Virtual Tours of Italy with San Pellegrino
Whether it is a good pizza or plate of pasta, not to mention the wine, we all love something about Italy. While it may not always be possible to just hop on the plane and experience the Italian culture, San Pellegrino Fruit Beverages is giving everyone the chance of a virtual trip to Taormina in Sicily for free.
To arrive on the streets of Taormina all you have to do is log into your Facebook account and Like the San Pellegrino page. You are then placed in a queue for your turn to stroll around Italy’s streets.
All of this is made possible thanks to a quartet of robots, which you can remotely control for three minutes. The location of Sicily was chosen because that is where the 81-year old brand’s fruit ingredients come from.
The amazing thing is you can actually interact with locals and practice your Italian, due to the two-way audio-video connection that has built-in language translation capabilities.
If you don’t fancy chatting to anyone then you can just opt for a more scenic experience using a Skybot device, which is a robot mounted on a 40-foot pole, capable of showing you 360-degree views of the city and the Mediterranean.
The robots are five feet tall and weigh about 350 pounds. They were built by Deeplocal, who spent two months on the project in total.
The robots have an umbrella attached to keep them cool in the summer heat. There is a tablet mounted to the robot with a steady-cam so you can see and be seen by those you chose to interact with. The connection is wireless and it is possible to watch other streams in real time.
The robots do not wander around the streets alone. They are accompanied by a handler and brand ambassador. People can opt out of being filmed and passersby must sign releases to be on camera, so protecting privacy.
The campaign runs until August 17, so be quick to book your place in the queue.
[Image via mashable]
SOURCE: http://mashable.com/2013/08/10/drive-a-robot/
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Microsoft Head-Mounted Display in the Works
After Google Glass and Oculus Rift, a new augmented reality device may soon hit the shelves, as it was revealed last week that a Microsoft head-mounted display device is being planned.
Microsoft filed a patent for a pair of augmented reality glasses, a system whose primary purpose may be that of offering an enhanced experience to users participating in a multiplayer game. But given the features described in the patent application, the head-mounted display could have many other uses besides gaming.
The augmented reality glasses would be equipped with eye-tracking technology, depth camera, facial recognition technology that would allow it to recognize other players’ faces, a microphone and others.
In a multiplayer game, users would be able to send invitations to other players using voice commands or eye-tracking information. The device would be linked to the player account and keep a record of all games and progress. The AR glasses would also allow players to connect their accounts and set up teams.
The Microsoft head-mounted display gadget could also include additional cameras, sensors, input and output devices, microphones and others, the company said, stressing that the patent application description is not intended to be limiting.
And indeed the patent notes that sending game invitations is not the extent of what Microsoft wants the device to be used for. It is however unclear what plans the company has at this point and what other features the AR glasses may include. The patent application notes 2014 as a possible release date.
The patent application shows how the head-mounted display could be used in a multiplayer game.
The Microsoft headset will most likely be designed to work with next-generation Xbox One console, scheduled to be launched this November. And this is not the first time the company has indicated plans to release augmented reality glasses for the Xbox. A leaked document last year made mention of Fortaleza Kinect Glasses – a Wi-Fi and 4G enabled system that had the potential to work both with the console and away from it, similar to Google Glass.
It remains to be seen if the new Microsoft head-mounted display device will actually see the light of day, as it could make for an interesting AR gadget, both with Xbox One and without it. What do you think of the project? What other uses could this system have?
[Images via thealistdaily & digitalspy]
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