UniversityofFreiburg
Latest
Computer remixes famous film scenes with classical art
Imagine that you could take any video clip and transform it into the art style of a classic painter with a click of a button. That's the process that researchers at Germany's University of Freiburg have been working on thanks to the advancement of computer learning. The team has learned that it's now possible for computers to watch the action on screen and effectively see the elements that make up each frame. It can then trace the outlines of, for instance, the actors in the foreground, and re-skin them with any art style you choose. For instance, the team took scenes from British TV series Miss Marple and made them look as if they'd been painted by Van Gogh during his Starry Night phase.
3D plant scans will help build lighter, stronger cars
Don't look now, but the plants in your backyard might just shape the next generation of cars. University of Freiburg researchers have found a way to study the junctions between living plants' branches and stems using MRI scans, giving insight into how they cope under strain. The 3D images should show how you can build a lightweight, fiber-based structure that can still take some punishment -- particularly helpful for cars and bikes, where fiber already helps shed a lot of unnecessary pounds. They could help produce sturdier buildings, too. While there's still plenty of work left before plant scanning is practical, it's possible that a tree or flower could make your future ride a lot nimbler and speedier.
Follow the world's mass transit on this live map
Sure, it's not hard to learn when your bus is likely to show up, but have you wondered where everyone else's bus is at any given moment? You now have an easy way to find out. GeOps and the University of Freiburg have rolled out TRAVIC (Transit Visualization Client), a map that shows the real-time positions of buses and trains from more than 200 public transportation systems around the globe. Some of this info is based on schedule estimates, but it's still quite hypnotic -- you can see when subway cars pass by Times Square (hint: often), or how long it takes a bus to arrive at Barcelona's beach. While this tool probably won't be very useful for planning your own trips, it'll definitely remind you just how much effort goes into getting you across the urban landscape.
Nao humanoid climbs spiral staircase, breakfast in bed is around the corner (video)
Robots can clean your pool and pick up after your lavish dinner parties, but what use is Mr. Nao when you're ringing for a nightcap from the comfort of your second-floor bedroom? Okay, so we've seen the odd bot take a journey up some stairs, but how many cyborgs are prepared to scale flights that twist and turn? Researchers from the University of Freiburg's Humanoid Robots Laboratory have demonstrated a Nao humanoid capable of climbing spiral staircases, which, of course, are more challenging to scale than their non-curving counterparts. A laser range scanner on the top of the robot's head provides a global estimation of the bot's position, and the humanoid uses a 3D model of the staircase to match up with the images it captures on each step. This system lets it get a good enough grip on its geography to successfully detect stair edges and make it to the top with nary a trip. Take a look for yourself in the video below.
