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The next robot crawling through your gut could be a gummi bear
The future of robotics is decidedly squishy. We've already seen gel-based 'bots that can catch fish, mimic octopi and even ones that can keep your heart pumping. And, if the researchers from Switzerland's EPFL are successful, they could soon be crawling around in our intestines as well.
The Octopus watch might make a responsible person out of your kid
I'm no parent, but I was sort of a lazy jerk as a child. While I eventually got my act together, I have to wonder if having something like the Octopus watch as a wee lad might have helped. Unlike other smartwatches for youngsters, which usually focus on keeping them connected or entertained, the Octopus was instead designed to build and reinforce good habits on a regular schedule.
ICYMI: The first autonomous robotic octopus has arrived
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Harvard Researchers created the world's first fully-autonomous octo-robot, something that runs on hydrogen peroxide and moves by pumping oxygen into its tentacles. We'd be afraid, except it looks so similar to what research vessel EV Nautilus just spotted in the sea that we can't help but be charmed instead. If you're more into nature as medicine, you may be interested in the study that showed houseplants may be better at removing air pollution than many ventilation systems.
ICYMI: Drone net launcher, whale call science and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-636237{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-636237, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-636237{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-636237").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: Hundreds of thousands of whale calls from a seafaring science journey in 2006 have finally been analyzed, resulting in proof that whales gather by species when feeding. Police officials are likely highly interested in the drone catching net, that launches from a large black metal tube that puts bazookas to shame, taking out drones up to 100 meters away. BMW's new concept car (the Vision Next 100) can subtly shift its shape near the wheels and of course has AI and augmented reality sensors for days. You can see a video of the newly discovered octopus species that doesn't yet have a name, read about Ray Tomlinson and learn more about the thing we can't not hate, the biēm butter sprayer (which of course, is on Kickstarter). As always, please share any interesting science or tech videos, anytime! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag to @mskerryd.
Rambo the octopus snags photography job at New Zealand aquarium
There's an unusual photographer working for Auckland's Sea Land Aquarium. His name is Rambo, and we doubt he personally manages the $2 per shot he earns taking pictures of tourists. That's because Rambo is an octopus -- a very smart one who learned how to press the shutter after three tries. "That's faster than a dog," said Mark Vette, his trainer. "Actually it's faster than a human in some instances." Rambo uses a Sony TX30 compact camera encased in transparent armor that's attached right outside his tank, clicking the red shutter extender whenever guests pose against the backdrop in front of his display. Sure, this is partly a Sony media stunt (all proceeds go to Sea Life's conservation programs, at least), but how often can you say you got your picture taken by an cephalopod? Unfortunately, we're not familiar with New Zealand's laws, so we can't say if Rambo owns the rights to the pictures he takes.
Soft octopus robots are equal parts speedy and graceful
Soft robotics can go a long way toward recreating the graceful movements of fish and other animals, and it now looks like they're helpful for replicating some of the stranger creatures on our planet, too. A team of Greek researchers has developed an octopus robot that uses silicone tentacles and webbing to move as elegantly as the real thing -- it's convincing enough that small fish will follow along. It's also much faster than a previous attempts, which used stiff plastic to plow through the water. While the original robot moved along at four inches per second, its squishier successor moves along at a healthier seven inches. That's not nearly as quick as the real deal, which can reach 25MPH in bursts, but it's far more consistent with what you'd expect from a real critter this size.
Octopus-like camouflage can hide you in plain sight
Octopuses and other cephalopods are masters of disguise -- their prey often doesn't realize the danger until it's too late. It only makes sense to model active camouflage after that behavior, then, and a team at the University of Illinois has managed just that. Their octopus-like material uses layers of photosensors, actuators and temperature-sensitive pigment to detect ambient light and change colors in response. Individual points on the unversity's test skin can turn from black to transparent within a second or two, letting it quickly blend into its surroundings -- or purposefully stand out, as you see above. The technology will ideally allow for many colors in the future, although that's not an immediate priority.
The year of the octopus continues with Airscape: The Fall of Gravity
Airscape: The Fall of Gravity pulls an adorable yellow octopus from his beachside (see: in the ocean) home and sticks him on a strange, alien planet with dangerous enemies and wacky gravity physics. It's an action platformer that has players leap over and around obstacles such as angry robots, lasers, vast pits and happy little trees. Airscape is a mix of cuteness and devious things. We're calling it now: 2014 is the year of the octopus. Airscape's first three zones are available to play in the new demo, launched ahead of the game's appearance at GDC with the Indie Megabooth. This is Indie Megabooth's first showcase at GDC, and Airscape is one of 15 games hand-picked to be in the premiere booth. Very fancy. Airscape comes from a team of students based around the world: project lead Daniel West in Australia, artist Claudia Starke in Germany and composer Sam Gossner in the US. It's due out this year for PC, Mac and Linux, and it currently has a Steam Greenlight campaign.
BlackBerry 10's predictive keyboard gets transplanted with Octopus Keyboard for jailbroken iOS devices
RIM's latest on-screen keyboard effort may bear a passing resemblance to Swiftkey, but it also has us itching to see how the rest of the BlackBerry 10 UI will turn out. It looks like we're not the only ones, as Octopus Keyboard aims to bring the same slick prediction interface to jailbreaking iOS users. Swiping up will access suggested words depending on which letters are pressed, while the keyboard will also memorize new vocab like the iOS original. You can see how it works in real life -- and gauge whether it's worth the jailbreaking rigmarole -- in a quick walkthrough video after the break.
The Daily Grind: Would you like to be under the sea?
The ocean is one of the only alien environments left on our slowly turning planet, and even though it's all around us, it remains a frontier. Which makes it odd that with the number of MMOs focused on creating new worlds, there's virtually nothing that takes a dive beneath the waters. Champions Online and World of Warcraft both have extended areas in which players explore beneath the waves, but as a setting the ocean remains largely underutilized. And it could very well be a ripe ground for ideas, settings ranging from steampunk to science fiction beneath unfamiliar waters. Of course, the obvious reason is that human beings are generally not very good at exploring the ocean depths, due to our lack of gills and inability to withstand crushing water pressure. But it's still worth asking -- would you play an MMO set largely or completely underwater? Would you enjoy the change of atmosphere and environment that comes with such a radical shift in setting? Or do you think it's an idea that sounds neat but would ultimately be far more trouble than it's worth? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
TurpsterVision: Multiboxing Unmasked
We can't believe it either – Turpster has been let loose on WoW.com to bring you videos from in and around the World of Warcraft! You've heard him on the WoW Insider Show, and now see him on TurpsterVision right here on WoW.com.Last week we had a look into the benefits of Blizzard's Recruit a Friend scheme and Multiboxing; today we look at how to get started with Multiboxing at home with one PC and several WoW accounts. For me to share these secrets of success with you I must first ask you to join me in the Multiboxer's oath: I wanna be the very best,Like no one ever was.To roll 5 toons is my real test,To level them all at once.I will travel across the land,Questing far and wide.Or just get boosted through SM,And the huge amounds of XP that's inside.MULTIBOX! (GOTTA PLAY'EM ALL!)It's you, you, you, you and me!I know it's my destiny! TO ONE SHOT! For the real tips and hints, check out the video and then join me after the break for the software, addons and macros that you'll need. (WARNING: There are some really big numbers and long words that I don't fully understand but they make lots of characters do similar things at the same time)
TurpsterVision: Multiboxing, Recruit a Friend Style
We can't believe it either – Turpster has been let loose on WoW.com to bring you videos from in and around the World of Warcraft! You've heard him on the WoW Insider Show, and now see him on TurpsterVision right here on WoW.com.Multiboxing has long been at the center of a heated debate within the WoW community. Some say that it is cheating; others say that it is just against the spirit of the game, all I know is, I absolutely love it!I started my journey nearly 90 days ago where I added three new accounts with Blizzard's 'Recruit a Friend' scheme. I set myself the goal of being able to have a level 60(+) of every class in the game. For some of you out there I am sure that you've already achieved this feat during the past 4 and a half years of Warcraft – I know of one person who has gone FAR further than just one of each class. I've always focused all of my attention on my main, gathering achievements, pets, mounts, mats, gold, gear, well you get the picture – and I ended up forgetting the joys of alts. So with too much time on my hands, a few extra copies of WoW and some cool bits of software (more on this below) I jumped into Azeroth with a new mission; to destroy everything!
Crapgadget: 'Gee... thanks?' edition
If you need a flash drive or USB hub there are many useful and, more to the point, tasteful options out there. But if you want to saddle a hapless co-worker or relative with a silly, embarrassing, or just plain crapulant gag gift suitable for the current technological moment? Look no further than the following assortment of crapgadgets. Your illustrious Engadget eds have hand-picked a wonderful assortment of devices tailor-made to evoke awkward responses at office birthday parties and the like. So, without further ado...Read - No Green Thumb Required: USB Fever 4-Port Flower Pot HubRead - USB Airplane Hub with built-in fan Read - Robot USB Drives would make a cute gift Read - USB Artillery HubRead - USB Octopus Hub%Poll-31510%
Bird Electron's Takotsubo "octopus trap" speakers are all kinds of odd
Bird Electron loves rolling out the crazy little speakers and such for your listening pleasure. The company's newest pair, the Takotsubo speakers, are modeled on Japanese fisherman traps. In this form factor, however, we doubt they'll do much beyond catch some wild stares from your friends, but they sure are cute! Don't expect to be blown away by the sound, but they're available now (in Japan only) for ¥5,000 (about $50). Check out another photo after the break.[Via Akihabara News]
Octopuses found to be fans of high-def, not so much SD
In case you weren't already convinced that animals across the globe simply prefer high-definition content, here's yet another research study to pound it through your thick skull. Renata Pronk utilized both SD and HD content in order to judge the reaction of octopuses when seeing a fellow octopus, a crab (read: dinner) and a random bottle. Her findings? The creature's eyes were simply too fast to view the SD content as anything other than a meaningless series of images, while the HD material caused it to puff up / scurry away, open wide or carry on aimlessly, respectively. Who says creatures of the wild don't have discerning taste?[Via Slashgear, image courtesy of Deviantart]
First Impressions: Albatross 18
Have you been pining away for a great golf MMO? We have, too! Look, even if you haven't, let's just go along with this, okay? Albatross 18 is an engaging, colorful, whimsical game that doesn't disappoint. When one considers golf, there really isn't too much to it -- hit the ball into the hole, rinse, repeat. The beauty of its simplicity is that a developer can go crazy with that concept and add all sorts of madness to it, and it can only improve the game.And that's exactly what's going on with Albatross 18: beautiful environments, useful power-ups, crazy caddies, mascots, costumes -- this game is hilarious. Will you like it? Let's find out. As always, we remind you that this is not meant to be a full review of everything in the game; these are the first impressions we got after spending an hour or so playing. Excelsior!%Gallery-21821%
One Shots: Calamari Damacy
Okay, okay. So calamari is squid, and Lusca would technically be takoyaki. But you have to admit, if you could deep fry and serve just one of those enormous tentacles, you could most likely feed all of Paragon City for quite some time. That is, assuming people would eat a giant mutated octopus. We didn't think to ask Matthew (who sent this great shot of Lusca-watching in) if he would. For those of you who haven't faced this monster, Lusca is a giant sea creature that hangs out in the southern section of Independence Port in City of Heroes. To defeat the mighty Lusca, you must take down each one of the tentacles (while the rest of them are beating on you, mind) and then you are able to attack the head. Once you're done you get the shiny Devilfish badge for your trouble!Have you seen any nasty beasts lately that would look really good on top of a bed of sticky rice? No? How about any other general nasty face-eating or face-melting types of monsters? Little ones with big sharp pointy teeth are good too. Just pack up those screenshots and send them to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com. We could be trying to figure out ways to cook your monsters next! %Gallery-9798%
Robot chef whips up delicacies we wouldn't dare touch
Nonhuman chefs are far from extraordinary, but the latest culinary guru crafted in Japan has a taste for the extreme. Reportedly, the EZ Order Robot was spotted in Osaka whipping up octopus balls (of all things), but apparently, the creature was able to concoct the dish totally from scratch. Interestingly, the demonstration wasn't really established to showcase its kitchen prowess, but rather to highlight other capabilities such as speech recognition and the ability to perform routine tasks without human intervention. Click here for the video, but remember, we're not responsible for ruining your appetite.[Via Live Science]
One Shots: A giant what?
If you had asked me prior to receiving this shot in which game you might be able to fight a giant octopus, I don't think I could have told you. And since this shot puzzled me until the time I was told which game it took place in, I will now pass the puzzle along to you, dear readers. Tell me, what game does this image come from? I'll leave you to ponder the question, but I'll be back later to check on your progress!Update: A great many of you picked up that this was an image from CoH, but I think reader Brigand wins the comments this afternoon by not only telling us what game, but also giving us a detailed rundown on the location and the fight. Says Brigand:...our tentacular friend there is Lusca, the giant octopus. She's a Giant Monster that requires several full teams of heroes to take down.... You assault her one tentacle at a time, while trying to avoid the fury of her other flailing appendages and the blinding ink-cloud she spouts from her head. After all of the tentacles have been destroyed, you close in for a final battle with the head.Do you have a screenshot of your own that you think expresses a unique or memorable moment in your favorite MMO? Send them to us with a description (including game name and location) and you may see it posted here for tomorrow's One Shots. %Gallery-9798%
Attack of the animalbots: octopus, fish inspire new robot designs
Rather than a future filled with humanoid robotic overlords as envisioned by the Terminator films, the proliferation of animal-inspired robots makes it seem much more likely that we'll be doing the bidding of a veritable zoo of snakebots, insectbots, robolobsters, mulebots, and perhaps the occasional sharkbot / attack dolphin. The latest animals to have their moves cribbed by researchers are the octopus and fish, with DARPA working on a pneumatic tentacle to replace the clumsy robotic claws of old, while students and faculty at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University have invented a robotic, propeller-less propulsion system that mimics the undulating motion of fins. DARPA's invention, called the Octarm and part of the larger Biodynotics program, was developed in collaboration with scientists at the University of North Carolina, and uses a 24-volt electro-pneumatic pressure system to control a tapered, inflatable arm that can do both fairly precise work as well as heavier lifting. NTU's project, meanwhile, employs an artificial fin attached to adjustable spokes that create a wave-like motion for propelling the bot forward in a manner very similar to a stingray's movements. Movies of both new members of the growing animalbot army, whose purposes are mostly military in nature, are available by following the "Read" links below...Read- Octarm [Via Engadget Japanese]Read- Fishbot [Via Yahoo! Asia]
