A billion people in the world lack access to all-season roads. Could the structure of the internet provide a model for how to reach them? Andreas Raptopoulos of Matternet thinks so. He introduces a new type of transportation system that uses electric autonomous flying machines to deliver medicine, food, goods and supplies wherever they are needed.
Tuesday 26 November 2013
Monday 25 November 2013
Food bytes: The kitchen goes digital
Click's Melissa Hogenboom finds out more about a prototype that allows you to print your own food.
The kitchen of the future will be your interactive friend, helping you cook, shop and eat with optimum hygiene and efficiency.
And many of the technologies that will help us live this way are already here.
Smart fridges featuring wi-fi enabled tablet-style screens and barcode scanning technology can keep tabs on the foods they contain, including their use-by dates.
They can even suggest recipes based on what you have in stock and send all this information to your smartphone.
Most of our kitchen appliances are getting brainier, from the humble chopping block to the multifunction oven.
And as the "internet of things" gathers pace, it might not be too long before all our gadgets are talking wirelessly to each other as well.
The Chop-syc prototype is an interactive multifunction touch screen chopping boardChop-syc is a multifunction interactive touchscreen chopping board created by product designer Siobhan Andrews.
Her prototype recently won the #GetItDownOnPaper competition for inventors. funded by Sharp Laboratories of Europe and Humans Invent.
It is a wi-fi enabled board that can weigh ingredients, suggest recipes and scale the quantities up or down according to the number of diners.
Ms Andrews said she wanted the board to "simplify healthy cooking".
Chop-syc can also add recipe ingredients to your online shopping list and place a supermarket order for you.
Toughened glass, coupled with the ability to reduce touchscreen sensitivity, means you can chop away to your heart's content without fear of damage.
"The health dimension was something that really attracted us," said Ian Thompson, managing director of Sharp Laboratories of Europe.
Nutrima, a wi-fi enabled bendy mat capable of measuring the weight and nutritional value of foods, was a finalist in the 2013 Electrolux Design Lab competitionJanne Palovuori, from Finland, was a finalist in the 2013 Electrolux Design Lab competition with her Nutrima food analysis mat prototype.
It can be charged by bending and then measures the weight, toxicity and nutritional value of ingredients placed on it, as well as helping you source local foods online.
As bendy screen technology develops, we will soon be able to slap this kind of interactive intelligent mat on any vertical or horizontal surface.
And it does not take a great leap of imagination to see how these intelligent gadgets will soon be sharing information with our intelligent fridges.
Fabrice Boutain's HAPIfork, launched this year, monitors how fast we eat in an attempt to get us to slow down. Eating too fast has been shown to contribute to obesity, because our sense of hunger and satiety lags behind the scoffing process.
Our eating habit data can be uploaded to a computer and displayed graphically.
The HAPIfork monitors how fast you eat and uploads the data to your computer and smartphoneHenrik Otto, Electrolux's vice-president of design, told the BBC: "There is still a lot of technology that hasn't become the everyday property of consumers, such as induction cooking."
It uses alternating electric current to produce an oscillating magnetic field that then heats up a ferromagnetic pan. It is a faster, more energy-efficient way to heat food than the traditional gas burner or electrically heated coil hobs.
"This allows for very precise temperatures," says Mr Otto.
The latest induction hobs include automatic pan recognition, which means the zone will only heat up once it has recognised that a typical saucepan shape has been placed on it.
This prevents smaller metal objects, such as spoons or bottle openers, getting hot if they are left on the induction zones.
But Mr Otto believes the technology could be applied more extensively.
Induction only heats the pan, not the surface"What if your entire counter top or table incorporated induction technology?" he asks. "What if it could be used to power your other appliances?"
As populations grow and compact urban living becomes the norm, "rooms will have to morph throughout the day and our technology will have to multitask", he says.
"For example, a living room coffee table could also be an induction cooktop that then charges your laptop overnight."
Squidgy foodWhile we may still be a long way from Star Trek-style food replicators, lazy cooks and time-poor parents might take heart from a new invention from Barcelona start-up Natural Machines.
It has developed Foodini, a prototype 3D printer that can produce a range of foodstuffs, from chocolate to ravioli, from a number of ingredients, as long as they are squidgy.
Natural Machines hopes its Foodini food printer will end up looking like thisTechnically, this is piping, not printing, and the results are unlikely to win any prizes on MasterChef.
But the machine can combine up to six different ingredients from separate nozzles to create a potentially wide range of foods in precisely programmed shapes.
Nasa has been looking at similar technology to help provide more exciting mealtimes for astronauts on the International Space Station.
Lynette Kucsma, the company's chief marketing officer, told the BBC: "We're looking for everyday foods you would eat, so savoury foods from ravioli to gnocchi... to decorating toast that you might have for breakfast."
Its makers envisage networked machines sharing culinary creations across social media, and workers being able to set them up in advance so that your food is ready for you when you arrive back home.
Chief executive Emilio Sepulveda thinks the Foodini will probably cost about 1,000 euros ($1,350; £833), although we are unlikely to see it in stores soon.
But as the networked digital kitchen comes closer, many of us are still waiting for the perfect gadget: an espresso maker equipped with voice biometrics.
Just one word and it will brew up the perfect, personalised coffee. Now that would be progress.
Friday 22 November 2013
Henry Evans and Chad Jenkins: Meet the robots for humanity
Paralyzed by a stroke-like attack, Henry Evans uses a telepresence robot to take the stage -- and to show us how new robotics, tweaked and personalized by a group called Robots for Humanity, help him live his life. He shows off a nimble little quadrotor drone, created by a team led by Chad Jenkins, that gives him the ability to navigate space -- to once again look around a garden, stroll a campus
Thursday 21 November 2013
Wikipedia sends cease-and-desist letter to PR firm offering paid edits to site
Online encyclopaedia bans Wiki PR from editing its clients' entries via 'sockpuppet' accounts
Email
Wikipedia has sent a cease-and-desist letter to a Texas PR company that offers to help clients by editing entries on the online encyclopaedia in their favour.
It follows an investigation lasting more than a year by Wikipedia's own volunteer editors, which suggested that Wiki PR, based in Austin, Texas, had created more than 300 "sockpuppet" accounts – fake profiles set up by people and companies – to edit entries about clients.
Wiki PR has been banned from editing entries on Wikipedia since October because its paid advocacy breaches the site's terms of use. Thelatest move from Wikipedia's executive director Sue Gardner raises the stakes by banning any use of sockpuppet accounts that might have been created by the company.
The move against Wiki PR is part of growing efforts by Wikipedia to block paid advocacy and "sockpuppets" on the site, which has grown since its beginning in January 2001 to encompass more than 30m articles written in 290 languages.
Its importance rests on the fact that Wikipedia is often linked to as the source of information elsewhere on the web. That makes it highly ranked in search results: one of its articles will often figure in the top two or three results in a search for a related topic, meaning that people often rely on information they find there.
The law firm retained by Wikipedia accuses the PR company of misusing its trademark on its site, and notes that the ban could be ended if Wiki PR divulges all the sockpuppet accounts it has created, a list of the articles it has edited, and pledges only to edit via disclosed accounts and adhere "as closely as possible" to Wikipedia's editing policies.
On its site, the PR company says that it offers "the easy way to accurately tell your story on Wikipedia". The site's leadership page says that its co-founder, Darius Fisher, "has built Wiki PR into the largest Wikipedia consulting firm" after realising the importance of Wikipedia entries while working with a crisis communications consultant in San Francisco.
The company's role in editing entries came to light after Wikipedia's own volunteer editors carried out an investigation lasting more than a year which suggested that Wiki PR had created more than 300 "sockpuppet" accounts that were being used to edit entries about companies. Hiring PR companies to edit Wikipedia entries is known as "meatpuppetry".
Among companies whose entries are said to have been edited by the company are those for Priceline and the communications company Viacom
Wikipedia sets great store on the idea that its entries should be presented from a "neutral point of view" and that they should be verifiable from external online sources.
"Sockpuppetry and meatpuppetry are especially harmful when used to disguise secret works of advocacy purchased by clients to promote a particular product, idea or agenda," says Wikipedia's lawyers in the letter to Wiki PR. It adds that the extra editing load required to root out such advocacy "squanders valuable volunteer time, to the detriment of the entire Wikipedia community".
Wiki PR did not respond to a request for comment via email or Twitter.
Tuesday 19 November 2013
'Selfie' named by Oxford Dictionaries as word of 2013
The Pope posed for this picture with youngsters in August, with the resulting selfie going viral"Selfie" has been named as word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries.
The word has evolved from a niche social media tag into a mainstream term for a self-portrait photograph, the editors said.
Research suggested its frequency in the English language had increased by 17,000% in the last year, they added.
Other shortlisted words included "twerk" - a raunchy dance move performed by Miley Cyrus - and "binge-watch" - meaning watching lots of TV.
"Schmeat", meaning a form of meat synthetically produced from biological tissue, was also a contender.
'Inventiveness'The word of the year award celebrates the inventiveness of English speakers when confronted with social, political or technological change.
In 2004, the word of the year was "chav", in 2008 it was credit crunch and last year it was "omnishambles".
To qualify, a word need not have been coined within the past 12 months, but it does need to have become prominent or notable in that time.
Selfie is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as "a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website".
Its increase in use is calculated by Oxford Dictionaries using a research programme that collects around 150 million English words currently in use from around the web each month.
This software can be used to track the emergence of new words and monitor changes in geography, register, and frequency of use.
Papal powerSelfie can be traced back to 2002 when it was used in an Australian online forum, according to Oxford Dictionaries.
The Obama girls take a selfieA man posted a picture of injuries to his face sustained when he tripped over some steps. He apologised for the fact that it was out of focus, saying that it was not because he was drunk but because it was a selfie.
This year, selfie has gained momentum throughout the English-speaking world, helped by pictures such as one of the Pope with teenagers that went viral.
Judy Pearsall, editorial director for Oxford Dictionaries, said: "Social media sites helped to popularise the term, with the hashtag #selfie appearing on the photo-sharing website Flickr as early as 2004, but usage wasn't widespread until around 2012, when selfie was being used commonly in mainstream media sources."
Selfie was added to the Oxford Dictionaries Online in August, but is not yet in the Oxford English Dictionary, although it is being considered for future use.
Other words that were shortlisted included "showrooming" - examining a product at a shop before buying it online at a lower price - and bitcoin - a digital currency in which transactions can be performed without the need for a central bank.
Monday 18 November 2013
Friday 15 November 2013
Robot used to round up cows is a hit with farmers
BBC News
Robots are being used to move cows from fields to the dairyRobots could be used in the future to round up cows on dairy farms, according to researchers.
A four-wheeled device, known as Rover, has been tested by a team at Sydney University. It was used to move a herd of cows from a field to a dairy.
Researchers were amazed at how easily cows accepted the presence of the robot.
They were not fazed by it and the herding process was calm and effective, they said.
Because the robot moved in a steady manner it allowed cows to move at their own speed which was important in reducing lameness among cattle, Dr Kendra Kerrisk, dairy researcher and associate professor, told the BBC.
Robots are already used in the milking process but the team wanted to see if they could be used in other areas of dairy farming.
The robot was adapted from one that was already being used to monitor fruit and trees on farms. A team at Sydney University's Centre for Field Robotics modified the robot so that it could be put in a field with cows in order for the researchers to gather data on robot-bovine interaction.
The prototype needs to be operated by a human but it's hoped that in the future a version can be developed that will be fully automated.
Extremely excitedAs well as herding cows a new version could also collect information useful for farmers.
According to the research team, the robot could be used at night to move slowly through the maternity paddock monitoring cows that are due to calve. It could also be used to gather data on soil and detect problems with electric fences.
Using robots to get cows to the dairy will be better for their well-being say researchers"The research is in its very early stages but robotic technologies certainly have the potential to transform dairy farming," said Dr Kerrisk.
"When we have discussed this concept with farmers they have been extremely excited and we have had a flurry of calls and emails asking how they can get hold of one," she added.
The robot could also cut down the number of accidents involving humans on farms. Most dairy farmers in Australia use quad bikes to round up their cattle and they are one of the leading causes of injury. The team hopes that by using the robot to do the job instead, accident rates could fall.
Since demonstrating the robot at a dairy symposium in Australia earlier in the year the team has secured funding to develop Rover the robot, mark II.
Tuesday 12 November 2013
The apostrophe
Try the following game from the BBC skillswise website to practise your use of apostrophes.
Thursday 7 November 2013
Robotic 'power boost' arm wins James Dyson Award
The award-winning Titan Arm could help people with back injuries lift objects and regain muscle controlA battery-powered robotic arm that boosts human strength has won the 2013 James Dyson award.
The Titan Arm, designed by four mechanical engineering students from the University of Pennsylvania, could help people with back injuries rebuild and regain control of muscles.
It can also be used by people to lift heavy objects as part of their work.
The team, who spent eight months creating the exoskeleton, will share a prize of £30,000 ($48,000).
"Titan Arm is obviously an ingenious design, but the team's use of modern, rapid - and relatively inexpensive - manufacturing techniques makes the project even more compelling," said Sir James Dyson.
"We are ecstatic," team member Nick Parrotta told the BBC. "It was totally unexpected - just incredible."
'Inexpensive aluminium'The team produced its prototype for £1,200, which they say is a 50th of the typical cost of similar exoskeletons currently on the market.
The University of Pennsylvania team shows off its award-winning Titan Arm
"We wanted Titan Arm to be affordable, as exoskeletons are rarely covered by health insurance," said Mr Parrotta, 23, currently studying for a masters in mechanical engineering.
"This informed our design decisions and the materials we used. Most structural components are machined from inexpensive aluminium."
Academic and commercial interest in wearable robotics is growing according to Conor Walsh, Professor of of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
But costs will have to continue falling if robotics are to feature more often in daily life, he said.
"Reducing cost will be critical for commercial systems, however the total cost is not just the cost of the hardware but also the added cost associated with research and development, quality assurance and regulatory compliance."
The Titan arm incorporates a rigid back brace to maintain posture, a shoulder featuring rotational joints, and sensors that can track motion and relay data back to doctors for remote prognosis.
It can augment human weight-lifting strength by 40lbs (18kg), say the inventors, while the batteries can last for up to eight hours, depending on intensity of usage and workload.
Electrical signalsThe current prototype is operated by a separate joystick, but future versions may incorporate electromyography technology, said Mr Parrotta, which picks up electrical signals produced by muscle tissue, thus allowing users to operate such prosthetics almost without thinking.
All of the inventors who took part in the competition used 3D-printing to develop and produce their prototypes much more cheaply than would have been possible before.
Handie, a prosthetic hand with sensors that can read brain signals, won second place
"Prototyping technology, previously reserved only for companies with big research and development budgets, is enabling young inventors to develop sophisticated concepts at university," said Sir James.
"They can revitalise industries on a small budget - it is a good time to be an inventor."
The second prize went to a Japanese team who created Handie, a prosthetic hand with sensors that can read brain signals.
A 3D-printed plastic cast for broken limbs, invented by a team from New Zealand, took the third prize.
The James Dyson Foundation runs the annual award across 18 countries with the aim of encouraging problem-solving inventions.
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