Proof of concept project from NTT Docomo is a spherical display that can also fly:
The device comprises a spherical external frame, an internal LED
frame consisting of a series of eight curved LED strips that extend from
top to bottom, a drone fitted inside the sphere and legs protruding
underneath. During flight, the LED frame spins on its axis in a rapid
horizontal motion, forming an afterimage effect to create the illusion
of a solid sphere of motionless LEDs. The highly maneuverable drone can
be operated virtually anywhere, including venues such as concert halls
or arenas where it can fly around as part of a performance or deliver
advertising messages, event information, etc.
The maximum diameter of the spherical frame is about 88 cm and the
entire device, including the drone, weighs just 3.4 kg. The display
measures 144 pixels high and 136 pixels wide (horizontal circumference).
Equipping a drone with a spherical display had proved difficult until
now due to challenges such as the display interfering with the airflow
of the drone’s propellers as well as the added weight of the display.
However, DOCOMO’s solution uses a largely hollow display that is
exceptionally lightweight and allows air to flow through it, yet it
still achieves the illusion of a solid display by creating an afterimage
effect with rapidly spinning LEDs.
because Alexa WILL NOT call for help unless you’ve set it up this way first!
this woman was REALLY smart to do that, because otherwise the Echo thing would’ve done nothing. don’t think your Echo will respond to “call 911″ or “call the cops/ambulance/fire department” unless you’ve set it up with the numbers first, and certainly don’t think it’ll hear sounds of a struggle and call for help without a direct command. otherwise think of how many false reports it would make just from overhearing TV and movies being on!
so instead of this being shared as “Amazon’s AI is going to hear that you’re in trouble and will call for help by itself!” this story should really be shared as “hey if you have one of these things, set it up to respond to a voice command CALL 911before you’re in that kind of situation!”
Because in a nanotechnology lab, big deals come in smaller and smaller packages. What you see above is an extreme close-up of a 5 nanometer transistor. In an industry-first, the IBM Research Alliance developed nanosheet transistors that will enable a 5 nm chip. What’s so big about that? Well, by achieving a scale of 30 billion switches on a fingernail sized chip, it can deliver significant enhancements over today’s state-of-the-art 10 nm chips. This not only improves the performance of current technologies but also provides the fuel for the future demands of AI, VR, quantum and mobile technologies to run on. Plus, it could also make things like smartphone batteries last 2-3x longer between charges, so it may also be a real lifesaver too.
ifesbob 