[From Billboard]

LessThan3’s Virtual Event Platform to Beam Ultra Music Festival Around the World

By Kerri Mason | February 15, 2013

Ultra Music Festival unveiled its Phase 3 lineup this morning, adding fan favorites like Arty and Tommie Sunshine to an already impressive roster of artists, from EDM and beyond. The festival will take place in Miami over two weekends, March 15-17 and 22-24.

Also part of this morning’s press release was the introduction of a new element to the UMF experience; one for fans who can’t make it to South Florida this March. The festival announced that its website will be enhanced with what it calls a “cutting edge virtual environment,” where the international online audience can check out live feeds from the festival’s many stages, and interact with each other.

The robust platform was developed by LessThan3, an EDM-focused startup supported by StartX, a non-profit dedicated to building the businesses of Stanford University graduates.… read more. “LessThan3’s virtual event platform to beam Ultra Music Festival around the world”

[From AP via The Huffington Post, where the story includes more images]

Robot Replaces Student At Winchester Elementary School, Allows Devon Carrow To Attend Remotely (PHOTOS)

By Carolyn Thompson 02/15/13

WEST SENECA, N.Y. — In an elementary school hallway, a teacher takes her second-graders to the library, leading a single-file line of giggling boys and girls that’s perfectly ordinary until you get to a sleek white robot with a video screen showing the face of a smiling, chubby-cheeked boy.

Devon Carrow’s life-threatening allergies don’t allow him to go to school. But the 4-foot-tall robot with a wireless video hookup gives him the school experience remotely, allowing him to participate in class, stroll through the hallways, hang out at recess and even take to the auditorium stage when there’s a show.

What’s most remarkable is how unremarkable this gee-whiz technology is viewed by his classmates.… read more. “Robot replaces student at NY elementary school; classmates “just see Devon””

[From The Telegraph; more information including videos and the article in Nature are available on the web site for Dr. Nicolelis’s lab]

[Image: One of Duke University’s infrared detector-equipped test subjects]

Scientists create ‘sixth sense’ brain implant to detect infrared light

A brain implant which could allow humans to detect invisible infrared light has been developed by scientists in America.

By Nick Collins
17 Feb 2013

Scientists have created a “sixth sense” by creating a brain implant through which infrared light can be detected.

Although the light could not be seen lab rats were able to detect it via electrodes in the part of the brain responsible for their sense of touch.

Similar devices have previously been used to make up for lost capabilities, for example giving paralysed patients the ability to move a cursor around the screen with their thoughts.… read more. “Brain implant gives rats a completely new sense; what’s next?”

[From Gizmag, where the story includes many additional images]

[Image: With the lightweight components, wearing the Oculus VR headset is no less cumbersome than any ordinary pair of goggles]

Eyes-on with the Oculus Rift’s jaw-dropping virtual reality system

By Jonathan Fincher
February 14, 2013

The Oculus Rift VR system has been steadily gaining more attention in the past several months, thanks to glowing endorsements from some major figures in the the video game industry and a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign that brought in almost US$2.5 million. We’ve been following the development of the Oculus Rift for some time now, so finding out the company had its virtual reality goggles available to try on at CES was an especially pleasant surprise. Naturally, we simply couldn’t resist giving the Rift a test drive to see if it lived up to all the hype.… read more. “Eyes-on with the Oculus Rift’s jaw-dropping virtual reality system”

[From Gizmodo UK (formerly via Humans Invent), “in partnership with Sharp”]

[Image: It’s possible with the software to predict the audience at adapt content to suit.]

Tailored advertising that stops you in your tracks

By Leo Kent
11th February 2013

As we become ever numb to traditional forms of advertising it is growing increasingly important for companies to incorporate new technology into their campaigns to excite and captivate their intended audience.

At the ISE trade show in Amsterdam this month, Sharp unveiled a rather clever new device that makes advertising a more personalized experience and it is something that businesses could soon be snapping up in an attempt to engage the public.

Bespoke advertising

Using what Sharp is calling ‘eye-catching software’ on their digital advertising displays, it creates the illusion that a passer-by’s reflection can be seen in the image as they walk near or past it.… read more. “Personalized advertising system creates illusion of a passer-by’s reflection”