BERLIN - Tired of spinning that steering wheel? Try this: German researchers have developed a new technology that lets drivers steer cars using only their eyes.
Raul Rojas, an artificial intelligence researcher at Berlin's Free University, said Friday that the technology tracks a driver's eye movement and, in turn, steers the car in whatever direction they're looking.
Rojas and his team presented the technology-packed prototype under a clear blue sky at an airport in the German capital.
The Dodge Caravan crisscrossed the tarmac at the abandoned Tempelhof Airport, its driver using his line of sight to control the car. The car's steering wheel was turning as if guided by ghostly hands.
The technology called eyeDriver lets the car drive up to 31 mph (50 kph).
"The next step will be to get it to drive 60 miles per hour," Rojas said.
Ultimately, however, the Mexican-born researcher is aiming for even more: "The biggest challenge is of course to drive in a city with pedestrians and lots of obstacles."
For now, exercises remain relatively simple. The Dodge chases a pedestrian or another car across the tarmac and shows his agility and even drives backward - the driver only has to look into the rear mirror to guide the car.
However, it remains unclear when - or if - the technology will be commercialized as questions about safety and practicability abound: What about looking at a cute girl next to the road for a few seconds? Not to mention taking phone calls or typing a text while driving.
But the researchers have an answer to distracted drivers: "The Spirit of Berlin" is also an autonomous car equipped with GPS navigation, scores of cameras, lasers and scanners that enable it to drive by itself.
"The car can do everything. It can drive autonomously or it can be guided by a driver's eyes," Rojas said. The compromise is a mode that has the car driving on its own, basing its decisions on input from scanners and cameras, and only requires the driver to give guidance at crossroads.
"The car stops at intersections and asks the driver for guidance on which road to take," the researchers say. A few seconds of attention with the driver looking in his desired direction get the car flowing again.
To demonstrate the car's autonomy, Rojas at one point jumped in front of the car - which was at that moment driving at perhaps 10 miles per hour - and the Dodge was immediately stopped by the cameras that had detected the obstacle.
"I was lucky this time," Rojas said jokingly.
While Rojas escaped, driver David Latotzky sat calmly on the passenger seat, wearing a bicycle helmet that is key to the functioning of the EyeDriver: One camera mounted on top of it monitors the street, a second one constantly keeps track of the driver's eyes' movements.
"We chose a bicycle helmet because they're the most ergonomic ones," Rojas said. Selling that technology to customers, however, might be a tough call - it the driver look like he or she came straight out of a Star Wars movie.
But if using your eyes for steering seems to tricky anyway, the researchers already have an alternative: Use your iPhone instead. In fall last year they presented a technology that allows to use Apple's smart phone as remote control for the car.
Now, SMS that self-destructs after one reading
The new service, called Safe Text, sends messages to mobile phones that self-destruct as soon as they have been read, The Telegraph reported.
Ogilvy Advertising, the creator of the service, said that "one day, everyone will have a facility like Safe Text".
Those keen to use the service had to sign up, giving access to a web page that can be seen on a mobile phone having a data connection.
Users are warned that they will only have one chance to read the SMS before it's deleted.
Ogilvy Advertising, the creator of the service, said that "one day, everyone will have a facility like Safe Text".
Those keen to use the service had to sign up, giving access to a web page that can be seen on a mobile phone having a data connection.
Users are warned that they will only have one chance to read the SMS before it's deleted.
Getting the Big Picture From Phone Photos
The not-so-great thing is that when you get a spectacular shot, with most phone cameras, the image is small or of such low quality that you can’t enlarge it into a frame-worthy print.
Luckily, software can solve that problem — programs like BlowUp2 from Alien Skin, and Genuine Fractals from onOne Software, which both use digital wizardry to turn tiny, low-resolution photographs into large, poster-worthy images.
Both of these programs are “plug-ins,” which work as a part of Adobe Photoshop. Both are fairly easy to use. You open a picture in Photoshop, enter the size you want it to be on a control panel and it renders the enlargement.
In a far from scientific test, BlowUp2, which is priced at $250, seemed to do better with small details on really big enlargements, but also took longer to render. I find myself using Genuine Fractals, which is priced at $160, most often. I think that is because the control panel was easier for me to learn and use.
Both products are a bit pricey if you don’t plan on using them often, but there is another option. OnOne makes a $70 suite of plug-ins for Photoshop Elements, the simpler, consumer version of Photoshop. The suite includes an enlarging program, although it limits size. If the 299 dot-per-inch limit isn’t enough for you, there is a work-around; you can process the enlarged image a second time, which may reduce quality marginally, but you’ll get the size you want.
Sony Corp is bringing baseball to America's living rooms on its PlayStation 3 video game console, ratcheting up the competition in the race to become the digital hub of the home.
The great thing about the phone camera is that it is almost always there when you need it.
London: A lot of celebrities who have landed in trouble due to an SMS they have sent out would wish they had this new service - an SMS that self-destructs after it has been read once.New Delhi: As part of expanding their worldwide network of Solutions Engineering Centers (SEC) ON Semiconductor, a provider of energy efficient silicon solutions for green electronics, has established a new SEC facility in China.
Luckily, software can solve that problem — programs like BlowUp2 from Alien Skin, and Genuine Fractals from onOne Software, which both use digital wizardry to turn tiny, low-resolution photographs into large, poster-worthy images.
Both of these programs are “plug-ins,” which work as a part of Adobe Photoshop. Both are fairly easy to use. You open a picture in Photoshop, enter the size you want it to be on a control panel and it renders the enlargement.
In a far from scientific test, BlowUp2, which is priced at $250, seemed to do better with small details on really big enlargements, but also took longer to render. I find myself using Genuine Fractals, which is priced at $160, most often. I think that is because the control panel was easier for me to learn and use.
Both products are a bit pricey if you don’t plan on using them often, but there is another option. OnOne makes a $70 suite of plug-ins for Photoshop Elements, the simpler, consumer version of Photoshop. The suite includes an enlarging program, although it limits size. If the 299 dot-per-inch limit isn’t enough for you, there is a work-around; you can process the enlarged image a second time, which may reduce quality marginally, but you’ll get the size you want.
Sony Corp is bringing baseball to America's living rooms on its PlayStation 3 video game console, ratcheting up the competition in the race to become the digital hub of the home.
The great thing about the phone camera is that it is almost always there when you need it.
London: A lot of celebrities who have landed in trouble due to an SMS they have sent out would wish they had this new service - an SMS that self-destructs after it has been read once.New Delhi: As part of expanding their worldwide network of Solutions Engineering Centers (SEC) ON Semiconductor, a provider of energy efficient silicon solutions for green electronics, has established a new SEC facility in China.
Flytxt launches latest version of mobile marketing platform
Thiruvananthapuram: City-based technology company Flytxt Wednesday launched the latest version of its mobile marketing platform, Neon, which is more agile and effective than existing systems.
With Neon, mobile operators can run from a single web desktop closed loop marketing campaigns within minutes without the help of IT specialists. It will enable customers to generate incremental revenue through high-impact mobile marketing campaigns, according to Flytxt group CEO Vinod Vasudevan.
"Neon automatically manages and intelligently maximizes the return of all marketing impressions and at the same time increases customer satisfaction as communication frequency limits are automatically and centrally enforced," said Vasudevan.
Thomas Schuster, co-founder and senior vice president, said existing marketing systems took days or weeks to draw in necessary subscriber intelligence, design, run and analyse campaigns. Neon addressed these challenges and shortened campaign cycles, he added.
Flytxt pioneered mobile marketing business with successful projects such as "Orange Wednesday" and "Cadbury Txt 'n' Win". Major mobile operators and media companies across Asia, Africa, and Europe deploy its platform.
With Neon, mobile operators can run from a single web desktop closed loop marketing campaigns within minutes without the help of IT specialists. It will enable customers to generate incremental revenue through high-impact mobile marketing campaigns, according to Flytxt group CEO Vinod Vasudevan.
"Neon automatically manages and intelligently maximizes the return of all marketing impressions and at the same time increases customer satisfaction as communication frequency limits are automatically and centrally enforced," said Vasudevan.
Thomas Schuster, co-founder and senior vice president, said existing marketing systems took days or weeks to draw in necessary subscriber intelligence, design, run and analyse campaigns. Neon addressed these challenges and shortened campaign cycles, he added.
Flytxt pioneered mobile marketing business with successful projects such as "Orange Wednesday" and "Cadbury Txt 'n' Win". Major mobile operators and media companies across Asia, Africa, and Europe deploy its platform.
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