Vision

LUCIFER was developed through a partnership between several research groups in Germany, the US and Italy

The world’s largest optical telescope is about to get a lot better, thanks to LUCIFER - a new near-infrared camera/spectrograph system being added to the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) on Mt. Graham in south-eastern Arizona. The telescope has been in development for over a decade, and is now ready to offer astronomers “spectacular insights into the universe, from the Milky Way up to extremely distant galaxies.”Read More

GM uses the entire windshield as a heads-up display

GM’s latest heads-up display (HUD) project uses the entire windshield as a display. Small ultraviolet lasers project data gleaned from sensors and cameras onto the glass. General Motors techs are working with researchers from several universities to develop a system that integrates night vision, navigation and on-board cameras to improve our ability to see — and avoid — problems, particularly in adverse conditions like fog.Read More

Texas Instruments introduces a new chipset that promises High-Def 3D - without wearing the ridiculous glasses

Texas Instruments showed off a tablet-sized device with a 3D display that doesn't require glasses, running on an existing TI OMAP3 chipset. The company also promised high-def, 3D movies with its new OMAP4 chips.Read More

French artist Michel de Broin built a massive disco ball that measures 23.5 foot in diameter and contains a whopping 1,000 individual mirrors. Then he attached the sphere to a 165-foot crane and suspended it in the Jardin du Luxembourg during the Nuit Blanche event in Paris.

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Infrared Cameras at Tokyo’s Narita Airport Are Designed to Spot People With Fevers

At the arrival terminal of Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, right before the passport check-in desk, you’ll walk past a small station like this. It’s an infrared camera, a part of Japan’s ongoing war on germs, designed to spot people with fevers.Read More

Sophisticated mind-reading scanners may soon be a part of airport security

Security experts say that a new approach to airport security involves using mind-reading scanners to determine the travelers intentions. One such mind-reading scanner, produced by WeCU Technology, is already in development.

The device uses images projected onto airport security screens that only a terrorist would likely recognize.Read More

Insurgents Hack Predator Video Feed With $26 Software

The use of drone aircraft for surveillance and bombing has transformed how the US wages war -- a fact not lost on our cunning adversaries. Rather than just sit around, waiting for the next Predator missile strike, insurgents in Iraq have devised a way to intercept the video feed from drone sensors, giving them the same view as the drone's operator. And they did it with a $26 piece of off-the-shelf software.Read More

Automated pellet gun turret with motorized base and camera-based aiming

Project Thunderbird is an automated predator and pest control system. It consists of a pellet gun mounted on a motorized base. A 60x zoom camera with cross-hairs superimposed on the picture allows the shooter to accurately line up each shot.Read More

With some surplus items and a few digital cameras, just about anyone can build their own high-speed book scanner at a cost of $300 or less. Continue reading for a video demonstration.Read More

New blackjack table virtually deals the cards to the players

The face of the gambling industry is set to change with the advent of a prototype device that works as an automated Blackjack table. The new device has been designed by Moto Development Group and features multitouch controls along with artificial intelligence that is expected to reduce the scope of cheating in the game.

The automated machine is capable of handling Blackjack and Texas hold’em, and was been developed for the 2010 Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas.Read More