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BYU researchers extend WiFi range by 200 feet with a software upgrade
As we fill our homes with connected devices, we'll need WiFi to reach around every corner. One solution is hardware like Amazon's Eero routers and Google's Nest WiFi, physical devices that give your primary WiFi signal a boost. But researchers think there might be another way: a software protocol that extends the distance connected devices can send and receive WiFi by more than 60 meters.
Researchers create 'true' 3D holograms by trapping particles
SciFi movies like Star Wars and Avatar depict holograms that you can see from any angle, but the reality is a lot less scintillating. So far, the only true color hologram we've seen come from a tiny, complicated display created by a Korean group led by LG, while the rest are just "Pepper's Ghost" style illusions. Now, researchers from Brigham Young University (BYU) have created a true 3D hologram, or "volumetric image," to use the correct term. "We can think about this image like a 3D-printed object," said BYU assistant prof and lead author Daniel Smalley.
ICYMI: Bulletproof origami shields and hoverbikes
Today on In Case You Missed It: Finally, the best part of Return of the Jedi is becoming a reality. Hoversurf Inc. is building actual hoverbikes for folks to ride. Well, not right away. It'll be a few years before you can buy one. But at least we can start saving all your nickels and dimes for a time when we can go barreling through the Redwoods like Luke and Leia.
ICYMI: Smashing bacteria, high-jumping roboroaches and more
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: Researchers from Seoul National University and UC Berkeley developed a robotic roach that jumps more than five feet high because people weren't scared enough of robots as it is. A team from Brigham Young University wants to figure out how hard you have to hit bacteria to kill it. Apparently smashing them into walls at 670 MPH isn't hard enough. And one enterprising maker spent more than two years building a fully functional Pong table -- complete with a cubical "ball."
6 hypermiling cars that get over 100 miles per gallon
By Cat DiStasioFuel efficiency is one rating that can really set a car apart from the pack. Although you can't yet walk into just any dealership and drive away in a vehicle that gets more than 100 miles a gallon, there are some sweet rides out there that demonstrate just how incredibly efficient a car can be. To get a better idea of what the uber-efficient car of tomorrow looks like, we've compiled some of the most efficient vehicles on the planet, all of which exceed that 100-mpg marker. In fact, most of the cars featured here leave that rating in the dust, and several break into the quadruple digits.
NASA researchers use extreme origami to build space solar panels
Here's the dilemma: rockets have only so much space, yet satellite solar panels are much more useful when they're big. The solution? Make them foldable using the ancient art of Japanese origami. Researchers at Brigham Young University (BYU) and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have figured out how to one day create an array 8.9 feet in diameter that could unfold to 82 feet wide. A panel that size could generate 250 kilowatts of power, compared to the current maximum of about 14 kilowatts. The 1/20 scale prototype starts as a satellite-friendly cylindrical form and expands to a flat, 4.1 foot circular shape by the application of a single force (see the video below). The research was inspired by a technique called the "Miura fold," originally developed for a Japanese satellite by astrophysicist Koryo Miura. A larger version could one day beam solar energy back to earth, or even power future spacecraft -- especially now that microwave thrusters are feasible. [Image credit: Mark A. Philbrick/BYU]
BYU image algorithm can recognize objects without any human help
Even the smartest object recognition systems tend to require at least some human input to be effective, even if it's just to get the ball rolling. Not a new system from Brigham Young University, however. A team led by Dah-Jye Lee has built a genetic algorithm that decides which features are important all on its own. The code doesn't need to reset whenever it looks for a new object, and it's accurate to the point where it can reliably pick out subtle differences -- different varieties of fish, for instance. There's no word on just when we might see this algorithm reach the real world, but Lee believes that it could spot invasive species and manufacturing defects without requiring constant human oversight. Let's just hope it doesn't decide that we're the invasive species.
Offensive line not the only thing broken at Oklahoma game
It's one thing to have your computer crash. It's another to have it crash in front of thousands of sports fans. This latest humiliation took place Saturday at the pre-game festivities for the Oklahoma/Brigham Young game at the at the brand new $1.15 billion Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Reader Jeff tells us that they had a breakdown on the scoreboard screens: first, the screens went blank, then displayed some odd ASCII gibberish, then announced to the assembled crowd that things weren't going so well in Microsoft land. Jeff was there with his trusty iPhone to capture the moment for us, and we present it to you on this day when you're not working, either. It's not the first time this kind of embarrassing stuff has happened; Microsoft had another glitch at the Beijing Olympics last year. But hey, it could happen to anybody, right? If you've seen another example of an embarrassing public computer-based slipup (PC or Mac -- we don't discriminate on comedy), feel free to send us a tip! Thanks, Jeff!
MountainWest Sports Network makes HD debut November 22
Despite BYU's fall from the national championship picture, MountainWest fans have something to cheer about as the The Mtn - MountainWest Sports Network makes the leap to HDTV broadcasting Saturday, November 22 with a doubleheader of Colorado State/Wyoming and BYU/Utah college football. Also in HD on The Mtn are all the pre and postgame shows, giving a planned nine hours of sweet, sweet high definition. Now, about that whole needing a sidecar to pour a regular drink thing...[Via KSL]
BYU's Spilling creation takes handheld displays to tabletops
If you've ever tried to manipulate an Excel file (or similar) on a 320 x 240 resolution display in the palm of your hand, we totally understand your pain. Thankfully, a few dutiful individuals at BYU have concocted a snazzy way to get handheld imagery onto tabletop displays, and there's even a video to prove it. To demonstrate, the team utilized a Sony VAIO UX, which was mounted on a conductive frame that "established an electrical connection between the user's grasp and the unit's feet." Once the UX was placed on a larger display, it then beamed its images out and even allowed users to scroll around or reposition the output by simply touching the display and / or moving the UX. Granted, the actual technology behind all this "Spilling" is more complicated than we've room to mention, so just do yourself a favor and peek the (slightly monotonous) video in the read link. [Warning: Video link has been known to crash browsers, view at your own risk][Thanks, Brian W.]
Study finds correlation between violent scripture and aggression, similar to games
See where this is going? Now even the Bible can make us do it, so obviously video games can. Here's the catch: "We're not saying that just in and of itself violent media is uniformly bad but oftentimes there is no redeeming context to it. If one reads the scriptures with an understanding of context, both historical as well as with a (desire) to hear what God is trying to teach us, you can read it in a different way." What BYU professor Robert Ridge seems to imply is that, when taken in context, the Bible ultimately teaches one to pursue peace and love; whereas, he believes most games lack this overarching theme of harmony. Discerning Bible studiers can actually decrease their aggression -- as for active gamers, well, not so much.The new study, which determined "aggression" by how loud a subject chose to blast an obnoxious sound in another subject's ears, is co-written by University of Michigan psychologist Brad Bushman. Bushman was a member of the American Psychological Association's Committee on Violence in Video Games and Interactive Media when in August 2005 the group issued a report linking violent games to increased aggression. Hmmm ... smell an agenda?[Thanks, Dave]
