Technology

Put a Galaxy Note 4 in This Virtual Reality System and You’ll Get a 360-Degree Experience

By Jackson Chung November 13, 2014

Think of the Samsung Gear VR headset as an Oculus Rift meets Galaxy Note 4 – set to go on sale in December for $200. Now pair that with the company’s innovative Beyond camera, which utilizes 17 HD cameras to capture a 360° field of view and offering full 3D reconstruction in all directions, for an experience that will transport you all over the world and beyond. As for the display, it uses the 5.7 inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display of a Galaxy Note 4. Best of all, users do not need to connect the gadget to a power supply of computer, like other similar headsets. Continue reading for a video and more information.

Glow-in-the-Dark Bicycle Path Opens in the Netherlands, is Solar Powered

By Jackson Chung November 12, 2014

Eindhoven, a city in The Netherlands, now boasts the world’s first solar-powered, glow-in-the-dark bicycle path. Called, the “Van Gogh-Roosegaarde cycle path”, it was designed by Daan Roosegaarde, constructed by Heijmans, and is illuminated by thousands of twinkling stones and was inspired by the world-famous painting, Starry Night. It marks the start of the Van Gogh 2015 international theme year. Continue reading for a video, more pictures and additional information.

Google Builds Life-Sized Karate Kid Robot, Iconic Crane Kick Pose Ensues

By Jackson Chung November 11, 2014

Boston Dynamics, a robotics company that Google recently acquired, has unveiled the latest iteration of the 6-foot-2, 330-pound ATLAS, and people are now calling it the “Karate Kid Robot”, and rightfully so. Researchers at the company have taught the robot to stand on one leg – recreating the iconic crane kick scene from the film in the process. This was made possibly with its 28 hydraulically actuated joints and stereo vision. Continue reading for the video and more information.

Artists Extracts DNA from Chewing Gum, Turns Sequences into 3D Faces

By Jackson Chung November 9, 2014

After seeing this, you may think twice before spitting out a piece of gum or dropping a cigarette butt. For information artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg’ Stranger Visions project, she collects DNA samples from discarded objects found on the street – like hair, nails, cigarette butts, chewing gum, etc. – and extracts the DNA from them to create a 3D face model. Continue reading for more pictures and information.

This is Not a Flower, Just a Self-Assembling Nanostructure Designed to Look Like One

By Jackson Chung November 9, 2014

This may look like a rose, but it’s actually a self-assembling nanostructure designed to look like one by researchers at Harvard University. These were made using a solution of chemicals and minerals, with some of the structures being smaller than the width of a human hair. Practical users are in the optics and engineering fields. They started with flowers, stems and vases because these shapes are the to start with. By simply changing the temperature, pH, and carbon dioxide content of the chemical solutions, the scientists were able to manipulate and control the growth of the structures. Continue reading for more.

22 Bizarre Inventions You’ll Probably Only See in China

By Jackson Chung November 9, 2014

There’s a difference between a Transformers fanatic, and Wing Wah metalwork factory designers Jiang Chen and Yang Junlin, as the duo recreated the Megatron Tank from Transformers 2. This 5-ton behemoth is made mostly of scrap metal, measures 4.5 x 3.2 x 2.5 meters, and looks like it was pulled directly from the film. The designers seek to show steel’s plasticity, thus subverting traditional ideas about steel technology. They have also created several other Transformers for their workshop. Continue reading for more.

5 Amazing Robots and Machines That Were Built Without Modern Technology

By Jackson Chung November 7, 2014

The Writer automaton (self-operating machine or robot) was the inspiration for the principle character in the Martin Scorsese’s Hugo movie. This 240-year-old machine, comprised of 6000 parts, works by using a crank to wind up the mainsprings before the head as well as eyes start moving for life-likeness, following its own hand movements as it writes. That’s not all, the automata even dips its quill into an ink bottle between words. What makes all of this possible are 40 cams with three cam followers that read their shaped edges and translate them into movements of the boy’s arm. Controlling them is a large wheel or ‘system disk’, made up of letters that could be removed, replaced and programmed. The Writer is able to write any custom text up to 40 letters long, spread over four lines.

Crazy Aerial Burton 3D Display Can Project Images in Mid-Air

By Jackson Chung November 6, 2014

The future of 3D displays is here, and it’s from Aerial Burton. Unlike its predecessors, this one can project text and images in mid-air, and are constructed by firing a 1kHz infrared pulse laser into a 3D scanner, which reflects and focuses the pulses of the laser to specific points in the air. “The molecules at that point are ionized, and the energy is released as photons. Aerial Burton believes that using this technology in emergencies will aid communication after a disaster, letting people know where to evacuate, or obtain food and emergency supplies,” according to DigInfo TV. Click here to view the first image in this week’s demotivational poster gallery. Continue reading for a viral video of a 3-year-old who is set to become the next World Rally Champion.

Amazon Echo Unveiled, is a Voice-Controlled, Internet-Connected Gadget That Gets Smarter

By Jackson Chung November 6, 2014

Photo credit: Gizmodo

Amazon Echo is like a real physical form of Apple’s Siri. Think of this gadget as a a voice-controlled wireless speaker that’s waiting for someone to say “Alexa” before it awaits their command(s). At $199 ($99 for members of Amazon Prime), connects to your Wi-Fi at home, and can respond to a variety of questions, ranging from “how tall is Mt. Everest” to “how do you spell cantaloupe”. That’s not all, using the companion mobile app, Echo can also add something to your shopping list, or, you can then search for it on Amazon or the web and purchase it directly there. Product page. Continue reading for the official video and more information.

Futuristic Mercedes-Benz Vision G-Code Has Multi-Voltaic Paint That Captures Solar Energy to Power Engine

By Jackson Chung November 5, 2014

There’s the sleek BMW i8 plug-in hybrid, Tesla Model S P85D dual-motor electric car, and then the Mercedes-Benz Vision G-Code. Unlike its competitors, this concept features ‘multi-voltaic’ silver paint that’s designed to capture energy from solar rays to power its hybrid engine. According to Mercedes-Benz, the vehicle’s back wheels are powered by an electric motor while the front wheels are driven by a hydrogen combustion engine – the motor and engine can either be powered individually or together, depending on road conditions. Click here to view the first image in this week’s funny exam answers and fixes gallery. Continue reading for a viral video showing what happens when you drop a bowling ball and feather in the world’s largest vacuum chamber.