Computer 3.0 features embedded Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a storage drive, and is compatible with multiple Linux 2.6 kernel distributions.
clipped from www.youtube.com

Plug Computer @ CES 2010 - Guess what this is?

what is a plug computer ?
A plug computer is a tiny, low power server, intended to provide network-based services within the home.
It is an always-on system, and can serve data and applications to computing devices within the home. It can also be a bridge between home computing devices and Internet-based services.
clipped from www.marvell.com

Plug Computer

Based on the Kirkwood Series SoCs, Marvell's SheevaPlug is a plug computer that enables high- performance, always- on, always- connected, and environmentally friendly computing readily available for consumers and developers. A Plug plug Computer computer is designed to draw so such little power that it can be left on all of the time. Unlike other embedded devices in the home, it contains a gigahertz- class processor designed to offer PC- class performance.

clipped from www.tgdaily.com

Marvell's Plug Computer: A tiny, discrete, fully functional 5 watt Linux server

clipped from www.youtube.com

blog it

Sources:
  1. Marvell unveils Plug Computer 3.0 with Wi-Fi, hard drive - TechSpot News
  2. YouTube - Plug Computer @ CES 2010 - Guess what this is?
  3. Marvell: Plug Computer
  4. Marvell's Plug Computer: A tiny, discrete, fully functional 5 watt Linux server | TG Daily
  5. YouTube - Plug Computer - Think Small. Dream Big.
Related:
  1. Exclusive First Look: Plug Computer 3.0 - PC World
  2. Marvell Unveils Plug Computer 3.0 With Integrated Wireless and Built-in Hard Drive -- LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
  3. PlugComputer Community
  4. Marvell Plug Computer 3.0, Linux Microserver, ARM chip, WiFi, Bluetooth, HD always on home server platform - Green Data Center Blog
  5. Marvell super-upgrades its Plug Computer | CES 2010 - CNET
  6. Marvell upgrades Plug Computer to v3.0; NAS, smart grid applications | The Toybox | ZDNet.com
  7. Plug Computer 3 - Marvell Plug Computer 3.0
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