3d mapping
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Niantic buys a 3D mapping startup to enable 'planet-scale' AR
As much as Niantic might be focused on making its location-based games more playable at home, it's also thinking about its future. The developer has bought 3D mapping startup 6D.ai to help it develop "planet-scale" augmented reality. The relative newcomer's work on 3D environment reconstruction and persistent AR objects promises more sophisticated experiences than you're used to in the past. Niantic teased the prospect of seeing creature habitats in Pokémon Go, or dragons landing on buildings.
The next mobile imaging war won't be waged over megapixels
For the past several years, improvements in smartphone cameras have followed the "more megapixels" mantra. Samsung's Galaxy S5 is up from 13 to 16 megapixels; Sony's new Xperia Z2 packs a 20.7-megapixel Exmor model; and Nokia's Lumia 1020 with PureView is a 41-megapixel monster. However, Google's recent sensor-laden smartphone prototype, Project Tango, could herald a new direction. Though Mountain View is focused on 3D mapping, so-called depth camera tech could dramatically improve all the pictures you take with your smartphone. By using two lenses with different focal lengths, for example, you could zoom in on subjects with quality that rivals bulky optical zooms. It could also eliminate a number of other shortcomings without adding an awkward hump like the one seen on the Lumia 1020. You could soon have much better light sensitivity, less noise and depth of field control that rivals a DSLR. The benefits are clear, but Google is not alone in its pursuit. The battle for a better smartphone camera is on, and you could be the one to reap the rewards.
PSA: Google's 3D City View and Tour Guide arrives for Google Earth on iOS today
Google's 3D City View is now available on iOS. The Google Earth update adds three-dimensional imagery to major locations including Washington D.C, San Francisco and Boston. It's arriving alongside Tour Guide; select a notable attraction to go straight to it, with accompanying trivia you can bore your friends with later. Sadly 3D maps requires the processing hardware of the iPhone 4S, iPad 2 or the third-generation iPad, but other iOS (4.2 or higher) device users can still get access to Tour Guide. Unsurprisingly, the update's available via the App Store -- but you shouldn't need a map to find your way there.
Drone-maker Parrot invests $7.5 million in two EPFL spin-offs, sets sights beyond toys
Switzerland's EPFL has managed to catch our attention with its various UAV-related activities, and it looks like it's also been the radar of Parrot, maker of the AR.Drones. EPFL announced today that the French company is investing 7.4 million Swiss Francs (or about $7.5 million) in two companies that have been spun out of the institution: senseFly and Pix4D. As you may recall, those two have collaborated in the past, with senseFly providing the camera-equipped UAVs necessary for Pix4D's 3D mapping software. Broken down, the investment works out to 2.4 million Francs put into Pix4D and five million invested in senseFly, the latter of which is enough for Parrot to claim a majority stake company. As for the future, senseFly's CEO says that the deal will give Parrot "access to the expertise and the technology for specialized drones," while Pix4D's CEO says that the investment "reinforces our position as a leader in software for professional drones" and opens up new business opportunities. It also makes it clear, if it wasn't already, that Parrot is getting pretty serious about drones. You can find the official announcement after the break, along with a video from EPFL explaining the deal.
New Recce 3D map app offers location-based services and games, Sim City possibilities abound
The mapping scene has seen plenty of activity lately -- what with Apple ditching Google to launch its own service while the latter continues to layer on improvements such as better walking directions and more Street View coverage for its maps. Now a new app called "Recce" is trying to elbow its way into the conversation by using a free, searchable 3D mapping system that not only serves up location-based services but also location-based games. Named after military slang for "reconnaissance," Recce is the brainchild of former Psygnosis co-founder Ian Hetherington and Google engineering director Rian Liebenberg, who formed London-based developer eeGeo. The app works by pulling together a slew of data feeds from sources such as map providers and social networking services to provide an interactive 3D view of an area. It can also be used to update services like Twitter so your followers can know exactly where you were when you saw Justin Johnson, er, Bieber speeding away from the paparazzi in his chrome Fisker Karma. Do note that data is limited to central London at the moment, though San Francisco and New York are slated to get their 3D closeup next.
Amazon reportedly acquires UpNext, 3D map wars begin in earnest (update: value might vary)
We might as well call 2012 the year of the 3D map. We've seen both Apple and Google show their cards, but GigaOM now hears that Amazon has jumped in by acquiring newcomer UpNext. The details are scant, but the approximately $2.5 million deal would give Amazon the startup's 3D, Android-native maps of 50 US cities, complete with navigation and extra information about notable buildings. The online reseller hasn't confirmed whether or not the acquisition is happening, which leaves it very much in rumor territory for now. That said, it's not hard to imagine Amazon taking that leap. The Kindle Fire is cut out of the official Android ecosystem and won't get built-in 3D maps without effort on its creator's part -- a buyout would certainly put that mapping on the fast track. Update: As reader James points out, the value of the deal is likely to be higher: unless the $500,000 investment let the investors control all of the company and the sale price wasn't higher, talk of a fivefold return on investment could represent considerably more than $2.5 million. Without any official response from Amazon, though, it's probable that the acquisition was small enough that it didn't have to publicly report the details.
Microsoft Kinect used to map asteroids, glaciers, other scary things
Ken Mankoff is a PhD student at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he studies ice and ocean interactions. He also counts himself among a growing legion of environmental scientists who have begun using Microsoft's Kinect to create detailed, 3D maps of caves, glaciers and even asteroids. As Wired reports, the Kinect has garnered something of a cult following within the scientific community, especially among those who, until now, have relied upon comparatively more expensive and complicated technologies to gather detailed 3D data. The approach du jour for most researchers is something known as Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) -- a laser-based technology capable of creating precise maps over relatively large areas. The Kinect, by contrast, can only see up to 16 feet in front of itself, but at just $120, it's significantly cheaper than the average LIDAR system, which can run for anywhere between $10,000 and $200,000. It's also surprisingly accurate, capable of capturing up to 9 million data points per second. Mankoff, for one, has already used the device to map a small cavern underneath a glacier in Norway, while Marco Tedesco, a hydrologist at the City College of New York, is looking to attach a Kinect to a remote-controlled helicopter, in the hopes of measuring so-called meltwater lakes found on glaciers during the summer. Then there's Naor Movshovitz, also a PhD student at UC Santa Cruz, who's more interested in using the Kinect and its image processing software to figure out how asteroids behave when broken up by a projectile. There are limitations, of course, since the device still has trouble performing amidst severe environmental conditions, though its supporters seem confident they'll find a solution. Read more at the source link below.
Apple reportedly acquires C3 Technologies, iOS Maps overhaul on the horizon?
Last we saw of C3 Technologies' 3D mapping software it was making an appearance on Sony Ericsson's X10, but if 9to5Mac turns out to be right, its next stop could be the iPhone. According to the publication, Cupertino recently scooped up the Saab spin-off and C3 execs have since been working closely with the iOS division. Earlier this year, Apple posted job listings, looking for developers to "radically improve how people interact with maps and location-based services." On a related note, the outfit previously acquired Poly9, a web-based mapping company. So is the fruity one looking to up its street (navigation) cred? Is it finally ready to give Google Maps the boot? We'll just have to wait and see.
3D virtual sound shown off on mobile device, dance party ensues (video)
Nothing beats the head banging bliss of being in the front row of a concert, but if you left your Mötley Crüe t-shirt at home today, you may want to check out this new 3D audio technology from KDDI Labs. By reducing the amount of characteristics required to map a sound field, KDDI has made it possible to fry your eardrums three dimensionally on a smartphone. Since the virtual sound is recorded with multiple mics, users can move around the gig in real-time to hear music from any angle. Using the software, (and hopefully soon, a web-based app), virtual concert goers can cut out certain vocals or instruments, making it perfect for a mobile karaoke inferno. Rock out to the video after the break.
USC computer scientist makes geo-immersion maps, leaves other maps feeling inferior
Google's Maps and Earth services provide us with 3D maps, the means to track St. Nick, and even tools to help us train to wear the maillot jaune. Real-time views of the world are not among Street View's many powers, however. That's why the director of USC's Integrated Media Systems Center, Cyrus Shahabi, has one-upped El Goog by rendering the real world virtually using the concept of geo-immersion -- which integrates real-time information and videos with digital maps. In one application, users can see the energy usage and floor plans of university buildings along with the current location of campus transit buses. Another uses live video feeds from security cameras and facial recognition technology to track ne'er-do-wells in a three dimensional model of a city. Itching to see what happens when real and virtual worlds collide? Check out the cutting-edge cartography in action after the break.
Google, MapQuest, Microsoft and Aol sued for allegedly infringing 3D mapping patent
The saga continues for Google's voyeuristic mapping service, but this time Microsoft Streetside and Aol's MapQuest 360 View may be the Bonnie to Street View's Clyde. Transcenic, Inc. is suing the tech giants for acquiring the tools necessary to offer 3D mapping by less-than-legitimate means. The Louisiana-based company alleges that all named parties borrowed, without permission, a bit from a patent it owns on a 3D cartography technology that captures spatial reference images and uses a database to navigate them on command. Google has been in hot water for its maps before, but it no doubt hopes this legal tiff ends as well as its one for trespassing, where it only paid a pack of gum's worth of damages. If you're into reading all the current legalese, check out the source for the full complaint. Meanwhile, we'll find out if Cousin Vinny's on the case. [Disclosure: Aol is the parent company of Engadget.]
Robotic wheelchair uses 3D imaging to 'see' for visually impaired drivers
You may not be able to control it with your mind, but this robotic wheelchair from Sweden's Luleå University of Technology can still offer something that only a few others can -- "sight." The chair uses a laser sensor to generate a 3D map of its surroundings, which is then transferred to an on-board haptic robot, allowing the bot to pick up on and navigate its way around any obstacles. A visually impaired student already took the contraption out for a spin and said he felt "safe" while traveling through crowded corridors, comparing the experience to "using a white cane." Luleå's engineers, however, still have some fine tuning to do. The laser, for instance, can only recognize objects at a specific height, while ignoring everything above or below its field of vision. Researchers are also busy developing a new 3D camera for the chair and are hoping to have it ready for commercial use within the next five years. There's a full PR waiting for you after the break.
Kinect quadrocopter gets a new mission: 3D mapping (video)
In the future, our flying robot overlords won't just navigate terrain autonomously, they'll also report back to base with detailed 3D maps of everything they've seen -- or at least that's what this homebuilt UAV does in a video released this week. In a nutshell, MIT's combined its room-mapping Roomba with the Kinect quadrocopter radar developed at UC Berkeley, resulting in a flying contraption sure to be the envy of topographers everywhere. We're not sure that the world's robot incumbents will be too happy, though -- perhaps MIT should invest in some laser protection next.
Kinect sensor bolted to an iRobot Create, starts looking for trouble
While there have already been a lot of great proof-of-concepts for the Kinect, what we're really excited for are the actual applications that will come from it. On the top of our list? Robots. The Personal Robots Group at MIT has put a battery-powered Kinect sensor on top of the iRobot Create platform, and is beaming the camera and depth sensor data to a remote computer for processing into a 3D map -- which in turn can be used for navigation by the bot. They're also using the data for human recognition, which allows for controlling the bot using natural gestures. Looking to do something similar with your own robot? Well, the ROS folks have a Kinect driver in the works that will presumably allow you to feed all that great Kinect data into ROS's already impressive libraries for machine vision. Tie in the Kinect's multi-array microphones, accelerometer, and tilt motor and you've got a highly aware, semi-anthropomorphic "three-eyed" robot just waiting to happen. We hope it will be friends with us. Video of the ROS experimentation is after the break.
LIDAR-equipped robot maps dangerous areas in 3D so you don't have to
Looks like the kids at MIT might have a little competition for their LIDAR-equipped 3D mapping drone. Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology have teamed up with the University of Missouri-Columbia for a prototype robot that uses light detection and ranging (similar to RADAR, but with lasers) to map areas and send the 3D data to a nearby laptop. The technology not only provides detailed info on floor plans and physical structures (such as possible structural damage) but it can also "see" people inside a space. There are many possible applications for this, from spotting terrorists hiding in caves to seeing if your new internet girlfriend really looks like her profile pic, or -- and this is especially important in the modern era -- seeing if your new internet girlfriend is actually a terrorist (we wondered why she wanted that first meeting to take place in a cave). "Once you have the images, you can zoom in on objects and look at things from different angles," says Dr. Norbert Maerz, associate professor of geological engineering at Missouri S&T -- an ability that we wish we had while browsing PlentyofFish.com.
3D maps demoed on Sony Ericsson X10, Snapdragon paying off
Ericsson Labs is showing off an API for navigating through a three-dimensional interpretation of the world based on real imagery powered by Saab spinoff (the defense firm, not the car company) C3 Technologies on Sony Ericsson's upcoming X10 -- and in a word, it's looking impressive. The buttons for controlling the action are a bit hokey, of course, but don't worry too much about that -- this is strictly a proof of concept, and the important thing is that no matter how much panning, tilting, and swooping through the cityscape the demo-giver does, video output stays above 30 frames per second. Thank goodness for Snapdragon, eh? There's no indication that we'll see a shipping version of this app on retail X10s out of the box, but let's hope something awesome comes of this. Follow the break for video.
3D mapping drone fires lasers from a mile away (video)
The MIT Technology Review has unearthed a new laser-based 3D mapping robot that can produce results similar to those obtained from $100,000 systems at about a fifth of the cost. Funded by the US Army, researchers at the Stevens Institute of Technology have now demonstrated the Remotely Operated and Autonomous Mapping System (ROAMS, for short), which employs a mirror-based LIDAR system that bounces a laser off a rapidly rotating mirror and gleans environmental information from how long it takes for each pulse to bounce back. An array of video cameras and IR proximity sensors add to this recon bot's sentience, though you'll still need to be within a mile's range to operate it. So not quite yet ready for solo missions to Mars, but plenty useful for gathering data on our own planet. You'll find video and imagery of the results this machine kicks out after the break.
New 3D software tracks peoples' location in buildings
It's not exactly the level of technology that'll cause Lucius Fox to storm out of a room, but this new so-called BEAM 3D mapping software developed by a pair of students from the Engineering College of Aarhus is still pretty impressive, and could be of real use to firefighters and others in an emergency. While complete details are a bit light, the software is apparently intended to be paired with a 3D sensor of some sort that's carried through a building by a firefighter or other individual, which relays information back to a handheld device that pinpoints the person's location. The downside, and a fairly big one at that, is that it only works if there's 3D plans of the building pre-loaded on the handheld. No word on a commercial version just yet, but the students did receive a bit of help from software firm Systematic, which is apparently "extremely pleased" with their efforts.
Laser scanning robot creates 3D map of silver mine
Apparently, Mexico is the place to be if you're a laser-equipped robot with 3D scanning on the brain. Just 11 months after the DepthX robotic submarine mapped the El Zacatón Cenote, the 3D-R1 has managed to collect over 5GB of map data in 3.5 days which was then used to create a "comprehensive 3D plan of the underground mining operation." The mine in question was the San Jose silver mine in Mexico, and while on duty, the robot scooted across some 2.2-kilometers of underground drives and access ramps in order to conduct over 240 total scans. There's no word on whether the mechanical creature is scheduled to map out any other nooks and crannies around the world, but given the accuracy exhibited in this run-through, we don't foresee it taking any kind of extended vacation.[Via Robots]
Thinkware iNAVI K2's 3D maps are just like being there
Looking out the window while driving is way overrated. The new hotness, in Korea at least, is super-detailed 3D maps that leave nothing of your route to the imagination. Thinkware's iNAVI K2 is just such a device, with purty 3D graphics showing up on its 4.8-inch 800 x 480 screen. There's 8GB of memory, 256MB of RAM, and a fancy "geomagnetic 3-axis sensor" that helps keep mapping on track, but face it, you're going to buy this to see if they mapped your house. It'll be available for 549,000 KRW, about $561 US.[Via NaviGadget]
