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.

Belty

Belty

Imagine a motorized belt that adjusts to your body when you sit down, or extends itself as your gut expands during a marathon eating session. French company Emiota has realized the dream, but it doesn’t end there because Belty can also track your waistline and measure your activity. Alongside the tiny motors there’s an accelerometer and a gyroscope. We’re told this will be a premium product, so expect a high price tag. But do we need one? You could argue that a standard belt is already pretty good at telling you when you’re getting fat via notch technology.

Parrot Pot

Parrot Pot

Granted, a plain-looking, Bluetooth-enabled plant pot that costs upwards of $60 does sound a bit ridiculous at first, but wait just a minute. If you’re anything like us then you’ve starved countless innocent plants to death through careless neglect. The Parrot Pot can stop the cycle of death by monitoring the soil, fertilizer, sunlight, and temperature, and automatically watering the plant. It has care profiles for thousands of plants and it’s compatible with iOS and Android, so it can remind you to take care of your plants before they wither. It could also save you from having to trust the neighbors with a key when you go on vacation.

Quitbit Lighter

Quitbit Lighter

You know what you really need to help you quit smoking? A $100 lighter. The Quitbit contains a heating coil and it will need charged around once a week. It automatically tracks every smoke you have and it can sync with your iPhone or Android to give you a series of graphs showing your smoking habits in minute detail. You can even set limits so that Quitbit will refuse to light you up. The makers say that one less cigarette a day will pay for the lighter within a year, but we feel compelled to point out that it’s not really a great quitting tool if you’re still smoking a year after buying it.

Digitsole smart insoles

Digitsole smart insoles

How would you like to get your hands on a rechargeable insole that can be used to heat your feet and track your steps? You can link up to Digitsole via Bluetooth and use an Android or iOS app to adjust the temperature of your feet (separately if necessary). The insoles will also track your steps and tell you how many calories you’ve burned. This first caught our eye last year when there was a successful Kickstarter campaign that brought in more than double the $40k of funding it requested. Clearly a lot of people think it’s a genius idea, but at $200 a pair we’re not so sure.

Sony Symphonic Light

A Video link for  Sony Symphonic Light

Here’s a bedside lamp from Sony that’s designed to look like an old lantern. It doesn’t just contain an LED bulb inside, there’s also a speaker so you can stream music to it. Sound and light are remotely controlled through an app on your smartphone. Is this a clever design to help render our technology invisible, or a pointless union of lamp and speaker? If you don’t like the fixture there’s an LED bulb speaker, too. No word on pricing or availability just yet.

LATEST SOFTWARE UPDATES IN APPLE

Using standalone installers from Apple Support

Sometimes you might want to download a standalone installer instead of using Software Update.
For example:

• If you think you might need the same download again later
• You want to install the same software on multiple computers
• You have a faster Internet connection available from another computer
• You have no Internet connection on the computer that needs the update

Carefully read the download description before using a standalone installer. It lets you know if you need to apply other updates first. It also helps you determine if your Mac is compatible with the related download.

• OS X Yosemite - 10.10.3 Update

  4/8/2015

• OS X Yosemite - 10.10.3 Update (Combo)

  4/8/2015

• OS X Mavericks - Security Update 2015-004

  4/8/2015

• OS X Mountain Lion - Security Update 2015-004

  4/8/2015

• OS X Yosemite - Security Update 2015-003 (Early 2015 Mac)

  3/19/2015

• OS X Yosemite - Security Update 2015-003

  3/19/2015

• OS X Yosemite 10.10.2 Update

  1/27/2015

• OS X Yosemite 10.10.2 Update (Combo)

  1/27/2015

Xiaomi's Latest Toy Is the Rs. 199 Mi LED Light

China's Xiaomi has launched its latest toy in India. The Xiaomi Mi LED Light is now available for purchase from the company's online store at Rs. 199 in blue and white colours.

Xiaomi Mi LED Light looks very similar to the cheap USB lights available via eBay and other 

websites, though the colours do give it a little bit of more appeal than its no-name brethern. The

 light has a flexible frame and is powered by a standard USB port, which means you can plug it

 into any USB charger, your computers's USB port, or indeed any power bank with a USB port.

 Do remember that Mi.com offers free shipping only on orders above Rs. 500, so you'll need to 

pay a Rs. 50 delivery charge if you are thinking of picking up just a single piWith the move, 

Xiaomi has expanded the lineup of accessories that it sells in India. Prospective customers can

 now buy straps for the Mi Band in various colours as well as cases for various Xiaomi smart

phones like the Xiaomi Redmi 2, Xiaomi Mi 4i, andXiaomi Mi 4 from Mi.com, in addition to 

other products like the Xiaomi Mi Band and the Xiaomi Mi Power Bank. The power bank is 

available in three different capacities - 5000mAh, 10400mAh, and 16000mAh, priced between 

Rs. 699 and Rs. 1,399.

The company of course continues to sell smartphones and a tablet via e-commerce

 partners like Flipkart, Snapdeal, and Amazon.ece of the Xiaomi Mi LED Light for

 yourself.

Google's self-driving car will take to the roads in 2015

The self-driving, goofy-looking car with no steering wheel or pedals that Google revealed in May is now "fully functional" and should start testing on public roads next month, the tech giant says. Over the past seven months, Google has made a series of prototypes, testing different aspects of the design, from steering and braking to the sensors and software that brings it all together. The result, it says, is "our first complete prototype for fully autonomous driving."

In contrast to the gradual approach to autonomous driving advocated by automakers like Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and General Motors, Google is going for what it calls a "moonshot." In the next five to 10 years, it plans to introduce a car that's so over the idea of human drivers, it won't even come with a steering wheel or pedals. That's the vision of this prototype, which will first be tested on a closed track, then on public roads after the New Year. Operators will have "temporary manual controls" and be ready to take over in case something goes wrong.

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The new version doesn't look too different from  the one we saw in May. It's still roughly the size of a Smart car. It still looks like an egg with the face of a koala. The obvious differences are the addition of real headlights and the design of the LIDAR vision system, which now sits flush on the roof, instead of on roof-mounted supports.

We're still disappointed that Google didn't take this opportunity to create something … cooler. The advent of self-driving cars  will wipe out many basic rules of automotive design. The most unquestionable standards, like forward-facing seats, mirrors, and foot-operated controls will no longer be necessary. Automakers can go nuts. But Google didn't go nuts. It went kinda lame.

Google doesn't plan on producing the car itself, once it comes time to go to market, project director Chris Urmson  told the Wall Street Journal recently.

Here's what the prototype revealed in May looked like:

Google Glass Explorer is no more, but research will continue

Google is to stop manufacturing Google Glass and end its Explorer programme, the BBC has reported. The search giant does, however, intend on continuing research and product development, which Nest founder Tony Fadell will ultimately head up.

According to information garnered by the BBC, Google still intends on launching smartglasses to the masses, but that landmark moment appears to have just moved significantly further into the future with the news of the programme closure. Since 2013, developers have been able to purchase a pair of the wearables for $1,500 (£990), but that all ends next week. Google will apparently make sure that money already spent was not done so in vain, saying it will offer support for companies using Glass. Tesco Labs only this week launched its own Glass app. 

sample of Google Glasses

 In fact, the BBC reports Fadell as saying that Glass has allowed the company to learn "what's important to customers and enterprises". So, not looking/feeling like a total Glasshole.

Although this sounds like bad news for Glass, that may not be the case. Until now it has been the responsibility of Google X, the company's moonshot sector responsible for R&D on autonomous vehicles and Project Loon. Neither of these exciting ventures are anywhere close to entering the mass-market -- moving Glass out of the moonshot remit and directly under the control of Fadell -- whose company Nest was acquired by Google last year -- could well mean the path to consumers is being ramped up. It also means that Google has taken heed of the many, many, complaints that its vision of the future in fact makes anyone donning them look like a total Glasshole. And one that has little regard for your privacy (pre-emptive UK cinema bans did not scream astounding commercial success).

We will watch this space with bated breath for Glass 2.0, hopefully a version that embodies some of the fashion-forward principles of the rather more well thought out Apple Watch.