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LG V40 unveiled with all five of its cameras
We'll get our hands on the LG V40 ThinQ October 3rd, but in Korea the company has partially lifted the curtain on its latest V-series phone. While the line has grown more conventional since the release of the V10 a few years ago, this one separates itself from the pack by bringing the previously-rumored five cameras -- three in the back and two up front.
'Metamaterial' can switch from soft to hard - and back again
University of Michigan researchers have developed a technique for a new 'metamaterial' that can change its level of solidness, but without damaging or changing the material itself. Metamaterials are man-made materials whose properties come from the way it's constructed rather than what it's composed from. Scientist can then tinker with its structure to affect its properties. Those effects can be very broad: researchers were able to create a camera that doesn't require a lens to work using different man-made materials. This one's different again.
MIT's new material opens the door to squishable, shape-shifting robots
Robots tend to be either very rigid or very soft, but neither extreme is ideal; ideally, machines could both squish themselves into tight spaces and remain sturdy for strength-dependent tasks. They just might, thanks to a team-up between MIT and Google's Boston Dynamics. The two have developed a composite material that can switch between hard and soft states on the fly. The design mates a compressible foam inside with an external wax coating. If a robot needed to deform, all it would have to do is soften the right joints with a bit of heating. It could even heal damage by heating and cooling an affected area.
MIT's robot fish is nearly as speedy and squishy as the real thing
Robot fish are typically pale imitations at best -- even when they move quickly, they don't move all that gracefully. MIT's new soft robotic fish should be much closer to the real animal, however. Instead of relying on rigid joints and motors to swim, the new fish wiggles its tail fin by inflating a channel with carbon dioxide. The switch to pressure-based power results in not just more natural-looking movement, but the kind of explosive energy that you'd expect from an undersea critter; a strong CO2 blast will turn the robot 100 degrees in an instant. The current design is built more for speed than longevity, but MIT's researchers foresee a longer-lasting model that could follow schools of real fish and study them without drawing attention.
Hulu Plus for iOS updated with Chromecast streaming for iPhone
At the beginning of the month, Google announced that Hulu Plus for iOS had been updated to support Chromecast streaming from the iPad. At the time, the update was met with some jeers as many use Hulu Plus on their iPhone. However, those users have to fret no more as the Hulu Plus app has been updated today to feature Chromecast streaming from the iPhone as well: What's New in Version 3.3.1 Start casting your favorite TV shows and Movies on Chromecast from Hulu Plus, now from your iPhone (iOS6 and above) Users of a Chromecast now simply only have to press the Cast button, which will now appear in the iPhone app right next to the AirPlay button to send their Hulu video to their TV via Chromecast. Hulu Plus is a free download. Google's Chromecast costs US$35.
Harvard soft robot explodes into action, jumps 30 times its height (video)
Harvard University has pushed its soft robot concept in strange directions, but an exploding robot? That takes the cake. A new three-legged, silicone-based variant of the robot is filled with methane and oxygen that, when jolted with electricity, explode and trigger violent pressure that pushes the limbs off the ground. As you'd imagine, the results weren't exactly timid during testing -- the example robot jumped over 30 times its body height, and it would have jumped higher if not for additional tubing holding it down in the lab. The power easily eclipses that of pure air, and could be vital to rescue robots or other public safety machines that could very literally leap to someone's aid. Don't anticipate exploding automatons on the streets anytime soon. We'll just be glad that, if they do arrive, they'll be trying to help us rather than kill us.
Monolith Soft now part of Nintendo's monolith
All those Wii and DS profits must have been burning a hole in Nintendo's pocket, because they went developer shopping and picked up Monolith Soft. We guess they really liked that one screenshot of Disaster: Day of Crisis.Monolith Soft is responsible for the reviled Xenosaga series (the Japanese limited edition release of Xenosaga II included the unfortunate figurine seen here, nicknamed MOK-KOS), the crossover strategy game Namco X Capcom, and, in conjunction with Tri-Crescendo, the two Baten Kaitos games. Maybe now we'll get that pseudo-religious science-fiction Kirby RPG we've all been waiting for!
First Disaster: Day of Crisis screenshot
Nintendo released a single screenshot of Monolith Soft's Disaster: Day of Crisis, the natural-disaster survival game announced at E3 2006. We now have our first indication of how the game will play-- that arrow suggests a Quick Timer Event. Whether that means an action/adventure game with occasional quick-button-press segments, or a Dragon's Lair-style game, we don't know. What is surprising even to us is that we're kind of hoping for the latter. We miss those laserdisc games! Are we the only ones?
Soft Skin English School Little Sexy Girl
It's late at night, so the more risque Fanboy stuff starts getting posted. This amazing video shows you footage from Soft Skin English School Little Sexy Girl, a program that teaches you English. Or tries to. By showing you near-naked girls. There's a hilarious mini-game, where you play rock paper scissors, and every time you win, the girl takes an article of clothing off. You won't see naughty bits, but this is absolutely not safe for work. So, the video is after the cut.*Picture completely unrelated. Well, it shows you yet another inappropriate English program for a portable device.
Ubi dishes out more Red Steel info
Sure, we know a bit about Red Steel, Ubi's Yakuza-killing FPS where you're in charge of saving your bride-to-be through a violent combination of sword and gun play. Yeah, old news. But did you know that, during a nice dinner in America, Japanese Yakuzi spray up the place in an attempt to get your future bride's father's ancient sword, instead fatally-wounding him and abducting her, fleeing back to Japan? Oh, no? Not so smart now, eh?Once you get to Japan, you'll also enlist the constant aid of Otori, who teaches you the art of sword combat, and Harry, night club owner and your primary source for learning the way of the gun. There are also other characters listed in Ubi's press release, along with a run down of their research into Japanese architecture and culture. The team also attempted to gain an American perception of the culture through visits to various Japanese centers in major US cities. With so much time put into making the atmosphere believable and realistic, let's hope they found some time to improve the game's controls.
