jeudi 31 octobre 2013

A field test of Structure Sensor's 3D scanning for mobile devices

We took Occipital's Structure Sensor on a field trip to capture artifacts and environments...

We took Occipital's Structure Sensor on a field trip to capture artifacts and environments in 3D (Photo: Josh Mishell)

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When Occipital launched its Kickstarter campaign for a portable 3D sensor for mobile devices, it saw the project fully funded within a few hours. Knowing we had to see this gadget in action, Gizmag met with co-founder Vikas Reddy after Structure Sensor had become the 50th Kickstarter project to reach the million-dollar mark. Our goal was to test the gadget that has its backers so eager to test one too.

With the Smithsonian launching its first conference about 3D scanning, we decided to take the Structure Sensor to the Boulder History Museum in Colorado to see what this affordable and portable 3D scanner could do for a smaller museum. We planned to digitize many of the museum’s artifacts and create a 3D panorama of the museum’s small but intricate rooms, and I hoped to discover what made the Structure Sensor so intriguing.

Given the portability of the Structure Sensor, one of the uses that Reddy is most excited about is its ability to easily capture a 3D panorama of a room or space. We found a small room in the museum that nonetheless had several odd corners, niches and intricate displays. As Reddy let the iPad scan the room, we discussed Occipital’s goals for this feature.

Currently scanning is most successful when the user stands in the middle of the room and turns in place, but Occipital anticipates that end users will instead be able to walk through an area, creating a 3D scan of everything they encounter or later add more to a scan, perhaps as the layout or furniture changes.

We created a few scans of the room, noting that corners and relative distances were true, and spun our 3D-modeled room in the app, admiring its details.

Reddy commented, “"In the same way you never print out a map anymore, very soon you'll have an accurate 3D model of your home in your pocket so you never have to worry [about] a measuring tape." Once something has been scanned, anything can be measured, any edges or spaces defined.

Midway through a demo of acquiring a 3D panorama of an exhibit room (Photo: Josh Mishell)

Midway through a demo of acquiring a 3D panorama of an exhibit room (Photo: Josh Mishell)

While we quickly proved the merits of Structure Sensor’s object scanning, Reddy did point out that there are generally better options for scanning really small objects.

However, in our museum-goer mindset, we both agreed that it would be ideal for creating an impromptu souvenir. See an object you admire? Scan it, 3D-print it later (or immediately, using the tool’s Shapeways implementation), and forever have a tangible memory, even if there’s no gift shop.

While the dentist's chair we encountered would make a slightly off-putting souvenir, we chose to do a full scan of this turn-of-the-century artifact, since we were able to walk around it completely. We also scanned the front and sides of other objects — beer barrels, pots, gold mining equipment, a pack saddle, and our photographer.

Filled-in models of museum artifacts made of various materials (Image: Occipital)

Filled-in models of museum artifacts made of various materials (Image: Occipital)

The scanning process is fairly simple: zoom in and out to define a scanning boundary, start the scanning, and then just move slowly around the object. I asked if my clumsiness could affect the quality of a scan, and Reddy assured me that there isn’t any skill or dexterity needed. Additionally, you can flip between modes to view meshes or filled-in surfaces if desired.

Occipital uploaded a 3D model of our dentist's chair, complete with its own "Do Not Touch" sign on the seat. Go ahead, print your own mini souvenir and touch it all you want.

A dentist's chair from 1921, comparison of virtual and real (Image: Occipital/Josh Mishell...

A dentist's chair from 1921, comparison of virtual and real (Image: Occipital/Josh Mishell)

Occipital has been approached by various companies interested in using Structure Sensor, primarily construction companies who repeatedly need to map and measure areas. Others have expressed interest in using it to develop custom prosthetics and orthotics.

As we explored the museum, we were often joined by a museum curator, Emilie Kintner, who was excited by the potential for museums. She related that because of security and archival issues, it’s not possible for them to display even a fraction of their collection, but if objects could be scanned (and Structure Sensor can scan in color as well), then tour groups can interact with objects that aren’t actually there.

Additionally, Kintner expressed that a common challenge in fabricating exhibits is not knowing if something will easily fit, especially a problem when storage is offsite. An easy remedy is to digitally store all the physical information, including the complete 3D walkthrough of the museum, and then everything can be manipulated virtually.

Having hit the million-dollar pledge milestone a week ago, and with shipping scheduled to start in only a couple months, it’s clearly an exciting time for Occipital. Its Kickstarter launch was timed to overlap with the new iPad Air announcement. With the new iPad's processing speed expected to be twice as fast as the last, Structure Sensor will also be able to do more. Indeed, most of Occiptal's effort now is in refining the software.

A view of how the Structure Sensor attaches to an iPad

A view of how the Structure Sensor attaches to an iPad

Occipital’s previous apps filled a gap that most users didn’t even know existed yet, and the company hopes to be on the same edge with portable 3D scanning. Reddy commented that they chose Kickstarter with the expectation that users there would sense the potential in this technology. With Structure Sensor being the 10th highest grossing technology project ever, it’s clear that backers expect a lot and that Occipital has the potential to deliver.

Structure Sensor's Kickstarter campaign ends on November 1.

In the video below, watch as Occipital takes the Structure Sensor to Ripley's Believe It or Not and demonstrates some of the digital scanning techniques referred to above.

Share About the Author Heidi Hoopes Heidi measures her life with the motley things she's done in the name of scientific exploration. While formally educated in biology and chemistry, informally she learns from adventures and hobbies with her family. Her simple pleasures in life are finding turtles while jogging and obsessively winnowing through her genetic data.   All articles by Heidi Hoopes http://twitter.com/heidihoopes
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LivePicture puts green walls in the frame

A LivePicture frame bursting with color

Huge green walls like the installation at Edmonton Airport are certainly more visually arresting than a succession of dreary old framed prints, and are claimed to improve air quality, too. LivePicture from New York-based Suite Plants takes this living wall idea and downsizes it to fit in a frame that hangs on a wall like a painting.

LivePicture is described as high end, low maintenance living art. The mini garden in a frame was unveiled at the Plantscape Industry Expo in August, and comes in two versions. RemPlant (think Rembrandt – get it?) holds two plant cassettes, measures 44.3 x 28.5 in (112.5 x 72.4 cm), and has a dry weight of 33 lb (15 kg), which is bumped up to 77 lb (35 kg) with a full complement of plants and 4.5 gallons (17 liters) of water in the reservoir. The VanGrow model sports just one cassette, measures 28.5 x 28.5 in and tips the scales at 55 lb (25 kg) with a full load.

Powder-coated steel frames come in charcoal, silver or white.

Each interchangeable cassette is home to nine 4-inch plants, and can snap in or out of the powder-coated steel frame for a seasonal refresh, or to alter the mood of a room. Frames come in charcoal, silver or white.

"Plants are direct planted into our cassette. Inside the cassette is a synthetic soil media sponge and a cotton wick," the company's Amber Mufale tells Gizmag. "The end of the cotton wick hangs out of the cassette and hangs down into a water reservoir, which always stays about half full. There is a float ball inside the water reservoir that, when it drops, will open a lever to a reserve water tank and refill the water reservoir when the water level gets low. The wick pulls water up from that water reservoir and stays wet behind that solid media. The plants will root into the soil media and then pull the water forward from the cotton wick as needed."

Looking after the hanging gardens is said to be as easy as topping up the reservoir behind the frame every four to six weeks, and in addition to giving a new eye-catching focus to office, showroom, hotel, or restaurant walls, LivePicture frames can also help clean up the air. Suite Plants points to research funded by NASA which has found that indoor plants can play a significant role in the removal of toxic agents from the air.

The VanGrow version of LivePicture from Suite Plants

Invented and manufactured in Holland from recyclable materials by Mobilane, operating under the name of Suite Plants in the US, LivePicture is not sold direct to the public. The company wholesales to interior plantscapers and garden centers, who set the purchase price (a list of distributors is available on the company's website).

Source: Suite Plants

Share About the Author Paul Ridden While Paul is loath to reveal his age, he will admit to cutting his IT teeth on a TRS-80 (although he won't say which version). An obsessive fascination with computer technology blossomed from hobby into career before the desire for sunnier climes saw him wave a fond farewell to his native Blighty in favor of Bordeaux, France. He's now a dedicated newshound pursuing the latest bleeding edge tech for Gizmag.   All articles by Paul Ridden
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Android roi des ventes au 3e trimestre selon ABI Research
10/31/2013 12:23:38 PM

Les derniers chiffres d’ABI Research indiquent qu’Android continue son développement frénétique et gagne de plus en plus de terrain par rapport aux concurrents. Jusqu'où s'arrêtera la déferlante d'Android ? Le cabinet ABI Research vient de publier son rapport sur l'évolution du marché des téléphones mobiles pour la période de juillet à septembre. Au total, ce Lire la suite

 

Auchan Telecom : de nouvelles offres à partir de 3,99 euros par mois le 4 novembre
10/31/2013 11:50:50 AM

Après les offres de 4G, EI Télécom fait une nouvelle fois parler de lui. Cette fois-ci, il s’agit d’Auchan Telecom, le MVNO acquis en septembre par le groupe, qui renouvelle son offre de téléphonie mobile. L’opérateur dévoile toute une gamme de forfaits disponibles à partir du 4 novembre prochain. Auchan Telecom dévoile de nouvelles offres Lire la suite

 

Halloween Hunter, la chasse aux fantômes est ouverte
10/31/2013 1:33:32 PM

Studio 3wg sort sur le Play Store un jeu lié au calendrier. En effet, Halloween Hunter joue évidement sur le principe de la nuit de l’horreur. Dans Halloween Hunter, vous incarnez donc un chasseur de fantômes improvisé qui va lutter au milieu d’un cimetière contre une horde de créatures maléfiques. La BD au début du Lire la suite

 

Sony Xperia : 10 millions d'unités vendues au 3e trimestre et des résultats financiers en hausse
10/31/2013 12:57:49 PM

Sony publie ses derniers résultats financiers correspondant à son deuxième trimestre fiscal clos le 30 septembre dernier. Si la firme japonaise affiche des résultats globalement en baisse, elle bénéficie d’une division mobile sur la pente ascendante. L’accent mis sur les appareils Xperia, dans le milieu comme dans le haut de gamme, semble porter ses fruits. Lire la suite

 

Facebook en pleine forme au 3e trimestre grâce à la publicité sur mobile
10/31/2013 2:34:44 PM

Le réseau social le plus utilisé dans le monde a publié ses chiffres trimestriels, hausse de 60 % sur an, notamment grâce à la publicité mobile.  Facebook va mieux et le prouve en chiffre. Le réseau social de Mark Zuckerberg a publié ses résultats financiers du troisième trimestre de cette année. Le chiffre d'affaires enregistré Lire la suite

 

Nexus 5 : tout ce que l'on en sait à l'aube de son officialisation
10/31/2013 1:46:26 PM

Le Nexus 5 finira bien par être officialisé. Les indices distillés à droite, à gauche, les petits événements Google organisés ces derniers jours, les appareils – factices ou non – en fuite dans la nature ou chez des opérateurs, et des fiches techniques en pagaille : l’heure est au bilan. Voici ce que l’on sait, Lire la suite

 

Surfez sur votre musique dans le jeu Audionaut !
10/31/2013 3:34:54 PM

Jouer sur sa propre musique, beaucoup le font. Quand le jeu s’adapte, c’est mieux, s’est dit HorizonProductions, et voilà Audionaut qui débarque sur le Play Store. On ne va pas se mentir, il arrive souvent que la musique d’un jeu soit horripilante. Soit parce qu’on aime pas le style musical en question, soit parce qu’elle Lire la suite

 

Lenovo IdeaPad A10 : une vidéo de prise en main publiée par ARM
10/31/2013 3:03:15 PM

ARM vient de publier une vidéo de prise en main du PC double-mode de Lenovo. Baptisé IdeaPad A10, le terminal tourne sous Android 4.2 et embarque un processeur Cortex A9 à quatre cœurs.  Le Lenovo IdeaPad A10, présenté il y a dizaine de jours, fait cette fois-ci l’objet d’une rapide prise en main vidéo. Andrew Frame, Lire la suite

 

Le Nexus 5 est officiel et disponible en France
10/31/2013 6:20:33 PM

Nous l’attendions… le Nexus 5 est enfin officiel et disponible en France dès aujourd’hui. Pratiquement tout est confirmé : les prix, les caractéristiques et le design. Évidemment KitKat est au coeur (pas le chocolat heureusement) du smartphone qui est propulsé par un Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 cadencé à 2,3 GHz et 2 Go de RAM. L’écran Lire la suite

 

Le HTC One 2 (M8) : le premier smartphone à supporter Sense 6.0 ?
10/31/2013 6:07:23 PM

Evleaks, un des informateurs les plus influents de la toile dans le domaine de la mobilité, vient de publier un message concernant un certain HTC M8. Le mystérieux terminal serait le premier téléphone HTC à bénéficier de la mise à jour Sense 6. Alors que HTC a profité de la sortie du One MAx pour Lire la suite

 

Themer Beta est disponible sur le Play Store sans code d'activation
10/31/2013 4:38:21 PM

Themer Beta, l’application MyColorScreen de personnalisation, est maintenant totalement ouverte. Même si son arrivée sur le Play Store date déjà de quelques semaines, il est maintenant possible de l’installer sans code d’activation. Au total, 1,5 millions de thèmes ont déjà été installés. L’application bêta de Themer est maintenant disponible pour tous. Alors qu’il fallait jusque-là Lire la suite

 

Ingress bêta désormais accessible à tous sur Android
10/31/2013 3:58:56 PM

Ingress bêta abandonne l’exigence d’une invitation et s’ouvre à tous les joueurs dotés d’appareils Android. L'année dernière, Ingress Bêta ressemblait plus à un club de privilégié, pouvant jouer ensemble à un jeu de réalité augmentée et auquel il fallait absolument une invitation pour pouvoir y accéder. Eh bien sachez que visiblement Google et Niantic Labs Lire la suite

 

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Review: Grip & Shoot iPhone photography pistol grip

Gizmag tries out the Grip & Shoot

It was just a few months ago that we first saw the Grip & Shoot at CE Week in New York City. The device is a pistol grip attachment for the iPhone (4S and higher), allowing users to shoot stills and video one-handed, without having their fingers awkwardly splayed to reach the touchscreen controls. Its commercial launch has taken place since then, so I recently had the chance to try one out for myself.

The main Grip & Shoot unit has a plastic body, rubber grip panels on both sides, an index-finger switch to take photos or start/stop recording video, and two thumb switches to zoom in and out. The package also includes two polycarbonate phone cases (to fit the iPhone 4s or 5), that easily snap on and off of the main device's spring-loaded mount. Ordinarily you would keep the two parts together, although because the Grip & Shoot communicates with the phone via Bluetooth, you can also use it control the phone from a distance.

I started by downloading and opening the accompanying free app, which was quite straightforward. Pairing an iPhone 5 with it was also no problem.

The Grip & Shoot is a pistol grip attachment for the iPhone

Shooting stills was just as advertised. It was nice having a secure, ergonomic grip on the device, and it was convenient being able to shoot and zoom just using my finger and thumb.

Switching to video mode on the app screen was a little challenging – it looked like there was a slider that I was supposed to swipe between icons of a still camera and a video camera, yet I had to jab at it several times before it would switch modes. After contacting the company about the problem, I was told that users are actually just supposed to tap that part of the screen, and that the confusing slider-like display will be changed in an upcoming version of the app.

I also noticed that the zoom didn't work in video mode. The company informed me that this was because the digital zoom for video wasn't available in iOS6 when the app was created – again, that shouldn't be a problem once the app is updated. An Android app is on the way too, incidentally.

Built into the bottom of the grip is a detachable tool that allows the case-clad phone to be mounted on a tripod or simply set on a flat surface, then operated remotely using the main device. It also allows for the use of third-party phone cases or other accessories. I tried using it on a tripod, and it worked fine.

The Grip & Shoot app screen

Given that the two app issues are apparently being resolved, I only had a couple of small-ish issues with the Grip & Shoot. One of those is the fact that it does feel a little insubstantial and plasticy, given its US$99.95 price tag. In particular, the eject switch for the tripod attachment rattled around whenever I moved it.

Additionally, it doesn't have a power switch. Instead, you just press any of its control buttons to "wake it up." While this does make things simple, I can see it being unnecessarily woken up quite often if it were just thrown in a handbag. That said, to be fair, it does come with an included leather carrying case. Additionally, its coin cell battery is said to be good for over 10,000 button presses, so a little extra time spent powered up probably won't account for much.

All in all, I'd say that the Grip & Shoot is worth its rather ambitious price if you take a lot of photos or videos, and you remember to update the app once it's improved. More information on the device can be found in the video below.

Product page: Grip & Shoot

Share About the Author Ben Coxworth An experienced freelance writer, videographer and television producer, Ben's interest in all forms of innovation is particularly fanatical when it comes to human-powered transportation, film-making gear, environmentally-friendly technologies and anything that's designed to go underwater. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta, where he spends a lot of time going over the handlebars of his mountain bike, hanging out in off-leash parks, and wishing the Pacific Ocean wasn't so far away.   All articles by Ben Coxworth http://twitter.com/bencoxworth
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Flexrotor UAV autonomously launches and lands aboard unmanned skiff ... twice

The Flexrotor UAV takes off autonomously from the skiff

The Flexrotor UAV takes off autonomously from the skiff

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Northrop Grumman's X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) may have grabbed headlines earlier this year with its first launches from and landings aboard an aircraft carrier, but Aerovel Corporation has completed an equally impressive launch, flight and landing of its Flexrotor UAV from a somewhat smaller carrier. And in this case, not only was the aircraft unmanned, so was the boat.

In what Aerovel believes is a world first, a 20-kg (44-lb) Flexrotor UAV launched from a remotely-controlled, 4-m (13-ft) skiff, starting its flight as a helicopter before transitioning to wing-borne flight and capturing images of the skiff while flying at both low and high speeds. The aircraft then transitioned back to helicopter flight mode and descended before being autonomously retrieved aboard the skiff.

The Flexrotor taking off for its second flight after refueling - the propeller appears ben...

You might think that would be cause enough for the Flexrotor to down tools and call it a day, but the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft wasn't done yet. After touching down and shutting off, the Flexrotor was automatically refueled before starting up and going through the whole process again. After the completion of the second flight, the aircraft was finally secured in a docking station aboard the skiff that then brought it back to shore.

The Flexrotor has a wingspan of 3 m (9.8 ft) and boasts two-day endurance capabilities that give it a range of over 3,000 km (1,865 mi). Aerovel says the autonomy demonstrated by the successful operation paves the way for the miniature robotic aircraft to economically perform civil operations on land and at sea. These include geological survey, weather reconnaissance, fishery surveillance, environmental monitoring, and offshore patrol.

The successful flight test, including the refueling, can be seen in the following video.

Source: ASDNews, Aerovel

Share About the Author Darren Quick Darren's love of technology started in primary school with a Nintendo Game & Watch Donkey Kong (still functioning) and a Commodore VIC 20 computer (not still functioning). In high school he upgraded to a 286 PC, and he's been following Moore's law ever since. This love of technology continued through a number of university courses and crappy jobs until 2008, when his interests found a home at Gizmag.   All articles by Darren Quick
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Double Dragon Trilogy est annoncé sur Android (et iOS)
10/30/2013 6:40:48 PM

Le standard des années 1980 et 1990 se fraye un chemin jusqu’aux plateformes mobiles. Le beat ‘em all Double Dragon, initialement lancé sur des bornes d’arcades puis sur plusieurs consoles de jeux, arrivera bientôt sous forme de trilogie sur le Play Store, mais aussi sur l’App Store d’Apple. C’est à DotEmu, bien connu pour ses Lire la suite

 

Camera Mute : coupez le son du déclencheur de votre appareil photo (smartphones Samsung, LG, Lenovo, Huawei)
10/31/2013 11:28:30 AM

Vous ne pouvez pas prendre une photo sans vous faire remarquer dans la rue et vous en avez assez d’entendre le son du déclencheur de votre appareil photo qu’il vous est impossible de couper ? Sachez qu’une nouvelle application dénommée Camera Mute, développée par Providence, vous permettra de pallier ce problème de son récurrent d’un Lire la suite

 

Une nouvelle version de Facebook Messenger pour Android actuellement en test
10/31/2013 10:50:26 AM

Facebook a annoncé préparer une nouvelle application Messenger consacrée à la discussion instantanée. Avec une interface améliorée, le logiciel devrait permettre de communiquer avec des personnes ne faisant pas partie de vos contacts sur le réseau social. Ce mardi, le réseau social au milliard d’utilisateurs a annoncé débuter le test d’une nouvelle application Facebook Messenger Lire la suite

 

Android 4.4 : 17 applications seront mises à jour sur KitKat
10/31/2013 10:32:00 AM

À ce jour, on ne compte clairement plus le nombre de rumeurs qui apparaissent chaque jour sur le Web autour du célèbre système d’exploitation Android de Google. Mais il se pourrait bien que l’une de ces rumeurs donne un léger avant-goût des nouveautés d’Android 4.4 qui s’annonce d’ores et déjà comme une véritable version majeure Lire la suite

 

Android 4.4 KitKat compatible avec les terminaux d'entrée de gamme et les gadgets connectés
10/31/2013 10:04:28 AM

Android 4.4 KitKat serait optimisé pour fonctionner sur des appareils d’entrée de gamme ainsi que sur les wearable devices, selon un document envoyé aux fabricants de terminaux Android et intercepté par Amir Efrati. Et une rumeur de plus pour Android 4.4 KitKat, la future version de l'OS de Google. Dans un document consulté par Amir Lire la suite

 

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World View Enterprises near-space balloon flights to begin in 2016

Artist's concept of the World View balloon capsule in flight (Photo: World View Enterprise...

Artist's concept of the World View balloon capsule in flight (Photo: World View Enterprises)

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The newest entry in the fledgling space (or near-space) tourism sector will see passengers take a balloon ride to an altitude of 30 km (18.6 mi) from where they will be treated to a spectacular view of the Earth. World View Enterprises has now obtained US Federal Aviation Administration approval for its proposed balloon experiences, which will cost US$75,000, and are projected to begin in 2016.

A mere ten years elapsed between the first demonstration of controlled powered manned flight and the first commercial passenger air route. Those of us around at the beginning of the Space Age expected (perhaps naively) a rather rapid transition to orbital hotels and flourishing bases or colonies on the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere in the Solar System.

Instead, nearly 70 years have passed without making much visible progress toward such a future. As a result, people are seeking something to give them a taste of space. While these sub-orbital offerings won't actually get you into space, which is defined as being 100 km (62 mi) from the Earth's surface, they may well satisfy these longings.

Enter World View Enterprises, a start-up company based in Tucson, Arizona that is trying to strike a new balance to entice space enthusiasts into the fold of space tourism. The company hopes that very its high altitude balloon flights will press enough of the right buttons that space-hungry enthusiasts will pony up $75K for a ride.

The World View balloon capsule will be treated as a space vehicle by the FAA (Photo: World...

Aiming at an altitude of 30 km (19 mi, or just under 100,000 ft), two pilots and up to six passengers will enter a pressurized, shirt-sleeve environment capsule, which appears from the concept pictures to be a horizontal cylinder about 3 m in diameter and about 6 m in length.

The World View balloon at altitude, where a black sky and a curved horizon can be plainly ...

The capsule is deployed below a parasail (used for recovery), with the pair hanging from a 400,000 cubic meter (14 million cu ft) helium balloon, which provides the lift needed to bring the capsule and its occupants to the desired 30 km altitude. The initial helium fill requires about 5000 cubic meters, costing about $50-60,000. The surface area of the balloon is about 25 acres (100,000 sq m), but as the high-density polyethylene is only about 20 microns (just under 0.001 in) in thickness, its total weight is around two tons.

The US Federal Aviation Administration has determined that the engineering and environmental challenges facing the pressurized capsule are essentially the same as those met in low-earth orbit. They are requiring that the capsule be designed and tested as if it were going to have long-term exposure in space, although it is never intended to operate at altitudes much above 30 km. It will not, however, have to follow the rules and procedures governing launch of suborbital rockets, as, in the FAA representative's perceptive words, "the World View capsule is not a rocket."

The design has a safety factor of 1.4, the same as that required of manned space systems. This is one of the largest helium balloons ever used for human flight, although it's just half the size of the Red Bull balloon from which Felix Baumgartner made his record-setting supersonic skydive.

The World View balloon capsule lifts free of Earth (Photo: World View Enterprises)

The flight itself is projected to last about four hours. Ascent to the 30 km target altitude is estimated to take 1.5-2 hours. The capsule will remain at altitude for about two hours, during which time the semi-space tourists will be free to move about the cabin and take in the view. Unfortunately, they will not experience weightlessness during this period.

The first step in returning the capsule to the surface is to cut away the balloon. This does produce a period of weightlessness (and likely a bit of terror), but passengers will breathe again once the capsule gains enough speed that the parafoil can provide sufficient lift to keep the descent of the capsule under control. The capsule lands as a paraglider, deploying a set of skids upon which to land.

As a physicist who did his Ph.D. thesis on low temperature physics, I have to comment on throwing away the helium with the balloon. Helium is a non-renewable resource whose origins are in the alpha decay of uranium and thorium and their decay products within the Earth's crust. Some of this helium eventually diffuses into underground cavities containing petroleum and natural gas, from which the helium can be extracted by fractional diffusion.

The problem is that no mechanism exists to replenish our accessible sources of helium in less than geological time frames, so we have to be careful to husband our limited supplies. Ultimately the market will render wasting helium uneconomical, but that date is not likely to be greatly affected by high altitude balloon flights.

The World View capsule awaits launch (Photo: World View Enterprises)

All in all, the balloon ride being suggested by World View does appear to hit many of the key points, such as seeing black sky and the curvature of the Earth, that may add up to an experience that's almost as good as being in space. However, it misses the key bragging right, a set of astronaut's wings, not by a mile, but by about 43 of them. Will enough passengers still line up for an amazing day's flight that costs a startling $75K? Time will tell, but I have my doubts. Regardless, the World View video below is amazing.

Source: World View Enterprises

Share About the Author Brian Dodson From an early age Brian wanted to become a scientist. He did, earning a Ph.D. in physics and embarking on an R&D career which has recently broken the 40th anniversary. What he didn't expect was that along the way he would become a patent agent, a rocket scientist, a gourmet cook, a biotech entrepreneur, an opera tenor and a science writer.   All articles by Brian Dodson
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mercredi 30 octobre 2013

Luxury catamaran concept features glass-bottom master bedroom

Picchio Boat is a luxury catamaran concept which boasts a glass-bottom master bedroom

Picchio Boat is a luxury catamaran concept which boasts a glass-bottom master bedroom

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Yacht designer Christian Grande has joined forces with award winning Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino to come up with a "dream" boat design. Dubbed Picchio Boat (Woodpecker Boat), the luxury catamaran concept boasts large living zones, natural wooden decking, luxury furnishings and a stunning glass-bottom master bedroom.

The 21-m (71-ft) craft is conceptualized to be more of a floating holiday home than your standard catamaran. With the desire to create a boat that can comfortably accommodate a young family for long periods of time, the Picchio Boat features a large rooftop deck with kitchenette, large outdoor and indoor living zones, indoor dining room, kitchen, guest bedrooms and a fully equipped master bedroom. What's more the indoor master bedroom and main living area also feature stunning glass-bottom flooring, hovering over the sea.

Fully equipped master bedroom with a glass-bottom floor

In addition, the catamaran includes customized features such as high bulwarks, removable canvas sun protectors, two vertical garden walls, a large children's play room with foldaway berths and sofas and two guest suites with private ensuites.

The Picchio Boat is a "sort of recreational island to be lived [in], without any need to show or boast it," says Christian Grande.

There's been no word on the expected cost to create the Picchio Boat or whether it's likely to be built.

Source: Picchio Boat and Christian Grande

Share About the Author Bridget Borgobello Bridget is an experienced freelance writer, presenter and performer with a keen eye for innovative design and a passion for green technology. Australian born, Bridget currently resides in Rome and when not scribbling for Gizmag, she spends her time developing new web series content and independent cinema.   All articles by Bridget Borgobello
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Astronomers discover the most distant known galaxy

An artist's rendition of the newly-discovered z8-GND-5296 galaxy (Image: UCR/NASA)

An artist's rendition of the newly-discovered z8-GND-5296 galaxy (Image: UCR/NASA)

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Astronomers at UC Riverside have combined observations from space and ground telescopes to discover what they say is the oldest known galaxy with a precisely measured distance, seen as it was just 700 million years after the Big Bang.

The astronomers started their search from the database of about 100,000 galaxies collected for the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Galactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS), a project that was granted close to 900 hours of observation time on the Hubble Space Telescope.

After selecting 43 galaxy candidates, the scientists put to use the new MOSFIRE instrument for the Keck ground telescope in Hawaii, which was designed to be extremely sensitive to infrared light (allowing precise measurements of the redshift) and to target multiple celestial objects at the same time.

Astronomers Steven Finkelstein and colleagues narrowed down their search to 43 galaxy candidates and, thanks to the new instrument, were able to obtain higher-quality observations than ever before.

This image from the Hubble Space Telescope CANDELS survey highlights the most distant gala...

The team found that the galaxy z8-GND-5296, which we see as it was just 700 million years after the beginning of the Universe, appears to be forming new stars at a very high pace, producing about 330 times the mass of the Sun every year. This is in line with other very early galaxies that astronomers have found (by contrast, our much older Milky Way only produces two to three stars a year).

Astronomers have claimed to have discovered even earlier galaxies, but this finding was unique because it was the first time that the distance could be confirmed through high-precision spectroscopy.

While redshift is perhaps a very common way of judging the distance of celestial objects, astronomers can perform more accurate measurements by analyzing their hydrogen signature. In the most distant known galaxies, the hydrogen appears to be in a neutral state, which makes them much harder to detect. However, the ionized hydrogen signature in GND-5296 allowed the scientists to confirm their finding for the first time for a galaxy of this epoch.

Out of all the 43 candidates, GND-5296 was the only one with ionized hydrogen in its surroundings, while the others, all in its neighborhood, seem to contain hydrogen only at its neutral state. This suggests that the researchers have stumbled upon an area of great interest in which the transition from neutral to ionized hydrogen is just beginning to occur.

The astronomers didn't expect to be able to detect such a distant galaxy in their survey of a relatively small size, which suggests that the early Universe could have seen much larger numbers of young and highly active galaxies than previously thought.

The next generation of very large ground-based telescopes (which includes the Thirty Meter Telescope and the Giant Magellan Telescope, both to be completed by the end of the decade) is expected to help astronomers study these very distant celestial bodies in much greater detail.

The astronomers describe the finding in a recent issue of the journal Nature.

Source: UC Riverside

Share About the Author Dario Borghino Dario studied software engineering at the Polytechnic University of Turin. When he isn't writing for Gizmag he is usually traveling the world on a whim, working on an AI-guided automated trading system, or chasing his dream to become the next European thumbwrestling champion.   All articles by Dario Borghino
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