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Meta 1: Most Advanced Augmented Reality Device

Wearable gadgets are becoming increasingly popular, largely thanks to Google Glass, with more and more developers producing similar designs. But this new gadget is a lot more than a smart device or a VR headset. The meta 1 is an augmented reality device that allows users to interact with 3D virtual objects using their hands.

The device was create by Columbia University professors and graduate students and was inspired by computerized interfaces seen in movies such as Avatar or Iron Man. The meta 1 is described as the most affordable and advanced augmented reality interface that integrates customized hardware and is provided with a solid software development kit.

The gadget is based on what its developers say are some of the most advanced surface tracking algorithms that allow users to interact with virtual world objects in the real world. The dev-kit runs on Unity3D, allowing developers to tap into the SDK and create their own apps right away.

Its technical specifications are quite impressive: the device offers 960×540 resolution and a 23-degree view field for each eye. The webcam it is equipped with includes a camera for each eye, while the glasses themselves are provided with USB and HDMI inputs. And even if at a first glance it seems a bit uncomfortable to wear, the device actually weighs only 10 ounces.

According to its creators, the device is not intended just as an accessory to a gaming device or a phone, like the Oculus Rift or Google Glass. Meta 1 is meant to be a computer replacement in an era that already sees the first signs of the flat device becoming obsolete, its developers claim.

The project is still in development and is currently on Kickstarter, where it has almost reached its $100,000 goal, with about 25 days to go until the crowdfunding campaign ends. The creators say their device can have multiple uses, not only for gaming purposes, but also for architecture, design and any other area that relies on virtual reality environments. Meta 1 will cost about $750 and shipments are expected to start this September.

[Image via Kickstarter]

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Teen Invents Low-Cost Self-Driving Car Concept

We may now be closer to obtaining self-driving vehicles for widespread use and this is thanks to a 19-year-old Romanian student who came up with a low-cost autonomous car system. The idea brought Ionut Budisteanu the top prize, a $75,000 scholarship, in the Intel international Science and Engineering Fair.

Attempts to crease self-driving vehicles have been made for several years now. Google is working on a prototype since 2010, while car manufacturers, including General Motors, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and others, are also developing their own autonomous or semi-autonomous driving systems.

Ionut Budisteanu (center), with second-place winners Eesha Khare (left) and Henry Lin (right).

But what sets Budisteanu’s idea apart is that it is truly affordable and therefore more likely to be accessible to the general public. The Romanian teen told NBC News that Google, for instance, has been developing its self-driving car project without looking at the costs.

The most expensive piece of technology the Google system uses is a high resolution 3D radar and Budisteanu tried to remove this item from his design. Instead, his project uses a low-resolution 3D radar that can recognize large objects such as houses or other cars.

The radar’s performance is coupled with imagery taken by vehicle mounted webcams, meant to detect curbs and lane markings and monitor the car’s position in real time. The webcam feeds are analyzed by AI technology that can calculate the best route for the car based on all the information it has collected.

Budisteanu said 47 of 50 simulations performed flawlessly, as the system failed to pick up some people at a 65-100 foot distance. A slightly higher resolution 3D radar would fix the problem, the teen explained, adding that this would still make the system much cheaper than Google’s.

The 3D radar used by Google costs about $75,000, while Budisteanu’s system will cost a total of $4,000, making the technology considerably more affordable for the masses. The 19-year-old student received funding form a Romanian car company to start testing a prototype for his low-cost self-driving car this summer.

Other young scientists awarded at the Intel science fair besides Budisteanu were 18-year-old Eesha Khare of California, who received $50,000 for inventing a tiny supercapacitator, and 17-year-old Henry Lin of Louisiana, who was awarded $50,000 for creating a simulation of thousands of galaxy clusters that will give scientists a better understanding of dark matter and dark energy.

[Image via Intel]

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