Research - SlashGear

‘research’ Stories

Creepy Fraunhofer spider robot can help scout hazardous areas

Shane McGlaun, Nov 2nd 2011 Discuss [5]

Sadly, few of my fellow SlashGear geeks are familiar with the flick Saturn 5 and the massive case of the creeps that Hector gave me as a kid. Therefore, they can't really understand how creepy this spider robot is to me. Granted this spider bot can't go insane with lust for Farah and wear my head as a mask so it's not so bad. Read The Full Story

PETMAN humanoid robot ready for the US Army

Rue Liu, Oct 31st 2011 Discuss [5]

Known for developing the quadruped robots the BigDog and AlphaDog, Boston Dynamics has unveiled a new addition in the form of a biped humanoid robot called the PETMAN. Although still sporting a flashing red light in place of a life-like head, the movement and capabilities of the PETMAN is eerily human-like, walking, squatting, doing push-ups and even resisting efforts to push it off balance. See for yourself in the video after the cut. Read The Full Story

Scientists develop cheap explosives sensor printed on paper with ink jet printer

Shane McGlaun, Oct 31st 2011 Discuss [0]

Explosive detecting sensors are used around the world for all sorts of things from screening passengers heading to planes at airports to being used on the battlefield to find IEDs before they can hurt our soldiers. The problem with explosive sensors today is that the low cost sensors aren’t very accurate and the accurate sensors are very expensive. Read The Full Story

RIM facing mass defection over BlackBerry blunders

Chris Davies, Oct 20th 2011 Discuss [13]

RIM may believe its BlackBerry outage compensation is "a pretty comprehensive set of efforts" but it may not be enough to staunch the flow of users ditching the platform, according to new research. A full 30-percent of large scale BlackBerry users plan to jump ship in 2012, Enterprise Management Associates' figures claim, with a mere 14-percent of users themselves happy with their RIM smartphone. In comparison, 44-percent of iPhone users were content with their device. Read The Full Story

Microsoft PocketTouch research encourages surreptitious stroking

Chris Davies, Oct 18th 2011 Discuss [1]

Microsoft could one day encourage Windows Phone owners to stroke their hardware more discretely, if a Microsoft Research project called PocketTouch spawns a commercial system. Intended to allow smartphone users to control their devices without removing them from a pocket or bag, PocketTouch uses a custom capacitive touch sensor that can track gestures through fabric: by coupling it with Microsoft's existing Ink digital handwriting recognition system, and a range of preset movements, incoming calls can be quietly responded to with SMS messages and PMP functionality controlled. Read The Full Story

Researchers working on nanorockets to deliver medications inside the body

Shane McGlaun, Oct 4th 2011 Discuss [0]

Scientists and researchers have been working for years on new and novel methods to deliver medications to a specific area inside the body. Among the applications for such technology is the ability to shoot medications directly to a tumor site to help reduce the side effects of the cancer treatment to the patient. Scientists have developed a new nanorocket that might be able to deliver these medications quickly to specific spots in the body. Read The Full Story

Portico spreads tablet touch beyond the screen

Chris Davies, Sep 23rd 2011 Discuss [1]

Tablets that can respond not only to touchscreen contact but taps and motions in the area around them could deliver a combination of Microsoft Surface-style expansive gestures in a portable form-factor, if researchers have their way. Portico, the handiwork of three computer scientists at Intel, Microsoft Research and the University of Washington, uses a pair of pull-out webcams to track movement on the table the slate is resting on. That way, objects in the periphery of the tablet can interact with what's being shown on-screen. Read The Full Story

Faster-than-light Neutrinos could undermine Einstein

Chris Davies, Sep 23rd 2011 Discuss [9]

Einstein’s theory of special relativity, one of the core tenets of modern physics, could have been discovered flawed according to particle speed experiments by a group of Italian scientists. The team found sub-atomic particles fired from the CERN particle research facility in Geneva toward the Gran Sasso Laboratory in Italy arrived quicker than light would be expected to, Reuters reports, with the neutrinos turning up at the scientists’ sensors 60 nanoseconds earlier than light could.

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iPhone loyalty at 89%, dwarfs other phone makers

Rue Liu, Sep 22nd 2011 Discuss [48]

According to a recent survey by UBS Investment Research, the number of iPhone owners who indicated that they would stick with Apple for their next handset is overwhelming compared to rival phone makers. The retention rate for Apple is 89 percent, while the second closest competitor, HTC, has a retention rate of 39 percent. Read The Full Story

Stem cell human trial gets Euro go-ahead

Chris Davies, Sep 22nd 2011 Discuss [2]

The first European human embryonic stem cell therapy trial has been given approval today, with British surgeons planning to inject the cells into the eyes of twelve patients suffering from Stargardt's macular dystrophy. The disease, incurable, is a major cause of blindness in young people, the Guardian reports, and scientists at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, UK, hope the introduction of stem cells will slow, halt or - in the best case scenario - reverse the macular dystrophy. However, controversy still reigns over stem cell therapies, given that they are obtained from human embryonic cells. Read The Full Story

Columns

Nokia’s CTO swap could be its turning point

Chris Davies, Sep 22nd 2011 Discuss [16]

The decision to make Henry Tirri Nokia’s new Chief Technology Officer is arguably more important for the company’s future than its deal with Microsoft over Windows Phone. Executive-level shuffles aren’t often worth much more than a casual footnote, but Tirri’s promotion – in the context of Nokia’s fading star in the smartphone league – could prove a legitimate turning point for the Finns. Tirri could well be the vital link between Nokia’s flourishing imagination and its floundering production.

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iRobot Seaglider unmanned robot gets updated

Shane McGlaun, Sep 21st 2011 Discuss [0]

Anytime I hear the iRobot name I always think about the line of robot vacuum cleaners for the home. iRobot makes a lot more than just vacuum cleaners though. The company has announced that it has updated its Seaglider unmanned underwater vehicle. The photo here of the Seaglider is the previous version; images of the new updated robot are not available at the time of writing. The new robot has a payload capability that is doubled compared to the previous generation. Read The Full Story