Tag Archives | Augmented Reality

National Intelligence Council Predicts Cyborg Enhancements and Augmented Reality

By on December 11, 2012 in News 15

Picture: TenaciousMe (CC)

Remember daydreaming about robots and cyborgs as a kid? They’re almost here! Bad news, though: They’ll be killing machines. What could possibly go wrong? You’re welcome, future.

WIRED reports on some of the predictions of the National Intelligence Council:

We’ve seen experimental prosthetics in recent years that are connected to the human neurological system. The Council says the link between man and machine is about to get way more cyborg-like. “As replacement limb technology advances, people may choose to enhance their physical selves as they do with cosmetic surgery today. Future retinal eye implants could enable night vision, and neuro-enhancements could provide superior memory recall or speed of thought,” the Council writes. “Brain-machine interfaces could provide ‘superhuman’ abilities, enhancing strength and speed, as well as providing functions not previously available.”

And if the machines can’t be embedded into the person, the person may embed himself in the robot.

… Read the rest

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Google To Sell Smart-Glasses By Year’s End

By on February 22, 2012 in News 27

techGet ready for augmented-reality glasses that stream information to your eyeballs about the people and places surrounding you. Also, they will look like Oakleys worn by dads on motorboats. The New York Times writes:

People who constantly reach into a pocket to check a smartphone for bits of information will soon have another option: a pair of Google-made glasses that will be able to stream information to the wearer’s eyeballs in real time.

According to several Google employees familiar with the project who asked not to be named, the glasses will go on sale to the public by the end of the year. These people said they are expected “to cost around the price of current smartphones,” or $250 to $600.

The people familiar with the Google glasses said they would be Android-based, and will include a small screen that will sit a few inches from someone’s eye. They will also have a 3G or 4G data connection and a number of sensors including motion and GPS.

… Read the rest

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Virtual Reality Veteran FSK1138 Talks About His New Low-Tech Lifestyle

By on May 18, 2010 in News 5

fsk1138-1Via Technoccult:

You say now use the Internet for less than 3 hours a week and do not own a TV, phone, or stove. What brought you to the point that you decided you had to unplug like that?

I lived in Guyana for 4 years. You can have days when you have no power, and I survived. I feel that people think that the Internet will always be there. I feel it will not and the day is coming soon. I have seen the Internet change over the years – it has changed alot. The day is coming, I feel, that the can not remain a free utility.

Life really is not hard without technology if you learn to live without it. But if you’re addicted – what then?

When did you decide to cut back your use of technology?

When I realized it was taking up so much of my time – 2007 – I started closing down websites that I was using.

… Read the rest

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Interview With Institute for the Future Researcher Chris Arkenberg

By on February 4, 2010 in News 0

chris arkenbergVia Technoccult:

How exactly does forecasting work? What’s the process like?

To begin with, I’d like to just underline that forecasting and prediction are very different. As futurists, we’re not making predictions but, rather, making approximations based on existing trends. I like to think of it as collapsing probability space into the most likely futures.

So having said that, there are many forecasting methodologies but most of them begin with scanning. This is a process of tracking information flows to get signals around your domain. Signals are essentially any event within the domain that you’re researching. So you pay attention to as many data streams as possible to get a feel for the emerging trends, where the money is flowing, social politics, etc… And from this you can start to derive estimates of where things are heading.

Typically this activity is followed by many different methods of analysis. You might talk to experts in the field, you might use different types of axial analysis, eg ubiquitous vs.

… Read the rest

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Real World Embraces “Augmented Reality” Apps

By on September 29, 2009 in News 1

H+ magazine:

One researcher overlayed Second Life avatars onto the real world by projecting reprocessed virtual data directly into the eyes, while 13 new “augmented reality” games have been developed in the last 15 months, and an AR company called Total Immersion is already working with the Department of Defense. “The educational, entertainment, artistic and business applications are nearly limitless,” argues futurist Michael Anissimov. “The technology allows a blurring between the real and virtual on a scale that’s never been seen before.”

And one app even offers virtual X-ray vision, and suggests the prospect of mapping user manuals directly onto an object!

This article appears in the first issue of H+ magazine to hit newsstands (today!), but an update on their web page cites a “rapidly accelerating” augmented reality market, describing Layar’s plans to release an iPhone version of their AR app this week (after whichRoboVision predicts “half a dozen” competitors).… Read the rest

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