[From Handy Shipping Guide]

New Virtual Reality Programme Can Influence Multimodal Freight Designs

Jaguar Land Rover Partnerships Aim at Putting UK in the Forefront of Conceptual Vehicle Production

07 June 2013

UK – Jaguar Land Rover and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), along with four of the UK’s leading universities, have announced a £10 million virtual engineering research programme which will aim to improve the quality and capabilities of simulation, using sights, sounds and even smells to make virtual simulation more realistic. Engineering projects such as this could have a major impact on the design of future multimodal freight options with virtual designs being used as a test bed for innovative behaviour in fields ranging from road haulage vehicle design to energy saving concepts in sea and air.

The £10 million five year collaboration between Jaguar Land Rover and the country’s leading academics will develop the capability of the virtual simulation industry in the UK and will give manufacturers access to new, world-class simulation tools and processes.… read more. “Jaguar Land Rover partners with EPSRC and four universities to put UK ahead in virtual simulation industry”

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

Mind-controlled quadcopter flies using imaginary fists

By David Szondy
June 8, 2013

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have done away with all that tedious joystick work by developing a mind-controlled quadcopter. It may seem like the top item of next year’s Christmas list, but it also serves a very practical purpose. Using a skullcap fitted with a Brain Computer Interface (BCI), the University’s College of Science and Engineering hopes to develop ways for people suffering from paralysis or neurodegenerative diseases to employ thought to control wheelchairs and other devices.… read more. “With EEG skullcap, a mind-controlled quadcopter flies using imaginary fists”

[From CNET, where the story includes many images and a video]

[Image: It’s been a long road bringing digital eyewear and other wearable technologies out of the shadows, but they are poised to take off at warp speed within the next decade. (Credit: Dan Farber/Augmented Reality Expo)]

The next big thing in tech: Augmented reality

The wearable revolution is heading beyond Google Glass, fitness tracking and health monitoring. The future is wearables that conjure up a digital layer in real space to “augment” reality.

by Dan Farber
June 7, 2013

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Reality isn’t what is used to be. With increasingly powerful technologies, the human universe is being reimagined way beyond Google Glass’ photo-tapping and info cards floating in space above your eye. The future is fashionable eyewear, contact lenses or even bionic eyes with immersive 3D displays, conjuring up a digital layer to “augment” reality, enabling entire new classes of applications and user experiences.… read more. “Beyond Google Glass: The evolution of Augmented Reality”

[Satire from The Onion]

New, Improved Google Maps Lets User Launch Missile At Any Location On Globe

ISSUE 49•22 • May 29, 2013

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA—Tech giant Google announced Wednesday that their newest version of Maps will enable users to fire a missile at any location on the planet. “Simply zoom in on any point on the map, set the crosshairs, and tap the ‘Launch’ button, and a Google satellite will immediately send an ASM cruise missile accurate within 5 feet,” said Maps product manager Jason Murawski, adding that the feature is available on both iPhone iOS and Android operating systems, whereupon the missile’s flight path can also be tracked in real time. “If you need a closer look at a target, just go to Street View, which enables you to go up and down a city block and set multiple airstrike markers.… read more. “New, improved Google Maps lets user launch missile at any location on globe (satire)”

[From Home Theater Magazine]

Ultra-Big-Screen Movie Magic Comes Home with IMAX Private Theatre

By HT Staff • Posted: May 31, 2013

If you’ve got some extra dough laying around, IMAX just announced the IMAX Private Theatre.

Calling it “the world’s most immersive cinema experience,” the company says it has taken the best of its commercial theater experience and customized it to create a state-of-the-art home cinema experience. The design concept originated from the company’s state-of-the-art screening room in Santa Monica, Calif.

System highlights include:… read more. “IMAX Private Theatre brings “world’s most immersive cinema experience” home”