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Laser-toting MAV can find its way in tight spaces, might eventually hunt you down (video)
A perpetual weakness of MAVs (micro air vehicles) is their frequent need for hand-holding in anything other than a wide-open or very controlled space. If they're not using GPS or motion sensors to find their locations, they can't turn on a dime the way a human pilot would. Adam Bry, Abraham Bachrash and Nicholas Roy from MIT's CSAIL group haven't overcome every problem just yet, but they may have taken combat drones and other pilotless aircraft a big step forward by giving them the tools needed to fly quickly when positioning isn't an option. Uniting a laser rangefinder with an existing 3D map of the environment -- still 'cheating,' but less dependent -- lets the prototype flyer find the distance to nearby obstacles and steer clear even at speeds that would scare any mere mortal MAV. Ideally, future designs that can create their own maps will be completely independent of humans, making us think that MIT's references to "aggressive" autonomous flight are really cues to start hiding under the bed.
Diablo III's Wizard rebels against the system
The cracking you hear is the sound of thousands of index fingers flexing and twitching in anticipation for Diablo III's release. It's... kind of disturbing to behold, actually. To take our mind off the wait (or perhaps to exacerbate it), Blizzard has released the final class spotlight, this time featuring the Wizard. Diablo III's Wizards are described as "brilliant practitioners of the arcane arts who deftly wield the energies of fire, ice, lightning, and even time itself in the pursuit of their enigmatic goals." These Wizards are part of an underground rebellion that is seeking great power, and they are scorned by the mages in charge, yet they may be the only ones to save the world from the great new threat that's arisen. Check out the fire-and-brimstone action of the Wizard after the jump!
Researchers make an RGB laser with a regular laser and quantum dots
The problem with lasers is, they tend to generate just a single color or light.To get more than one hue requires actually combining more than one type of laser to produce red, green and blue. But researchers at Brown University have figured out a solution to creating small RGB lasers by using colloidal quantum dots, or CQDs. The idea of leveraging the properties of the thin film isn't new, but past attempts to use CQDs in semiconductor lasers have failed because the necessary energy tends to wind up as heat instead of light. The work around scientists found was to excite the various dot sizes with a laser then filter out original light source. Unfortunately, the solution is far from practical for use in commercial products, but it does represent a milestone in the march towards a single-material multi-wavelength laser. For more details check out the source link.
Ron Gilbert shares more art from his Double Fine game
Ron Gilbert has posted two new pieces of art from the game he's working on with Tim Schafer's Double Fine Studios. Don't get too excited -- as far as we know, it's not that, extremely well-funded game. Nope, it's the pre-Maniac Mansion idea he's working up, and apparently it carnival booths and laser turrets.
German scientists shoot world's fastest movie: gone in 50 femtoseconds
No, it's not another Fast & Furious sequel, it's something much quicker -- 800 billion times quicker, to be precise. Scientists at DESY (Germany's largest particle physics center) are premiering the Guinness World Record-holding fastest "movie" to a select audience at its light sources users' meeting. The film was shot using an X-ray Laser, and splitting the light in two. By firing one beam off on a minuscule detour (0.015 millimeters) and delaying its arrival by 50 femtoseconds, two separate images are captured. Okay, so two frames isn't exactly Lord of the Rings, but it's still the smallest interval ever recorded. This technique won't be popping up in Hollywood any time soon -- instead, it's actually used for snapping subatomic glimpses of ultra-fast molecular processes and chemical reactions. Despite the brevity of this record-breaking flick, the plot is apparently still more complex than Tokyo Drift.
Researchers use lasers to supercool semiconductor membranes, blow your mind
Ah, lasers. Those wonderful, super intense beams of light that we've seen used in headlights, projectors, and naturally, death rays. Like us, researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen figure there's nothing lasers can't do, and have figured out a way to use them to cool a bit of semiconducting material. This bit of black magic works using a membrane made of gallium arsenide and is based upon principles of quantum physics and optomechanics (the interaction between light and mechanical motion).Turns out, when a one millimeter square membrane of gallium arsenide is placed parallel to a mirror in a vacuum chamber and bombarded with a laser beam, an optical resonator is created between them that oscillates the membrane. As the distance between the gallium arsenide and the mirror changes, so do the membrane's oscillations. And, at a certain frequency, the membrane is cooled to minus 269 degrees Celsius -- despite the fact that the membrane itself is being heated by the laser. So, lasers can both heat things up and cool them down simultaneously, and if that confuses you as much as it does us, feel free to dig into the science behind this paradoxical bit of research at the source below. In other news, left is right, up is down, and Eli Manning is a beloved folk hero to all Bostonians.
Way-Go flashlight uses lasers to light your path, GPS to tell you where to go
We love just about anything involving lasers or robotics here at Engadget, so naturally, we're intrigued by Sriranjan Rasakatla's Way-Go flashlight that combines the two. It's comprised of a laser pico projector, GPS module, altitude and heading reference system (AHRS) to not only light your path but also tell you which way to go. It can be used strictly as a flashlight, but users can also input starting and destination points to have the Way-Go guide them. There's also a wander mode that displays info about your surroundings as you stroll around -- though naturally, such information must be pre-programmed into the device. Because it displays stuff that needs reading, the projector's connected to servos that can keep it locked on a projection point to keep it readable no matter how much you move the Way-Go around. Rasakatla sees the device being useful in search and rescue, backcountry trekking, and campus tour guiding -- odd, 'cause in our day, kids walking around campus at night were trying to find out where the party was at, not learn about the architecture of the academic buildings. Regardless, you can see the Way-Go in action after the break.
Matt Richardson turns Arduino, Twitter and lasers into art (video)
Matt Richardson's genius has never really been in question. The Make Live host and compulsive hacker has built an impressive library of creations, ranging from a Google Reader pedal to an email-triggered Christmas tree. The man's works are definitely art, in their own way, but his new project, Fade Away 1, is the first that we could easily see taking up residence in a SoHo gallery. At the heart of the installation is an Arduino (of course) that pulls in posts from Twitter with the phrase "fade away" in them. The same AVR chip then "prints" those tweets on phosphorescent paper with a UV laser mounted on a servo -- as the energy dissipates, the messages slowly disappear. And, if you're wondering what the "1" at the end of the title means, Richardson plans to continuously improve the project. For some more details about the next iteration and to see the current one in action, check out the videos after the break.
Tetris played on microscopic level with lasers, thanks to Amsterdam's rigorous curriculum (video)
Ostensibly speaking, it appears that university goers in the Netherlands have a bit too much time on their hands. You see, in between visits to coffee shops, students at VU University Amsterdam have developed a way to play Tetris with lasers, or in this case, a light-trapping device known as optical tweezers. With blocks constructed of microscopic glass spheres, university physicist Joost van Mameren explains, "The focus of this beam acts as an attraction point for small particles: they get sucked into the focus and cannot escape." The end result is transformed into a rousing experience of the Soviet Union's greatest creation ever, now played out on the microscopic level -- be sure to check the action after the break. For gamers who get in a bit of a jam, the laser can be turned off, which will prompt each of the beads to scatter into chaos. A fitting conclusion, indeed.
MIT builds camera that can capture at the speed of light (video)
A team from the MIT media lab has created a camera with a "shutter speed" of one trillion exposures per second -- enabling it to record light itself traveling from one point to another. Using a heavily modified Streak Tube (which is normally used to intensify photons into electron streams), the team could snap a single image of a laser as it passed through a soda bottle. In order to create the slow-motion film in the video we've got after the break, the team had to replicate the experiment hundreds of times. The stop-motion footage shows how light bounces through the bottle, collecting inside the opaque cap before dispersing. The revolutionary snapper may have a fast shutter but the long time it takes to process the images have earned it the nickname of the "the world's slowest fastest camera." [Image courtesy of MIT / M. Scott Brauer]
Google+ laser hack, Hangout shoots first (video)
We've all been in those boring meetings where you just want to let rip on marketing with a laser blaster. And now you can... kinda. Best of all, you don't even need to leave your La-Z-Boy. House4Hack, a Johannesburg based hackerspace knocked up a dual-servo, Arduino-controlled webcam for its entry into the 2011 Google+ hackathon. Deciding that this wasn't nearly awesome enough, they made the logical improvement of adding a splendiferous laser attachment for the perfect Google+ Hangout accessory. Now, colleagues can 'show-up' remotely when they can't be present in person, and register their disapproval in the way nature intended -- radiation amplified light. To see it in action, tap the video after the jump.
RED CEO teases 4K 3D laser projector, bound for theaters and (millionaires') homes
We all love RED -- the company puts out some of the best pro-quality digital video cameras on the market. But, what about the other side of that equation? All of that 4K footage is worthless without something to watch it on. CEO Jim Jannard, notorious for his ability to build hype and mystery, took to the REDUser Forums to tease some details about an upcoming 4K, 3D laser projection system that will be targeted at both homes (presumably well off ones) and theaters. Details about the projector are still scarce, but we do know it won't be using TI's 4K DLP chip, and that it will rely on passive 3D tech rather than active, which Jannard said "landed in the La Brea Tar Pits." The image is apparently so bright and clear that it left Stephen Pizzo, co-founder Element Technica, "speechless." We just have one question: when can we expect our review unit?
New bomb-sniffing laser could be used to locate IEDs
We've already seen lasers with the potential to spot explosives, and now a team of researchers is focusing its beams on roadside bomb detection. Chemistry professor Marcos Dantus of Michigan State University has led the production of a laser that has the "sensitivity and selectivity" to accurately identify improvised explosive devices. This particular bomb-sniffing laser emits short pulses that make molecules vibrate and longer pulses used to "listen" to the resulting "vibrational cords," these so-called cords are used to distinguish telltale molecules from the harmless sort. The research is being funded in part by the Department of Homeland Security. Full PR after the break.
BMW developing laser headlights, officially over LEDs
We know, our whip doesn't have LED headlights either, but that's not stopping BMW from pressing on with its laser powered successor. Purportedly ready "within a few years," the updated beams boast an intensity a thousand times greater than their forebearers, all while consuming less than half the power -- helping EV drivers eke out a little more range. With each laser diode one hundred times smaller than its LED counterpart, Bavaria reckons the tech will help it design and package future light fixtures that are more bodacious than those from its competition in Ingolstadt. There's no firm date for availability, but the company says the new lighting tech will debut on the production version of its i8 concept. Sounds great, so where do we sign up for our frickin' laser bimmer?
Wicked Lasers' S3 Krypton laser is bright enough to blind astronauts (video)
If you ever plan to lead a PowerPoint presentation projected on giant white board orbiting the Earth (we'll leave the logistics of that one up to you) there's only one laser that will get the job done -- Wicked Lasers' S3 Krypton. The Guinness Record-pending laser produces about 86 million lux and can be seen from up to 85 miles away, well beyond the edge of our atmosphere. Of course, at roughly 8,000-times the brightness of the Sun, serious safety precautions are needed when operating the S3. Goggles are a must (and bundled with the handheld laser), while sensors and a microprocessor regulate current to keep the tube of aluminum from overheating in your hands. The top end model is available now for $1,000 but, if blinding astronauts isn't on your agenda, lower-powered versions can be had starting at $300. Check out the video after the break.
Audi announces A2 electric concept car, uses lasers to ensure safety of future humans
Lasers make everything better, including (but not limited to): microphones, kidneys and Audi's electric A2 concept. This newest flight of fancy uses a laser diode as the rear fog lamp, which projects a red triangle onto the road to let other drivers know you're there. The German car-maker has tricked out the rest of the EV's lighting system as well by implementing matrix beam technology using LEDs and microreflectors -- giving it high resolution, non-glaring beams and intelligent tail lights that change in intensity based on weather conditions. Claiming other state-of-the-art features like gesture controls instead of keys, and brake lights that glow brighter the harder you press, it sounds like this would be a pretty sweet ride -- if it ever makes it to market. No word on the other, insignificant details (ya know, like what actually powers the thing) but there's plenty more about the car's lighting system in the PR after the break.
Scientist creating rain-making lasers, Weezy and Fat Joe await royalty checks
We've heard of "making it rain," but actually making it rain -- with lasers, no less -- now, that's something to write home about. A team of researchers at the University of Geneva is coming ever closer to creating real-deal downpours by shooting beams from their Teramobile mobile femtosecond-Terawatt laser system into the sky above the Rhone River. While logging nearly 133 hours between the fall of 2009 and spring of 2010, the team observed that the beams actually triggered the creation of nitric acid particles, which bound water molecules together creating water droplets. Those droplets proved too small and light to actually be categorized as rain, but the discovery has apparently spurred the scientists on. Previous efforts to make it rain, known as seeding, have used rockets and jets to shoot silver iodide and dry ice into the sky. No word yet on when the scientists expect to successfully "wash the spider out."
Ubisoft's I Am Alive is alive, leaks out a new teaser trailer
Ubisoft hasn't killed its action shooter I Am Alive, but it must have the game tied to a chair in a dank basement room with only one way out, through a three-inch-thick steel door surrounded by a moat of hungry alligators with lasers for eyes, because we've not heard anything from it in months. If this scenario is true (and we have no reason to believe it isn't), someone must have forgotten to lock the door and starve the wildlife, because new footage from I Am Alive has leaked, and it's gameplay-licious. Watch the teaser above (starting at :31), before the game is locked away again, this time behind four inches of steel and alligators with lasers for heads.
Nano-structured glass creates new type of computer memory
We've sure come a long way since frying ants with a magnifying glass. Researchers at the University of Southampton used nano-structures to create millimeter-sized "monolithic glass space-variant polarization converters," which ultimately changes the way light travels through and is stored in glass. These "whirlpools" of light data can be read like information stored in optical fibers -- allowing for "more precise laser material processing, optical manipulation of atom-sized objects, ultra-high resolution imaging and potentially, table-top particle accelerators." (Does that mean we all get one of these on our desks?) This new five dimensional approach is reusable, twenty times cheaper and more compact compared to old methods of microscopy using a spatial light modulator, making it a win-win. Check out the full PR after the fold. [Thanks, Adam]
Light Blue Optics touch interface pico projector passes through the FCC
Last time we saw Light Blue Optics' Light Touch, it was deep in the bowels of CES, where we got to play with its touch-sensitive projections. Well, the little laser pico projector has finally made its way from that dark trade show corner into the bright lights of the FCC. It still turns any flat area into a WVGA touchscreen using holographic laser projection (HLP) and infrared sensors, only now it's more finger friendly and supports multi-touch gestures. It also has a 3.5mm headphone jack and a single mono speaker so you aren't surface computing in silence, and there are composite video and micro-USB ports for pulling content from other devices. Of course, the Light Touch still only projects a 10.1-inch image, so it won't be turning your wall into a touchscreen. But, it should do just fine turning a tray table, desk, or perhaps even the nearest person planking into one.
