Sensors -- Engadget

sensors posts

Microsoft's Project Natal roots revealed: 3DV Systems ZCam

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 3rd 2009 at 4:21PM

We had a hunch that 3DV Systems' technology -- which we actually toyed with back at CES 2008 -- had something to do with Microsoft's newly unveiled Project Natal motion tracking solution, and today details have trickled in to us confirming as much. As the story goes, 3DV Systems was initially hoping to have the ZCam in the manufacturing process by the tail end of 2008, but Microsoft swooped in and acquired the outfit just weeks after it blew minds in January. At the time, not much thought was given to the pickup; now, however, we're treated to a bona fide ZCam brochure which details the actual specifications behind the Xbox 360's newest friend. Granted, we have every reason to believe that Natal has advanced significantly from what you'll see in the gallery below, but it's still a tasty nugget of behind-the-scenes information. Of note, the former 3DV Systems VP of Business Development was quoted as saying that the target retail price of the ZCam was $100, though it still had aways to go as of early 2008.

Gallery: Microsoft's Project Natal roots revealed: 3DV Systems ZCam

Gametrak Freedom Xbox 360 motion controller up for pre-order with Squeeballs

by Darren Murph, posted May 31st 2009 at 11:18PM

We get the feeling this isn't the motion sensing surprise that's likely in store for Xbox 360 fans at E3, but it's still great to see this controller moving beyond the hype stage. After being spied late last year and detailed around two months ago, the Gametrak Freedom motion controller is now listed at GameStop with an October 15th ship date. The controller, which will come bundled with Squeeballs: Island Party for the Xbox 360, is already up for pre-order, promising gamers who shell out $69.99 a grand total of 11 motion sensing party games. Unfortunately, there's no word on how much extra Freedom sticks will run, but based on the price of this kit, we'd wager not much.

[Thanks, Josh]

Sensor-laden kokoro adjusts playlist to match the rhythm of your heart

by Darren Murph, posted May 21st 2009 at 1:40PM

We've got to say, we're guessing both Survivor and Prince would approve here, as this is easily one of the most impressive uses of a heart rate sensor yet. Anaid Gomez Ortigoza, a bright young lass at NYU, has whipped up what she's calling kokoro, which translates into "the heart of things" in Japanese. Put as simply as possible, this prototype project allows for iPod playlists to be shuffled depending on one's current heart rate; if your heart is pumping some kind of fierce, the device will likely cue up a little M83, and if you're at rest, you just might get to hear a smooth jam from the likes of Copeland. Don't believe us, though -- hop on past the break for a demonstrative video.

[Via talk2myshirt]

Continue reading Sensor-laden kokoro adjusts playlist to match the rhythm of your heart

Quantum PI's nanoTrek sensors pick up vibration and motion your Wiimote could never dream of

by Paul Miller, posted May 1st 2009 at 9:52AM

Quantum PI has just built the first motion sensor chip to use "quantum tunneling," which sounds theoretically unsafe, but we'll follow along. The nanoTrek sensors are classified as NEMS (Nano Electric Mechanical Systems) as opposed to the "bulky" MEMS sensors that can be found everywhere from the Wii to the iPhone. nanoTrek's sensing area is a mere 50 x 50 microns, and its sensitivity is 5 to 10 times greater than MEMS chips. There are all sorts of boring industrial applications to such a sensor, but we're looking forward to the not-too-distant-future when we can be completely disappointed by a brand new version of Super Monkey Ball.

[Via The Inquirer]

MIT dreams of fully autonomous greenhouse, will definitely make it happen

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 22nd 2009 at 4:53PM

You know what's hard to find these days? Consistency and reliability -- in anything, really. But we've learned that when MIT touches something, it not only gets done, but it gets done right. Thus, we're absolutely elated to hear that a few of its students have dreamed up a fully autonomous greenhouse, utilizing real plants, sensors and gardening robots to ensure the greenest, most healthy crop possible. In fairness, we've already seen oodles of robotic plant tending apparatuses, but this is just something special. Thus far, gurus have used "re-imagined versions of iRobot's Roomba" in order to tell what a plant needs and then respond accordingly, and apparently, things have been going quite well early on. Check out a demonstration vid just past the break.

[Via MAKE]

Continue reading MIT dreams of fully autonomous greenhouse, will definitely make it happen

iPoint 3D brings gesture-based inputs to 3D displays

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 22nd 2009 at 12:37PM

Just in case you've been parked out under a local stone for the past six months and change, we figured it prudent to let you know that the 3D bandwagon has totally regained momentum. So much momentum, in fact, that the brilliant minds over at Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft have decided to bust out a 3D innovation that actually makes us eager to sink our minds into the elusive third dimension. The iPoint 3D, which we're hoping to get up close and personal with at CeBIT next week, is a technology that enables Earthlings to interact with a 3D display via simple gestures -- all without touching the panel and without those style-smashing 3D glasses. The gurus even go so far as to compare their creation to something you'd see in a science fiction flick, with the heart of it involving a recognition device (usually suspended above the user) and a pair of inbuilt cameras. There's no mention of just how crazy expensive this would be if it were ready for the commercial realm, but we'll try to snag an estimated MSRP for ya next week.

[Via Physorg]

Sensor-laden footballs / gloves could run referees right out of work

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 19th 2008 at 8:45AM

Dr. Priya Narasimhan, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, doesn't intend to put a single NFL referee out of work, but there's no doubt that the technology she's tinkering with could indeed have that effect. The prof and her students are developing sensor-laden footballs and gloves, both of which could eventually tell in real-time whether a ball bounced off the ground before being caught or whether a player actually had possession of a ball whilst being piled upon after a fumble. Currently, she's had zero luck persuading a college or professional team to help her experiment further, and we can sort of see why. We mean, it's nice to get every call right in theory, but what fun would sport be without the all-important "Ref, you suck!" chant?

[Thanks, Freddy]

Scallop Imaging wide-angle security cams look to the sea for inspiration

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 15th 2008 at 7:53AM

We're not too sure what's up with New England-based institutions and inspiration from the depths, but the two seem to have some kind of intrinsic connection. The latest company to prove such a wacky assertion true is Boston's own Scallop Imaging, a Tenebraex subsidiary that has developed a "low-cost" security camera that sees 180 degrees of view without fisheye distortion or the lag present in pan-and-tilt alternatives. Additionally, the multi-eyed cam automatically stitches and downsamples images, and can capture a new 7-megapixel still to transmit over Ethernet "every second or two." It's small enough to be placed into a light socket-sized hole, and it's powered by the same Ethernet cable that links it into a building's surveillance system. Of course, the fun won't stop there, as the outfit is already looking at automotive applications of the Digital Window, including "distortion-free backup cameras for the rear ends" of vehicles.

Intel talks up self-powered sensors that do just about everything

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 7th 2008 at 10:49AM

If you're gonna dream, you might as well dream ~~big~~ huge, right? Intel's not only looking to blanket vast rural areas with WiFi, it's also looking to spread self-powered sensors, um, everywhere. Dubbed the wireless identification and sensing platform (WISP), the initiative could eventually place remarkably efficient microchips in human bodies, on mobile phones, public infrastructures, at airports and practically anywhere else where information needs to be gathered. The highly flexible solution is currently being perfected in the Intel labs and isn't apt to hit the commercial realm for at least three to five years; which is great, since we're still learning to deal with the world's obsession with CCTV.

[Image courtesy of Berkeley]

Aptina producing cellphone image sensor that shoots HD video

by Laura June, posted Nov 22nd 2008 at 2:18AM

It sounds like your camera phone's video capabilities may get exponentially more awesome in the near future. Aptina -- a division of Micron that manufactures one out of every three sensors for mobile phone cameras -- has announced the high resolution 5 megapixel MT9P013. There are better sensors out there already, but this one will also be able to record 720p HD video at 60 frames per second, and 5-megapixel video at 15fps. The sensor is going into production in January of 2009, according to Aptina, so it shouldn't be too long before we start seeing much better quality amateur films out there in the world.

[Via SlashGear]

NASA's newest e-nose for ISS thinks you're wearing too much cologne

by Laura June, posted Nov 21st 2008 at 12:41PM

Electronic noses are nothing new, but it's always interesting when you throw space into the mix. NASA's most recent Endeavor mission has taken with it a third generation e-nose that's the size of a shoebox, where it will act as a detection and warning system for air contaminants. The ISS currently has no system and relies wholly on the astronauts' actual noses. Developed and built by AEMC, the new nose's dynamic range is from less than one part per million to about 10,000 parts per million -- much more sensitive than human honkers. The e-nose has 32 sensors made of polymer films that respond to different chemicals by changing electrical conductivity, and it's capable of both detecting and analyzing what it "smells." The nose is going to be operational on the space station for a beginning trial period of six months, and we have a feeling that its first accomplishment will be to point out that there's something strange about the water.

[Via Physorg]

Fujitsu's in-car safety tech senses drowsiness, reacts to wake you up

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 7th 2008 at 10:13AM

Not that we haven't seen similar technology from other outfits before, but we'll take as many in-car safety advancements as we can get. It's bruited that Fujitsu is conjuring up a sophisticated sensor system that can actually detect when a driver gets drowsy or begins to sink into a deep, dark wonder-world of sleep. Put simply, the system would detect specific changes in the motorist's heart rate via the steering wheel, and once it determined that you weren't exactly "with it" any longer, the car could then roll its own windows down, blast the stereo or jolt the wheel in order to get your attention. In our minds, the biggest issue here is to not cause an accident by spooking a sleepy driver out of their slumber, and we presume that's exactly what the company is working on in its R&D labs.

[Image courtesy of MetroHealth]

Sony patent app details motion sensing break-apart controller

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 31st 2008 at 12:49AM

We heard some pretty far-fetched stuff back in June to the tune of a break-apart DualShock 3, and lo and behold, it seems that someone at Sony Computer Entertainment America is taking the idea quite seriously. A recent patent application was filed by the company, and it fairly clearly lays out the very kind of design we'd (not really) been expecting. In essence, the gamepad would consist of two pieces, each of which would utilize an "ultrasonic tracking system" for some type of game console / peripheral to recognize 3D inputs. Best of all, the approach here sounds significantly different enough from what's used in the Wiimote that Sony could avoid months upon months of litigation -- imagine that, right? It's hard to say whether this stroke of genius will ever amount to anything, but at least there's a chance, however minuscule.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

EasyBloom USB stake sensor now shipping, plants celebrate

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 27th 2008 at 2:26PM

Well, wouldn't you know it? That PlantSense prototype we peeked around this time two years ago has seemingly found the fundage to start up production, and at long last the revamped product is available for you to purchase. Now christened EasyBloom, this USB stake sensor analyzes important data when stuck in soil for 24 hours, after which it uploads the data to your PC (via USB) for determining whether or not a flower / tree / etc. should be planted there. Additionally, it can "diagnose what is wrong with an ailing plant," and it can even dole out a recommended list of which plants would be suitable for your environment. Sure, $59.99 may seem like a lot of green to toss out for something such as this, but it sure beats purchasing new flora every fortnight after you murder yet another round.

Gallery: EasyBloom USB stake sensor now shipping, plans celebrate

GE concocts battery-free RFID sensing platform, possibilities abound

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 15th 2008 at 1:11PM

Remember when RFID was the next big thing? When the world couldn't wait to have their luggage easily tracked at every airport? And when supply chain managers were all set to kick back and let these little tags do all the dirty work? Outside of a few exceptions, the wireless tags haven't really lived up to the hype thus far, but GE Global Research is doing its darnedest to change that by eliminating a few of the biggest drawbacks. Reportedly, the outfit has developed a battery-free RFID sensing platform -- one that can provide a highly selective response to multiple chemicals under variable conditions -- which could enable a "wide range of low-cost wireless sensing products in industries like healthcare, security, food packaging, etc." Put simply, the tags get their power from the sensor reader, which activates the tag's antenna and the RFID chip to collect meaningful data. There's no word on when these will leave the lab, but the sooner the better, we say.

[Via Gizmag]