barcodes
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Block-like robots could assemble into emergency staircases
Next to Boston Dynamics' leaping humanoids, the dice-like M-Block robots from MIT might not look very cool. Considering their lack of limbs, though, the latest versions can perform some impressive tricks like jumping, climbing and assembling into larger structures, Big Hero 6 style. Those skills could one day help them assemble themselves into a staircase to rescue survivors trapped in a building, or be used as real-world Minecraft blocks.
Acoustic barcodes store data in sound, go on just about anything (video)
Technologies like NFC, RFID and QR codes are quickly becoming a normal part of everyday life, and now a group from Carnegie Mellon University has a fresh take on close-quarters data it calls acoustic barcodes. It involves physically etching a barcode-like pattern onto almost any surface, so it produces sound when something's dragged across it -- a fingernail, for example. A computer is then fed that sound through a microphone, recognizes the waveform and executes a command based on it. By altering the space between the grooves, it's possible to create endless unique identifiers that are associated with different actions. It's easy to see how smartphones could take advantage of this -- not that we recommend dragging your new iPhone over ridged surfaces -- but unlike the technologies mentioned earlier, not all potential applications envisage a personal reading device. Dot barcodes around an area, install the sound processing hardware on site, and you've got yourself an interactive space primed for breaking freshly manicured nails. We're pretty impressed by the simplicity of the concept, and the team does a good job of presenting scenarios for implementing it, which you can see in the video below. And, if you'd like to learn a little more about the idea or delve into the full academic paper, the source links await you. [Thanks, Julia]
Toshiba builds scanner that can identify fruit without a barcode, yup (video)
During our hurried supermarket sweeps, we're aiming for the Granny Smith, yet somehow always come away with French Jonagold. That's why we're in awe of this new supermarket scanner from Toshiba-Tech that can identify individual species of fruit and veg from sight. Rather than a cashier keying in a produce code, a camera with optical pattern recognition technology filters out "visual noise" before identifying the genus of your apple by shape, surface pattern and coloration. It's also able to scan labels and coupons, but so far the database only contains a handful of items. It'll take over a year (when each thing has been harvested and scanned) to build a database necessary to make it commercially useful. Still, if you can't bear to wait those precious seconds as your server finds the right code for lettuce, head on past the break to watch your future in action.
Procter & Gamble partners with Mobeam to deliver coupons to your phone
Ah, remember those good 'ol days when we actually used those things called scissors and clipped our coupons when we wanted to save 50 cents from a bottle of Tide? Those activities have already been teetering on the brink of obsolescence since early last year, when Target introduced a program featuring mobile scannable coupons. Google Wallet and Walgreen's have furthered along the concept by offering them as well, and now Procter & Gamble are jumping on board. The company's teamed up with mobeam, a startup which has found a way to make mobile coupons readable using normal laser scanners, still the weapon of choice for many retailers. Next up, the two partners are hoping to work with OEMs to integrate the tech into new phones, push out an app to take advantage of it and begin field testing the process with shoppers and retailers sometime in 2012. Once it kicks off, any company should be able to issue digital coupons; those who choose to partner with mobeam, however, will have access to opted-in consumer information that tracks which couponing websites the consumer visits, the location and time each coupon is redeemed and other items purchased using the app. Physical coupons will still be around for a while -- P&G asserts that there will still be plenty of coupon-clippers that hunt through newspaper inserts or print them out -- so the old-fashioned method isn't completely dead yet. We'd sure love to see mobile couponing grow to a point where more and more trees are getting saved, though.
Dutch coins feature QR codes, promise 'surprises'
Governments cram all manner of bizarre imagery onto the back of currency, so really, what's a few little QR codes between treasury departments? And heck, who are we to suggest that these new coins from the Royal Dutch Mint aren't the beginning of a larger barcoded money trend? The mint is celebrating its centennial with two new QR-packing collectable coins. The codes bring their owners to the mint's website, which promises a "surprise," once the coins are officially available later this month. Some sort of cloud-based vending machine, perhaps?
StripeSpotter turns wild zebras into trackable barcodes
We've heard plenty of stories over the past few years about tagging animals with RFID chips, but we've never been particularly keen on the idea. Well, now a team of researchers has come up with a much less invasive way of tracking individual animals -- specifically zebras -- by essentially using their stripes as barcodes. StripeSpotter, as it's known, takes an isolated portion of a photograph of a zebra and slices it into a series of horizontal bands. Each pixel in the selection is then fully converted into black or white, and the bands are in turn encoded into StripeStrings, which eventually make up a StripeCode that resembles a barcode. All this information is stored in a database that allows researchers to directly identify particular animals without ever having to get too close. StripeCode may be a zebra-centric application for now, but its developers see it making a mark across the food chain with the inclusion of other distinctly patterned beasts, like tigers and giraffes. Animal tracking hobbyists can get their own free copy of the application by clicking on the source link below.
IBM looks back on 100 years of history, finds plenty to be proud of (video)
Want to know who the self-confessed "mother of the motherboard" is? Or why every piece of organically farmed, tenderly loved food at your local Trader Joe's has a barcode on it? Or perhaps you're curious to learn more about how millions of airline reservations can be made around the world with unfailing reliability? All those queries have their answers in IBM's self-congratulating videos after the break. Commissioned as a celebration of the company's upcoming 100th birthday, they chronicle some of its more notable moments in the global spotlight. Our favorite little nugget of discovery was finding out that testing for the IBM Personal Computer included the question, "would it run Pac-Man?" -- conclusively proving that the foremost reason for the PC's existence is, and has always been, gaming.
Google Goggles now solves Sudoku, taking an interest in ads, clearly entering middle age
There are no surer signs of the apocalyptic onset of middle age than a preoccupation with puzzle-solving and an unhealthy interest in adverts and barcodes. And those just happen to be the three new features Google has added to version 1.3 of its Goggles software. The visual search application for Android is now intelligent enough to decipher tricky Sudoku puzzles (and thereby suck all the fun out of them), while its algorithms have also been tweaked to make barcode scanning "almost" instant. Popular printed ads will be recognized as well, taking you to a Google search on the relevant topic. US newspapers and magazines from August 2010 are being supported for now, but we can't imagine the rest of the world should have to wait too long for this added convenience. Video of the new Goggles' Sudoku skills after the break.
Microsoft 'Tags' 2 billion real-world objects with its phone-friendly barcodes
Microsoft might be late to the cameraphone-able barcode game, but it appears to be making up for lost time. Its multi-colored (and, frankly, rather attractive) Tag barcodes added a few important innovations on top of the general QR code concept, and apparently to good effect: 2 billion Tags have been printed since the January 2009 launch, and 1 billion of those Tags were printed in the past four months. Sounds like Microsoft has found some momentum, and they claim to have gained a lead in the publishing industry already. Obviously, the analytics, customization, and anti-fragmentation nature appeals to Big Barcode, but we'll have to wait and see if Tag is the ultimate choice of the everyman. Plus, won't ads be able to hack our brains and implant URLs at-will soon enough? We're holding out for that.
BlizzCon 2010: Online ticket printing now available
Those of you pulling your hair out over not having gotten your BlizzCon 2010 tickets by email have some good news today: Blue poster Bashiok confirms that you now have the ability -- finally -- to print tickets via your Battle.net account. If you have not yet received an email with your ticket barcodes, you can now view and print your BlizzCon ticket by: 1. Ticket purchaser logs in to their account at http://www.blizzard.com/store 2. Then visit https://www.battle.net/account/management/orders.html 3. Select the order entry containing the BlizzCon tickets purchased 4. Click on View/Edit Attendee Details button 5. Below each ticket a PRINT TICKET button is now available This will bring you to a printable ticket page which includes that ticket's barcode. It's important to bring this barcode with you as it will expedite your badge pickup once you're at the event. For those that have already received emails with barcodes this page has the same information as the email, and isn't necessary to view or reprint them if you already have. source For those unfamiliar with the process, it's not necessary to bring printed tickets with barcodes to the BlizzCon site, but they sure as heck make the badge pickup process easier. If you haven't already printed your ticket, now is an excellent time to do so -- BlizzCon 2010 is a mere 8 days away! World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion (available Dec. 7, 2010), from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysmnews category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.
BlizzCon ticket emails are going out
Blizzard stated last week that we could expect BlizzCon ticket barcode emails to go out starting this week, and it looks like it was right! We've gotten reports that the first batch of ticket emails has gone out. You'll need these barcodes to get access to BlizzCon 2010 in a timely manner, so keep the email safe, print it out and hold on to it! BlizzCon 2010 is just over two weeks away now, and with today's confirmed schedule of events, there's a lot to look forward to! Count on WoW Insider for up-to-the-minute info, before and during BlizzCon.
BlizzCon ticket barcodes ideally emailing next week
Bashiok has confirmed that Blizzard is anticipating emailing out BlizzCon ticket barcodes next week. If you were lucky enough to have bought BlizzCon tickets, watch your email and make sure nothing gets lodged in the spam filter. Your BlizzCon ticket barcode is required, along with a photo ID, to get into the show and pick up your badge. It is important to print out the barcode before you leave for Anaheim and bring it with you for registration. Bashiok -- Re: Emailed Blizzcon Tickets None have gone out yet. We're anticipating them to begin going out early next week. source
Microsoft Tag makes a video appearance, still seeking popularity
"It's the hyperlink in the physical world" says a Microsoft PR man, giving us the most succinct definition of what Redmond's Tag initiative is all about. Having announced its alternative take on the barcode at CES 2009, Microsoft has been working behind the scenes on proliferating the use of these multicolored Tags, which are designed to be snapped by nearby cameraphones. Once the pattern is recognized, you can obtain digital content directly on your phone -- whether it be a website link, YouTube video, or whatever -- and the uses are pretty much limitless: business cards, product packaging, magazines, anything that can benefit from supplemental online content and has a flat surface is a candidate to be Tagged. Such is the theory anyhow, and Microsoft's doing all it can to make it happen, with software for most mobile platforms, including the iPhone. Video demonstration after the break.
The Barcodescan Pro app helps you find the best price
Barcodescan Pro [iTunes Link] is an app that uses the autofocus camera of an iPhone running OS 3.1 or better to scan a bar code and provide a variety of information on the product including pictures, high and low prices and more depending upon how much information is in the Barcodescan database. To scan a barcode, you just hold the iPhone so that the barcode appears in a highlighted window and as soon as the image is steady enough, the app automatically takes a picture, compares it to its database, and renders your results. Another way of getting information into the app is typing in the numbers of the barcode into an oversized numeric keyboard. I had it scan the CD of Tommy and it came back with a picture of the album cover, a prices line showing the lowest to highest found price which when tapped upon, showed the underlying five vendors, another tap gets you to the selected vendor's site to buy it. You can also choose a tab to get to Google for a standard search and another for Amazon where you can log-in and put it on your wish list or purchase the item. The vendors in the low to high price list never included Amazon, which I thought odd since Amazon was a persistent button on each search. You can check If the item is found on iTunes. If so, you are presented with a contextual service option which brings in iTunes information. Instead of giving me one entry for the album of Tommy, it gave me many instances that contained the word Tommy. Results are saved to lists. The Recent list shows the last thing you searched for, the History list shows everything you've searched for. You can create custom lists and easily move any searches between lists. Results can also be shared allowing you to email the search. So, is it any good? Read on...
BlizzCon barcodes being sent out
Those lucky enough to score tickets to BlizzCon this year should start to see their BlizzCon barcodes arrive in their email boxes today.The barcode system is a new one for Blizzard. You will need to print out the email you receive and bring the barcode with you when you pick up your badge at the convention hall. We highly recommend picking up your badge the day before (Thursday) so you can enjoy waiting in long lines to get into the place on Friday morning for the opening ceremony.You should receive a separate email and separate barcode for each person for whom you bought a ticket for. My tickets are going to a few WoW.com staff members, and the first of them came through this morning. Another email came this afternoon.Initially we were not going to run this story until we heard from Blizzard directly that these emails were real and legit, however a very large number of people are reporting receiving their barcodes. The barcode email comes from pnmi.com, which is not a blizzard.com address. Because of this we have contacted and are waiting for Blizzard to verify the email. We'll update this post when we hear back from them. I find it perplexing that Blizzard would drum into our heads for years telling us only to trust a blizzard.com source, and then have a massive email sent out that isn't from blizzard.com without telling us about its legitimacy before hand.Update: Blizzard has confirmed these emails are legit.So check your email and check your spam folders! My guess is that sending out all the badges will take a day or so.
RedLaser for iPhone scans for bargains
I wouldn't have thought it was possible to get an iPhone to capture barcodes clearly, but Occipital has done it with a new $1.99US iPhone app called RedLaser [App Store]. Why capture barcodes? One good use is to find better prices for a product. Scan a product in the store, then RedLaser captures the barcode and does a quick Google or Amazon search to give you quick price comparisons. I tried the app at a bookstore and my local Best Buy and was surprised how well it worked. You need pretty good light to capture a barcode, which is an issue with the iPhone camera, not the RedLaser software. You need to hold the camera steady. The best way is by holding down the button to take the picture, then release when you are steady. RedLaser gives you the option to try again, and guides you on how far the camera needs to be away from the barcode. Then RedLaser instantly goes out to the internet and gets you the price comparisons. In practice I had some misses. The camera wasn't at quite the right distance, or I was a bit shaky holding it. In most instances, however, I was able to get the barcode and see the price comparisons I was looking for. It's also important that the camera not be tilted in relation to the barcode. Try to keep everything lined up. And the app will not work at all unless you have an internet connection. It would be nice if it could store the barcodes, then go out and identify them when you have a good signal. You also get the ability to mail your product list to yourself or a friend to read it on a bigger screen when you get home. The clever technology in the app is able to sharpen the image a great deal, making the iPhone camera a feasible platform for this app. When you take the picture the barcode will look pretty fuzzy, but after a couple of seconds of processing it looks quite good, which is the magic that RedLaser accomplishes.I'd expect this will work fine for most people, but there are some negative comments at the iTunes store as well, largely, I suspect, from people who couldn't hold it steady, had bad light, or glare falling across the barcode. When I eliminated those issues, it seemed to work fine.Note: This app only recognizes US and UK UPC and EAN barcodes. It works works best on standard-sized barcodes, but I had success with some smaller ones as well.Here's are some screen shots of RedLaser in action: %Gallery-63612%
German "Future Store" lets you grocery shop with your cellphone
It's been a long, long time since we've heard from Germany's "Future Store" -- the ultra-futuristic German grocery store that might have sprung directly from the Sprawl trilogy -- but they've got a new feature we thought you might be interested in. Shoppers in the store can now use camera-equipped cellphones (i.e., cellphones) to snap pictures of item barcodes, and then download the information at the checkout when they're finished shopping. The system totals all of your purchases into one big, nasty barcode which you then scan and pony up cash (or cards, or fingerprints, or magical rainbow juice) for. It's unclear how to store handles shoppers who don't scan everything they've got in their cart, but if it's anything like our favorite books, it's not pretty.[Via PHONE Magazine]
Scanning wallet cards into the iPhone
This is pretty much genius. Like Albert, I have a bunch of "membership cards" in my wallet -- they're those cards with a barcode or number on them that you get from places like the local grocery store, or some other retailer. They're useful to have around, but they tend to pile up after a while, and pretty soon, your wallet gets to be a brick of barcodes rather than anything you'd actually want to carry around in your pocket. Albert's solution was to scan all of his barcodes into the iPhone, front and back, as an iPhoto album. And lo and behold, just like the paperless boarding passes we posted about a while back, it worked. All of the barcodes were scannable, which means no more countless membership cards -- just a gallery in your iPhone.We've already heard of barcodes reading both on and off of the iPhone, of course, and we'll hopefully see more of this when the SDK drops in just about a month here (maybe, in the future, someone will write an app to generate barcodes from numbers, so you don't even need to get a clear scan). But even without an external app, this is pretty handy solution to clearing up some of the clutter in your wallet. Obviously, for anything important (driver's license, credit cards), an iPhone scan won't do. But just to get the membership prices down at the Jewel-Osco, scanning wallet cards into an iPhone seems to work just fine. Very nice.[via Waxy]
NYT goes to Japan, discovers QR codes
Don't get us wrong, we have a special place in our robo-hearts for the Grey Lady, but you know we're gonna get a little chuckle about today's billowy two-pager on this totally new thing called QR codes that the Japanese have been using for, um, years. (And that we've been writing about for some time as well.) Still, we're not exactly balking since we do love QR so very, very much, and anything that could be done (including New York Times exposure) to faster integrate it into connected lives is something you know we're down with. Next up from the NYT's Japanese dispatches: a new phenomena sweeping the nation, an adorable character named "Hello Kitty".
Wave Scanner: bulky DS attachment ups the fun
There's probably no small overlap among folks who play fantasy video games and those who while away the hours engrossed in Magic-style card battles, so we're thinking that a new attachment for the Nintendo DS has a real shot at succeeding. Capcom and TakaraTomy will jointly be launching the so-called Wave Scanner in Japan next month, finally bringing the fun of collectible playing cards to the Megaman series of games. The rather bulky scanner works with a number of different Rockman Star Force titles (Rockman is Megaman's original Japanese name), and allows players to swipe special cards for influencing gameplay. We're not really sure why this ¥4,200 ($35) add-on needs to be so big and thus hinder the whole portability thing that the DS has going for it, but who knows, maybe it takes a Cell processor and some serious RAM to process those complicated bar codes.
