mapping
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3D mapping drone fires lasers from a mile away (video)
The MIT Technology Review has unearthed a new laser-based 3D mapping robot that can produce results similar to those obtained from $100,000 systems at about a fifth of the cost. Funded by the US Army, researchers at the Stevens Institute of Technology have now demonstrated the Remotely Operated and Autonomous Mapping System (ROAMS, for short), which employs a mirror-based LIDAR system that bounces a laser off a rapidly rotating mirror and gleans environmental information from how long it takes for each pulse to bounce back. An array of video cameras and IR proximity sensors add to this recon bot's sentience, though you'll still need to be within a mile's range to operate it. So not quite yet ready for solo missions to Mars, but plenty useful for gathering data on our own planet. You'll find video and imagery of the results this machine kicks out after the break.
Video: Google Earth animated with real time human and vehicular traffic
Mmm, real time dynamic maps of the Earth. It seems nowadays that supervillainy just isn't as hard as it used to be. Back in the days of Hugo Drax, you had to be a filthy rich eccentric to ever get to spy on the whole world, whereas today all you need is Google Earth and some Georgia Institute of Technology students. Using motion capture data and the veritable litany of CCTV cameras people have surrounded themselves with, the team have succeeded in mapping and animating the real time movements of cars, people and clouds. A proper unveiling is coming up at a symposium next month, by which point they might have added weather patterns, birds and river motions to that list, but for now you can enjoy the video demo after the break. [Via Engadget Polish]
Mapping robots equipped with visual vocab filters for more accurate mapping
Mapping robots have been tooling around the earth for quite some time, but a new development in their tech seems to be leading them in the direction of far more accurate results. In general, these mapping bots scan the territory they are in, but often have trouble recognizing a location they have previously seen because of incidental changes, such as the addition of a car here and there. The research team, working in Oxford, England, has worked out a way to get the robot to "ignore" such negligible variables, by having it assign identifiers, in the form of words, as it trucks along the terrain. The robot can assign up to a thousand words every two seconds to a location as it moves, with related words linked together as a "bag of words" so that if it revisits a location and sees a bicycle seat and a bicycle wheel, it identifies this bag of word as one item, preventing the bot from attaching too much significance to several missing items. The robot is currently set to map a 1,000 km piece of land in Oxford, which would apparently be the largest stretch ever by a bot. Check the video after the break (warning: it autoplays!)
DS Daily: World mapping
Rockstar revealed a small, but really cool-sounding detail of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars' Wi-Fi play: collaborative map marking. Players can connect via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and share waypoints on one another's maps, marking mission locations, hidden items, awesome jumps, or whatever. The game even draws a path to those locations!While this may seem like a minor tweak to GTA's gameplay, it certainly streamlines the experience of finding stuff in a large city -- and it could even encourage friends to explore different areas of the city and share their discoveries. Does the inclusion of new, unexpectedly well-thought-out collaborative features like this affect what you think about Chinatown Wars? Does it make you feel like the game may be more than an attempt to shoehorn GTA into the DS?%Gallery-35102%
Mac 101: Using your Windows keyboard
If you switch frequently between a Mac and a PC, chances are you have to deal with a Windows keyboard from time to time. Thankfully, this can be easy with third-party utilities, or even features already built in to Mac OS X. For most switchers, the hardest part about learning to use a new Mac is dealing with your muscle memory. For example, if you're really used to typing Control + C to copy something, Command + C means using your thumb instead of your pinky to perform the operation. In System Preferences, you can click Keyboard and Mouse to change how your modifier keys (that is, Control, Command, Option and Caps Lock) work. Click the Keyboard tab, and then click the Modifier Keys button at the bottom of the window. You can map the Control key to the Command key (and vice versa, if you prefer) to help ease you in to Mac key commands.
Autoblog takes iPhone 3G's navigational abilities for a spin
Yeah, so there's still lots of confusion on whether bona fide turn-by-turn GPS software will ever arrive on the iPhone 3G (though signs are pointing to "yes"), but considering that it's not there now, Autoblog took Apple's new darling for a spin in the Bay and churned out some impressions. If you're looking for the long and short of it, the iPhone 3G's navigational abilities aren't that impressive. The reviewer even went so far as to say that having a passenger manning the arrow buttons that showed your next move was "almost a necessity." Additionally, the GPS flaked out and lagged behind the current location quite frequently, which can definitely be a problem when attempting to navigate one-way streets in an unkind downtown. So, should you sell off your standalone navigator on the way to pick up your new iPhone 3G? Probably not -- at least not just yet.
Player Consequences: Pervasive Map Features
There are a lot of reasons for the increasing popularity of MMOs and the amount of game developers who are entering into the market. I personally think that MMOs with their rich and complex fantasy worlds have a huge advantage over most single player games. There are a few exceptions like Baldur's Gate and Oblivion, but in general if you want to experience a completely different world then you need a MMO. I think this goes back to the days when online fantasy games were text based and developers tried their best to create immersion through good lore and storytelling.In fact a lot of players enjoy the immersion in MMOs and have fun exploring the hidden areas in the game. Going into the unknown has always had an attraction for some people and history is filled with the names of famous explorers. However, in modern times the world doesn't really contain that much which is unknown and it will probably be a while before we get to another planet. Thus virtual worlds offer a false, but satisfying sense of exploration. Not everyone wants to be an explorer when playing a game and the majority of players tend to fall more into the achiever player type.
Ascent 1.9.4 - Enabling Peak Sports Performance
Several years ago, I wouldn't have been sitting at my Mac on a warm spring day. Instead, I would have been out cruising the hundreds of miles of Denver-area bike trails on my RANS V-Rex recumbent bike. During those rides, I kept track of my distance, average speed, and other statistics with a Garmin eTrex Summit GPS, but had no way to analyze my performance. Since January of 2007, Montebello Software has shipped Ascent, an application that analyzes data from exercise computers. If that exercise computer has built-in GPS, the analysis includes a plot (static or animated) of exercise paths over satellite, topographic, or street maps. Version 1.9.4 of Ascent now includes automatic syncing with Garmin Edge 605/705 cycling computers, drag and drop importing of .gpx, .tcx, or Polar .hrm files, and the ability to split or combine activities. I've been considering a Garmin Colorado for geocaching, and found that it syncs directly with Ascent. That may actually get me off my rear end and onto my bike again, since I can now do something with all of that ride data! Runners and hikers will also find Ascent to be useful.A function-limited trial download is available, or you can purchase a full license for $40.
Laser scanning robot creates 3D map of silver mine
Apparently, Mexico is the place to be if you're a laser-equipped robot with 3D scanning on the brain. Just 11 months after the DepthX robotic submarine mapped the El Zacatón Cenote, the 3D-R1 has managed to collect over 5GB of map data in 3.5 days which was then used to create a "comprehensive 3D plan of the underground mining operation." The mine in question was the San Jose silver mine in Mexico, and while on duty, the robot scooted across some 2.2-kilometers of underground drives and access ramps in order to conduct over 240 total scans. There's no word on whether the mechanical creature is scheduled to map out any other nooks and crannies around the world, but given the accuracy exhibited in this run-through, we don't foresee it taking any kind of extended vacation.[Via Robots]
iRobot adds swank mapping kit to PackBot
iRobot has unleashed yet another semi-autonomous robot ready to take on whatever the battlefield throws at it, but this one's got a much better feel of where it's headed. The PackBot with Mapping Kit ups the ante by "creating a real-time two-dimensional structural map for the soldier while on the move in theater," essentially enabling the operator (and his / her squad) to see what's just ahead without having to slip into potentially dangerous scenarios to find out. Apparently, the kit utilizes an array of sensors and artificial intelligence to relay the structural map while "simultaneously detecting and avoiding obstacles in its path." Heck, let's just strap a railgun on this thing and let the soldier kick back at the base.[Thanks, Jonas]Read - Press releaseRead - PackBot with Mapping Kit homepage
Earthmine's photo-truck totally tries to one-up Google, Microsoft
Street level mapping services like Google's Street View and Microsoft's Live Local have gotten a lot of attention lately, but while the notion of pervasive map-linked photography is pretty impressive, the actual execution leaves something to be desired -- the images are occasionally of low quality, have stitching errors, and there are some lingering privacy concerns. A new company called Earthmine is out to solve all those problems, though, by providing high-quality, survey-accurate panoramic photography -- and has a truck or two with cameras towering tall to prove it. Unlike Google's video system, Earthmine plans to use laser range finders and high dynamic range still cameras mounted higher than usual to provide perspective-accurate images that preserve detail and resolution -- but automatically blur out faces and other identifying information, like license plates. Earthmine is planning on selling the service to businesses and governmental agencies, but a consumer version should launch at the end of the summer. We think they should watch out though, we hear the Street View and Live Local drivers have crazy road rage; we really wouldn't want to see anybody from Earthmine get caught up in some kind of weird, street level photography turf war.[Thanks, eggman]
IRENE seeks to digitize, preserve fragile recordings
Granted, it's no Commodore 64, but the Library of Congress is yet again warming up to modern technology in order to save some of its most precious at-risk recordings from decades (or longer) ago. Dubbed IRENE (Image, Reconstruct, Erase, Noise, Etc.), the system was created by scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to help preservationists "rapidly convert 78 rpm shellac and acetate discs" to digital form, and it is slated to also "remove debris and extraneous sounds that contribute to the deterioration of recordings." The next step in the sound restoration project is to create a fetching system that is simplistic enough for employees to understand and utilize, and we suspect the RAID vendors are already lining up to provide the terabytes exabytes of storage that will likely be needed.[Image courtesy of IRENE]
Satmap's Active 10 handheld GPS / mapping system
If you're planning on roughing it out in the woods anytime soon, there's already a plethora of rugged GPS options to keep you (somewhat) on track, but Satmap Systems' Active 10 handheld puts a new spin on trekking. The device is being dubbed the "world's first to offer fully integrated digital maps and GPS hardware," meaning that users can purchase additional map cards that include detailed imagery of counties, regions, national trails, and national parks. Additionally, the unit sports a 3.5-inch backlit color display, integrated patch antenna, Windows CE operating system, a multitude of power options, USB 2.0 connectivity, an SD card reader, ARM 9 processor, 128MB of RAM, SiRF Star III receiver, integrated media player, and an impact resistant waterproof enclosure to boot. Initially, the company will be offering maps of popular UK locales, but additional maps (including "international" zones) will purportedly be available in SD cards or potentially as internet downloads in the not too distant future. Satmap is currently accepting pre-orders for the Active 10, and while the unit is set to ship sometime this month, you can get on the waiting list now for £299.99 ($594).[Thanks, Simon]
BVS kicks out BumbleBee UMPC spectrum analyzer
Although UMPCs haven't exactly caught like wildfire for one reason or another, Berkeley Varitronics Systems is hoping to make a splash in the spectrum analyzer niche with its vividly colored BumbleBee. Touted as a tool for "investigating and troubleshooting corporate wireless networks," BVS' machine is capable of measuring VoIP, 802.11b/a/g, Bluetooth, WiMAX, cordless phones and video, RFID, and broadband public safety data networks. Aside from packing goods that a vast majority of average joes will have absolutely no use for, the three-pound handheld houses a 1GHz Intel Pentium M processor, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, a seven-inch WVGA touchscreen display, 1GB of DDR RAM, 40GB hard drive, Ethernet, an SMA connection port, and gets powered by four AA cells. While it's doubtful you'll be using all this hardware to check your inbox, it does give you user-selectable power triggers, three pairs of markers, spectrogram, histogram, video smoothing, and waveform averaging, and a PIP mode that allows viewing of live and recorded data. For those still with us, the BumbleBee is purportedly available in two separate forms, one with omnidirectional antennas covering 902 to 928MHz, 2.4 to 2.5GHz, and 5.15 to 5.9GHz, while the other flavor just handles 2.4 to 2.5GHz and 4.9 to 5.9GHz. Of course, all this analyzing won't run you cheap, as each unit clocks in at a whopping $4,500, and if you're thinking about interfacing with Windows XP mapping software, you'll be looking at an extra $2,500 for that luxury.[Via Slashgear]
Nokia to offer Smart2Go mapping services
For those not really interested in picking up a third-party GPS module / application and doing your own routing, Nokia is looking to add a mapping service of its own to handsets in order to give users turn-by-turn guidance for a fee. After acquiring Gate5 last year, Nokia decided that adding navigation capabilities was "a natural move," and its forthcoming Smart2Go system will offer up free mapping and routing services and a fee-based turn-by-turn option if you've just got to have that robotic helper bossing you around (or can't take your eyes off the road). Smart2Go customers will need a WiFi or direct PC connection to download applicable maps to their phone, and Nokia claims that it's got 100 countries and 13 million POIs already covered; folks can even search by location directly just like your average portable GPS and get phone numbers and other pertinent information, presumably gratis. No word on when Nokia plans to get this going, but if we're seeing this right, the phone giant will be offering it up on "all of its converged devices," so it looks your (read: any) Nokia is covered.
Garmin nvi 660 and 610 announced
Just two days ago we teased you with pictures, and so to celebrate September we've got the full info on the nouveau nüvi 660. It's got a 4.3-inch screen, an FM transmitter, and Bluetooth support. The 660 also includes an "integrated traffic receiver" to avoid congestion and road construction, give the driver advance voice notification of upcoming hazards, and appropriately route around it. In the US, this Total Traffic Network is included free for three months, and then will cost $60 for 15 months of service. The FM transmitter will play MP3s and phone calls over the car speakers connected via Bluetooth. In Europe, where the FM transmitter is not available, nüviheads can purchase the nüvi 610 (one of nine regional maps), or buy full European mapping with the 660. The North American version of the 660 comes with complete maps of the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, and, as always, one can load up updated maps and other media via the USB port or SD card slot. Expect it to hit U.S. retailers later this month with an MSRP of $1076.91 -- but we have no idea how Garmin came up with such a precise figure.[Via GPSLodge]
Graffletopia
OmniGraffle is fantastic. Its useful, shiny, and it allows me to show people what my thoughts look like visually, even if it scares them a bit. Perhaps one of the most useful applications of OmniGraffle is for plotting out infrastructure of some kind; network maps; flow charts; company hierarchies. The only issue with OmniGraffle out of the box is that it comes with a fairly paltry selection of symbols and shapes to use when creating your masterpiece. Is that purple square the Executive VP of Finance, or is it the refrigerator in the break room? Lucky for those of us too lazy to go looking for images on our own, Patrick Crowley of iCalShare has setup Graffletopia, as site dedicated to OmniGraffle stencils. (A stencil is a collection of reusable images or symbols.) Some of the stencils available are amazingly well done, and include such specific categories as Cisco network switches and Sun server hardware. All stencils are provided free of charge, and users are encouraged to submit their own.
Get a map from any app with MappingService
Like Tim Gaden over at Hawk Wings, I too love Mac OS X's highly underrated Services menu, and Robert Stainsby has released a very handy addition to it: MappingService. This clever service allows you to select an address from any application, say a website, a document or an IM, and simply chose 'Map' from your Services menu to generate a map in any one of three mapping services: Google Maps (of course), ZoomIn Australia or ZoomIn New Zealand.MappingService is known to work on 10.4.6 and might possibly work on earlier versions of Mac OS X. It is open source software released under the BSD license, and Robert is accepting donations for his fine work.
Garmin's BMW Motorrad III Navigator motorcycle GPS receiver
European bikers will soon be tearing up the continent with a little more direction thanks to Garmin's upcoming BMW Motorrad III Navigator GPS receiver designed specifically for the helmets and leather crowd. Probably also functional on non-BMW motorcycles, the Motorrad III features a 454 x 240 TFT display, birds-eye view mapping, and 500MB of free storage after MapSource City Navigator Europe NT Version 8 is installed. Also on board is a Bluetooth radio, although the poor translation of French site Mobinaute that our intern managed to patch together doesn't make its functionality exactly clear -- we think you can pair it with a Bluetooth headset for hearing the spoken guidance cues inside your helmet, and perhaps like some other Bluetooth-equipped units, it may be possible to have it dial points of interest on your phone as well. Sources indicate that this model should be available sometime this month, but pricing, as is often the case, remains shrouded in mystery.[Via ployer]
Azeroth the Google Maps way
MapWoW is a nifty site which uses the Google Maps API to let you zoom and pan from Ashenvale to Zul'Gurub. While maps of WoW aren't rare, the depth of this one seems to have taken the Internet by storm, with sites from Slashdot to Fark covering it. I usually find the in-game maps suffice, but when they're not up to scratch, this should do the trick nicely.[Thanks, Wordman]
