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Author Archives: Matthew Lombard

Call: Journal of Robotics 2012 issue on Cognitive and Neural Aspects in Robotics with Applications

By Matthew Lombard | Published: May 17, 2012

Call for Papers: Special Journal Issue on Cognitive and Neural Aspects in Robotics with Applications 2012 (CNAR’12), Journal of Robotics

URL:  http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jr/si/720903/cfp/

It is our pleasure to announce a new call for papers for the third special issue on cognitive and neural aspects of robotics with applications for the Journal of Robotics.  The call for papers on cognitive and neural sciences related to robotic systems was a successful challenge.

Robotics has been widely applied for various fields such as automation and other control and engineering systems.  Recent developments of humanoid and human-like robots are a milestone in the field of robotics, and they can be a platform for breaking new ground of robotics applications for human-friendly medical and welfare systems.  Cognitive and learning aspects for such robots are, however, still underdeveloped compared to highly controlled mechanisms of recent robotic systems.

Like the previous calls for papers of CNAR, the main challenges of this new call for papers for the special issue are cognitive aspects of robotics, especially the neural and fuzzy basis of human intelligence and the fundamental model of human cognitive and motor functions from the brain sciences point of view.  We welcome research papers focused on special and newest hardware and biocomputing implementations that enhance cognitive capabilities in the field of robotics. Read more on Call: Journal of Robotics 2012 issue on Cognitive and Neural Aspects in Robotics with Applications…

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Cocorobo intelligent vacuum cleaner robot communicates with its owner

By Matthew Lombard | Published: May 17, 2012

[From

Cocorobo intelligent vacuum cleaner robot communicates with its owner

8 May 2012

Sharp has developed a vacuum cleaning robot called Cocorobo, which uses the Cocoro Engine artificial intelligence capability. This product is the first in a planned series of robot appliances which can communicate with people.

Cocorobo features a speech recognition engine developed by Raytron, so it can be controlled by voice, as well as using its buttons or the remote control. It has also been given the ability to say simple greetings, with the idea being that a vacuum cleaner can communicate like a pet robot.

“For example, if you use Cocorobo every day, or speak to it every day, it gets in a good mood. Depending on how it feels, its words and movements vary a lot, so you can gain a feeling of closeness with it. Regarding Cocorobo’s learning capability, we’re planning upgrades that will make it evolve rapidly.” Read more on Cocorobo intelligent vacuum cleaner robot communicates with its owner…

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Call: ARTECH 2012

By Matthew Lombard | Published: May 16, 2012

CALL FOR PAPERS
ARTECH 2012
University of Algarve, Portugal, November 8-9, 2012
http://ise.ualg.pt/artech2012

Deadline for full papers approaching: June 2
(Installations proposals and short papers submission: June 9)

Artech 2012 is the Sixth International Conference on Digital Arts, this time held at the University of Algarve in the South of Portugal. It aims to create a forum for the emerging digital arts bringing together the scientific, technological and artistic community. The goal is to promote the interest in the digital culture and its intersection with art and technology as an important research field, but also as a common space for discussion and exchange of new experiences. Seeking to foster greater understanding about digital arts and culture across a wide spectrum of cultural, disciplinary, and professional practices, this edition of the conference also includes a strand concerned with e-learning related to art and media studies. To this end, we cordially invite scholars, teachers, researchers, artists, computer professionals, and others who are working within the broadly defined areas of digital arts, culture and education to join us. Read more on Call: ARTECH 2012…

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3-D It converts any web page to 3-D

By Matthew Lombard | Published: May 16, 2012

[From

Make Any Web Page 3-D With 3-D It!

Developer Edan Kwan created a program that, when bookmarked, uses CSS to convert any website to glorious 3-D. Glasses optional.

By Joe Berkowitz
May 9, 2012

It started as a fun little experiment, in three dimensions.

Edan Kwan, a developer at New York-based digital agency, Firstborn, had the thought that others might share his fascination with what websites would look like with a 3-D makeover. Lo and behold, pretty soon he’d created a program that uses CSS to do just that, turning 3-D into a verb in the process.

Users can simply drag the script to their bookmark bar and use it to click and transform any typically flat site into one that gives the illusion of containing a Z-axis. Read more on 3-D It converts any web page to 3-D…

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Job: Assistant Professor in Philosophy of Technology at University of Twente (the Netherlands)

By Matthew Lombard | Published: May 15, 2012

The Department of Philosophy of
the University of Twente (the Netherlands) is looking for an

Assistant Professor (full-time, tenure-track) in Philosophy of Technology
with a (future) emphasis on philosophical anthropology and human-technology relations

The department of philosophy is internationally leading in the philosophy and ethics of technology. It currently includes seven tenured staff members, one postdoc, seven PhD students, and five part-time faculty. We strive to combine academic excellence with societal relevance. We have a strong international orientation and include members from many different nationalities. The department is currently expanding with two tenure-track positions, one in Applied Ethics and/or Political Philosophy, and one in the currently advertised area.

THE CHALLENGE

You teach courses in philosophical anthropology and human-technology relations in the (English-language) master program in Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society (PSTS). You also teach courses in this field, and in other areas of philosophy, for bachelor and master programs in engineering and social sciences. Moreover, you are involved in the supervision of master’s theses in the PSTS program and in the supervision of PhD students.

You perform research in the philosophy of human-technology relations. Your research preferably focuses on one or more of the following areas:  philosophical anthropology; philosophy and ethics of human enhancement; philosophy of mind, cognition, body and technology; philosophy and ethics of design; aesthetics and technology; philosophy of religion and technology; philosophy of medicine and technology. However, other specializations will be seriously considered as well. Read more on Job: Assistant Professor in Philosophy of Technology at University of Twente (the Netherlands)…

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Beyond Smart TV: ‘Surfaces’ prototype reveals the television of tomorrow

By Matthew Lombard | Published: May 15, 2012

[From Wired’s GigaOM]

Beyond Smart TV: ‘Surfaces’ Prototype Reveals the Television of Tomorrow

By Christina Bonnington
May 8, 2012

We’ve seen the future of television, and we want it now.

NDS, a company that develops DRM security and DVR technology for pay-TV providers like Cox and DirecTV, has developed a proof-of-concept called Surfaces that shows how television could become the center of a much more compelling, immersive living room experience.

The prototype jettisons the single, static screen that’s been a hardware mainstay since the golden age of television. In its place is a slick, highly customized room-sized desktop that hosts not only a traditional widescreen TV image, but also windows for a plethora of digital accoutrements.

It could be exactly what the TV industry needs to stay relevant.

“In a few years’ time, you’ll be able to buy a TV that covers an entire wall, acting like wallpaper,” NDS chief marketing officer Nigel Smith told Wired. In this way, the TV could take the form of a gigantic canvas, providing layers of additional information, as well as different levels of immersion. Read more on Beyond Smart TV: ‘Surfaces’ prototype reveals the television of tomorrow…

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Call: HAID 2012 – Seventh International Workshop on Haptic and Audio Interaction Design

By Matthew Lombard | Published: May 14, 2012

First call for short papers/posters, demos and exhibits/design cases:

HAID 2012 – The Seventh International Workshop on Haptic and Audio Interaction Design (HAID)
August 23-24 2012 in Lund, Sweden

The combination of haptic and audio for interaction design is a challenging research area, and we invite researchers and practitioners interested in these non-visual modalities to come to HAID to exchange designs and research findings. This year’s HAID has a particular (but not exclusive) focus on the mobile setting – while on the move the haptic and audio combination has great (but sadly under-exploited) potential. More non-visual interaction designs will make applications and devices easier to user for everyone. We invite contributions on the appropriate use of haptics and audio in interaction design: how do we design effectively for mobile interaction? How can we design effective haptic, audio and multimodal interfaces? In what new application areas can we apply these techniques? Are there design methods that are useful? Or evaluation techniques that are particularly appropriate? We also welcome artistic exhibits and commercial design cases for our exhibition.

HAID12 is a direct successor to the successful workshop series inaugurated in Glasgow in 2006, in Seoul in 2007, in Jyväskylä in 2008, Dresden in 2009, Copenhagen 2010 and Kyoto 2011. The aim of HAID12 is to bring together researchers and practitioners who share an interest in finding out how the haptic and audio modalities can be used together in human computer interaction. The research challenges in the area are best approached through user-centred design, empirical studies or the development of novel theoretical frameworks. We invite your papers, posters, demonstrations and exhibits/design cases on these topics, and look forward to seeing you in Lund in August 2012! Read more on Call: HAID 2012 – Seventh International Workshop on Haptic and Audio Interaction Design…

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‘Edible Cinema’ features corresponding foods to heighten sensory experience of film

By Matthew Lombard | Published: May 14, 2012

[From here]

This Sunday Bombay Sapphire Presents the Edible Cinema

Posted on May 11, 2012

Wow! we’ve had Secret Cinema, scratch and sniff cinema, film scores re-imagined by DJs and musicians. But as yet, no-one has truly enhanced a cinematic experience with food… until now! On Sunday 13 May, the Electric Cinema in Portobello Road and Bombay Sapphire Gin are proud to present ‘Edible Cinema’; a collaboration between the team at Soho House, renowned experience organiser Polly Betton, experimental food designer Andrew Stellitano and Bombay Sapphire’s brand ambassador Sam Carter.

The concept is simple: the audience are given a series of numbered ‘packages’ before the start of the film which contain food and Bombay Sapphire specially created tasters. At specific points during the film large placards with corresponding numbers will be shown to the audience instructing them to consume the contents of the packages. Read more on ‘Edible Cinema’ features corresponding foods to heighten sensory experience of film…

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Call: 2013 Higher Education Teaching & Learning Association conference – Exploring Spaces for Learning

By Matthew Lombard | Published: May 11, 2012

HIGHER EDUCATION TEACHING & LEARNING ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE
JANUARY 13-15, 2013, ORLANDO, FLORIDA

Exploring Spaces for Learning

Full Details: http://www.fctl.ucf.edu/hetl2013/

The International Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association (http://hetl.org/) cordially invites you to attend the 2013 International HETL Conference to be held at the University of Central Florida, in cooperation with the UCF Karen L. Smith Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning.

In Towards Creative Learning Spaces: Rethinking the Architecture of Post-Compulsory Education (2011), Jos Boys raises intriguing questions about changes in the spaces we use in higher education, pushing educators to think beyond traditional categories of “formal” and “informal” learning sites to imagine more complex relationships between our classrooms and the world beyond them. In the wake of increasing reliance on ever-expanding virtual learning spaces, greater emphasis on experiential learning, and a push toward the global classroom, leaders in higher education must consider their work from a wide range of perspectives.

We invite you to join colleagues from around the world in an exploration of innovative technologies, pedagogical strategies, and international collaborations being used to engage and retain students in the new millennium. Together we will discuss which models and approaches are most promising, how are they being used to engage and retain students, and how we can apply them to advance the scholarship and practice of teaching and learning. Read more on Call: 2013 Higher Education Teaching & Learning Association conference – Exploring Spaces for Learning…

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‘Point cloud portraits’ bring ghostly 3D images to movies

By Matthew Lombard | Published: May 11, 2012

[From

[Image: A new look combining the depth camera of Kinect gaming console and a video from a digital SLR. Credit: Screen capture by Martin LaMonica/CNET]

‘Point cloud portraits’ bring ghostly 3D images to movies

by Martin LaMonica May 2, 201

Carnegie Mellon University’s Studio for Creative Inquiry creates distinctive 3D video effect by hacking together the depth camera of the Kinect gaming console with video from digital SLRs.

In yet another example of the amazing things possible with the Kinect gaming console, filmmakers have combined the depth camera of Kinect with a digital SLR to create a haunting new look in video.

Fellows at Carnegie Mellon University’s Studio for Creative Inquiry this week posted video, spotted by The Verge, from a filmmaking workshop which shows some of the potential of this type of 3D imagery. Read more on ‘Point cloud portraits’ bring ghostly 3D images to movies…

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