3d illusion arts: Walyou

Walyou

Milk VR by Samsung wants to make virtual reality a daily habit
Functional 3D-printed leg: the future is now
Sony to release a 12-inch tablet in 2015
Unlicensed Wall-E Restaurant Uses Robots as Waiters

Milk VR by Samsung wants to make virtual reality a daily habit

Posted: 30 Dec 2014 10:33 AM PST

The Oculus, project Morpheus, Samsung VR and others are bringing their VR headsets to the markets, but there’s hardly any content to watch in them. This is what Samsung intends to change with Milk VR, where they want to turn Virtual Reality into a daily habit.

Virtual reality content is, as of now, pretty scarce. Whether or not VR headsets are accessible, the truth is that there’s not much to do with them as of now save play a very limited number of videogames, and watch the same few demos over and over. This is what Samsung intends to change with Milk VR, named after their streaming service. Users will be able to download and stream free content as Gear VR owners, featuring a constant flow of new things to watch. The idea is to turn VR into a "daily habit" for the users, like milk itself: instead of featuring a couple videos here and there, create content that engages the users and asks them to come back for more new content by known personalities.

A group of users will start beta testing with a series of technical previews and a limited library of content, but Samsung promises the flow will be regular soon, with videos ranging from 1 to 10 minutes. Some of the categories they’re working with are music, sports, action and lifestyle, all ready to be enjoyed in glorious 4K x 2K resolutions.

Don't forget to follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter. And read more related stories at Samsung Gear VR will set you back $199 USD and Samsung Gear VR Headset Announced, Will Work With Galaxy Note 4.

Functional 3D-printed leg: the future is now

Posted: 30 Dec 2014 06:00 AM PST

The prosthesis seen in Deus Ex (well, augments) might not be that far off, as we’re already getting ones we can print in the comfort of our homes.

We’re pretty much against self-diagnosis, except in cases of a missing limb – not much of a chance of getting that one wrong. And if you or someone in your life needs help because prosthetic legs, for example, will cost you another limb, there is this concept by Industrial Design student William Root called Exo, which is a clever use of 3d modeling and printing come to solve your woes.

This leg is made by 3d modeling the other one (assuming the patient still has it) and using that data to create a symmetrical version to match. Although the idea of a non-professional made prosthesis might not sound all that appealing to some, the truth is this is a cheap, fast replacement done in minutes. It’s done in titanium powder by using laser sintering, and the design was chosen to reduce materials and weight at the same time, while keeping looks and functionality in mind.

The author has set up a Behance page where users can learn more about this concept. and while this is just a first draft and design flaws are not off the board, it could be the way of the future.

Via Technabob

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories at Legend of Zelda Woodblock Map From Neutral Ground and Paraplegics In Iron Man-like Exoskeletons to Kick Off FIFA World Cup '14.

Sony to release a 12-inch tablet in 2015

Posted: 30 Dec 2014 04:00 AM PST

Sony is, according to some sources, working on a new tablet for 2015, one that would be over 12 inches in size. And that sounds just incredible for remote play with a PS4, doesn’t it?

A prototype by Sony, dubbed the Xperia Z4 Tablet Ultra had been making the rounds a while ago with top of the line specs, and a monstrous 12.9 inch size. Yet, according to Digitimes from Taiwan, this is far more than a concept proof, and they suggest Sony themselves might decide to compete head on with Samsung and Apple. If any company is big enough for that, that would be Sony, right?

Rumors say this tablet would release at a premium price, above $1,000 USD, but with monster specs to match. It would sport a 12.97-inch display capable of 3,840 X 2,400 pixels resolution with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 6GB of RAM (that’s almost as much as a PS4. or 12 PS Vitas), and all of that at mere 8.6mm wide.

While Sony themselves remain silent about this, the idea sounds exciting to say the least.

Don't forget to follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter. And read more related stories at Sony's New Line of Xperia Smartphones/Tablets Feature PS4 Remote Play and Sony Xperia C3, the World's Best Selfie Smartphone, Is Now Official.

Unlicensed Wall-E Restaurant Uses Robots as Waiters

Posted: 29 Dec 2014 12:50 PM PST

Starting from the premise that Wall-E was a hardworking robot, a Chinese company has opened a restaurant that uses equally hardworking robots for delivering the dishes and greeting the customers.

Even though many Chinese corporations are working hard to demonstrate that original things can come from this country, others are keeping alive the conception that all that Chinese do is copy successful products and ideas. Unfortunately, this Wall-E restaurant, which was opened recently in China’s Anhui province, fits in the second category, as its owners did not bother to ask (or rather pay) Disney for a license to use the name of their most famous robot. Now that the restaurant has made the news, a herd of lightsaber-wielding Disney lawyers will most likely pay the owners a visit to discuss a thing or two about much they should pay to use that name.

More than that, the 10 robots that make the staff of the Wall-E restaurant in Hefei look a lot like the ones populating a similar restaurant in Chengdu. Considering that each of these robots costs $10,000, I guess that some Chinese manufacturer is making a lot of money designing robots that resemble Wall-E’s love interest, Eve.

While Wall-E’s job was to clean everything around him, that’s exactly the one thing these robots won’t do. Instead, they are rolling on a track along the floor, delivering dishes and greeting the customers. I doubt they’re able to provide feedback, so asking them for food recommendation will remain an unanswered question.

On the upside, if the waiters are robots, you don’t have to tip them. Supposing that in the not-so-distant future we’ll have robotic service providers exclusively (“oh, joy, more humans losing their jobs!” – hope that this is not what you’re thinking now), would you miss the human touch? I do think that human kind will need some time to get used to this, but in the end, if we’re served properly (good programming leaves little room for mistakes), I don’t see why we shouldn’t adopt such changes. Still, if robots are to take over cooking, as well, they should be supervised by a human chef, or at least programmers should ask for one’s opinion when programming the recipes.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Makr Shakr robot bartender that went on a cruise, or the Electrolux bartender drone that mixes drinks and delivers them on flight.