Back To The Future: Xbox 720 Rumours

#15 What To Expect From The Xbox 720

Will it be worth the price? Will it be worth the jump? Will it help Microsoft dethrone Sony? There are so many questions pertaining to the new Xbox, but answers are few and scarce. Luckily, we have a few rumors to keep you satisfied until the big reveal. Via: dailypix.me

#14 The Console Will Be Here By Christmas

Along with a full roster launch at E3 in June, Xbox fanatics can expect the new console to ship by Christmas 2013. Just don’t expect Microsoft to reveal any accurate photos of the next-gen system any time soon!Via: dailypix.me

#13 Its Core Graphics Will See An Improvement…

The major feature that gamers really care about is the quality of graphics they’ll be able to engage in with every video game they purchase. The Xbox 720 is said to have an AMD Jaguar-based 1.6GHz CPU that’s ideal for both developers and consumers.Via: dailypix.me

#12 …But It Won’t Be Identical To The PS4

There will undeniably be similarities, as that’s the case with all competitors in any market, but leaked documents note that the new Xbox will be less powerful graphics wise. While the PS4 also unifies system and graphics memory, Microsoft hopes to keep them separate.Via: dailypix.me

#11 All About Windows 8

Microsoft introduced the power of Windows 8 with their Xbox SmartGlass app last fall and it looks like the company hopes to expand on that, combining gaming with social media, business and everyday computing.Via: dailypix.me

#10 Video Games May Be Online Only

Next-generation consoles seem to be fully engaged in the idea of streaming video games via network stores and depending on advancements, it could fully replace the physical disc by Christmas 2013. The bigger question is how will that effect Internet provider/services in the long run?Via: dailypix.me

#9 The Next-Gen Library Is Worth Noticing

The PS4 may be re-introducing titles such as “Diablo”, but a number of popular developers are reportedly working on next-gen adaptations for Microsoft’s new console. This includes a next-gen “Call Of Duty”, a next-gen Bethesda “expansion” and further titles from Square Enix, Crytek and Lionhead Studios.Via: dailypix.me

#8 Will It Even Be Called The “Xbox 720″?

Due to Microsoft showing they’re a bit “domain-hungry”, some are speculating if the next-gen console will even be released under the name Xbox 720. Xbox8.com is one URL that was recently claimed and has been linked to the prospective title “Xbox Infinity”.Via: dailypix.me

#7 It Likely Won’t Be Backwards Compatible

Many gamers were hoping the new Xbox would be backwards compatible (work with Xbox 360 games) but it probably won’t be. This might discourage some gamers from buying it early on, when the game selection is still limited.Via: dailypix.me

#6 It May Not Incorporate Blu-Ray

Reports conflict whether or not the 720 will actually include a Blu-Ray drive because Microsoft may even ship the new console with an HD DVD drive instead. Read speeds from HD DVDs are still faster than Blu Ray drives, but they hold less data.Via: dailypix.me

#5 Expect A Fully “Kinect-ed” World

The control pad may still be an option considering its popularity, but its heavily implied that a second version of the Kinect will ship with the Xbox 720. Its primary feature: being able to detect up to six players/users at a time during a single session.Via: dailypix.me

#4 A Tablet May Be Your New Best Friend

While the Kinect and the standard Xbox controller seems to be logical devices for the next-gen console, numerous reports point to a Microsoft tablet that will control the new system and make its way into video games. The idea stems from the Wii U’s primary features, but would it be ideal for Xbox users?Via: dailypix.me

#3 The IllumiRoom May Be Revolutionary

The PlayStation 4 has a strong emphasis on social gaming but don’t expect Microsoft to follow suit. News and press releases about the IllumiRoom, a new technology that uses your TV “to blur the lines between on-screen content and the environment we live in”, looks to coincide with the Kinect for an entirely new experience.Via: dailypix.me

#2 The Retail Price May Be Inexpensive

New consoles are normally accompanied by a high price tag but will that be the case for the 720? A leaked document from 2012 states a $299 price point but assuming the PlayStation 4 launches around the same time, the final price may be more due to competition.Via: dailypix.me

#1 D.eath To The Trade-Ins

Because Microsoft is making a bigger jump to a next-gen console, it appears the new Xbox will prevent users from playing used titles, which would permanently give trade-ins the axe and cut down on retail sales. The idea comes from the company’s plan to make the new Xbox dependent on an Internet connection.Via: dailypix.me

Back To The Future: Xbox 720 Rumours

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Revolutionary Robots: 16 Cool & Crazy Creations

 

Artificial intelligence is getting more advanced by the day, in ways that are both scary and exciting. There are robots that can help make the world a better place – leading schools of fish away from turbines, or helping the disabled regain mobility. Then there are the pole dancers, ketchup squeezers and graffiti sprayers. These 16 robots run the gamut, with functions that delight and amaze.

 

#16 Bear Pillow Tickles Snorers in the Face

(images via: spectrum.ieee.org) Via: weburbanist.com

Does your partner have a snoring problem? Imagine buying them this totally innocent-looking bear pillow and watching their reaction when, prompted by the sound of snoring, it raises its arm and touches their face to make them stop. The Jukusui-Kun Robotic Bear Pillow not only listens to the volume of snoring, but also monitors oxygen levels, making them a great companion for people with sleep apnea.

#15 Autonomous Snow Plow Robot

(images via: geekologie) Via: weburbanist.com

Nobody likes shoveling snow, and in some climates, winter clean-up is an exhausting, never-ending task. Too bad we can’t all have our very own Yuki-taro robots – autonomous snow plows that seek out snow, gobble it up and then excrete compressed blocks of ice which can be stacked and stored until summer, when they can be used for refrigeration or cooling. The researchers that developed it hope that it will be commercially available within five years.

#14 Pole-Dancing Robots

(images via: youtube/giles walker) Via: weburbanist.com

You might find these pole dancers a little stiff. The fully animated robots – along with a DJ – were made by Giles Walker out of raw materials found in scrap yards. Walker controls the robots through a PC using a DMX lighting program.

#13 Twitter Robot Acts Out Your Friends’ Emotions

(images via: dvice) Via: weburbanist.com

Ken Lim’s Guardian Robot from InsideGuardian on Vimeo.

Most people don’t have the time to constantly monitor their Twitter stream for comments that indicate that their friends are either really happy or really sad. Well, there’s a robot for that too. Ken Lim’s ‘Guardian Robot’ will either raise its arm or lower its head in response to your friends’ comments. You can give it a high-five when it’s happy or a hug when it’s sad to return it to its idle state.

#12 Clean Your House Remotely with Kinect-Powered Robot

(image via: spectrum.ieee.org)Via: weburbanist.com

You’re having company tonight, but you haven’t had a chance to clean – you’re stuck at your office job instead, doing busy work. But if you had Yaskawa’s SmartPal VII, you could be cleaning your house remotely – using a robot powered by XBox Kinect. Maybe it won’t scrub the toilet, but it moves well enough to pick some things up off the floor.

#11 Senseless Drawing Bot

(images via: vimeo) Via: weburbanist.com

If you’ve ever felt the need to cover a surface in graffiti but couldn’t be bothered to do it yourself, there’s a robot just for you. TheSenseless Drawing Bot by So Kanno and Takahiro Yamaguchi moves back and forth in a straight line along a wall, its mechanical arm spraying random scribbles in the colors of your choice.

#10 Automated Ketchup-Squirting Robot

(image via: tasteologie) Via: weburbanist.com

It’s a robot that squeezes ketchup, and it’s got its own theme song. The video speaks for itself.

#9 Kazu Terasaki iPad Walking Robot

(image via: engadget) Via: weburbanist.com

iPads and iPhones become walking, googly-eyed robots in the hands of Kazu Terasaki. When watching the video of this unusual modification, you can’t help but cringe waiting for these expensive gadgets to walk right over the edge of the table and crash to the floor.

#8 Fractal Scene Robot Goes On and On Forever

(images via: screamyguy.net) Via: weburbanist.com

It’s not a physical robot, it’s a digital robot, but it’s still pretty cool. Programmer Matt Kozak created a fractal scene of a robot reproducing. Check out Matt’s website to view the scene from various angles and zoom in and out for the full trippy effect.

“Several years ago, I built a robot whose sole purpose in life was to create an even smaller robot just like himself… So much like himself, that this robot endeavoured to create yet another tiny robot, ad infinitum. This continued for a while until an extremely tiny speck of robot tried to endow purpose upon a cloud of molecules with ruinous result.”

#7 Robot Fish Leads Schools of the Real Thing

(images via: botjunkie) Via: weburbanist.com

Professor Maurizio Porfiri has produced a robot fish that behaves with such realism, living fish can’t tell that it’s an impostor and will let it lead their school. Porfiri’s fish uses ionic polymers that swell and shrink in response to electrical simulation in order to power its tail for smooth, silent movement. The robot could actually be used to escort schools of fish away from dangers like hydroelectric turbines.

#6 Robot Arm Turned F1 Simulator

(image via: popsci) Via: weburbanist.com

Ever wonder what it’s like to drive a Ferrari at top speeds? A robot by Paolo Robuffo Giordano and colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Germany acts as a simulator to replicate the experience without the actual vehicle. A hot pink robotic arm, of the sort normally seen at amusement parks, holds an elevated seat that whips the rider around in front of a massive screen. While this might just be the world’s coolest simulated driving game, it’s also helping researchers study how the human body reacts to motion.

#5 16 Forms: Programmed Robotic Music Experience

(images via: notcot) Via: weburbanist.com

Displayed at this year’s DesignTokyo Tide, ’16 Forms’ by Daito Manabe and Motoi Ishibashi combines a robot arm, turntable, scans and 3D prints of a dancer to produce a strangely hypnotic audio and visual experience. Watch the video at vision.ameba.jp.

#4 R7 Rideable Robot

(images via: new scientist) Via: weburbanist.com

Korean company Robo3 produced a few amazing robots that were available for sale on the company’s website back in 2005 and 2006. Along with a robot bartender and a dinosaur, Robo3 offered the R7, a rideable robot that could have been yours for $5,250.

#3 Robot Planter Seeks Sun

(images via: the play coalition) Via: weburbanist.com

Fitted with a woven planter basket, the ‘Plant Bot’ by The Play Coalition has four mechanical legs that move the plant around the room to find patches of sunlight. Its legs move something like those of a spider, and though it might help keep your plants alive, its best use might be surprising the hell out of unsuspecting guests.

#2 Giant Robotic Spiders Prowl Yokohama

(images via: pink tentacle) Via: weburbanist.com

French performance artist group La Machine brought two insanely nightmarish robotic spiders to Yokohama, Japan in 2009 for Expo Y150, a 5-month festival in honor of the 150th anniversary of the opening of the city’s port. The spiders crawled along the streets in a spectacle that brought dubious 1960′s B-rated horror movies to life.

#1 You Don’t Control This Robot, It Controls You

(image via: spectrum.ieee.org) Via: weburbanist.com

Sure, you can make robots do all kinds of cool and crazy things, but at least one of them turns the tables by controlling a human limb. The robot sends small electrical currents to electrodes taped to a person’s forearm to hold a ball and then drop it through a hoop. The technology could someday be used to help disabled people regain some of their motor skills.

Revolutionary Robots: 16 Cool & Crazy Creations

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