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AT&T's Project AirGig could be a wireless alternative to fiber
Bringing gigabit internet to rural areas is usually an expensive proposition -- but soon, it might not be. AT&T Labs today announced Project AirGig, a new wireless internet delivery system that carriers high speed internet service over power-lines without actually tapping into the physical wired infrastructure. More specifically, AT&T plans to mount hundreds of tiny radio stations atop telephone poles to bring high-speed internet to customers without laying down new cable.
Hands-on with AT&T Labs prototypes: ShadowPuppets and haptic steering wheel
We're not done with the AT&T prototypes yet. After putting our rears in the seat of a Porsche 911 and turning our questionable English into even more questionable Spanish, Ma Bell gave us a glimpse at some super rough devices fresh from the labs. The first one we got our hands on, really didn't need us to put our hands on it. ShadowPuppets sticks a webcam to a pico projector (literally... with gaffers tape) to create a touchless "multitouch" interface for your phone. Rather than have friends gather around your tiny iPhone display or force a person to awkwardly reach across you and tap on your handset, this concept lets anyone simply cast shadows to control the interface. It's not terribly dissimilar from a number of other projects out there, except it's specifically geared at turning smartphone interaction into a social experience. The demo required the assistance of an Alienware laptop, and the pinch to zoom function was a little wonky to say the least. Still, it was pretty easy to see how this might prove useful in daily life. The other concept on hand was the haptic feedback steering wheel the company dreamed up with help from Carnegie Mellon. While the research may sound compelling, the device it self couldn't be any rougher around the edges... literally. The design consisted of roughly cut chunks of foam taped (this time with packing tape, we believe) haphazardly to a game controller. On each piece of foam was a tiny vibrating actuator connected to an Arduino that dangled below in a vaguely menacing tangle of cables. The sensation as the vibrations travel in circular patterns (clockwise to indicate a right turn, counter clockwise for left), was strange to say the least. But, as the cycles sped up and the turn approached we grew less uncomfortable with the feeling of a vibrating steering wheel. And we actually found the increasing tempo an easier way to discern when a turn was approaching than hearing a robotic voice shout out, "turn left in 500 feet." Check out the gallery above for some not so glamorous shots of the future of tech.
AT&T Labs, Carnegie Mellon research haptic-feedback steering wheel for turn-by-turn directions
A force-feedback steering wheel. It's quite literally the stuff of racing games, and AT&T labs, along with Carnegie Mellon, is researching the possibly of throwing similar tech into your real-world whip. MIT's Technology Review recently highlighted the project, which uses 20 vibrating actuators shoved inside of a steering wheel to create a variety of patterns -- a counter-clockwise sequence could indicate a left turn, for example. As you might have guessed, one of the goals is to keep drivers less distracted by the likes of visual turn-by-turn GPS navigators and more focused on the road. While it's currently being tested with driving simulators, the results are positive so far, if a bit modest. When supplemented with typical audio / visual navigation, folks near the age of 25 kept their eyes planted on the asphalt for 3.1 percent more time than without it. Notably, the improvement wasn't found with those over 65 in the aforementioned instance, however, supplemented with just the audio, the vibrating wheel had them focusing on the road by an increase of four percent.According to Technology Review, this isn't the first time haptic feedback has been tested as a driving aid, although past tests have, notably, resulted in "fewer turn errors" by those behind the wheel. Best of all, the tech is capable of sending more than just navigation cues -- it could certainly be useful in a Telsa. So when can you expect to find a force-feedback steering wheel in your ride? Technology Review cites Kevin Li, an AT&T Labs researcher on the project, who says the main hurdle is making something that people will just "get," and that it's still "years" away from becoming a possibility. While there's no photos of the setup just yet, a full report on the research will get released in June. Hey, there's always Forza and Gran Turismo, at least for now -- right?
AT&T commits to LTE-Advanced deployment in 2013, Hesse and Mead unfazed
This should come as no surprise, but following Sprint and Verizon's previous commitment to an LTE-Advanced future, one who breathes could justifiably assume that AT&T might have something to say on the matter. Well, that time has come. Speaking at the LTE North America conference in Dallas, the CEO of AT&T Labs, Krish Prabhu, has confirmed that Ma Bell intends to begin the deployment of its LTE-Advanced network in 2013. Sadly, he didn't elaborate any further, (which leaves a pretty wide target, if you ask us). Still, with the potential for improved capacity, coverage and stupid fast speeds, we're not exactly complaining. As for that target year of 2013, bring it on.
