Robot Hadrian can lay enough bricks for a house in two days

Brick-laying robots are not news but this month's spotlight is on a fully automated brick-laying robot, which is quite impressive in what it can do on its own. Mara Fox in PerthNow reported on an engineer in Australia who has invented a robotic bricklayer. The machine is capable of raising the brick shell of a home in two days

"It can work 24 hours, 365 days—compared to the human variety who can put in anywhere from four to six weeks of backbreaking work for a typical home," she said. It can lay 1000 bricks per hour. It has the potential to erect 150 homes a year.

The man behind this invention is Mark Pivac of Fastbrick Robotics. He got his motivation to take this on when working with computer-controlled machinery and witnessing the shortage of Perth bricklayers. That, she said, is when the idea of a bricklaying robot took hold.

Technology innovations may potentially speed up construction and they may cut the cost of construction. "People have been laying bricks for about 6000 years and ever since the industrial revolution, they have tried to automate the bricklaying process," Pivac told PerthNow.

He believes his robot can make a difference. His technology has stepped up to the challenge in the name of "Hadrian." Fastbrick Robotics made use of CAD/CAM systems to achieve its efficiencies.

How it works: His system makes use of a 3D computer-aided design (CAD) laying program of a house or structure. Every brick's location is calculated—Hadrian figures out how each brick needs to be positioned. It cuts bricks to length.

Vaughn Highfield of alphr pointed out on Friday that while this isn't the first bricklaying robot out there, Hadrian is a fully-automated one. Highfield had more details on how it works: "Hadrian doesn't move its base once it starts working. Instead, a 28m articulated telescopic arm allows it to reach over and around the structures it's building. It's worth pointing out that in Australia, it's far more common to have a bungalow, meaning Hadrian doesn't have to tackle the tricky situation of building multi-story dwellings and putting in suspended floors."

Fastbrick Robotics said it had received significant support from government grants and industry parties such as Brickworks, a group of companies centered on clay and concrete products, according to Fox.

The team anticipates a commercial rollout in the future. Hadrian, said PerthNow, "will be commercialized first in WA [Western Australia], then nationally and then globally."

Apple pulls all iOS apps featuring Confederate flag

In the wake of the tragic Charleston church shooting in South Carolina last week, Apple has begun summarily removinggames from the iOS App Store that feature the Confederate battle flag.

The Confederate flag is a remnant of the American Civil War, then used by the southern states, though more recently adopted by white supremacists. The Charleston shooter, 21-year old Dylann Roof, had posed online with the flag, before killing nine victims and wounding a tenth at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. 

The attack has triggered a national discussion in America surrounding the iconography of the flag, with even political rivals Barack Obama and Mitt Romney agreeing -- via Twitter -- that it should be removed from the South Carolina capitol. Many retail stores have also stripped their shelves of merchandise bearing it.

Apple's move is in line with the physical retailers, and means titles such as Game-Labs's Ultimate General: Gettysburg and a variety of Civil War-era games by Hunted Cow are now absent from the App Store. The move seemingly extends to any game with the flag appearing in it, even if used in its accurate historical context. As a result, some users are accusing the corporation of attempting to censor history.

In a blog post, Game-Labs' Nick Thomadis' confirmed the Confederate flag was the reason for the game's removal, adding that "Ultimate General: Gettysburg could be accepted back if the flag is removed from the game's content."

"We accept Apple's decision and understand that this is a sensitive issue for the American Nation," Thomadis continued. However, defending the game's historical accuracy, he added that "we are not going to amend the game's content and Ultimate General: Gettysburg will no longer be available on AppStore. We really hope that Apple’s decision will achieve the desired results."

Developers whose content has been removed are being told it is "because it includes images of the confederate flag used in offensive and mean-spirited ways", irrespective of actual content or context. Apple's heavy handed response at a time of national tragedy is understandable, but still arguably an over-reaction. It remains to be seen whether titles using the flag in its original setting will be returned to the store when the sight of it isn't such a painful reminder of the real-world tragedy.

Driveclub finally comes to PlayStation Plus

Sony has announced that the PlayStation Plus version of its ambitious racing title Driveclub will finally go live on 24 June 2015, a mere eight months after it was originally due to launch.

The full version of the game, developed by Cheshire-based Evolution Studios, arrived on PlayStation 4 last October, where it was meant to be joined by a trimmed down version targeted at members of Sony's subscription service. However, to ensure server stability given the game's extensive (and initially wobbly) online components, the full paid version was prioritised, and the free release was indefinitely postponed.

Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony Worldwide Studios, acknowledged the delay, writing on the official blog: "We’ve spent a long time preparing for this launch after some difficult and unexpected set-backs. To make absolutely certain that all players have the smoothest and most stable experience possible we are going to be duly cautious about how we release the game this time around."

That caution once again comes down to the online component. While all players with a Plus account will be able to download and play the offline mode, online access will be staggered, as and when Sony is sure servers can meet demand. "We know that this might be frustrating after your extra wait already, but hope you can understand that we are taking extra precautions to protect your experience when you do get online," Yoshida adds.unlike other racing titles such as Gran Turismo, Driveclub heavily emphasises social engagement, with players forming teams to share in the glory. Every team member contributes to the success of the club as a whole, their on-track performance building fame and improving the group's standing and assets. Even when only one member is playing, their actions are logged for the collective.

It generates a staggering amount of data, and apparently the management of it all has exceeded Sony's expectations. As Yoshida says, "Driveclubconnectivity is demanding for a multiplayer game, with countless ever-growing social connections across clubs, challenges, multiplayer, and hundreds of thousands of dynamic leaderboards and activity feeds."

It's worth remembering that unlike the free titles offered monthly to PlayStation Plus subscribers, DriveClub won't be the full edition of the game bought at retail. It will have all the game modes and (eventually) connected features, but it only provides a handful of cars and tracks to choose from.

Toss that filthy sponge for an antimicrobial 3D printed scrubber

This may be one of the more useful things created with 3D printing so far: an antimicrobial kitchen scrubber that’s better than a sponge.

The scrubber is made out of Purement, an antimicrobial filament produced by Korean firm BnK. Creator Jacob Stanton, a Chicago-based product designer, devised it for a 3D design competition for MyMiniFactory that was intended to show off the benefits of Purement.

“Some quick research indicated that kitchen sponges are in fact one of the dirtiest things in a household, the typical sponge is about 200,000 times dirtier than a toilet seat. There are about 10 million bacteria per square inch in a kitchen sponge,” Stanton says.

Objects created with 3D printing can be pretty filthy as well. The layered constructions of 3D printing can be breeding grounds for bacteria like staphylococcus, colon bacillus, and salmonella, according to BnK. The company says that with Purement, “bacteria and germs find that the tiny nooks and crannies of 3D printed items aren’t so appealing, and thus the risk of spreading germs to your family is greatly reduced.”

BnK asserts that the antibacterial material in Purement has been certified by the SIAA (Society of Industrial technology for Antimicrobial Articles), and is antimicrobial-registered by the FDA and ROHS

Stanton printed several designs with the filament, some of which sported undulating lines and spirals, and tested them out. He ultimately found that the one that worked best featured staggered protrusions. It could contour to nearly any surface, offered the most scrubbing area, was easy to clean, and held up to bending better than the other three designs.

The scrubber doesn’t hold soap very well, but “I have found that it works best as an abrasive scrubbing pad, for removing stuck-on debris from the dishes,” Stanton told 3Dprint.com. “I find that it works nicely on cutting boards, and I also lay it flat and use it to take gunk off of my nicer kitchen knives.”

The design files for the 3D printed scrubber are available to download on Thingiverse

The Forza Motorsport 6 Limited Edition Xbox One is Microsoft’s first racing-themed console

Titans of American business, Microsoft and the Ford Motor Company, have teamed up to develop a limited edition Xbox One console in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Forza Motorsport racing sim franchise and the upcoming release of Forza Motorsport 6.

The matte blue console features a racing-inspired design with a matching wireless controller and “custom automotive sound effects.” It comes equipped with the recently confirmed 1TB hard drive. Of course it is also bundled with Forza Motorsport 6, releasing alongside the game on September 15, 2015.

Ford’s collaboration with the famously realistic racing simulator runs more than skin-deep on a special console. The auto maker’s upcoming line of high performance cars will be included in the game before even hitting the street. The so-called “hero car” is Ford’s new GT supercar, which is featured on the game’s cover art. Popular vehicles like the GT350 Mustang and F-150 Raptor are also playable, being among the game’s range of over 450 immaculately simulated cars.

Ford’s collaboration with the famously realistic racing simulator runs more than skin-deep on a special console. The auto maker’s upcoming line of high performance cars will be included in the game before even hitting the street. The so-called “hero car” is Ford’s new GT supercar, which is featured on the game’s cover art. Popular vehicles like the GT350 Mustang and F-150 Raptor are also playable, being among the game’s range of over 450 immaculately simulated cars.

Forza Motorsport 6, developed by Turn 10, will launch at the same time. Following up on the Xbox One launch title Forza Motorsport 5, it will continue to leverage the console’s powerful hardware to provide one of the most detailed and immersive driving simulations ever to grace your television. Now that the developers have a better handle on the hardware’s capabilities, they will be able to integrate physics-based features like dynamic weather, a day/night cycle, and g-force, making factors like puddles and hydroplaning a real concern, depending on road conditions.

SleepIQ kids bed

This is a bed for your child that tracks their sleep, sports a remote control night light, and alerts you when they decide to get up. It could truly be genius. As any sleep-deprived parent will attempt to tell you, as their weary head slumps repeatedly into their coffee, getting your kids into a regular sleeping pattern can feel like endless torture. There’s a safety-conscious under bed light that comes on when they get up, a reward system for sleeping through, and even a monster detector. The whole thing syncs with an iOS app and it will cost you $1,000.

Air2 floating Bluetooth speaker

Believe it or not this isn’t the first levitating speaker we’ve seen, in fact the OM/One looks cooler, but both employ the magic of magnets. Balanced correctly on top of the magnetized base you have a shiny chrome centerpiece that screams “look at how much money I have!” It costs $200 and we’re talking about a 3W output. But it does float, we have to give it that.