Vision Robotics’ harvesting machines edge closer to the farm

  • June 24, 2007
  • 1 minute read
Vision Robotics' harvesting machines edge closer to the farm – Filed under: Misc. Gadgets In just eight short months, the automated harvesting machines at Vision Robotics have apparently come quite a ways. Currently, funding is flowing in from growers’ associations who are “very nervous about the availability and cost of labor in the near future,” which has allowed the company to move forward in developing a pair of robots to pluck fruit from trees or vines. The duo would work in succession as the first robotic “scout” would scan the area and construct a 3D map with the location of each item that needs captured; the “harvester” would follow behind and pick the fruits that its eagle-eyed teammate mapped out. The firm has reportedly reached the build phase on the complex machines, and while a prototype or two should be ready to rock by next year, we’re unlikely to see these go mainstream before the next decade. [Via Wired] Gallery: Vision Robotics’ harvesting machines edge closer to the farm   Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life! [EnGadget]
Vision Robotics' harvesting machines edge closer to the farm –

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In just eight short months, the automated harvesting machines at Vision Robotics have apparently come quite a ways. Currently, funding is flowing in from growers’ associations who are “very nervous about the availability and cost of labor in the near future,” which has allowed the company to move forward in developing a pair of robots to pluck fruit from trees or vines. The duo would work in succession as the first robotic “scout” would scan the area and construct a 3D map with the location of each item that needs captured; the “harvester” would follow behind and pick the fruits that its eagle-eyed teammate mapped out. The firm has reportedly reached the build phase on the complex machines, and while a prototype or two should be ready to rock by next year, we’re unlikely to see these go mainstream before the next decade.

[Via Wired]

Gallery: Vision Robotics’ harvesting machines edge closer to the farm

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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[EnGadget]


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Plans for Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) revealed

  • by
  • June 20, 2007
Another Ubuntu Release in the works!

To give you the rundown on the notable changes. The desktop version will be shipping with a new default windows manager that looks kinda like Mac OSX:



	

		
	

	

		We are aiming for Ubuntu to be one of the first distributions to ship

		the newly merged Compiz and Beryl projects (compcomm/OpenCompositing);

		and enable it as the default window manager on systems with a supported

		combination of hardware and drivers.

		
	

	









http://compiz.org




cube effect peel effect cube effect cube effect





And the addition of AppArmour to the Server version of Ubuntu:






	

		
	

	

		For increased security, the AppArmor security framework will be

		available as an option for those that want it.

		
	

	




The following is the original statement by the Ubuntu Development Manager.




	

		
	

	

		Now that the set of feature goals planned for Ubuntu 7.10 ("Gutsy

		Gibbon") has been largely finalised, it seems like an appropriate point

		to announce the plan to the world.

		While this is based on the approved blueprints for gutsy[0], which are

		expected to be implemented in time, we do release according to a

		time-based schedule[1] rather than a feature-based one.  It is not

		unusual for some planned features to be delayed to later releases;

		happily it is also not unusual for our developers to introduce neat

		features we weren't expecting either.

		[0] https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/gutsy/

		[1] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/GutsyReleaseSchedule

		Desktop

		-------

		Ubuntu 7.10 will ship with the latest edition of the GNOME desktop,

		2.20, released a few weeks before our own release.  Kubuntu 7.10 will

		ship with KDE 3.5.7, and should also include packages of KDE 4.0 rc 2

		available for optional side-by-side installation.

		We are aiming for Ubuntu to be one of the first distributions to ship

		the newly merged Compiz and Beryl projects (compcomm/OpenCompositing);

		and enable it as the default window manager on systems with a supported

		combination of hardware and drivers.

		Systems which do not support compositing, or those with it disabled by

		user option, will use the existing metacity window manager.

		Hardware Support

		----------------

		Ubuntu 7.10 will use the 2.6.22 Linux kernel, along with our usual

		selection of updated and additional drivers.

		We will also use Xorg 7.3, giving better graphics hardware support and

		the option of hotplugging monitors (RandR 1.2) and input devices

		(xserver 1.4).

		As well as the easier configuration for hotplugging-supported drivers

		("no xorg.conf"), we also aim to have better configuration for other

		drivers and fallback settings for when there is a problem.

		Some "winmodem" chips will be supported out of the box, where drivers

		are available; though this may rely on the use of restricted drivers.

		Improvements to the Restricted Driver Manager are expected, allowing

		drivers to be disabled by default and proposed by the manager.  As

		previously announced, an edition of Ubuntu without restricted enabled by

		default is in the works.

		Mobile

		------

		As announced, Ubuntu 7.10 will be first release to include a new Mobile

		and Embedded edition targeted at hand-held devices and other

		mobile/embedded form factors.

		This integrates the Hildon UI components developed by Nokia into Ubuntu,

		on top of the existing Ubuntu platform.

		Server

		------

		Development of the Ubuntu 7.10 Server Edition has received a new boost

		with a dedicated development team at Canonical working on it.  Features

		aiming to improve the experience for new and hobbyist administrators are

		expected, as well as features desirable for small businesses and

		organisations.

		For increased security, the AppArmor security framework will be

		available as an option for those that want it.

		Stability and Performance

		-------------------------

		Ubuntu 7.10 should function significantly better when the filesystem is

		full or otherwise not writable, allowing the user to make room and then

		continue working without undue interruption.

		Improvements to our "apport" bug and crash reporting infrastructure are

		planned, in particular integration with our software installation and

		upgrade tools so that problems installing or upgrading packages can be

		easily reported with relevant information attached.  Kernel crashes will

		also be intercepted on reboot, and may be reported using the tool.

		Our efforts to improve boot reliability and performance continue;

		unlimited and reliable stackability of software raid (MD) devices, LVM

		volumes and software-managed (devmapper) devices will be supported with

		no runtime ordering issues.

		Ubuntu 7.10 will ship with Upstart 0.5, which will provide flexible and

		reliable service supervision.  We expect to harness this for suitable

		core services, and some boot process tasks, as appropriate.

		Scott

		-- 

		Scott James Remnant

		Ubuntu Development Manager

		scott at ubuntu.com

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YouTube To Share Revenue With 20-year-old Filmmaker

  • by
  • June 24, 2007
YouTube To Share Revenue With 20-year-old Filmmaker - destinyland writes "YouTube just has signed a deal to share ad revenue with 20-year-old Brandon Fletcher. YouTube had already said they'd implement revenue sharing this summer, but this indicates they're willing to put their money where their mouth was. 10 Zen Monkeys has a funny chronicle of Brandon's enviable march to YouTube money. 9 weeks ago he flew to California to demand YouTube feature his video on their front page. A security guard refused to let him off the elevator — but he made crucial contacts which helped seal the deal 9 weeks later. Taking this business to the next level makes sense in the here and now, when some 70 percent of internet users are streaming video."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

 [Slasdot]
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Search: Find useful web apps with SimpleSpark

  • by
  • June 24, 2007
Search: Find useful web apps with SimpleSpark - simple_spark.png

If you're looking for a specific web application to meet your needs, but you're not sure where to find it, you might want to check out SimpleSpark, a catalog of over 3000 useful online services.

For instance, I typed in "organize" and retrieved around 95 different results to help me get my stuff together. You can also browse through the entire catalog (organized by category), browse pending listings, or check out what's just been added. I found this incredibly helpful especially since there's just so much good new stuff coming out; it's somewhat tricky to keep track of what works and what doesn't.

Simple Spark

[LifeHacker]
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