Touchscreen interface for seamless data transfer between the real and virtual worlds

Deutsch: Logo von Fujitsu (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In a video presentation (above), we see how one can manipulate data on a piece of paper: by using finger gestures, you can copy an image or a text excerpt and store it into memory. 
Besides flat surfaces, the technology also works on curved or uneven ones, so one can easily manipulate data from a book. 
Though the technology is still at the "demonstration level," researchers at Fujitsu plan to develop a commercial version of the system by fiscal 2014. 
Check out the video above and tell us how'd you use this technology in the comments. 
Image courtesy of YouTube / DigInfo
keep up with the newest technologies and contemplate about how these will be used in the future. On this blog I'll share my thoughts about the future of technology, based on the high Tech RoadShow inventions of today. Enhanced by Zemanta
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We're quickly getting used to the fact that computer, smartphone and tablet screens are meant to be touched — but what about paper?

Fujitsu has developed a technology that detects objects your finger is touching in the real world, effectively turning any surface — a piece of paper, for example — into a touchscreen, DigInfo reports.

"This system doesn't use any special hardware; it consists of just a device like an ordinary webcam, plus a commercial projector. Its capabilities are achieved by image processing technology," explains Taichi Murase, a researcher at Fujitsu's Media Service System Lab.

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Terrafugia TF-X : Your Personal Flying Car start selling in the early 2020s

 It's 2013. Where's my flying car? Answer: about eight years away.

Terrafugia is a Massachusetts company previously best known for the Transition, which is best described as a plane you can drive. Its wings fold up, meaning pilots can drive it off the runway and straight home. Which is great for pilots, but what about the rest of us?

Now Terrafugia is working on a full-on futuristic flying car, the TF-X, which it expects to start selling in the early 2020s. Think of it as a cross between a Google self-driving car , a helicopter and a plane. The carbon-fiber vehicle takes off vertically, right from your driveway (presuming you have 100 ft of clearance), using electric-powered rotor blades mounted on each side.

Once in the air, the rotor blades drop and a rear-mounted gas engine takes over. In normal weather, the computer lands for you, though you have a parachute as a backup — just in case you encounter any HAL-style situations. Its range: 500 miles.

The concept behind the TF-X is that it puts as much of the process as possible on autopilot; as much as your average commercial jetliner, if not more. "Learning how to safely operate a TF-X vehicle should take an average driver no more than five hours," the company claims.

How about the cost? Terrafugia isn't announcing that until it gets closer to production, though it does make this bold claim: "With investment in automotive scale production, early studies indicate that it is possible that the final price point could be on-par with very high-end luxury cars."

Now for the obligatory note of skepticism: we'll believe in the TF-X when we see the Transition. I covered the company back when it was founded out of MIT in 2006; back then, they told me we'd see the drivable plane on sale by 2010. (It completed its first test flight in 2012; watch it unfold its wings here .)

Currently, the company estimates it will start shipping the $270,000 Transition to eager customers in 2015. If they sell well, it will increase the likelihood of the TF-X becoming a reality.

Still, it's a beautiful concept. Memo to Google : if you're serious about changing the future of transportation, you could do worse than to snap up this startup.

 
                     

The Massachusetts-based firm Terrafugia has announced its Transition design, which is part sedan, part private jet with two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car, will be on sale in less than two years. They have also unveiled plans for a TF-X model that will be small enough to fit in a garage, and won’t need a runway to take off. Motorised rotors attached to the wings of the TF-X make it possible to take off from standing still. This means cars could switch from driving to flying when they encounter traffic. However, the wingspan requires a diameter of 100 feet to do so. Take a look!

 
Introducing TF-X: Terrafugia's Vision for the Future of Personal Transportation

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Maybe I’ve just watched “Back to the Future” too many times but the latest design from Ma.-based Terrafugia, the maker of flying aircrafts that also work as cars, looks like all that’s missing is Doc and some plutonium. The next-gen TF-X will be a street legal plug-in hybrid car that has collapsible wings, retractable propellers, and is capable of driving and flying on its own in the event of an emergency.
Flying Car Gets FAA Approval
When I talked to Terrafugia co-founder and CEO Carl Dietrich about the highly anticipated Transition, Terrafugia first street legal plane, four years ago, Dietrich said the fuel-efficient vehicle promised to both revitalize under-utilized regional airports and alleviate traffic congestion (video).
Just getting on a commercial airplane is tough enough these days, so it’s no surprise that Terrafugia has taken so long to navigate regulatory hurdles. Earlier this year, it cleared a major one when the FAA classified the Transition as a Light-Sport Aircraft, which means drivers don’t need a pilot’s license, just FAA certification in this category. While the company has been working on getting the Transition in the air, Terrafugia hasn’t stopped designing.
That’s where the TF-X plan comes in. Unlike the two-seater Transition, this new street-legal aircraft will seat four and run on electricity. That means the engine will recharge the batteries in the air or it could be plugged into a charging station on the ground. According to Terrafugia, the vehicle will also have electric ground drive and electric power assist for takeoff and landing.
Other cool features include retractable wings and the propellers that open from two motor pods. Initially the propellers point up for takeoff, then the motor pods tilt forward until the vehicle cruises and after that the propellers can fold in. The TF-X will have a non-stop flight range of at least 500 miles, and is expected to be able to automatically avoid other air traffic, bad weather, and restricted and tower-controlled airspace, according to the website, as well as implement an emergency auto-land at the nearest airport, if the operator became unresponsive. See more details in the Youtube video.
The vehicle will also have extensive safety features such as a parachute system to prevent it from crashing horribly should something go seriously wrong. Terrafugia indicated that learning how to safely operate the TF-X will take the average person five hours; a light-sport aircraft certification takes an additional 20 hours.
Dutch ‘Flying Car’ Takes to the Skies
Before you get your hopes up, the TF-X will likely be in development for eight to 12 years and cost way, way more than a new car. According to the company, Transition owners will have the first shot at purchasing these vehicles when they do get produced. Nevertheless, I look forward to the day when we hear drivers turn to their passengers and say, “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”
 

keep up with the newest technologies and contemplate about how these will be used in the future. On this blog I'll share my thoughts about the future of technology, based on the high Tech RoadShow inventions of today. Enhanced by Zemanta

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New Apple Patent Application Describes Flexible iWatch

Stan Schroeder5 hours ago

A patent application from Apple outlines a device with a flexible screen worn on your wrist, adding fuel to the recent iWatch rumors.
The patent application describes a "wearable accessory device" which "includes a flexible display coupled to a bi-stable spring."
If that sounds vague, Apple was kind enough to explain that it's actually talking about a "slap wrap" type of bracelet.
While not exactly a wristwatch, the bracelet could show all sorts of info on its flexible screen — including that of the temporal variety — but Apple also has a couple of novelty ideas for the device.
These include a "a sensor for detecting a change between the flat state and the curled state of the bi-stable spring substrate," a "kinetic energy gathering component" as well as "recharging a battery housed within the accessory device by way of a plurality of ambient light energy collectors disposed across a portion of one surface of the accessory device."
All in all, we're looking at a very exciting gadget; however, the way from a patent application to an actual product is long and thorny, and we can't say for sure when (if ever) such a device might actually be on sale in Apple stores.
Graphic courtesy of Yrving Torrealba

keep up with the newest technologies and contemplate about how these will be used in the future. On this blog I'll share my thoughts about the future of technology, based on the
 high Tech RoadShow inventions of today.

High Tech Roadshow | #2Tagnl
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Nokia Windows Phone 7 Concept Phone Revealed

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 05: Nokia Chief Executive Stephen Elop (R) stands with Steve Ballmer, Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, during the introduction of the new Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 Windows smartphones on September 5, 2012 in New York City. The new Nokia phones are the first smartphones built for Windows 8. Analysts see the new phones as Nokia's last chance to compete with fellow technology companies Apple and Samsung in the lucrative smartphone market. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Image via CrunchBase

Just look at what we’ve got for Microsoft and Nokia users. You all are really shocked to know that we’ve got someprototype images of the next generation Nokia phones with Microsoft Windows Phone 7 as their software OS. Continue Reading to know the details and see the leaked images as well: These images of next generation Nokia phones was first posted by Engadget, however, these prototype images are just the conceptual pictures and it doesn’t mean at all that next generation Nokia phones will be like the same design but most probably somewhat related designs.

The best part in this whole story is that Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer confirmed that the engineers of both the companies i.e., Nokia and Microsoft have spent a lot of time on cooking something delicious … like this. So, we can say that the next generation Nokia phones might look like the design shown above.

Now what do you say about this leaked screenshot?

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Now Anyone Can Sync Google Docs & Microsoft Office

Google just made it easier for people to collaborate with each other using Microsoft Office by officially launchingGoogle Cloud Connect Thursday.

The service, which has been in beta since November, is now available to all and uses Google’s vast cloud to store and synchronize any Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Excel document.

If you have Microsoft Office, using Google Cloud Connect is as easy as downloading a plug-in, installing it and then seeing a toolbar at the top of your Office application.

After your authorization, Cloud Connect saves a copy of your document online and lets you share it with anyone you choose via an e-mail address. The recipients clicks on the shared link and the file opens in Google Docs. At that point, they can download the document and work on it in Microsoft Word. When they make changes, the edits show up on the original document, too.

Documents can be edited in either Google Docs or Microsoft Office, and whoever is collaborating with you does not need to own Microsoft Office to edit those documents and synchronize the files with each other. It would seem that Google is using this free and convenient plug-in as a lure for those who might be tempted to use Google Docs instead of Microsoft Office.

Although the service was synching slowly when we tested it this morning (probably because of everyone who wanted to try the new service), it worked well and kept a Word document up to date on both PCs. Its file synchronization isn’t as immediate as the live typing of the now-defunct Google Wave, but it's still able to sync documents efficiently.

Here’s a video showing how the system works, and be sure to see the additional demo videos Google released on its blog today:

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