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Scientists develop 'nanosphere' paint that could reduce planes' carbon dioxide emissions
A new paint using nanosphere-based ink could weigh just 10 percent that of traditional options. It could have financial and environmental benefits.
MS Paint just got two killer features for a '90s graphics editor
Microsoft has announced new features coming to its Paint app. The new features are currently available for Microsoft Insiders and will likely be available to all users soon.
Ultra-white paint could reduce the need for air conditioning
Purdue researchers have developed the world's whitest paint, and it could reduce or even eliminate the need for air conditioning.
Samsung offers actual paint to complement its artsy QLED TVs
Samsung unveiled “LivingColour,” its first paint collection in six colors including “Frame Beige” and “Sero Navy Blue” to complement the Serif, Sero and Frame TVs
Adobe brings clipping masks and better brush management to Fresco
The drawing app now works on more Windows 10 PCs, too.
Tesla’s Berlin factory will support flashy multi-layered paint jobs
Elon Musk has hinted at color and pattern options for the Cybertruck, and it’ll all come down to wrapping.
Benjamin Moore's ColorReader can match your paint with your shirt
Benjamin Moore thinks it has a more reliable way to match house paints than taking photos and comparing them with examples at the store. It's releasing two ColorReader devices and a companion Color Portfolio app that can match colors sampled from any flat surface with not only Benjamin Moore's paint selection, but those of "other leading brands." You could find the exact shade of crimson for your living room by sampling your shirt, if that's your thing.
Adobe's Fresco drawing and painting app is now available for iPad
If the early impressions of Adobe Fresco nabbed your interest, you're in luck. The powerful drawing and painting app is now available for everyone to use on iPad. As you might expect, Creative Cloud subscribers will have the fastest access, and Fresco is included in the All Apps plan, the Photoshop-only plan and education plans. If that's not you, there's an option to purchase it separately for $9.99/month with six months for free if you sign up by December 31st. There is also a free version that Adobe says will offer "many" of the same features, but you'll lose the ability to use some of the app's "professional tools."
It's the beginning of the end for Microsoft Paint (update)
Windows' Fall Creators Update will add a pack of new features to the platform, but it could also mark the beginning of the end for MS Paint. Microsoft has revealed in a list of removed and deprecated features that it will stop actively developing the iconic application. No more future updates or new features for the painting program it launched with its operating system in 1985. That's usually the first step of killing an app, and a Windows update down the line could remove it altogether.
NASA uses pressure-sensitive paint to test its rockets
How can NASA make sure its rockets are ready to handle the intense buffeting produced during launch? Scientists have recently started using pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) that reacts with oxygen to produce light. That way, scientists can actually visualize where the changing forces act on the rocket as it simulates acceleration during testing. The traditional method uses tiny microphones to measure buffeting, while this "unsteady" PSP is sprayed on in a thin layer, and contains pores so air can contact a greater surface area of the paint. Among other applications, it can be used to speed up and lower the cost of testing on projects like the Space Launch System.
Tell this robot to graffiti a wall for you
We've seen our fair share of weird things at CES this week, but there was one thing outside the Las Vegas Convention Center that surprised even us Engadget editors. As we were walking toward the building, we came across an unattended (and seemingly unnamed) robot that takes voice commands to show off its spray painting skills. While it's obviously no Banksy, it's yet another example of how Bluetooth devices are being used to control stuff around you. Sure, this isn't the most practical use for voice commands, but you can't deny how neat the project is.
The new Microsoft Paint lets you share terrible 3D doodles
As rumored, part of the new WIndows 10 Creators update is a brand new version of Paint. In 3D. Microsoft general manager Megan Saunders showed it off onstage today at Microsoft's big Surface event using a 3D scan of a sandcastle from the stage, positioned into a scene with her daughters, over a beach background. The good news is that you can export your final creations, render in 3D and post to Facebook and even make custom emojis using the new functionality. You can also jump into Pinterest-alike boards from the community and grab bits and bobs to throw into your masterpiece. Same goes for exporting and printing Minecraft creations you've made. It looks a little gimmicky, sure, but it's not like you could have replicated a Jackson Pollock using Microsoft's earlier painting tools.
Microsoft's reworked Paint app lets you draw with 3D objects
Microsoft is working on an overhaul of its Paint app for Windows 10, and it might just be worth a look if you're a casual creator. WindowsBlogItalia has leaked an early test version of the software that reveals both a much-needed modernization of the interface (it's easier to use with your fingers, The Verge notes) as well as some big feature upgrades. For one, it supports 3D objects -- you can incorporate fish and other shapes to spice up your otherwise flat drawings, including items from the community.
Eye-tracking robot arm lets you paint while you eat
One day, you might not have to even touch a canvas to make a masterpiece. Scientists from Imperial College London have developed a system that lets you paint hands-free through a combination of eye tracking and a robotic arm. All you do is adjust your gaze and blink at the right times -- you can even munch on breakfast while you're in mid-oeuvre. The technology is crude at the moment, but it should eventually become intuitive enough that you can focus on perfecting your style, rather than mastering the basics.
Anti-graffiti device nabs taggers by sniffing their fumes
Australian taxpayers spent a whopping $34 million last year to remove graffiti from Sydney's commuter trains. To combat this urban blight, the Australian Department of Transport is rolling out an electronic "nose" that alerts authorities in real-time. This device, dubbed "the mousetrap", activates when it detects paint marker and spray-can aerosols. It then immediately engages a closed circuit recording of the crime before alerting the police, who pick up the perp at the next stop. The program has already undergone viability testing and, according to CBC News, has caught 30 vandals red-handed. Sydney Trains, the government-owned rail company that operates the region's commuter lines, hasn't disclosed how many of the devices will be deployed, only that they'll be swapped between service lines at random intervals. [Image credit: New South Wales Police Force/Australia Broadcasting Corporation]
I regrettably designed my own glasses on a smartphone app
JINS is a glasses maker on a mission: to make glasses worth talking about again. That usually entails a dash of technology thrown in; a few years ago, for instance, the company dotted spectacle-selling vending machines across Tokyo. Yes, it's a Japanese company. Yes, they're also dabbling in smartglasses. But I'm not talking about any of that this time. No, I took a whole 10 minutes designing my own pair of glasses on the company's "Paint" app, and then a week later, I was wearing them. It's not nearly as elaborate as, say, 3D printing, but it does offer a relatively cheap way of making yourself a one-of-a-kind pair of glasses. And mine probably would have looked better, if I had even a single creative bone in my body.
Volvo's reflective bike paint helps cars spot you at night
Want to feel nervous? Try riding a bike at night alongside a busy road. Even if you're festooned in lights and reflectors, there's a real chance that a less-than-attentive driver will smack into you. Volvo may have a better way to keep cars at a distance, however. Its new LifePaint spray is invisible during the day, but reflects car headlights in the evening. You can coat your bike, your clothing or most anything else and provide a heads-up to motorists, who'll see bright white as they get close. It only lasts for 10 days at a time, but you can wash it off -- just don't ride during a heavy rainstorm and you'll be fine. The biggest challenge is simply getting some cans for yourself. Volvo is only offering LifePaint in six London- and Kent-area bike shops right now, and availability will depend on how it fares in these test areas.
Nissan's dirt-phobic paint keeps a car spotless for the duration of a PR video
For some people, washing the car is a calming pastime that induces feelings of satisfaction and fresh beginnings. For everyone else, there's this: Super-hydrophobic and aleophobic paint, which repels water and some oil-based liquids, and which Nissan is currently trialing on one of its cars in Europe. The video below shows what happened to a car that was taken for a messy drive with half of the body coated with the new stuff ("Ultra-Ever Dry") and the other half with regular Dulux (or whatever it is they use these days). The results speak for themselves, but they don't say anything about how long this self-cleaning ability actually lasts. In industrial applications, where a version of the paint is already being used, it's easily rubbed off and rarely survives longer than a year. Nevertheless, Nissan says it's evaluating Ultra-Ever Dry's viability and hopes to offer it as an aftermarket option on a future model -- at which point it might also make sense to splash out on a self-cleaning windshield, headlights, dash system, and door handles.
EVE Evolved: Rubicon 1.3 and repainting ships
EVE Online's recently released Rubicon expansion was an important first step toward a truly player-run universe for everyone, allowing corporations to wage empire wars over planetary customs offices and introducing a series of new personal deployable structures. The initial release was a little light on content, but developers have since expanded on it significantly with three major point releases. Rubicon 1.3 went live this week, and the changes seem pretty good all around. This release overhauled the directional scanner, buffed the SoE Nestor battleship's capacitor recharge rate and remote repair range, and nerfed remote sensor dampeners into the ground. Large corporations like EVE University were pleased to hear that the limit on the size of corporations has been increased to 12,600 thanks to changes to the corporation management skills. And in response to an emerging trend in fleet warfare involving hordes of drone ships assigning their drones to an interceptor, developers have also limited the number of drones that can be assigned to another ship to 50. The 1.29 GB patch also included several overhauled ship models and new ship shaders, but the new feature I see the most potential in is the ability to finally repaint our ships. This could eventually help corporations establish their own visual identities and might even link into gameplay or EVE's spying metagame. In this edition of EVE Evolved, I look at some of the Rubicon 1.3 changes and how repainting your ship could become more than simply a cosmetic upgrade.
Ship painting is coming to EVE Online
For some people, the idea of painting the outside of your ship in EVE Online is pointlessly frivolous. For others, it's the cue to immediately get out some swatches and start talking about how nice a battlecruiser would look in hot pink and safety orange. The bad news for players in the latter camp is that those aren't available colors, but an early test version of ship painting will be introduced with the game's next major patch. Nine total paint schemes are being introduced: eight available for Aurum and one available via in-game acievements. This is an intentionally narrow field, as the developers want to see what kind of player interest exists and whether or not having custom-painted ships will affect play patterns. For more details on exactly how you can space-pimp your space-ride, take a look at the full rundown on the pilot program. And be sure to ask for that pink-and-orange number with the next wave.
