ImaginativePRO Blog

MEET THE DISARMINGLY ADORABLE ROBOT THAT WILL ONE DAY CHASE US DOWN FOR OUR MACHINE OVERLORDS

 

THIS IS THE OUTRUNNER, A TINY LITTLE KICKSTARTER BOT WITH SOME SERIOUS SPRINTING POWER. IT'S COOL, BUT...

Some think the robot apocalypse might be an overblown fabrication dreamed up by sci-fi dorks. But if machines like DARPA's clumsy and ambling Atlas bot really do become sentient killing machines, at the very least we'd be able to outrun them, right?

Wrong.

Over here we have a little guy called OutRunner, which has legs specifically built to mimic those of fleshy humans but can maintain speeds of 20 miles an hour outdoors. Don't let its pint size or the fact that it spins like the Road Runner's blurry feet fool you. It can run pretty much anywhere: On roads. Off-road. It doesn't matter. Unless you happen to be named Usain Bolt, the OutRunner--which the creators say broke the world speed record for legged robots--will catch up to you when your feeble human anatomy breaks down.

 

One glimmer of hope: The remote-control operated OutRunner is still in its Kickstarter phase, and just $20,000 have been pledged of its $150,000 goal. Fund it if you'd like, but know this: You are making things that much easier for our one-day machine overlords to capture us and store our bodies in biology-sucking battery pods. Swear your allegiances now.

Courtesy of an article dated May 16, 2014 appearing in Fast Company

HOW WOMEN AND MEN DIFFER IN THE WAY THEY USE SOCIAL MEDIA AND MOBILE DEVICES [INFOGRAPHIC]

Women use every major social media channel more than men—except for LinkedIn—according to a Pew Research study released in December 2013.

Pew found that 76 percent of online U.S. adult females use Facebook, compared to 66 percent for online males, while fairly similar women/men percentage splits exist for Twitter (18 percent/17 percent), Instagram (20/17) and Pinterest (33/8). Indeed, one-third of women are now using Pinterest. But then there's LinkedIn: the researcher said 24 percent of Internet-using men employ the site compared to 19 percent of women.

A 2013 Nielsen survey also showed stark differences between men and women in the way they use social media and mobile devices and their findings are reflected in the following infographic: 

Click Image To Enlarge

Courtesy of an article dated June 10, 2014 appearing in MarketingProfs 

SIX QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHEN DESIGNING A BRAND LOGO

SIX QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHEN DESIGNING A BRAND

Your company's logo is the foundation of your business branding. It is probably the first interaction that you will have with your customers. An effective logo can establish the right tone and set the proper ethos. After years of crafting logos for different projects, I've come up with a set of questions that I always ask myself before delivering a new logo.

1.  WHAT EMOTIONS DOES THE LOGO EVOKE?

Above all design guidelines, the most important criterion is whether the logo reflects the character of the company. The emotions that the logo evoke should be appropriate to the company values. For example, the Disney logo evokes a sense of happiness and optimism. The curvy, fun typeface is appropriate for a company that has been making cartoons and animated pictures for kids. However, a similar logo style on a sales platform would not be appropriate.

Designers should understand the psychology of colors and the effect that typeface has on the design of a great logo. For example, green promotes relaxation and usually reflects growth, health, and the environment. Red, on the other hand, may evoke danger and passionate emotions. Similarly for typefaces, Garamond, Helvetica, and Comic Sans all elicit very different sentiments. Serif fonts like Garamond promote the idea of respect and tradition, and are hence more suitable for an environment that demands integrity such as a university or a news publisher. Sans Serif fonts like Helvetica are clean and modern, and are well suited for high-tech businesses. Casual script fonts like Comic Sans are probably best left for fun companies such as toy companies. A good understanding of the psychology of colors, typefaces, and shapes is an important part of making a great logo.

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2.  WHAT'S THE MEANING BEHIND THE LOGO?

Behind every great logo is a story. A great logo is not about slapping your business name on a generic shape, which is why choosing from ready-made logos is a poor idea. A logo has to have a meaningful story. A good designer first understands the culture of the company, the tone of the product, and the vision of the business, much before embarking on ideas for the logo. The end result of a quality logo is reflective of the philosophy and values of the company.

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3.  WILL THE LOGO PASS THE TEST OF TIME?

How will the logo look in two, 10, 20 years? Designers should avoid getting sucked into flavor-of the-month trends. Trends like ultra-thin fonts and flat shadows are design styles that will probably not stand the test of time. Simple is far better than complex. A simple yet memorable logo can be used in 20 years without looking dated.

A good way to test the logo is to let it sit with you for a while before releasing it. Some logos grow with you--the more you look at it, the more you like it. Some logos start to feel nauseating after a while--the more you look at it, the more you hate it. If after a couple of weeks with the logo you find it boring, the logo is probably not strong or timeless enough.

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4.  IS IT UNIQUE?  CAN IT BE INSTANTLY RECOGNIZABLE?

A great logo is distinctive, memorable, and recognizable. Even if you have only seen it once, you should still be able to remember what it looks like after a period of time. A good way to test this is to show your logo to a friend, then cover it up and have your friend describe the logo in a week. A fresh pair of eyes can be very effective in figuring out the most memorable components of a logo.

In addition, if the logo reminds you of others you have seen, it is not distinct enough.

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5.  HOW DOES IT LOOK IN BLACK AND WHITE?

When I begin designing a logo, I always start in black and white. Designing with this limitation first forces you to make sure that the logo is recognizable purely by its shape and outline, and not by its color. A strong logo is one that is still memorable just by its contours.

A one-color logo also provides the benefit of using your brand easily in multiple mediums with different backgrounds and textures.

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6.  IS IT CLEAR AND DISTINCT IN SMALL DIMENSIONS? 

Another way to make sure logos are simple and recognizable is to scale it down dramatically. Even at tiny resolutions, a strong logo should still be recognizable at a glance. This is also a good test to make sure that the logo is not complicated with unnecessary design flourishes. Here, you see that the Nike, McDonalds, Twitter, and WWF logos are still very distinct at small sizes. The GE and Starbucks logos are far more cluttered, and less recognizable when they are small.

These are not hard-and-fast rules, just guidelines for making an effective logo. It is still possible to make a strong, complicated logo, but understand the trade-offs.

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Courtesy of an article dated June 2, 2014 appearing in Fast Company Design

GOOGLE GLASS, NOW AVAILABLE WITH DIANE VON FURSTENBERG FRAMES

The new Glass models will be available on Net-a-Porter and Mr Porter on June 23. (Click Image To Enlarge)

GOOGLE HAS TAPPED FASHION DESIGNER DIANE VON FURSTENBERG TO CREATE LIMITED-EDITION FRAMES TO MAKE THE FACE COMPUTER LOOK MORE CHIC.

In yet another attempt to class up Glass, Google has tapped Diane von Furstenberg to design limited-edition frames. Much like the in-house designs that came out earlier this year, DVF has created more fashionable frames that attach to the high-tech headpiece. The line, which Google will unveil June 4, includes five new frames and eight new shades. Interested buyers can purchase the accessories on Net-a-Porter and Mr Porter starting June 23.

DVF already featured Glass on the brand's runway show earlier this year and with Google's partnership with eyewear giant Luxottica, you may see the face accessory in your local Lenscrafters soon. (Click Image To Enlarge)

The new specs are an incremental improvement from other recent attempts to make the face computers look less awkward. The already-available Glass frames come in one shade of black; DVF offers a bit more flair with frames available in brown and four other colors. The sunglasses also sport the "DVF" logo in the top corner, a la Ray Ban. The main appeal is exclusivity, something Glass has started to lose as it has allowed more people to purchase the device. For this promotion, Google is only selling a limited, undisclosed number of DVF creations.

As with many high fashion items, exclusivity is a large part of the appeal--Google will be selling an undisclosed, limited amount of the new DVF frames. (Click Image To Enlarge)

There's only so much Google can do to dress up (or hide) the chunky metal object protruding off of a Glass wearer's face. Certainly more frame options in different shapes, sizes, and colors will appeal to a broader set of people. But will this partnership help Glass overcome its cyborg reputation, when not much else has worked? The initial frames, which came out in January, were a huge step up from naked-Glass. This doesn't push the needle too much further.

Could more frame shapes, sizes, and colors help bring Glass to the mainstream audience? (Click Image To Enlarge)

Nor does the mere attachment to DVF's brand guarantee success. Since its inception, Glass has made alliances with the fashion world. Diane Von Furstenberg has already collaborated with Glass, having her models walk the runway with the face accessory. That, plus a spread in Vogue, plus a push at fashion week, haven't diminished the curse of the Glasshole. What makes this DVF partnership any different than those efforts?

The Diane Von Furstenburg partnership represents one of many to come for Google Glass, as it continues to work with eyewear designers to lessen the stigma of the gadget. (Click Image To Enlarge)

Google, to its credit, has not given up on the fashion angle. Earlier this month, the company hired marketing fashion guru Ivy Ross to improve Glass's mass perception. Ross has worked with Calvin Klein, Swatch, Gap, Coach, and others. This DVF collaboration will likely be the first of many brand partnerships. Google's deal with eyewear giant Luxottica suggests Glass frames will eventually be available in many varieties at a mall near you.

Style is probably the easiest fix of Glass's problems. As Wired's Mat Honan argued after a year of wearing Glass, the gadget just isn't that useful.  He wrote.  

"Aside from directions, it's more novelty than utility. The really cool stuff remains on the horizon, which means I got tired of it before I’d had it for even a year."

The shunning of Glass wearers has pushed even the most vocal of fans away from the device.

But Google remains committed to Glass and the idea that it will eventually be embraced by mainstream wearers.

Isabelle Olsson, the lead designer for Google Glass, told Fast Company. 

"From smartphones to high-waisted jeans, it takes time for society to get used to new ideas, Explorers always tell me how much they love being able to get the information they need from Glass and then get on with their day. A lot of people want that freedom. Today, the majority of consumers haven’t had a chance to try Glass out. That’s why I’m looking forward to moving from our beta phase to a consumer launch down the line."

Diane-Von-Furstenberg-sports a pair of original Google-Glasses during a runway show in September 2012 for the DVF Spring 2013 during New York Fashion Week. (Click Image To Enlarge)

COMMENTARY:    I am very disappointed in Diane von Furstenberg's eyewear sporting Google Glass.  I really expected a lot more.  The eyeglasses look boring.  They really don't excite me or give me a reason to go out and buy me a pair.  Here's the DVF Spring 2013 fashion show with the models sporting Google Glass during New York Fashion Week in September 2012.  With the average runway fashion show using 25 to 35 models, That's $35 to $45,000 just for Google Glass at $1,500 a pop.

 

Courtesy of an article dated June 3, 2014 appearing in Fast Company

INDUSTRIAL CONTROLS AND ROBOTICS MARKET IS EXPECTED TO REACH $147.7 BILLION GLOBALLY IN 2019

Transparency Market Research reports huge growth by the end of the decade

According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research "Industrial Controls and Robotics Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2013 - 2019," the global industrial controls and robotics market was worth USD 102.02 billion in 2012 and is expected to reach USD 147.7 billion in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 5.6% from 2013 to 2019. Americas i.e. (North America and South America) was the largest market for industrial controls and robotics in 2012 due to re-engineering in the old industrial segment along with the adoption of new technologies and increasing demand for mass production.

FACTORS DRIVING GROWTH

The market factors driving growth in the industrial controls and robotics market are:   

• Growing use in application areas of discrete and process industries i.e. automotive, power, pharmaceutical, and semiconductors industries.
• Increased productivity of manufacturing companies.
• Growing demand for customized products.
• Need for improved efficiency and precision in manufacturing industries. 

High initial investment, availability of low cost labors in emerging countries such as India, China, Indonesia, and need for skilled labors to operate the robots are some of the factors inhibiting growth of industrial controls and robotics market.

PRODUCT CATEGORIES

By product type, market has been segmented into three categories:  

• Industrial control systems.
• Field devices.
• Manufacturing execution systems (MES).

Industrial control segment accounted for about half of the market share followed by field devices in 2012. Industrial control system is expected to maintain its leading position throughout the forecast period.

Requirements for accurate precision and proper functioning of installed plants are the main factors flourishing growth of industrial control systems. Among all types of control systems, MES is expected to show fastest growth during the period of forecast. The demand for MES across end use industries is expected to grow owing to improved yield. Improvement in supply chain and inventory management also attracts most of the users to implement MES.

END USER SEGMENTS

By end user industry, market is segmented into power, textiles, automotives, chemicals, printing and packaging, plastics, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, food processing, semiconductors, OEMs of aforementioned industries and others. Automotive industry held largest market share in 2012 and is expected to maintain its leading position throughout the forecast period owing to increasing demand for productivity. Pharmaceuticals industry is expected to show strong growth during the period of forecast as industrial automation help increase efficiency and reduce time of various operations such as compounding, washing, labeling, packaging and filling.

GEOGRAPHIC MARKETS

Geographically, Americas held largest share in industrial controls and robotics market in 2012 attributed to re-engineering in the old industrial segment with adoption of new technologies in North America and heavy exporting of goods from South America. RoW is expected to show fastest growth during the period of forecast because of the growing demand for industrial robots and control systems in oil and gas industries in this region. Asia Pacific is also expected to witness robust growth during the forecast period fueled by heavy investment in power industry in this region.

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LEADING PROVIDERS

Siemens AG and ABB Ltd. were leading providers of industrial control systems in 2012 and together held 26.2% of the entire Industrial control systems market. On the other hand Yaskawa and Fanuc Corporation were the major manufacturers of industrial robots and together held 44% share of the overall industrial robotics market. Other major players in the market include Yokogawa Corporation, KUKA Robotics, Emerson Electric Corporation, Rockwell Automation, Omron Corporation, Schneider Electric SA, and others.

Courtesy of an article dated September 24, 2013 appearing in Robotic Trends

A VISUAL BREAKDOWN OF APPLE'S NEW iOS8 MOBILE OPERATING SYSTEM

WHAT'S NEW IN IOS 8? WELL, A LOT OF THINGS.

At its June 2 World Wide Developers Conference keynote in San Francisco, Apple announced the latest iteration of its mobile operating system, iOS 8, which will be available for download this fall. The new release combines refined design elements with a host of new technical features. Here, we run through some of the more important, and visually distinct, aspects of iOS 8.

iOS 8 screenshots

VS

iOS 7 screenshots (Click Image To Enlarge)

TALK MORE (OR LESS):

If you find yourself loathing the prospect of a group chat in iMessage because of the impending, nonstop wave of notifications that often follow, you're in luck. iOS 8 brings a slew of new enhancements to the messenger, chief among them: the ability to mute and outright leaveoverly noisy group chats. The chat client also integrates audio and location sharing, something not available in its previous incarnation.

iOS 8 new message features (Click Image To Enlarge)

VS

Apple iOS 7 old messaging screenshot (Click Image To Enlarge)

A QUICKER WAY TO TYPE:

Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi, as he unveiled QuickType, a predictive typing mechanism in the new OS said.

“I think we’re all going to be typing a whole lot faster.”

QuickType is smart: the more you use your phone, the more it becomes accustomed to your language with different groups of people, customizing your responses with the appropriate tone.

iOS 8 Quicktype screenshots (Click Image To Enlarge)

MULTITASK WITH FRIENDS:

A quick double tap of the Home button now shows more than your active apps: in iOS 8, a rotating list of your recent and favorite contacts populate the multitasking screen for easy messaging and phone calls.

iOS 8 new multitasking features (Click Image To Enlarge)

VS

iOS 7 old multitasking features (Click Image To Enlarge)

REPLY FASTER AND DIVE DEEPER:

Instead of opening an app to reply to a notification--like a text, Facebook message, or email--you can use iOS 8's Quick Reply feature, which allows you to compose a response contained within the same screen, so you don't have to change windows. This is a considerable upgrade from iOS 7, which requires users to exit, and then re-enter, apps to answer their notifications.

iOS 8 new quick replies from notifications (Click Image To Enlarge)

iOS 8's Spotlight mirrors its desktop counterpart, OS X Yosemite, with more in-depth search results. Wikipedia entries, news articles, maps, and results from the App Store will all be included in this core search function for the first time.

iOS 8 Spotlight includes enhanced search (Click Image To Enlarge)

MAIL GETS SMART:

When Mail recognizes that something coming through your inbox deserves a little extra attention--reservations, addresses, event dates--it'll prompt you to schedule a notification or add a contact before you forget. The app has also adapted a handful of swipe-activated organizational features (mark as read, flag, delete, and more) reminiscent of the popular Mailbox app.

iOS 8 new mail gestures (Click Image To Enlarge)

iOS 8 allows users to add new contacts via new emails (Click Image To Enlarge)

 

iOS 7 old mail display (Click Image To Enlarge)

WORK ACROSS ALL YOUR DEVICES:

iCloud received a significant update placing it within punching distance of popular file-sharing services Dropbox and Google Drive. Unlike before, users can access and edit documents across mobile platforms.

iOS 8 Cloud display (Click Image To Enlarge)

 

iOS 8 iCloud Drive (Click Image To Enlarge)

BONUS ROUND:

This tweet from technology enthusiast Michael Kukielka claims to show a screenshot of iOS 8's new battery monitor, which is organized by open app.

iOS 8 includes power management features like current battery charge level and which apps are using the most power (Click Image To Enlarge)

COMMENTARY:   To be honest with you, I am not overly impressed with iOS 8. Nothing there that impresses or excites me.  If this is the best that Apple can do, then they are truly running out of ideas.   What amazed are the number of changes to iOS that Apple copied from Android.  Did I say copy.  Here are just a few:

1.The App play store will allow you to watch video clip demos of applications before you decide to download and install it . The Yahoo and Google play store market for Android applications offers every time just had online video media demos

.
2.with the help of i Messages you can send audio and video clips to any one which you like.the feature has already present some of the android application like whatsapp and snapshot.
3.the apple has also used icloud drive for the users to store online which only work in Macs,iPhones,Ipads and p.c its almost similar to Dropbox and google drive which are already in market .

4.the new operating system ios8 which is launched by the apple company allows you to store widgets in your notification center. as compare to android which already have provided this feature to all the users .

5.while driving apple smartphone allow you to activate “Siri “you  just say “hey “Siri” without touching your cell phone ,Google has done this already in some androids phones with command “hey google”

6.Talking about key words , apple smartphones allow you to change the IOS 8 keyboard set with a third-party keyboards just like Swype . Android have every time allow you to custom-made all your keyboards

7.Apple phone keyboards predict the world which the user just type the blackberry and Nokia phone have provide already this feature to users in 2008.

Courtesy of an article dated June 2 2014 appearing in Fast Company Design and an article dated June 7, 2014 appearing in Trendy Updates 

MOST PARENTS NOW SNOOP ON THEIR CHILDREN'S SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITIES

Call it “monitoring,” “checking up,” “keeping tabs on,” or whatever other generous euphemism you prefer, but most parents -- over three quarters, in fact -- are snooping around their teenage children’s social media profiles, according to a new survey by online coupon purveyor  vouchercloud.net. This probably comes as a surprise to approximately nobody. But for those of you wondering about the ethical ramifications, it may be comforting to learn that just 12% of parents feel guilty about conducting social media surveillance. Embrace your inner snoops, people!

Asked about their motives for monitoring their teens’ social media activity:

• 85% of parents surveyed said they wanted to learn more about their children’s lives.
• 83% said they worried that their children might be posting inappropriate content online.

Matthew Wood, the managing editor of vouchercloud.net, explained:

“Snooping may get a bad reputation, but essentially many teenagers don’t want to talk to their parents about their online activity, so a lot of the time parents don’t have much of a choice.”

No question, parents have plenty of reasons to keep tabs on their kids’ social media usage. Earlier this year a survey by Cox Communications and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children found:  

• 31% of teens reported being the victim of online bullying.
• 41% of these have told an adult.

The survey's other findings weren’t any more likely to assuage parental anxiety:

• 73% said they had shared personal information or potentially inappropriate content online.
• 73% said they had shared potentially inappropriate photos online.
• 21% said they had shared their phone number.
• 21% said they used curse words online.
• 19% disclosed their physical location online.
• 12% disclosed their home address online.
• 5% made sexual comments or posted sexually-oriented pictures.

A separate survey of British teens found:

• 21% had posted negative comments.
• 26% said they had hijacked someone else’s account to post damaging content.
• 43% said they had exchanged messages with strangers.

On the other side, teens are fully aware that their parents may be snooping, and adopt various countermeasures, according to a 2012 survey by McAfee:

• 71% of teens said they hide their online activity from their parents.
• 56% of parents were aware of this.
• 53.3% of teens said they clear their browser history.
• 45.9% minimize browsers when their parents are around.
• 18.9% delete inappropriate videos.
• 19.9% manipulate privacy settings to block their parents.

Meanwhile continuing shifts in social media usage patterns will make it harder for parents to keep up. A recent survey from Project Tomorrow, a non-profit organization focused on digital technology for education, confirmed that teenagers are leaving social networks like Facebook in favor of social apps. In their survey of 2013 they found:  

• 30% of middle school students said they are maintaining a profile on a social network site.
• 39% of high school students said they are maintaining a profile on a social networking site, down 40% from 2009.
• The drop in social network use has been accompanied by a rise in social apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and Vine, which are now used by 44% of students in grades 6-12.

COMMENTARY:    According to an earlier study by Education Database Online conducted in 2013, it was found that nearly half of all parents using Facebook have joined to spy on their kids.43 percent of parents check their child’s Facebook profile daily. The study also discovered that 31 percent of parents check their kids account four to five times per week.

Not all parents pry as often, 14 percent of Facebook using parents reported only “sporadically” checking out their kids pages and 11 percent said they check their kids out on Facebook once a month.

One percent of parents using Facebook say they never check out their child’s Facebook profile.

The study also found that 41 percent of parents are most interested in status updates, while 39 percent care about what other people post on their kids wall. 29 percent of Facebook spying parents are most interested in the photos their kids are tagged in.

With approximately 17.5 million Facebook users believed to be under the age of 13 the number of Facebook spying parents is only likely to increase.

Here is the full Education Database Online study in infographic form:

Click Image To Enlarge

Courtesy of an article dated April 29, 2014 appearing in MediaPost Publications The Social Graf and an article dated February 13 2013 appearing in Social News Daily

GOOGLE UNVEILS ITS NEW PROTOTYPE SELF-DRIVING CAR TO THE PUBLIC, AND IT LOOKS LIKE A TINY BUBBLE CAR

AW, LOOK, IT'S SMILING A MONA LISA SMILE AT US. NICE AUTONOMOUS CAR!

We've known Google has been working on self-driving cars for awhile now, but all of a sudden, the project is real: last night, Google revealed a working prototype of its self-driving car. It's a two-seater that looks something like a mashup of a Fiat 500, Steve Urkel's car, and a cartoon smiley face.

Chris Urmson, Director Google Car program is interviewed on the Charlie Rose TV show. (Click Image To Enlarge)

This isn't a production model; Google is making perhaps 100 of these little buggers mostly as an experiment. They have no steering wheel, no gas or brake pedals, and only two seats. They're powered by an electric engine and are artificially limited to a top speed of 25 mph (good news for the testers). The cars are resolutely simple. Says Chris Urmson, the director of the project, in a Google blog post:

"On the inside, we’ve designed for learning, not luxury, so we’re light on creature comforts, but we’ll have two seats (with seatbelts), a space for passengers’ belongings, buttons to start and stop, and a screen that shows the route--and that’s about it."

The new prototype of the Google Self-Driving Car is finally unveiled to the public. (Click Image To Enlarge)

The car isn't designed like other cars; it lacks things most cars have, and not just the steering wheel. It has no mirrors, no stereo, no glove compartment. Though it can only go 25 mph and, according to Re/Code, it was constructed to minimize damage from any collision it might have:

Ron Medford, director of safety for the project and former U.S. Department of Transportation administrator in charge of vehicle safety research and regulations said.

“We imagine at some point there will be an accident with one of these vehicles, so we’ve designed the front end to be soft.  The front of the car is built with foam, and the windshield is flexible to reduce the injury the car might inflict if it collided with pedestrians, bikers or anything else.”

Passengers hitched themselves in for a ride on Google's new prototype self-driving car. (Click Image To Enlarge)

If you look closely, you can also spy a sort of Mona Lisa smiley face on its front. Google says it's aware that the idea of a robotic self-driving car might be a bit threatening to folks used to cars that can't, you know, move themselves around, so the company very intentionally created the friendliest-looking car it could. The car has details that almost make it look like it has a nose and mouth, and the tiny size and gentle bubbly curves of the body make it a very nonthreatening-looking vehicle.

A look inside a new prototype of the Google self-driving car. (Click Image To Enlarge)

Google and other auto makers have previously experimented with retrofitting existing conventional cars to drive themselves. But this is the first car really designed from the ground up to drive itself. It seems like a curious thing, to sit in the front seat of a car with no controls--almost like riding in a gondola. Check out this video:

 

Google's reasoning for the self-driving car project isn't hard to grasp, given there are 33,000 auto-related deaths per year here in the States, and an estimated 1.2 million worldwide. Google believes self-driving cars can reduce that danger by up to 90%. For drivers of these cars, that means no more drunk driving, no more falling asleep at the wheel, no more falling victim to blind spots or road rage from other drivers.

Google's new self-driving car prototype being built at its production facility by Google automotive engineers (Click Images To Enlarge) 

Urmson wrote on his blog,  

"If all goes well, we’d like to run a small pilot program here in California in the next couple of years."

California is one of the only states, along with Florida, Nevada, and Michigan, where self-driving cars are legal.

Click Image To Enlarge

COMMENTARY:   I have covered Google's self-driving car before, but this is the first actual prototype that will serve as a test bed on the roads of California.  If it passes this test, which will probably last several years, Google will know if it has a safe, practical and eco-friendly automobile that can have public appeal.  I remain skeptical that the Google self-driving car will ever become a viable transportation vehicle.  Too many things that can go wrong.  You can't possibly build enough safety features into the car's computer brain to cope with today's stressful and often unsafe driving conditions, but only time will tell.

Courtesy of an article dated May 28, 2014 appearing in Fast Company Design

THE MOD-T 3-D PRINTER BY FROG VENTURES USES CROWDFUNDING TO RAISE CAPITAL FOR ITS $250 MOD-T 3-D PRINTER

This is the MOD-t. It's a $250 3-D printer, and also the first project of Frog Venture Design. (Click Image To Enlarge)

THE MOD-T 3-D PRINTER IS THE FIRST RELEASE OF FROG VENTURES, THE VENTURE DESIGN ARM OF ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST PROMINENT DESIGN FIRMS.

Today, a 3-D printer called the New Matter MOD-t hits Indiegogo. It’s expected to cost $250, making it the most affordable 3-D printer to date (comparable printers are in the $350 to $1,300 range). It’s also being billed as one of the simplest 3-D printers: users buy and download designs for chess pieces or kitchen utensils or whatever they want to make in a storefront that crosses the App Store with Etsy. They can then edit these objects--changing size or adding texture--about as easily as adding an Instagram filter. The printer, engineered by inventor Steve Schell, is expected to be built with a third of the parts of its peers, allowing it to reach that $250 price point.

While most 3-D printers require the use of esoteric software, the MOD-t has built its entire experience around usability. (Click Image To Enlarge)

The MOD-t is the first release of Frog Ventures, the venture design* arm of Frog (think venture capital, but with the investment being design rather than money). Frog Ventures backed Schell's startup New Matter to bring the MOD-t to market.

 

Frog is the design consultancy behind some of the most important products in recent history--Apple’s early line of computers, for example. But in recent years, Frog has become less known for physical products. That's in part because the company has developed expertise in software but also because the Fortune 500 companies that hire Frog for product design work are secretive. “We do work for some very very big clients, and those very very big clients are quite proprietary about their relationship with us," Ethan Imboden, head of Frog Ventures, says.

"They're secretive about how they get their innovative product into the market, and they don’t necessarily want our name associated with that. Even as a new employee, I didn’t see the work I’m most excited about until after I joined Frog. I had to pull rank on people and say, ‘This is work I’m allowed to see. I need to take a look into the portfolio.’”

It will have an App-Store-like marketplace, where designs can be purchased, then modified with simple controls like pinching and zooming. (Click Image To Enlarge)

And it's a fine looking machine, as far as 3-D printers go. (Click Image To Enlarge)

This secrecy may sound cool, but the reality is a burden for Frog, creating what Imboden calls “a vacuum of content” as to what Frog is doing. No doubt, it’s one reason that when everyone talks about Frog, they (even we) still talk about Apple.

The project is a bit of a risk for Frog, who generally works in secrecy. (Click Image To Enlarge)

Frog Ventures is the firm’s development studio outside this cone of silence. It’s currently working with three startups--New Matter is the only one that’s public--to make big, showy bets on new products.  Imboden says.  

“We have an excellent opportunity to say, ‘Here’s exactly what we did.' That’s very valuable for us, to put the work out there, be very vocal, and take accountability for it, no matter how it goes.” 

MOD-T 3D printer in action. (Click Image To Enlarge)

Frog’s role in each of these startups may vary. One startup, for instance, has blocked time to embed itself in Frog’s offices to learn to think like Frog designers. In the case of the MOD-t, Frog's role was similar to the one they adopt with their secretive companies. Schell had developed the core MOD-t technology over at the technology incubator Idealab. While 3-D printers have intricate mechanics to float the build plate precisely in 3-D space (basically, moving the printed object around the needle-sized hose of melted plastic ink), the New Matter team had developed what they describe as a “unique mechanical solution” that reduced the clockwork of parts by a third.

But the company is excited to take on the challenge, to fail in public rather than succeed in private. (Click Image To Enlarge)

Schell says.  

“For me personally, that motion system was the breakthrough I needed to say we have a significant advantage.  We could create a 3-D printer at the cost target we’re hoping for.”

Meanwhile, Idealab had been in casual talks with Frog Ventures about new products in their pipeline. The MOD-t caught Frog’s eye.

Imboden says.

“What we’re looking for, and what we see here, is a technological advantage that creates a whole set of opportunities.  And the goal is to tie those opportunities back to the real world and the experience of the end consumer, to make sure the company is living up to its promise, and living up to the full opportunity of the technology they’re embedding.”

Frog's mobile app allows uers to design and resize objects in 3D before they are printed on the MOD-T 3-D printer. (Click Image To Enlarge)

Frog and New Matter co-developed the MOD-t’s experience--the approach of using a marketplace where designers could sell their products the way software developers sell apps--and a team of roughly 12 from Frog built out much of the product. They polished the industrial design (the mechanics and the aesthetic). They created mockups of the digital app and marketplace. And they built the MOD-t brand itself--right down to shooting the Indiegogo video.

Now, all New Matter and Frog can do is wait. Truth be told, it’s hard to imaging the MOD-t being anything but a monstrous hit in a crowdfunding world obsessed with 3-D printers already. But Frog is mentally prepped for failure.   Imboden says.  

“The reality is, there’s a risk in all of our projects. If there’s not a certain measure of risk, there can’t be a certain measure of success.  Will we always knock it out of the park? No, I don’t think that’s possible. If we did, we’d be knocking it out of a very small park for very small risk.”

Order it here.

COMMENTARY:   If Frog Ventures can raise the required capital to produce a commercial version of the Mod-T 3-D printer, and be able to price it at $250.00, and still make money, they are accomplishing something truly incredible.  I think $495.00 would've been a far better price and given the company some "wiggle" room in case something goes wrong during the manufacturing process.   

The relatively high cost of 3-D printers has prevented this technology from taking off like smartphones and tablets have, and the low price point of the Mod-T 3-D printer and quality features of the product certainly allow this new product to standout in the marketplace.  

Courtesy of an article dated May 28, 2014 appearing in Fast Company Design

GRAVITY SKETCH, A TABLET THAT LETS YOU DRAW IN MID-AIR USING IMMERSIVE AUGMENTED REALITY TECHNOLOGY

 

IT LETS YOU DRAW IN 2-D AND MANIPULATE YOUR DESIGN IN 3-D.

We’re stuck in an awkward spot. We can manufacture nearly any 3-D product we’d like. But these objects are trapped behind the 2-D computer screen we design them in.

The Gravity Sketch tablet uses augmented reality to make a drawing appear in midair. (Click Image To Enlarge)

The core hardware of the Gravity Sketch tablet is just a headset, tablet, and pen. (Click Image To Enlarge)

One solution is to 3-D print a plastic mock up. A more efficient solution is a new working concept called Gravity Sketch. It’s essentially a 3-D notebook. You put on a pair of video glasses, grab the stylus, and hold a tablet in your hand. Then you draw your creation in 3-D space using augmented reality--the glasses, pen, and tablet work in concert to create a digital illusion that your drawing is floating right there in front of you. But you're literally drawing on a 2-D surface.

 

The Gravity Sketch team refused to get into technical details about their system unless we signed an NDA, but they did share quite a bit more about how they designed the sensation of drawing itself. In fact, they may have solved one of the biggest problems in 3-D drawing today--namely, how do you make it feel natural to people who’ve grown up drawing on flat, 2-D surfaces?

You draw directly on the Gravity Sketch tablet. (Click Image To Enlarge)

And those drawings stack and rotate to become 3-D objects. (Click Image To Enlarge)

Current 3-D drawing systems, including the holographic zSpace or this 3-D-printer pen, ask you to be part sculptor, part surgeon as you draw wisps in boundless midair. It's a weird concept to get accustomed to.

Right now, the Gravity Sketch tablet is just a working concept. (Click Image To Enlarge)

But the team is in talks with various companies and investors to bring the Gravity Sketch tablet to market. (Click Image To Enlarge)

Gravity Sketch takes a different approach. It only lets you draw on the flat plain of the tablet itself. But you work with your design in 3-D as you draw--and the program give you a set of rules by which to manipulate your design.  The team explains.  

“By providing a simple set of rules, people quickly learn the limitations of the tool and work their way around them.  Through experiments, we found that people could build their ideas out in a three-dimensional space while playing to their natural instincts and the ease of drawing in two dimensions.”

But it still begs the question--would you wear glasses to draw in 3-D? (Click Image To Enlarge)

Here's how it works. You draw something on the tablet. That drawing becomes, conceptually speaking, several pieces of paper stacked into a cube. You can then rotate or excavate those layers via simple controls on the tablet.

The value of this technique emerged during trial and error during the research process. Gravity Sketch tried out several low-tech inventions to simulate the experience of drawing in 3-D. The most successful, they decided, was a layered acrylic cube, so that’s what they settled on when they built the program.

COMMENTARY:    The Gravity Sketch 3D drawing tablet is a cool device, but like most mobile devices based on augmented reality technology, the cost will most likely be prohibitively high. Considering that this device is just in the concept stage, and limited in what it can do, and funding is needed for a commercial version, let's hope that it has sufficient horsepower to satisfy the needs of engineers and designers who require 3D rendering.   

Courtesy of an article dated May 23, 2014 appearing in Fast Company Design