Intel Corporation (INTC) Planning 3D In Laptop And Tablet Cameras

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) is in the process of designing a “depth sensing” camera, a precursor to a 3D camera, that can penetrate deeper inside images to “bridge the gap between the real and virtual world,” said Anil Nanduri, director of perceptual products and solutions at Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC).

 

As of now, we have regular 2D cameras installed in laptops and devices, but this may soon transform into powerful 3D tools that can track users’ movement, emotions and even monitor reading habits of children, claims Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC).

Intel says 3D capability may be available next year

Webcams will bring new levels of interactivity to 3D games, and make web conferencing more interesting by replacing backgrounds with green screen, says a report from PCWorld.

Nanduri further says that the new devices can add the ability to sense the user’s excitement or emotion, even whether he is happy or smiling. He added that there are algorithms and technologies that are getting better, and as it gets perfected, the technology will be launched to users.

Laptops and cameras, in the second half of 2014, will come with these sorts of depth cameras. External webcams like Senz3D external will be ported with these devices for the first time. Senz3D external webcam was a joint venture of Logitech and Intel and will be available in the coming quarters. Later this camera will be installed in tablets and smartphones, according to Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC).

Areas where the technology will be helpful

The camera will be capable of recognizing characteristics, contours and shapes of items in view. For instance, 3D printing will go a step further with the camera sensing the ability of distance, size, depth, color, contours and other parameters of structures.

The camera will use  eye tracking that can be used to sense how well a person is reading, which can further be used as an input to an evaluation tool. Through this technology, the camera could track reading, and reveal if kids are stuck on one word, how much they read or if they need any assistance with a particular word, according to Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC).

The other areas where it can deliver high performance are using a motion-sensing game where hands can be followed to pick up objects in the wider dimension of 3D games. The information gathered by the camera will be integrated with other features like voice recognition to enhance human-to-computer interaction.

“Having the capabilities to say — they read about 80 percent of the lines, they had difficulty with these words — that kind of intelligence for educational tools is phenomenal,” Nanduri said.

Nanduri feels that users will not need a keyboard and mouse once this technology reaches their devices.

 Source: valuewalk

Microsoft: Xbox One Won't Lose Money at Launch

Cost-reducing measures could make Microsoft's next console its first to be profitable at launch. Consoles aren't usually profitable at launch. 

To keep new systems affordable and grow a user base, publishers are usually willing to take the financial hit early in a new generation, hoping it will make up the loss with software, accessories, and services. This is true of the original Xbox and Xbox 360, neither of which were profitable at launch. Microsoft, however, believes it can break this trend with the Xbox One. According to Chief Marketing Officer Yusuf Mehdi, the Xbox One is poised to at least break even, and might even have a small profit margin. The comments were made at the Citi Global Technology Conference earlier this week, where Mehdi explained that cost-reducing measures on the Xbox 360 made after launch can now be used in Xbox One's production. "...We're looking to be break even or low margin at worst, and then make money selling additional games, the Xbox Live service, and other capabilities on top," he said about the Xbox One. It even sounds like an Xbox One price drop could already be in the cards... eventually. "And as we can cost-reduce our box as we've done with 360, we'll do that to continue to price reduce and get even more competitive with our offering." Meanwhile, the aging Xbox 360 is now "incredibly profitable." As Mehdi said, "You've seen us over the years constantly be focused on profitability and improving year over year," and now the Xbox 360 is paying off "in the tail" of its lifetime. Making a console profitable at launch is no small feat, though it's worth noting that the Xbox One is launching at a whopping $500 in the United States--a full hundred dollars more than the PlayStation 4, its direct competitor, and twice the price of the Wii U. Microsoft may see its first launch profit if the system sells well, but whether or not customers are willing to accept that price tag remains to be seen.

Read more at http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127521-Microsoft-Xbox-One-Wont-Lose-Money-at-Launch#vQDcLPvEwIc8oUlW.99

Космическая лазерная система связи от NASA

Североамериканское космическое агентство NASA разрабатывает в настоящий момент систему связи с искусственными спутниками и другими планетами Солнечной системы. Существующие системы коммуникаций, обеспечивающие двухстороннюю связь спутников и Земли, работают сейчас на основе радиоволн. Однако, пропускная способность таких каналов оставляет желать лучшего. Кроме того, не стоит и забывать о задержке при передаче данных. Именно поэтому NASA и занялась разработкой космической системы связи нового поколения, основанной на лазерах.

Лазеры планируется использовать инфракрасные, с помощью лазерной системой пропускная способность «космических» каналов будет примерно в 6 раз выше, чем обычные радио-каналы. Отношение download/upload в данном случае составит 622/20mbps. Для связи космического оборудования и Земли будет использоваться летательный аппарат LADEE, который станет своего рода посредником между космосом и родной планетой.

LADEE — космический аппарат, искусственный спутник Луны, который будет запущен уже на следующей неделе. Как уже упоминалось выше, главной целью работы этого спутника будет получение и пересылка больших и очень больших объемов данных. Предварительная оценка возможного объема показывает, что спутник будет принимать и передавать сотни миллионов бит в секунду. Передача со спутника будет осуществляться одновременно в несколько точек на Земле. Для оценки возможностей спутника можно представить себе одновременную передачу 100 HD телеканалов. С Земли, вероятно, будут передаваться аналогичные объемы данных.

Все это делается не ради удовольствия ученых, целей у проекта несколько. Первая — сделать Солнечную систему более «компактной» если так можно выразиться, при помощи надежной системы связи. Во-вторых, увеличение пропускной способности канала связи позволит передавать весьма качественные изображения, вплоть до видео в Full-HD и 3D фотографий. Есть и еще одно достоинство такой системы — лазерная система связи более защищена от помех, чем радиоволны.

Поначалу будет тестироваться система приема/передачи данных с Земли на спутник и обратно, но после будет введена в строй более масштабная система, связывающая Марс, Луну, Землю, космические аппараты в открытом космосе и все прочие устройства, отправленные человеком в космос и на другие планеты.

источник: telekomza

Underwater Volcano as Big as New Mexico is Largest on Earth, Scientists Confirm

At a size equivalent to the state of New Mexico or British Isles, the underwater shield volcano known as Tamu Massif is the largest individual volcano ever documented on Earth, according to new research to be published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

(Photo : Image courtesy Will Sager)

At a size equivalent to the state of New Mexico or British Isles, the underwater shield volcano known as Tamu Massif is the largest individual volcano ever documented on Earth, according to new research to be published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

The underwater behemoth is nearly as big as the giant volcanoes on the surface of Mars, making it not only the largest on Earth, but among the largest in the solar system.

Estimated to be 145 million years old, Tamu Massif's summit is located beneath about 6,500 feet of water in the Pacific Ocean, about 1,000 miles off the east coast of Japan. Parts of its base are believed to be in waters almost four miles deep.

Until now, it was unclear whether Tamu Massif was a single volcano or part of a series of volcanoes.

But the new research, which drew from core samples and data collected from underwater explorations, has confirmed that the mass of basalt that constitutes Tamu Massif was indeed formed by a single volcanic source near its center.

While the volcano's size, about 120,000 square miles, is staggering, its shape is also noteworthy. It is low and broad, which the researchers say means that the eruptive lava flows that formed it must have traveled from long distances compared to Earth's other volcanoes.

"It's not high, but very wide, so the flank slopes are very gradual," said William Sager, a professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at University of Houston who began researching Tamu Massif two decades ago. "In fact, if you were standing on its flank, you would have trouble telling which way is downhill. We know that it is a single immense volcano constructed from massive lava flows that emanated from the center of the volcano to form a broad, shield-like shape. Before now, we didn't know this because oceanic plateaus are huge features hidden beneath the sea. They have found a good place to hide."

To put Tamu Massif's size into scale, its area is about 60 times greater than that of Earth's most active volcano, Mauna Loa in Hawaii, which takes up about 2,000 square miles.

"Its shape is different from any other sub-marine volcano found on Earth, and it's very possible it can give us some clues about how massive volcanoes can form," Sager said. "An immense amount of magma came from the center, and this magma had to have come from the Earth's mantle. So this is important information for geologists trying to understand how the Earth's interior works."

Source : NatureWorldNews

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Succeeds In Second Rocket-Powered Flight

SpaceShipTwo firing its rockets over the Mojave desert.

Earlier today, Virgin Galactic‘s SpaceShipTwo successfully flew under its own power for the second time, achieving a speed of mach 1.43 and successfully meeting all of its test objectives.

WhiteKnightTwo, the aircraft that carries SpaceShipTwo into the air, launched at 8 am PT. They reached an altitude of 46,000 feet. At that point, SpaceShipTwo separated from WhiteKnightTwo. The rocket engine was activated for a 20 second burn, pushing the ship past mach 1.4. The ship reached a maximum altitude of 69,000 feet.

During the flight, the company tested the spaceship’s supersonic aerodynamics and wing lift structures. In addition, they also tested the spaceship’s “feather mechanism” – in which the wings of the spaceship move to create wind resistance to slow down the ship while it’s descending. That test was also successful, and SpaceShipTwo landed without hitch at 9:25am PT.

The success of these tests paves the way for the company to start its primary business: sending commercial passengers into outer space (as well as a few science experiments.) The company’s first flights are scheduled for next year.

“We couldn’t be more delighted to have another major supersonic milestone under our belts as we move toward a 2014 start of commercial service,” said Virgin Galactic Founder Sir Richard Branson in a statement.

If you’re interested in taking a trip to outer space yourself, and you have a spare $250,000, you can book your flight now.

***

Virgin Galactic has released a video of the flight, which you can watch below:

Microsoft says wins patent trial against Google's Motorola

SEATTLE | Wed Sep 4, 2013 9:33pm EDT

 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Wednesday a jury decided in its favor in the second of two trials in federal court in Seattle concerning Motorola Mobility's licensing of so-called standard, essential patents used in Microsoft products.

The jury agreed with Microsoft's claim that phone maker Motorola, owned by Google Inc, broke agreements with standard-setting bodies to license certain patents at a fair and reasonable rate, according to Microsoft.

 

The jury awarded Microsoft about $14 million in damages, Microsoft said, about half what the company had asked for. That consisted of $11 million for the costs of relocating a warehouse inGermany due to an injunction on certain Microsoft products brought by Motorola in that country, and about $3 million in legal fees for fighting that injunction.

"This is a landmark win for all who want products that are affordable and work well together," Microsoft said in a statement.

A Motorola spokesman indicated the company would appeal.

"We're disappointed in this outcome, but look forward to an appeal of the new legal issues raised in this case," said William Moss at Motorola. "In the meantime, we'll focus on building great products that people love."

The victory for Microsoft follows a decision in its favor in another, related Seattle trial last year in which the judge found that the appropriate rate for Motorola to license certain wireless and video technology used in the Xbox game console was only a fraction of what Motorola had asked for.

In that trial, U.S. District Judge James Robart said the appropriate rate was about $1.8 million, slightly above Microsoft's estimate, but well below Motorola's demand for as much as $4 billion a year.

In the latest trial, Microsoft argued that Motorola's initial demand was exorbitant and a clear breach of its agreement to charge reasonable and non-discriminatory terms - commonly referred to as 'RAND' - for technology that is an industry standard.

The long-running argument between Microsoft and Motorola - and by extension Google - is just one facet of a wide-ranging global patent war surrounding smartphone and internet technology that has drawn in Apple Inc, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, Nokia and others.

At heart, the companies are arguing over who owns the technology and design features behind smartphones, which are now essentially small computers.

More particularly, Microsoft has been locked in a battle with Google to ensure that handset makers using Google's free Android phone operating system pay Microsoft a license fee. Most large handset makers, such as Samsung, LG and HTC, have agreed to pay Microsoft a royalty on Android handsets that Microsoft believes may infringe on its patents. Motorola, which was bought by Google last year for $12.5 billion, partly because of its trove of patents, is the last big holdout.

The case in U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington is Microsoft Corp. vs. Motorola Inc., 10-cv-1823.

 Source: reuters

"Хаббл" проследил за "полетом" туманностей-"бабочек"

Фото: NASA / AFP

Американские астрономы при помощи телескопа "Хаббл" изучили галактические туманности, напоминающие по своей форме бабочек.

Объектом исследования ученых из Манчестерского университета стали 130 туманностей в центральной части Млечного пути, представляющие собой необычайно красивое зрелище. Выяснилось, что часть из них - так называемые биполярные туманности (одна из разновидностей) - ориентированы в одном направлении несмотря на то, что никак не связаны между собой, пишет РИА Новости.

"Любая выделенная ориентация космических объектов является неожиданностью, и в особенности необъяснимой она кажется в густонаселенной центральной области нашей Галактики", - прокомментировал один из авторов работы Альберт Жильстра.

Наблюдения показали, что большие оси туманностей-"мотыльков" ориентированы вдоль плоскости нашей Галактики. Как полагают астрономы, это можно объяснить влиянием мощных магнитных полей Млечного пути.

Формирование планетарных туманностей происходит на конечной стадии жизни звезд. Они возникают после того, как звезды, находящиеся в стадии красного гиганта, сбрасывают внешнюю газовую оболочку, которая, "растекаясь" вокруг, образует округлую туманность. Данные образования могут существовать несколько десятков тысяч лет. В настоящее время в нашей Галактике известно около 1500 планетарных туманностей.

Биполярные туманности считаются самыми красивыми - по своим очертаниям они могут напоминать песочные часы, восьмерку или бабочку.

источник: rg.ru