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D-BOX Motion Code system gets explained
Considering the prohibitively high costs associated with D-BOX's admittedly intriguing Motion Code system, it's no real shock that we haven't heard much about the product since 2006. Fast forward a year and change, and The Man Room's Dan Bradley was able to sit down with the firm's Marketing Director and find out a good bit more about the technology. Essentially, the firm encodes films (over 750 are currently in its database) frame by frame with Motion Effects (MFX) that enable at-home movie viewers to actually feel as if they're a part of the action. Interestingly, the shakes aren't created from sound, but rather by a sophisticated actuator system which comes built-in to its own line of seats or can be retrofitted into furniture you already own. Currently, D-BOX has partnerships with Disney, Fox and Sony, and it's hoping to ink deals with a few other studios in the not-too-distant future. In the end, the tech is still too pricey / niche for most, but if you're curious, the full interview awaits you in the read link.
Universal Electronics licenses motion control, hopes you don't put your eye out
Ask us what we think about voice control of A/V gear, and you're likely to get a laugh. Gesture-based control, however, is a different kettle of fish. Despite the knocks we give it, simply waving your hands through the air does make you feel more powerful than pressing a designated button. Universal Electronics (UEI) is on the same page, and has licensed motion-control technology from Hillcrest Labs to deliver more of that omnipotent feeling in its remote controls. Hillcrest's Freespace tech has already found its way into the Logitech MX Air, but we'll have to wait and see what kind of usage UEI will incorporate into its products. Creating a successful "10-foot" experience isn't going to be solved by hardware manufacturers alone, though -- optimizing the graphical side of the design is necessary as well.
Motion Computing unveils "semi-rugged" F5 Slate PC
It's been a solid tick since we heard a peep from Motion Computing, but nearly a year after we first wrapped our paws around the firm's C5 medical tablet, the F5 has arrived. Granted, this bugger is more suited for service industries and field work than the ER, but its "semi-rugged" nature ensures that it'll get the job done almost anywhere. Packed within the IP54-compliant (read: dust, water, shock and temperature resistant) chassis is a 1.2GHz Intel Centrino U1400 processor, 10.4-inch XGA (1,024 x 768) View Anywhere display, 40GB HDD (optional 32GB SSD available), built-in 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth, WWAN (EV-DO) support and a 2-megapixel camera for good measure. Additionally, you'll spot an optional barcode reader, integrated RFID reader / passive tag, a biometric scanner, three USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, VGA output and a battery good for about 3.5 hours of usage. Unfortunately, such a well-spec'd Slate PC won't come cheap, as this creature will set you back a stiff $2,699 to $4,000 depending on configuration.Update: Check out videos of the F5 surviving a brutal drop test and enjoying the rain after the jump. %Gallery-17243%
Gesture-controlled robot is at your service
Tokyo University engineer Tsuyoshi Horo has developed a novel system for controlling robots (or in this case, a moving stool) using a simple set of hand and body gestures. The researcher is utilizing a circular array of cameras to track and detect body movement within a controlled environment, and then translate those movements to actions for an automaton. The cameras are used to create a real-time, 3D, volumetric model of objects or people in the space, which is then converted into a psychedelic stack of virtual cubes which are read and processed as data. Viewed movement allows a user to control something like the direction of a bot simply by pointing which way they'd like it to go. Sure, that's all well and good, but we're more interested in getting ourselves Tron-ed into a highly complex Rubik's cube -- where do we sign up? Watch the videos after the break to see the system (and the blocks) in action.[Via technabob]
Robots recruit DS for inevitable war against humans
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Robots_recruit_DS_for_inevitable_war_against_humans'; How many times do we have to remind you, kids -- tinkering with advanced robot technology will only lead to humanity's doom. Have you learned nothing from watching The Matrix? 2001: A Space Odyssey? The Terminator? When robots play, they play for keeps! With your life!Ignoring our pleas of reason, a group of six engineering students in France have been working since last February to enslave a Pekee robot, programming the cute-but-deadly machine to follow orders sent from a Nintendo DS. As demonstrated in the video above, the team developed six different steering methods to pilot the Pekee with: directional pad touchscreen buttons motion-based movements stylus strokes target mode (modeled after Super Mario 64 DS) voice controls via DS microphone Pretty cool, right? Just think, one day in the not-so-distant future, that little vacuum-shaped automaton will hunt your children down for sport!
High-res Motion templates at motionVFX
motionVFX, a new source of templates for Apple Motion, is offering 2d and 3d templates prepped at 1920x1080 and 24fps. The 10 second clips are downloadable for $10, so I took one for a spin. There are rare circumstances when I would use a template for a finished piece, and motionVFX has a relatively small (but growing) starting selection which limits the chances that I'll find anything "perfect" for a current project. However, I love getting inside of other people's work to figure out new ways of doing things and the template I picked was well done, well organized and I did actually learn some new tricks. The site navigation is mostly intuitive, but lacking in a few features. The previews are quick and helpful, but I miss the "lightbox" functionality found on most stock sites. Maybe they'll get to that as the collection grows. Checkout with Paypal is great for me, but the offsite credit card processing breaks from the overall professional look of the site. The fact that I was quite happy with my purchase made that a moot point for me, though. motionVFX is offering TUAW lovers a special discount... 25% off of your purchase, including their high-res stock photos, with unlimited use through the end of February. Just enter the coupon code "J2LGR7" at checkout. And because I care about our readers, I tested that too. It works.
Motion-sensing Britepack: the craze is still on
You only thought light-up gear was so last century. As fate would have it, kids aren't tired of rockin' blinky apparel just yet, and Tomorrow Incorporated is looking to take advantage of the lingering fad. One-upping the LA Lights kicks that once ruled the hallways, the Britepack book bag ($39.99) sports a semi-circle of LEDs that light up in a pre-determined pattern each time a step is taken, and they automatically go dormant whenever it detects that class is in session (read: it's sitting idly). Apparently, these packs will even be available in wheeled (oh noes) and non-wheeled versions, and while a couple colors look to be available as we speak, you can look forward to a host of "add-on accessories" to land next year. As much as we'd like to think that these just won't take off, we doubt TI will have a tough time moving its inventory.
Cheap sensors could enable next-gen mo-cap games
Now that the Wii's thoroughly indoctrinated everyone and their mothers (and grandmothers) into the joy of motion-sensitive gaming, it's only natural to ask what's next -- and a system of cheap accelerometers, gyroscopes, and ultrasonic sound emitters developed by a team at in Switzerland could provide some answers. The sensors are linked up and used like a rudimentary motion-capture suit -- only instead of needing a controlled environment and special cameras, microphones worn on the torso pick up beeps from the emitters to locate your limbs as you flail about. The system is flexible enough to be used during active sports like skiing or bicycling for more accurate motion capture or just to control video games, since no silly ping-pong ball suit is required. The team says the $3000 system is built from off the shelf parts, yet compares favorably to commercial mo-cap systems costing tens of thousands more -- and what's more, they expect the price to fall to "hundreds of dollars" soon. Excellent -- we were thinking it was about time to do some real damage in Wii Boxing. Check a vid of the system in action after the break.
LiveMove Pro to help Wii developers make livelier motion
AILive has announced the next version of their LiveMove software, called LiveMove Pro, a motion recognition tool for Wii development. According to AILive chairman Wei Yen, developers are flocking to the new software, apparently showing an interest in good controls for their dang games: "We expect most existing LiveMove 1.x users to license LiveMove Pro as well as a significant number of new users," he told Gamasutra.LiveMove Pro will allow developers to make games "that let players perform complicated motions tightly coupled to on-screen animations," if the completely unbiased AILive representative is to be believed. Anything to improve the occasionally iffy motion controls in Wii games is a-okay with us.
Lair dev berates motion controls ... in other games
What's good for the goose is good for the gander, they say, but what's good for the dragon isn't necessarily good for the jet fighter. At least that's what Factor 5 president Julian Eggebrecht seems to be saying. In an interview with GamesRadar, the Lair developer said the motion controls in Incognito's Warhawk are, and we're quoting here, "eurgh!!"Eggebrecht explained that while desperately twisting the controller like a goon is a perfectly fine way to control a dragon, it just doesn't work for Warhawk's high powered jets. "I see motion-sensing as a complimentary, additional new step in terms of controls and where it fits you should use it and where it doesn't fit, don't force it," he said. "Please don't force it." Interesting he should put it that way ... while Warhawk's motion-sensitive flight controls can be turned off in the options menu, controller twisting is the only option for Lair's dragon flight. Forced indeed.Eggebrecht isn't just hurling insults, though -- he seems to really believe in this plane/dragon control dichotomy. In a separate GamesRadar story on the vague possibility of a new Rouge Squadron game, Eggebrecht said he didn't think the motion controls would work for the series' futuristic flying machines. "If I was to do a game with an X-wing, I don't know if I'd necessarily use motion control," he said. "It might be [analog] stick, because that is how you'd be controlling the craft - it might be more appropriate." But for dragons? Fuggedaboutit!
Random album flash in iPod Classic
While a lot has been said about the iPod Touch, not much has been said about the new old standard, the iPod Classic. Kirk McElhearn has written a pretty scathing review of a feature that I didn't even notice-- that album artwork on the side while you're browsing music. Apparently it's not related to what you're listening to at all (which is what I originally suspected it was): it's completely random.Why would this be the case? I thought it was a cool feature to put what you're listening to on the side, so even while you browse through the music, you could have a static reminder of what's playing. But no. Kirk says it's flashy and moving and random-- just like (gasp) a Flash ad. Apparently you can turn it off, and have just a static graphic sit there. But that doesn't explain why anyone thought it was a good idea in the first place.To be completely fair to Apple, I haven't actually used the iPod Classic myself yet-- maybe there's some useful function that can come out of showing random, moving art (suggestions for what to listen to next, maybe?). But flash for flash's sake like this seems a weird decision on Apple's part, especially in a device that's supposed to be a Classic iPod.[via Tsai]
Table Tennis motion sensing explained
When I played Rockstar's Table Tennis at PAX, I had a really difficult time seeing the relation between my actions and what was happening on the screen. Sure, if I moved the Wiimote, the paddle would move (most of the time), but the direction or speed of swinging didn't seem to matter as much as the d-pad-based spin controls (which mattered in that they made the ball a different color). I kind of assumed that the game really didn't take the specifics of my motions in account, rather using the swing as a trigger for a canned "swing" action.Apparently, that's not true. Rockstar sent Wired's Chris Kohler details about the control schemes, and apparently your Wiimote movements do affect your shots like you would expect; as in, you can actually aim your swing and position the ball. This is true even in the mode in which ball placement is mapped to the joystick. In fact, the Wiimote controls are the same in all three control schemes, meaning that it would be fairly easy to try the others once you've gotten used to one. I like that; it adds a little bit of choice and replayability to the game.At this point, I feel like my problems with the controls may be partially due to their newness and to the venue in which I was introduced to them. I'm not entirely convinced that they aren't just nuts, but I'm at least interested in giving the game another chance in a location that isn't full of the din of hundreds of World of Warcraft CCG games and virtuoso Rock Band performances.
MacBook Pro Software Update 1.1
Apple is pumping out updates at a furious rate as of late. The latest update from Cupertino is the MacBook Pro Software Update 1.1 which 'provides important bug fixes and improves stability with Motion 2 and Motion 3. It is recommended for all 2.2/2.4GHz MacBook Pro models.'Many readers wrote in and reported that Motion 2 and 3 were unusable on their MacBook Pros after the recent Pro App update, here's hoping this fixes that issue.
Revolutionary: Going Through the Motions
Every Tuesday, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities. I was going to jump right into writing another script with you this week, but as development progressed, I remembered how much time I wasted on my first scripts because I didn't have a handle on exactly what motions were triggering the responses I was after. I figured I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't take time out to get you primed on the nomenclature of all the motions and get you started in thinking in 3 dimensions. Last week we wrote a simple script that didn't use the Wiimote's motion detecting functionality. Some might say that defeats the purpose of using the Wiimote, but is that really what the Wiimote is about? The different input options are there to give the developer choices. Sometimes the developer will throw in lots of alternatives and pass the choice on to the gamer. Taking every feature of the controller and slapping it onto a game isn't going to assure a fun time. More than likely, you'll wind up making something repellent that people will call "gimmicky." It's best to have an understanding of the control options available, and be selective in applying or omitting ones from your project.
Labyrinthine games with the DS Motion Cart
Looking back at the game now, Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll's stylus controls can't compete with the level of immersion and intuitiveness we're seeing with the Wii's labyrinthine games -- Mercury Meltdown Revolution, Dewey's Adventure, and Kororinpa: Marble Mania. Thanks to homebrew hardware like the MK6-Motion and the DS Motion Card, though, we can now emulate the same motion-sensing features on our handhelds. It's unlikely that any commercial release will ever acknowledge these unauthorized add-ons, but homebrew developers have already put out over twenty games and demos that use the data gathered from the accelerometers/gyroscope. Check past the post break for videos and screenshots of three puzzle titles that've been rigged to detect your tilting DS.
Freescale unveils uber-thin 3-axis accelerometer
Make no mistake about it, accelerometers have certainly been all the rage of late, and Freescale Semiconductor isn't missing its chance to cash in on the bonanza. The firm has recently announced what it calls the "world's thinnest 3-axis digital-output accelerometer" for use in motion-based user interfaces, and it checks in at around "77-percent smaller" than existing offerings. The MMA7450L is available in a 0.8-millimeter thin plastic land grid array, eliminates the need for a dedicated analog-to-digital converter, includes three g-select sensitivities, and is almost ready to rock in tomorrow's most diminutive controllers, handhelds, and mobile handsets. Currently, only major manufacturers are getting their hands around samples, but general availability of the $2.66 device (when you order 10,000, that is) is expected by Q3 of this year.[Via TGDaily]
Talismoon unveils second generation tiltBoard 360
It's honestly not too often that these homegrown DIY efforts actually end up going big, but just as it was predicted, the tiltBoard 360 is legit. Talismoon has officially released the second generation of the tilt sensitivity add-in for the Xbox 360 controller, which is supposedly "easier to use" than Sony's SIXAXIS. The board comes pre-loaded with tiltTune technology, which purportedly allows gamers to adjust the tilt sensitivity, tweak the 0-degree point, invert the Y-axis, and even deactivate the tilt feature if you should desire. Unfortunately, this iteration is still not a simple drop-in mod, as you'll be busting out the soldering iron for no fewer than seven wires. Still, for those not afraid to their hands dirty, the next-gen tiltBoard 360 will be shipping later this month.
Today's most entrancing video: Sixaxis remote hack
The fine folks at pabr.org have engineered a Sixaxis controller into a remote for other devices, much like the frenzy of Wiimote hacking. The demonstration shows the controller tilting and rotating a plane, and it earns our nod as the video of the day.We all knew it could be done, but watching the hack in action has a snake-charmer-like affect on us -- and the plane in the video. Watch the clip after the break.
NeoFlash dives into DS movement
NeoFlash's MK6-Motion is proof that not all flash cart manufacturers are out to capitalize on video game piracy. The cart's 16 megabits of flash memory gives users enough room to burn a passme ROM or a small homebrew project, but not commercial releases. As its name suggests, the MK6-Motion's appeal lies in its built-in accelerometer and gyro sensor. Since the release of the DS Motion Card earlier this year, over a dozen homebrew games have already incorporated motion sensing features. The MK6-Motion slot-1 cart improves on the technology, bypassing the need for a flashed DS or an additional passthrough device to load software. The hardware doesn't have complete compatibility with existing games yet, but developers will be able to update their homebrew projects to work with the new cart. You can pre-order NeoFlash's MK6-Motion for $49. The DS Motion Card is available at several online shops for about $30-40.[Via DSDev]
HP reveals GPS-infused, Wii-inspired handheld tech
"We want to get kids off the couch," Rahul Sood, chief technology officer of HP's gaming division, said during a presentation on their new Mscape technology. Their handheld technology takes advantage of GPS navigation and accelerometers, similar to the ones found in Nintendo Wii. The basic premise is to allow players to actively play in real environments, such as a park. CNET's Tom Krazit explains: "The early concept involves a handheld and a series of small sensors that a game organizer could lay out around a city or park. Those sensors would trigger certain events in the game, like a bonus level or an attack by the bad guys, based on a small demonstration of the concept here."While HP will most likely avoid actually manufacturing a console to compete against Sony and Nintendo, the technology is certainly intriguing. Will Sony or Nintendo's next portable feature this inspiring Mscape tech? Or will a new portable from Microsoft or Dell take advantage of it?
