This post originally appeared on the SkillStorm blog: www.skillstorm.com/blog

Virtual Glasses Bring Websites Right to You

Sources: PSFK; Gadget Review

Image courtesy of PSFK
They may look like the sunglasses that older adults who wear over their glasses, but they’re actually wearable micro-projectors. Unlike other video glasses, the Epson Moverio BT-100 are see-through, so you’ll be able to view what’s happening around you while scanning images, streaming videos or viewing the web.

They come with 1GB of built-in memory and a 32GB memory card. And the good news for Andriod users, these glasses connect to Android devices and come with a WI-FI enabled controller that’s compatible with various file formats, multimedia, browsers and even 3-D content. But the sticker price for these glasses is pretty steep at around $700.

Anna Jen, director of New Business Development, Epson America said, “The Moverio BT-100 see-through display is poised to significantly impact not only the way people interact with content for personal enjoyment, but the development of content for future applications – from virtual training platforms to a new way to interact with 3D CAD environments to visualizing 3D design renderings.”

For training professionals this opens the door to a whole new world of learning. For those who dread role playing, training could transform into an interactive simulation. How cool is that!

Charge Your Phone Simply By Walking Around The Block

image courtesy of Wake Forest University and Graduate student Corey Hewitt
Not too long ago Fisher-Price came out with a ‘physical learning arcade system’. The gaming system was an all-in-one stationary bike, video game console and professed, education tool. Some adult laughed at the notion, while others applauded it as an early intervention to reduce childhood obesity.

Now it seems that nanotechnology researchers at Wake Forest University might have come up with a way for you to power up your smartphone by means of a little exercise. According to researchers, there’s a lot of wasted heat produced by our bodies that could be harnessed by nanotubes. Enter the Power Felt, a strip of material you would attach to your body and use to charge your phone, flashlights, radios or possibly other technologies.

While still in the early stages of testing, the Power Felt is not yet available for purchase. But the science behind it has researchers excited by the possibilities. When reversed, the nanotubes could be powered to move heat away, producing a cooling effect.

The idea of exercising to use your phone maybe a hard sell for some, but in cases of emergency, it just might be a very practical way to call for help.

Source: CNN.com; Wake Forest University

The next wave of technological advancements – Singularity?

What do the movies Blade Runner, Terminator 3 and Matrix all have in common? The main characters use some form of nanotechnology for their super-human strength. Nanotechnology, once thought to be the stuff of sci-fi movies, is closer to a reality than you might think, at least according to futurist and inventor, Ray Kurzwell.

Kurzwell, the author of Singularity is Near spoke at this year’s South By Southwest Interactive conference, thinks that the speed of technological advancement is so rapid, “that previously unimaginable inventions will be a reality within decades.”

As nanotechnology, computers the size of molecules, continues to evolve, it might not be that long before the lines of human intelligence and artificial intelligence really do move closer to singularity. Then instead of carrying our technology, we wear it or carry it within us. For some, the possibilities for this type of technological advancement are exciting, especially as it pertain to medical advancement. For others, especially those who watched too many sci-fi movies, the fear that computer intelligence could dominate humans may make these advancements scary.

Today, we can talk to our technology using natural language. What would you like to see tomorrow’s technological breakthrough might be?

Source: CNN.com, singularity.com

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