Keep Your Eyes on the Road

Posted on 30/12/2013 by Paul Strauss

Thank you to Sprint for sponsoring this article. Get inspired by innovation and see what’s next at Sprint.com/faster.

Sprint Faster is a great site to visit if you’re looking for the latest on new and upcoming technological breakthroughs, featuring stories from leading tech experts on the shape of things to come.

While many of today’s vehicles have integrated GPS, satellite audio, and even mobile apps, they’re only the tip of the iceberg. Let’s take a look at some amazing high-tech ideas which could find their ways to our cars in the not-too-distant future.

Looking for an empty parking space in a garage or parking lot can be a pain. Car manufacturers recognize this time-waster and are working on solutions which could enable cars to automatically park themselves without the driver present. One of the more intriguing demonstrations of such a technology comes from Scandinavian automaker Volvo. This vehicle’s on-board autonomous driving system can detect the presence of not just other vehicles, but pedestrians as well. All the driver needs to do is exit their vehicle, open up an app on their smartphone, and set the car to Autonomous Parking mode. The car not only finds an open parking space, it takes care of the parking for you. And chances are that it will do a much better job at it than you can, since on-board sensors will ensure the car doesn’t bump into any obstacles. You can see a demonstration of an early prototype of this amazing system in the video clip below:

Can you imagine that someday in the not-too-distant future, your car might be able to detect your mood or state of well-being? Several major auto manufacturers, including Toyota and Ford have been exploring technology to detect driver emotional and physical state. Why might your car need to know how you’re feeling? For starters, this information could be used to dynamically adapt the vehicles ride mode – making the ride more sporty if you’re in an upbeat mood and the road conditions are right.

In addition, being able to detect the driver’s state of mind could help to identify whether they are distracted from driving, and either offer driving assistance, or remind the driver to keep focused on the road. Mood identification could also be used to adapt the music that’s playing in the vehicle – or if the system detects that you are driving tentatively and your emotional state is confused, it could automatically offer help with directions.

Another interesting possibility for future vehicles is the idea that our windshields could double as large display screens, superimposing relevant information directly in our field of view instead of using displays that take our attention off the road. One of the more interesting potential applications comes in the form of augmented reality displays on our windshields. The most obvious use case is for navigation systems that could actually project directions and turn information on the windshield. While some manufacturers already have small heads-up displays that can display speed and GPS data, the real breakthrough will come when our entire windshields can double as transparent displays, using OLED or specialized projection technologies like the one shown here from Pioneer:

This could allow for screens to precisely align relevant information with the scene outside the window. For instance, GM has been working on a system which would use cameras, radar and other sensors to display relevant information on the windshield, such as road hazards and speed limit signs. Such information could also be used to help drivers know about upcoming turns and hazards in low-visibility situations. In fact, there’s already a smartphone app called HUDWAY which can add a small heads-up GPS display to any vehicle by reflecting the screen of your smartphone onto the windshield glass. Of course, this technology could also be used to display things like emails, text messages and Facebook status updates, so they could create new forms of driving distraction if not thoughtfully developed.

While it may be a number of years before fully fleshed out versions of these technologies find their way into everyday vehicles, it’s a pretty solid bet that some degree of autonomy will be standard on almost every vehicle as we move into the second half of the decade. With safety and fuel efficiency topping driver concerns, there’s no question that automation could improve these aspects of driving. In addition, systems that monitor driver awareness and tools which reduce driver distraction are sure to be front and center in coming years.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” Technabob received compensation for writing it, however, we only recommend products or services we find newsworthy or have used personally, and believe will be good for our readers.

Thank you to Sprint Faster and Technorati Media for being sponsors of this article. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Look, up in the Sky!

Posted on 28/12/2013 by Paul Strauss

Thank you to Sprint for sponsoring this article. Get inspired by innovation and see what’s next at Sprint.com/faster.

While flying drones are often associated with military missions or espionage, the ability to send small payloads through the air under remote control opens up possibilities for all kinds of other interesting applications. In fact, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) could change everything from the way we provide emergency services in disasters to how your pizza is delivered. Here are just a few technologies in the works that could send tiny aircraft into our skies in the not-too-distant future.

Perhaps the most well publicized recent story about flying drones is that of Amazon’s Prime Air service. This outlandish sounding package delivery service would use flying drones to deliver small packages at ranges up to 10 miles from Amazon’s warehouses. The drones would autonomously navigate to their destination using GPS coordinates, and could deliver payloads up to five pounds, which Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says would cover 86% of the individual items they sell. Such a service could substantially reduce delivery and fuel costs, since the flying drones operate on electricity, and fewer drivers would be required for delivery.

In addition, the service could enable deliveries in as little as 30 minutes to homes within range of Amazon’s widespread shipping facilities. There are certainly questions about the viability of such a service, ranging from theft to air and consumer safety, but it sure seems like a cool idea. And Amazon is one of the few companies with the resources and logistical expertise to pull something like this off.

While remote-controlled drones are frequently used in search and rescue missions, they generally are used to assess conditions and safety or to look for survivors. But there’s at least one project in which the drones could more directly save lives. In development by Iran’s RTS Lab, the Pars Aerial Rescue Robot could be used not only to relay visual and heat signature feedback to rescue personnel, it could actually carry and drop rescue supplies.

The most compelling example of this so far is the ability to do marine search and rescue operations, flying over victims in the water and dropping life preservers to them. Multiple rechargeable drones would be stored aboard rescue ships to help search much larger areas of open water than possible with a single helicopter, and deliver supplies to multiple victims in the water.

Another unexpected use of UAVs is in the field of archeology. Inexpensive flying drones have been used to survey large archaeological dig sites and generate topographic maps in a fraction of the time required for traditional surveys. Even more importantly, the drones can be used as to monitor and protect historically significant sites from damage or destruction. In Peru, archaeologists have used drones to map numerous sites, though they have struggled with the nation’s higher altitudes, and are currently experimenting with blimp-based drones instead of quadcopters.

These are just a few of the more unconventional uses for UAV technology. In addition to the examples here, flying drones are regularly being used to help shoot movies and TV shows, to detect and monitor forest fires, and to even help locate deposits of minerals for use in the production of fuel. They’re also being used for less serious uses, like delivering sushi and burritos.

Thank you to Sprint Faster and Technorati Media for being sponsors of this article. All opinions expressed here are my own.

The Desktop Manufacturing Revolution

Posted on 19/12/2013 by Paul Strauss

Thank you to Sprint for sponsoring this article. Get inspired by innovation and see what’s next at Sprint.com/faster.

Perhaps the most exciting area of technological growth for the early 21st century is in the realm of machines which make it fast, inexpensive and easy for anyone to create physical objects. Devices such as 3D printers, laser cutters, tabletop milling machines and other computer-controlled manufacturing tools are now within reach of small business entrepreneurs and hobbyists, and are headed towards the consumer market as well.

10 years ago, the idea that you or I could have a device that could output tangible goods or replacement parts on our desktops was just a pipedream. But rapid advancements in technology, as well as enthusiasm of startups and early adopters have created a cottage industry filled with 3D printers and other desktop manufacturing machines.

Devices like the $2,000(USD) MakerBot Replicator 2 serve the prosumer market, while upcoming machines like the Pirate 3D Bucaneer are expected to hit consumer desktops in early 2014 for as little as $600. Both are capable of creating 3D models with tremendous precision.

Earlier devices required a lot of fiddling about, frequent manual calibration and complex software setup. Now, the software is getting easier to use, and loading in a model to print only requires a basic understanding of 3D modeling. And if you don’t know how to do that, you can always download free models from sites like Thingiverse.

Most desktop 3D printers work by melting PLA or ABS plastic in a tiny bead, moving along the X and Y axis first, then building up layer by layer along the Z axis. Eventually, a fully-formed 3D object is revealed. It’s a time-consuming process, but the technology allows for the construction of incredibly detailed and complex structures that would be extremely difficult if not impossible to model by hand or using traditional machining tools. For example, check out the 3D printed menagerie I have hanging on my living room wall:

But desktop manufacturing cannot just rely on melted plastic alone. While professional-grade 3D printing services like Shapeways can print molds which can be filled with metal or ceramic clay, these techniques are a bit more difficult to achieve on the desktop. Though there are products on the market like Composimold which let you make molds from 3D printed objects. That said, there are companies working on desktop 3D printers that can actually print in unconventional materials, ranging from molten metal to sugar.

If you want to work with metal or wood today, you might be better off using a desktop milling machine, like the Shapeoko 2, which sells in kit form for just under $700 with all the parts needed to assemble it.

This device has a similar X/Y/Z armature system similar to that found in 3D printers, but instead of holding a heated print head, it can hold a Dremel or similar rotary tool. 3D milling machines work subtractively, rather than additively, so you start out with a solid hunk of wood, plastic or soft metal, clamp it into place, and let the machine cut away a form. This technique is especially effective for routing out objects like signage with true depth. In this example, a digitized brain scan was routed out of a piece of wood. Neat, eh?

You can even use a milling machine to cut materials like carbon fiber, as is demonstrated with this cool gear clock by Bart Dring:

In addition, these machine can be used to gently scrape away layers on copper board, so you can use it to make custom circuit boards. Keep in mind that 3D milling machines aren’t as precise as 3D printers, nor can they create details on the bottom of objects as they require that the working material be clamped in place and then cut out from above.

One other kind of desktop machine is the laser cutter. These machines use high-power lasers to cut or engrave images out of sheet materials. Companies like Full Spectrum Laser offer both prosumer and professional grade laser cutters, with prices starting just under $2000.

Since laser cutters only work in two dimensions, outputting to them is as easy as using a desktop printer. You simply create an outline of an object in a drawing program on your computer, then load in a sheet of wood, cork, fabric, acrylic or Plexiglas and let the laser get to work. They also work very quickly compared to 3D printers as a result. By adjusting the laser intensity, you can either cut objects, or burn engraved images into materials.

Objects like these video game console ornaments by UseYourDigits are some of my favorite examples of what can be made with a laser cutter:

While desktop manufacturing machines are still in their relative infancy, I truly think we are on the precipice of mass adoption of these devices. Shops like Inventables and the Maker Shed have popped up, offering one-stop-shopping for both the machines and materials, making it easier than ever before to get started.

As the speed, cost and availability of these devices broadens, it’s only a matter of time before we’ll be outputting just about anything we can dream of on our desktops.

Thank you to Sprint Faster and Technorati Media for being sponsors of this article. All opinions expressed here are my own.

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Keep Your Eyes on the Road

Look, up in the Sky!

The Desktop Manufacturing Revolution