Its function at the moment seems nothing more then to develop its functions. When I said research I meant it was the research :P
I can certainly picture robots being very practical for outside work/maintenance. I'm just not sure you need to do testing at this stage in zero-g.

I think they should have waited till it could move around before doing testing, as I think thats when you'd have the most to learn/adjustments to make. Moving arms about in zero-g when the torso is fixed doesn't seem that hard to me.

Neither does making something radiation/electro-magnetic proof...both can be tested on earth just fine.

They say that making it move outside is a case of adding software - so for me that would imply that most of the testing they could do down here was already done. Also seeing that the shuttles are about to be retired, I'd assume they wanted to get it there quickly, as it may be next to impossible to do after that; it would take a whole seat in a Soyuz spacecraft (Expensive...!), and the Progress or the ESA Verne might not be suitable transport for something like that, or at least not tested for it, while the shuttle carries people...

ah, well, thats different then. Certainly that would be more usefull.
It looks like just a torso though...somehow I cant imagine it with jet-packs :P (cool as that would be).
Are they planning to fit it on the end of a robotic arm?

The idea is for it to use handlebars that are already there for astronauts to use, tethers and hooks, and also, for it to have a single "foot" that will use the same sockets as the canada arm uses.

Neato.
--
James Cameron apparently helping to put a camera on mars;
http://www.computerworld.com/s/artic...for_Mars_rover

Does that guy have some sort of check-list? Land? check. Deep Sea Hydrothermal Vents? check. Mars? Working on it... :P

(and it also raise's the question if you can do 3d natively-filmed high def in all these exotic enviromental locations, why are most Hollywood films still using crappy upscaleing and extrapolation to Imax3D? :-/)

Cause you can't pirate a 3D movie, that's why.
And by doing that they keep costs low.

As I said, it's a gimmick, and they're only doing it to annoy us/reduce sharing.

That explains why they are doing 3d, not why they are doing it in the worst way.

Actually filmed Imax3D isn't a gimmick. Dual 70mm files make a massive difference.
Aliens Of The Deep is just stunning.
That was twin 70mm under the water. For a documentary. Over a decade ago! True Imax films alone are impressive, but that one was doubly so.

You couldn't pirate that experience neither but no one at home has the capacity to play it back. (or probably even store it :P)

By comparison, crappy extrapolated 3d on bog-stranded 35mm film could be emulated by anyone with a PC monitor and shutter glass's. The are kidding themselves if they think it cant.Hell, even Youtube has a 3D mode

Its not like most leaks these days even happen in the cinema. Most happen either in the production process or from early dvd previews.

I know they don't happen in the cinema. There's a cool short interview with Kermode about that. The industry however doesn't realise it somehow, or doesn't realise it on the very top - that it's their people who are to blame/the industry itself.

And yeah, I was on the New York Imax thing in 3D, and the Space Station and it was stunning, but whenever I go to a regular movie in there I end up hating the experience (and a load of people I know/been with in there) - it's too long, eyes and head hurt, not to mention it's dangerous for kids. Because there's a difference in the focal point that's behind the screen and what you perceive, the eyes stop accommodating - for adults accommodation comes back after a few minutes after the movie, but if kids go there too much they can stop accommodating altogether.

But yeah, the reason while every dumb movie is in 3D is because so far, people are unable to copy that experience in home (the fact someone knowledgeable does it, doesn't mean that the average Joe can). Same was with Blue-Ray, not many people download them still cause they're too big - and frankly they're still using the mpeg codecs which are obsolete - if someone was being truly innovative they would've used a modern open format on the regular DVD disc.

Ive seen no research that shows its permanent.
Remember; foreground focus cause's eye-strain (a bit like looking cross-eyed). As the focal plane goes beyond the normal the other, however, the difference is very slight.
Indeed, many people defocus naturally when relaxing/staring into space. "Looking at infinity" as it were.

I think this is why 3d "into" the screen normally works/feels far better then shots out of the screen. (the "in your face" style 3d). Quality 3D filming takes a complete new skillset that most directors dont have.
Personaly, I thought Avatar worked wonderfull, but most didnt precisely because things were constantly chucked out of the screen. (that was also down to the aforementioned 3d-extrapolation effect though...2D people etc).

Why bother downloading a blueray when lots of films/tv shows have much smaller...yet basicaly the same quality divx/xvid rips?

Your right, the mpeg2 codec used on some blurays is obsolete, but the "experience" can certainly be replicated.
Indeed, 1080p on Youtube is practically the same thing.

Also, at once point I think DIVX was pushing for Divx-formated DVDs but they never got very far. Still, some dvd players can handel the format.
=========


Anyway,speaking of focusing, this is neat;

http://bigwww.epfl.ch/demo/edf/

Basically using multiple shots at different focus's to build
a) A perfectly sharp image
and
b) a 3D extrapolation of the image.
Pretty neat stuff.

http://www.popsci.com/technology/art...artphone-chips

yay.

Nice idea to use ARM chips. (good old ARMs, my DS has two of them...).

But its the software I'm more interested in. I assume some sort of neural-net learning system? Reinforce successful behaviour paths, diminish or remove dud ones.
The target is impressive, but with AI its the software thats lagging behind, imho, not the hardware.
I think we need to have more evolutionary principles involved. Lets have neural-net feedback loops in progressively more complex and competitive simulated environments. Have these simulated brains co-depending on other ones for development.

I guess they'll probably use the software developed for the Blue Brain project? I remember rading something they'll use the ARM chips as opposed to IBM stuff - and that's used by the Blue Brain - so I'm guessing it's about that.

Now, Obama's new (revised) space policy doesn't sound THAT bad:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/ba...-space-policy/

They'll develop a heavy lifter, give NASA additional 6 billion $, and won't cancel ORION. Everything seems peachy, except no moon missions. The new plan has manned missions to asteroids in the 2020's and a mission to Mars - but the Moon is the best and only testing ground we have for such missions - so I'm not sure how are they going about doing all that, without using the most obvious asset we have.

Space Art

http://coolvibe.com/2010/40-examples...ing-space-art/

cool. spart!

And yes, if we cant "easily" go to the moon, I wouldn't feel happy with them attempting mars. :-/ (or even asteroids).
Theres a steep jump in difficulty, and (despite what some claim) theres still a lot to learn about the moon.

WTF
http://science.nasa.gov/media/medial...ripe_strip.jpg

It's one of those things where mankind will later reflect "we shouldn't have been in such a hurry.. but that was the zeitgeist"..
*(While there are enough people like you and me that insist sticking with the moon for a bit)*

Okay, my turn to share something in this thread:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KxjV...layer_embedded

I`ve never seen such dexterity or speed in robo hand.

I think that was posted earlier, but its insanely cool so its worth a second look.

Also, I notice on the related videos this;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkvpE...eature=related

Replicators! :P

Argh! I thought I`m the first one, who found it :S

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIn-sMq8-Ls

This one is way cooler (as self assembly goes)

Or this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oSavAHf0dg

Yes, but I never saw a spidery walking one before :)

Theres also a less impress but very silly self-reassembling chair somewhere.
--

Anyway...behold....the moon!

http://www.lunarworldrecord.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSo6C_gE4w8

Exoskeleton goodness.

Japan is awesome :D

Cool, but I think HAL from Cyberdyne is cooler.
(mainly because that thing is rentable right now and actualy looks practical)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4evlxq34og

Can only increase strength 5 times though, which is no where near the other one.

Plasma Rocket progress;
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1006/01vasimr/

I certainly agree we need to get those trip lengths down.