Developages - Development and Technology Blog

46-year-old Wu Yulu has only a basic school education but has managed to build himself 26 robots from scrap materials over the past 30 years. At first his creations were simple and could barely shuffle along by themselves. The robots got more complex as time passed, and eventually he built ones capable of climbing walls, serving water, lighting cigarettes, playing musical instruments and writing calligraphy. “When I was 11, one day I was sitting on the doorstep, and while watching villagers passing by I suddenly came up with the idea of building a machine that walks like a man,” he told the Beijing Times.

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Original post by samzenpus

An anonymous reader writes “BBC News and CNET Cutting Edge are reporting on a new play starring at Osaka University, in which two Mitsubishi Wakamaru robots interact with human actors and move around the stage. Named “Hataraku Watashi” (”I, Worker”), the play is authored by Oriza Hirata, a renowned playwright. It focuses on a robot who complains about his boring and demeaning jobs.”

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Original post by CmdrTaco

ubermiester writes “The New York Times reports on research to develop autonomous battlefield robots that would ‘behave more ethically in the battlefield than humans.’ The researchers claim that these real-life terminators ‘can be designed without an instinct for self-preservation and, as a result, no tendency to lash out in fear. They can be built without anger or recklessness… and they can be made invulnerable to… “scenario fulfillment,” which causes people to absorb new information more easily if it agrees with their pre-existing ideas.’ Based on a recent report stating that ‘fewer than half of soldiers and marines serving in Iraq said that noncombatants should be treated with dignity and respect, and 17 percent said all civilians should be treated as insurgents,’ this might not be all that dumb an idea.”

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Original post by kdawson

DeviceGuru writes “Claiming that service-class robots will one day be pervasive, researchers at the University of the West of England’s Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) have begun investigating ways to make robots seem more human. As part of a project to enhance robot/human relationships, BRL has created a robotic head that can exhibit emotions, based on both verbal and non-verbal queues. Check out the videos in the article — especially the slightly creepy one in which the robot contemplates its purpose and its relationship to its environment.”

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Original post by timothy

Filed under: Household

It’s a shame that the amazing always becomes ordinary given enough time and popular exposure. Case in point: the x-ray. Childhood longings to possess such visual power are ultimately replaced by painful memories of leaden-concealed trips to the emergency room. Until this, the X-Ray Light from designer Wonsuk Cho. A whimsical look through the lampshade for eyes eager to see. Unfortunately, these lampshade / lights aren’t yet available to purchase — another dream dashed by cruel reality.

[Via Technabob]

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Vonage lays down the smackdown for Skype’s refusal to adhere to Ofcom rules, an independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries. Last month, Ofcom introduced rules mandating access to emergency services (999 in the United Kingdom) for VoIP providers whose customers make calls that connect to the public switched service.  The rules also specify that caller address information is to be made available to emergency services so that, as far as possible, emergency service operators know where a call is originating from. 

Vonage points out that since it started offering services in the UK in 2005 that all Vonage customers have been able to dial 999.  Vonage also makes available caller address information (CallerID) to emergency operators.

According to Vonage, “Skype is choosing to flout the new rules by claiming that they do not apply and that they could be harmful to public safety. Skype In and Skype Out services offer their customers calls that connect to the public switched service and are therefore caught by Ofcom’s new rules.” Vonage added, “Skype’s statement that compliance could be harmful to public safety is in Vonage’s view an abdication of social responsibility - especially when you consider that the telephone provided by Skype is designed to resemble a regular telephone.  To deny consumers the ability to dial 999 is socially irresponsible and potentially very harmful.”

Vincent Potier, Managing Director of Vonage UK comments: “This is an absurd position.  How can refusing to allow customers to dial 999 in cases of emergency ever be in the interests of public safety?  It is Skype that is causing harm to public safety, not Ofcom.”     

So who’s right? Is Vonage simply making a stink to drum up some free publicity by attacking the #1 popular VoIP application? Is Vonage attacking Skype because Skype has millions more customers? Let’s examine. First off, Ofcom explained that research revealed that as many as 78% of VoIP users who cannot use their service to call 999 thought they could, or did not know whether they could. As such, Ofcom set out to propose guidelines for 999 to ensure VoIP users were aware if they could or could not dial 999.

Ofcom stated in their rules, requiring only certain types of VoIP service providers to allow users to call 999 by early 2008. In Ofcom’s list of VoIP service provider types it would appear that ̢P apps, such as Skype is specifically EXCLUDED. However, Skype also falls under another VoIP type, ‘VoIP Out′ services, which would make them fall under Ofcom guideliness.

In March 2007, Ofcom put in place a code of practice that requires all VoIP providers to make it clear to consumers whether or not their service includes access to emergency services. From this code of practice statement, it does seem clear that Ofcom is asking Skype to at least make it clear to their customers that you cannot dial 999 using SkypeOut and expect emergency services to work.

Let me break out the four main types of VoIP services according to Ofcom’s definition:

• ‘Peer-to-peer’ services that make and receive calls to other PCs and connected devices (Type 1);
• ‘VoIP Out’ services which allow users to make calls to ordinary phone numbers but not receive them (Type 2);
• ‘VoIP In′ services which allow users to receive calls from ordinary phone numbers but not make them (Type 3); and
• Full-service VoIP which allows users to make and receive calls to and from ordinary phone numbers (Type 4).

Under Ofcom’s proposals, providers of types 2 and 4 services would be required to offer access to emergency services. Most Skype users fall under Type 1 (P2P), so in these cases, Skype must at least make it clear to their customers that 999 emergency dialing is not available.

However, many Skype users have SkypeOut accounts and fall under Type 2, which requires providers of type 2 (and 4) services to offer access to emergency services. So it would appear Vonage is right.

Let’s start with Type 1 Skype customers (P2P), which is the vast majority of Skype customers. How exactly would Skype go about notifying customers that they don’t have emergency dialing? They could issue a popup statement the first time you launch Skype or maybe even the first 10 launches to cover any liability issues that 1 notification wasn’t enough. Simple enough to do.

The issue with actually providing 999 access is much trickier. Skype is a mobile application, so even if you specify your home address, you could be in a London cafe when an emergency strikes.

Also, suppose I am a UK citizen but I’m travelling to the U.S. In the U.S. I dial 911 not 999. So if I dial 999 while in the U.S., should Skype still route the emergency call to the U.K. 999 emergency services? Obviously, there are problems with this. You would need to route the emergency call to the closest emergency services center and not across the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, each country has their own emergency phone number. Routing a call to the closest emergency center using geocoding (by IP address) could be leveraged, but even that isn’t perfect. It still wouldn’t send accurate location information and it would could only send the call to a 911 emergency location center with an accuracy of 30+ miles.

VoIP Out services that are mobile (i.e. Skype, Jajah) and that are not fixed (i.e. Vonage, Packet8) need their own classification for Ofcom rules. Skype can’t possibly offer 999. Maybe one day technology with solve this problem. While technically Vonage is right when you look at the “letter of the law” with regards to the Ofcom rules, Vonage knows full well Skype can’t easily offer 999 services and it seems to me that they’re using the battering ram of FUD to scare British citizens into signing up for their services instead.

Tags: 911, 999, emergency calling, emergency services, Ofcom, p2p, skype, voip, vonage

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Original post by nafiz

Vonage lays down the smackdown for Skype’s refusal to adhere to Ofcom rules, an independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries. Last month, Ofcom introduced rules mandating access to emergency services (999 in the United Kingdom) for VoIP providers whose customers make calls that connect to the public switched service.  The rules also specify that caller address information is to be made available to emergency services so that, as far as possible, emergency service operators know where a call is originating from. 

Vonage points out that since it started offering services in the UK in 2005 that all Vonage customers have been able to dial 999.  Vonage also makes available caller address information (CallerID) to emergency operators.

According to Vonage, “Skype is choosing to flout the new rules by claiming that they do not apply and that they could be harmful to public safety. Skype In and Skype Out services offer their customers calls that connect to the public switched service and are therefore caught by Ofcom’s new rules.” Vonage added, “Skype’s statement that compliance could be harmful to public safety is in Vonage’s view an abdication of social responsibility - especially when you consider that the telephone provided by Skype is designed to resemble a regular telephone.  To deny consumers the ability to dial 999 is socially irresponsible and potentially very harmful.”

Vincent Potier, Managing Director of Vonage UK comments: “This is an absurd position.  How can refusing to allow customers to dial 999 in cases of emergency ever be in the interests of public safety?  It is Skype that is causing harm to public safety, not Ofcom.”     

So who’s right? Is Vonage simply making a stink to drum up some free publicity by attacking the #1 popular VoIP application? Is Vonage attacking Skype because Skype has millions more customers? Let’s examine. First off, Ofcom explained that research revealed that as many as 78% of VoIP users who cannot use their service to call 999 thought they could, or did not know whether they could. As such, Ofcom set out to propose guidelines for 999 to ensure VoIP users were aware if they could or could not dial 999.

Ofcom stated in their rules, requiring only certain types of VoIP service providers to allow users to call 999 by early 2008. In Ofcom’s list of VoIP service provider types it would appear that P2P apps, such as Skype is specifically EXCLUDED. However, Skype also falls under another VoIP type, ‘VoIP Out’ services, which would make them fall under Ofcom guideliness.

In March 2007, Ofcom put in place a code of practice that requires all VoIP providers to make it clear to consumers whether or not their service includes access to emergency services. From this code of practice statement, it does seem clear that Ofcom is asking Skype to at least make it clear to their customers that you cannot dial 999 using SkypeOut and expect emergency services to work.

Let me break out the four main types of VoIP services according to Ofcom’s definition:

• ‘Peer-to-peer’ services that make and receive calls to other PCs and connected devices (Type 1);
• ‘VoIP Out’ services which allow users to make calls to ordinary phone numbers but not receive them (Type 2);
• ‘VoIP In’ services which allow users to receive calls from ordinary phone numbers but not make them (Type 3); and
• Full-service VoIP which allows users to make and receive calls to and from ordinary phone numbers (Type 4).

Under Ofcom’s proposals, providers of types 2 and 4 services would be required to offer access to emergency services. Most Skype users fall under Type 1 (P2P), so in these cases, Skype must at least make it clear to their customers that 999 emergency dialing is not available.

However, many Skype users have SkypeOut accounts and fall under Type 2, which requires providers of type 2 (and 4) services to offer access to emergency services. So it would appear Vonage is right.

Let’s start with Type 1 Skype customers (P2P), which is the vast majority of Skype customers. How exactly would Skype go about notifying customers that they don’t have emergency dialing? They could issue a popup statement the first time you launch Skype or maybe even the first 10 launches to cover any liability issues that 1 notification wasn’t enough. Simple enough to do.

The issue with actually providing 999 access is much trickier. Skype is a mobile application, so even if you specify your home address, you could be in a London cafe when an emergency strikes.

Also, suppose I am a UK citizen but I’m travelling to the U.S. In the U.S. I dial 911 not 999. So if I dial 999 while in the U.S., should Skype still route the emergency call to the U.K. 999 emergency services? Obviously, there are problems with this. You would need to route the emergency call to the closest emergency services center and not across the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, each country has their own emergency phone number. Routing a call to the closest emergency center using geocoding (by IP address) could be leveraged, but even that isn’t perfect. It still wouldn’t send accurate location information and it would could only send the call to a 911 emergency location center with an accuracy of 30+ miles.

VoIP Out services that are mobile (i.e. Skype, Jajah) and that are not fixed (i.e. Vonage, Packet8) need their own classification for Ofcom rules. Skype can’t possibly offer 999. Maybe one day technology with solve this problem. While technically Vonage is right when you look at the “letter of the law″ with regards to the Ofcom rules, Vonage knows full well Skype can’t easily offer 999 services and it seems to me that they’re using the battering ram of FUD to scare British citizens into signing up for their services instead.

Tags: 911, 999, emergency calling, emergency services, Ofcom, Ѣp, skype, voip, vonage

Related Entries
• South Korea VoIP Number Portability Shenanigans -
  Jul 07, 2008
• P2P or ENUM Saves Vonage? -
  May 11, 2007
• Cops Befuddled by Vonage 911 Crying baby emergency call -
  Sep 08, 2008
• FCC to punish Comcast over Internet blocking -
  Jul 26, 2008
• Comcast - We won′t block Vonage or any other VoIP provider -
  Jul 10, 2008
• Propel PBM improves QoS for VoIP, Skype, Online Gaming and more -
  Oct 24, 2007
• Skype Offline Latest Update -
  Aug 17, 2007
• PackeҐ Outlook Toolbar -
  Jun 05, 2007
• magicJack - New VoIP Player launches -
  Mar 08, 2007
• Free phone calls to 40 countries using VoIP -
  Oct 17, 2006

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Original post by nafiz

Filed under: Robots

Look National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, we understand this is your first walking, bi-pedal robot — but why the peel-away face? Just slap in some big manga eyes and button-mouth and we might be able to sleep at night. But no, you show up at the Taipei International Invention Show with this creepoid, capable of singing via synthesiser and walking 2-meters in a straight line — presumably in preparation to celebrate our demise.

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Peripherals

It’s a mouse, it’s a television remote control — really, besides a bag of chips and a great Belgian lager like Budweiser, what else is needed for a sedentary lifestyle? The C@T-one (get it, cat one?) ships with a 2.4GHz wireless USB dongle and should work with your PC-based media center or FORIS.HD TV. &yen12,600 (about $120), problem solved.

[Via Impress]

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Laptops

Oh Dell — we know you felt left out of all the fun today, but rehashing that months-old MacBook Air manila envelope commercial with the Latitude E4200 just isn’t the way to snake attention from Apple — especially not when everyone’s focused on new iPods, not Macs. Plus, Lenovo played this riff a hundred times better with the X300 back in April, for crying out loud — and worst of all, the envelope you used is noticeably bulging and crappy because the E4200 is way thicker than the Air. Seriously, don’t you think it would’ve been much more effective to leak details about that Zing-based music initiative, or hell, even announce that rumored Dell-branded cellphone? You can′t steal the narrative if you’re not telling the same story, guys. Video after the break.

Continue reading Dell fails to distract anyone

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Robots

So it’s a full $59 more than we were expecting, but with Wall-E’s tremendous success at the box office, we have a feeling Disney can get away with it. The Ultimate Wall-E remote control robot is now up for pre-order, promising kids and adults-longing-to-be-kids alike hours upon hours of fun. For those who missed this creature frolicking on video, here are the highlights: he can chat with his owner, dance, play music, dazzle you with those eyes and even sense / avoid obstacles. Unfortunately, all $249 will buy you is a place in line, as this fellow isn’t expect to ship until October 16th.

[Thanks, Toadlet]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones

We’re not certain why Palm CFO Andy Brown was being so cagey about the company’s next-gen Linux-based platform during a “fireside chat” at a recent JPMorgan tech conference, but his devotion to secrecy is almost as interesting as if he had dished out some details on upcoming devices. Wait, no, it’s not. Of course, Palm’s new OS is being developed by Jon Rubenstein, former Apple hardware and iPod veep, so maybe the paranoia is contagious — but Brown probably didn’t convince anyone when he openly compared Palm to Apple because both companies make both the hardware and the software. That’s a pretty hard head-to-head to be in when you’re talking about the Centro running Garnet — maybe some actual products might help that pill go down easier, you know? Brown did say that we′d been seeing the fruits of all this labor sometime “this summer,” but didn’t mention what it might actually be — let’s hope it’s got more design behind it than that nasty Zeppelin prototype.

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

At last the moment you′ve been waiting for. Microsoft wants to hit your version of Windows with an update, and this time you don’t have to go rummaging around the internet to find it: just fire up Windows Update and let Microsoft do all the work. After a few false starts XP users get the much-anticipated SP3 update, which promises speed boosts and some of the fancy security features found in Vista. If you’re a Vista user you’re also in luck, since Microsoft has restarted its Vista SP1 distribution after some compatibility problems with Microsoft Dynamics RMS. Sounds like a party.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Original post by Paul Miller

The morning has only begun and already the first oddity has been unleashed in Japan. You’re looking at NTT DoCoMo’s “Mobile Fragrance Communications Kit” which is based on the same scent delivery technology NTT has already deployed into homes and movie theaters. Fragrance playlists are downloaded to your DoCoMo phone and then transmitted over Ir to the portable “aroma generator″ pre-loaded with base fragrances. The scents are then unleashed into the room under the accompaniment of new-age MIDIs and animated GIFs we presume will include dancing pandas and Hello Kitty cats. Ugh. The pilot program runs from April 10th to the 20th and will undoubtably be a huge success in the land of the uprising robo-san.

[Via Impress]

 

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

The morning has only begun and already the first oddity has been unleashed in Japan. You’re looking at NTT DoCoMo Communications “Mobile Fragrance Communications Kit” which is based on the same scent delivery technology NTT has already deployed into homes and movie theaters. Fragrance playlists are downloaded to your DoCoMo phone and then transmitted over Ir to the portable “aroma generator” pre-loaded with base fragrances. The scents are then unleashed into the room under the accompaniment of new-age MIDIs and animated GIFs we presume will include dancing pandas and Hello Kitty cats. Ugh. The pilot program runs from April 10th to the 20th and will undoubtably be a huge success in the land of the uprising robo-san.

[Via Impress]

 

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Original post by Thomas Ricker