Terrifying 13ft Avatar robot takes its first steps: Secretive South Korean 'war machine' walks by mimicking its human pilot

• The machine has taken its first steps, after two years secretly in development
• Robotics company 'Korea Future Technology' is behind the machine 
• Avatar-style robot is controlled by a pilot sitting inside making limb movements
• The robot is so heavy it makes the ground around it shake when it takes steps

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4048408/Terrifying-13ft-Avatar-robot-takes-steps-Secretive-South-Korean-war-machine-walks-mimicking-human-pilot.html

A 13-foot tall robot that walks like a human, making the ground around it shake, could soon become a reality.

Seoul-based robotics company 'Korea Future Technology' has completed the first tests of its giant human-like robot, called METHOD-1.

The robot, which has been developed in secret for two years, walks by mimicking the actions of its pilot sitting inside.

Resembling the giant machines that appeared in the 2009 film Avatar and the power loader from the 1986 film Aliens, the robot was the creation of Vitaly Bulgarov, a designer who has previously worked on sci-fi fims including the 2014 remake of Robocop, Transformers 4.

But now his work has moved from fiction into real life.

'I'm excited to share some updates and work-in-progress motion tests for the 4m [13 foot] tall, 1.5t heavy manned robot I have been working on with a Seoul based robotics company, Korea Future Technology,' Mr Bulgarov wrote on his Facebook page. 

The robot is so heavy that it makes the ground around it shake when it takes steps, Mr Bulgarov said. 

The designer has also revealed details of what the final robot will be made of, including carbon fibre for its legs.

But he has remained ambiguous about what the purpose of the robot will be in the future.

'From a mechanical/software/hardware/electric engineering stand point it was quite an ambitious project that required developing and enhancing a lot of technologies along the way,' he said.

'That growth opens up many real world applications where everything we have been learning so far on this robot can be applied to solve real world problems. (I'm not just talking bipedal robots)

'One of such projects is already in development, but I'm not allowed to say more at this moment.'

METHOD-1 started as a project by Korea Future Technology in 2014, and an early prototype of the robot was released in November last year.

'The plan is to build a reliable robotic platform that can be used effectively in various utilitarian applications,' Mr Bulgarov said at the time.

'When an ambitious Seoul based robotics team “Korea Future Technology” invited me to join the company as their designer of a large man-controlled robot it took me some time to realize that they were actually serious about it,' he said.

SIGHT AND MOVEMENT – SHOES THAT MOBILIZE THE VISUALLY-IMPAIRED

These insoles allow visually-impaired individuals complete mobility. [Screenshot]

Haptic technology uses vibration force or movement to communicate via the sense of touch, and is the backbone of Lechal shoes. Nestled in the insole, Lechal’s technology guides users with a series of vibrations that indicates which direction to walk. These special shoes allow visually impaired people to move around with confidence and security as their shoes and programmed GPS technology will take them to their desired destination. As an added bonus, for every purchase of a pair of LECHAL footwear, the cost of the insoles will be subsidized for a visually-challenged individual.

An inherent interest in haptics, a chance meeting with a visually-impaired acquaintance, a vague notion to rethink the way the visually-challenged navigate all germinated in the creation of Lechal.

It has taken five years, 15 prototypes, a core team of over a 100, and countless hours of hard work sprinkled with a few eureka moments to get to the final product. Through it all has been a commitment to and an inspiration from that first meeting and call to action. The white cane, the most commonly-used assisstive device by the visually-impaired, has changed little in more than a 100 years even as technology has leap-frogged centuries. Our challenge was to find a simple solution to a problem few had thought to tackle and our answer lay in haptics or the technology of touch. With haptics as our chosen medium, we grappled with form, finally settling on footwear, setting the stage for a ground-breaking product for everyone.

Lechal's design, engineering and manufacturing is most inventive in its commitment to accessibility. Due to its unique origins, the concepts of universal use and inclusive design are at the core of Lechal's ideation and execution. More than mere concepts, these are fundamental principles around which the product is built. Every design idea, every prototype, every proposed solution to every problem is weighed against one simple but core question - is it inclusive?

Lechal's most innovative features, certainly its best ones, stem from answering that one question. And in constantly asking and answering that question, we found ourselves focusing on the user and user-friendliness in the most revelatory and revolutionary ways.

Re-writable T-shirts

The same duo behind Humming Whale came up with a kickass idea of re-writable t-shirts. This is a unique t-shirt on which you can write and erase. The t-shirt was a hit on online shopping websites and was worn by a movie cast that appeared on popular TV show Bigg Boss.

Two IIT Bombay graduates, Ayush Jain and Mirik Gogri, conceptualized Humming Whale Product Innovations Pvt Ltd with a vision to successfully create economically viable products that are sustainable for the market from creative and innovative ideas.

One of their fantastic idea is Rewritable T-shirt, which is a unique t-shirt on which you can write, erase and rewrite. A wacky idea and immense R&D, and voila! The t-shirt was launched with a tremendous positive response among the youth. Currently, it’s selling in good numbers on bewakoof.com, which is the marketing partner for this product. It also got featured on the TV show Bigg Boss with Salman Khan.

It was a time in their Institute when an attempted change in rules by the elected council and self-appointed opposition leaders standing for the next elections had polarized the student community. Strong debates and cries for impeachment were going around the college.

Enjoying the heat of the moment, some friends around suggested creating ‘I hate ABC’ and ‘I support XYZ’ t-shirts with an idea of making some quick bucks. The idea was duly dismissed with a strong consensus on the fact that people won’t buy them as they stand of no use once this wave dies down.

Hence the idea and the concept of Rewritable T-shirt was born.They tied up with Bewakoof Brands, an e-commerce startup by IITB alumni, which focused on selling humorous and unique apparel products. Our zest for innovation and their experience in t-shirt manufacturing joined forces and major challenges of creating the right material to match the contour of t-shirt while not compromising on the wearer’s comfort were tackled.After nearly a year of RnD, they finally came up with a sustainable and sellable product and branded it as the rewritable t-shirt.This guys took a simple idea and turned it into something very unique and mind blowing,truly innovative.Rewritable t-shirt for Corporate Gifting.Rewritable T Shirt For Promotional Activities.Rewritable t-shirt for Restaurants & HotelsRewritable t-shirt for Marketing Activities.

LOAD CARRIER FOR LABOR

There's no name for this product but nonetheless, its sheer designing brilliance.

Designed by Vikram Panchal of National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmadabad. This innovation costs merely 300 rupees but packs a punch with its design.

Vikram Panchal’s Load Carrier for Labor This is low-cost low-tech simple yet extremely useful Product design.

The principal object of the innovation is to facilitate three methods of lifting and shifting of the loads by worker, such as above the head, at the back and push or pull action. The new device main structures are made from cane materials, plastic and metal components. It is possible to make the entire structure in plastic or metal.

The new design has two major parts, one that holds the load and the other that rests on the shoulder. Device has two knobs, which facilitates the change of required function manually from one to another in one minute duration. This allows three modular functions for carrying lighter loads on the head, medium loads at the back and heavier loads to push or pull as trolley. Ergonomically the load is distributed on the shoulder and at the lumber support by softer material. The total weight of device is 2 Kgs. and would cost approx rupees. 300/- in mass production.

It is quite amazing as to why have we not seen it as yet. It would have saved back aches of thousands, if not millions of people who carry / push load on daily basis. In a contest arranged by Core77, the product –Load Carrier for Labor –designed & created by Vikram Dinubhai Panchal of The National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmadabad won in the product / equipment category!

This winning product was made at a miniscule cost of Rs. 300 and has potential to affect lives of millions of people across the globe. “Load carrier for labor” project aims to improve the working condition of laborers and workers at many places globally like construction site, factories, ports, railway stations, etc The objective is to prevent various occupational hazards and demonstrating Product design and ergonomic consideration in welfare of human life.

The simple, durable, light weight and cost effective carrier is intended to reduce the pressure put on the spine when load is carried on the head. There is also a good hand grip which reduces stress on the spine when load is carried on the back or while pushing a cart.The carrier can be changed into three different forms by minor adjustments of two knobs. This allows the user to carry lighter loads on the head, medium loads at the back and heavier loads on a trolley. Ergonomically the load is distributed on the shoulder and at the lumber support by softer material.

Panchal had designed this award winning product in 1979 as part of an academic project. But it was only in 2007 that he made a prototype and got the design patented in 2008 with the Controller General of Patents, Design and Trademarks, Government of India.

You will soon be able to undo sent messages on WhatsApp !

The new service will let users recall Whatsapp messages as well as once recalled, edit them and then resend them. 

Whatsapp today is one of the most popular mode of communications between people. it could be between friends, between family members or just acquaintances. But Whatsapp is a way of life. The term has turned into a verb with people now saying, “Just Whatsapp it” like Google is today. Whatsapp is used even in offices for professional communication. But then, among the tons of messages people receive and send each day, there’s one big problem that they face. Erroneous Whatsapp messages. How many times have you accidentally sent someone else’s Whatsapp message to someone else? It could be something innocent or it could lead to a whole lot of embarrassment but then, no one is free from it. We have all experienced it at some point of time or the other. And we have also often wished that we could recall some of the messages we have sent. Especially those drunken texts.

So after a long, long wait and a lot of hopes, looks like Whatsapp has finally decided to listen to us. The messenger is all set to launch an all new feature that will help users to recall messages or undo their sent messages. However, for all those excited and already checking Whatsapp, the feature is not yet activated. Whatsapp has launched the new feature in the testing or the beta mode. Some users have access to the feature. However, there’s no word on when will Whatsapp roll out the feature globally or whether it will roll it out at all. Also, for now, the feature is being tested only in the iOS version, which is the iPhone version and Android users are yet to spot it. The feature was first spotted in the Beta mode by Twitter account WABetaInfo where they shared all the details of the upcoming Whatsapp Recall Messages feature. The user tweeted the details and also shared a video on the new features.

According to the Twitter posts, the new service will let users recall messages as well as once recalled, edit them and then resend them. But then, will there be a time limit during which the messages can be recalled? No, apparently not. Even if the receiver reads the messages and you get that dreaded double blue tick, the message can still be recalled. Whether it will go as an edited version or will be deleted from the receiver’s device, is still unknown. But then, this new feature is definitely give a lot of users some major relief. The feature will be not only for the individual users but also for group messages where the messages can be recalled. Once a feature comes to Beta mode, Whatsapp generally takes time to announce the feature and roll it out globally. With this being a major update, it could be a New Year’s gift for all Whatsapp users. Tweeting about the new feature, WABetaInfo said, “WhatsApp had added in beta the possibility to edit messages that you already sent, and it is actually disabled by default and it’s under development.” How to transfer all your Whatsapp chats from old phone to new phone

The past year, in 2016, Whatsapp announced a lot of changes and new features. The app received a lot of upgrades and some of them, much needed. The app went from being a basic messenger app to video calling app. Additionally, there were also newer features launched in Beta mode, which are yet to be released. Since the app has been taken over by Facebook, Whatsapp has undergone major changes. Facebook is aggressively using Whatsapp to challenge competitors and is waging a war on other messenger platforms like Snapchat. Whatsapp has slowly gone into a comfort zone whereas apps like Snapchat are able to resonate with the younger audiences. Features like photo editing and text as well as clipart in images are some of the Snapchat features Whatsapp stole this year. But then, this new Recall feature will perhaps be the most appreciated feature of them all. We only wish we get to see it soon!

8 Applications That Will Increase Your Productivity!

1. GoogleDrive

Though one of the oldest app, it is still very useful to store backups for your pictures, videos, PDF files, documents and presentation. And as it works on cloud storage, no memory space of your phone is used up.

Image credits- Google Play

2. Wunderlist

Create a list and access it from any corner of the world. Also, share the list with people you chose as your contacts so that they can help you out with your work.

Image credits- www.wunderlist.com

3. Inkflow

It’s a personal vision board application, in which you can doodle your plans and ideas for the day. You can make changes whenever you want.

Image credits – iTunes – Apple

4. Pocket

Interesting articles you need to read but don’t have time currently? Pocket it and check them out later. Pocket is a bookmarking app which can by synced across all your devices to make reading for you easier.

Image credits APPSPIRE.me

5. Keeper

This app is for people who keep forgetting their password. With multiple accounts, this is bound to happen. Keeper allows you to store everything through a master password, which will get deleted when attempted to be hacked.

Image credits- Google Play

6. RescueTime

If you have problems tracking down the time you spent productively, this app will guarantee that you get a report of it. It will  provide you a weekly analysis of how you spent your time, which sites you frequently visited and which articles you read. Also, depending on the data, you can choose to block a particular app which you feel is consuming your time without benefits.

Image credits- Google Play

7. Shoebox

Handling receipts can be tedious. Well now there’s an app which can do it for you. Just scan your receipts and save them in this app and viola! They are all organised in the way you want.

Image credits- Shoebox

8. Clearfocus

Set timer for work and breaks with this app. It will help you maintain a personal record of time and increase your productivity. Also, it will save from distractions.

Image credits- Google Play

Try these apps to make yourself feel more good and productive.

The MittiCool is a classic example of the India Jugaad

MittiCool, the low cost, biodegradable refrigerator made out of clay is a great example of jugaad innovation.Creating a product and a new industrial process with very limited education and capital, flexible thinking that allowed the innovator to use a millennia old material like clay to create a fridge out of it. And yes, simplicity that allowed his community to have refrigerated produce and dairy for the first time ever in an environmentally friendly fashion. Interestingly, many users of the MittiCool say that food actually tastes better when stored in it as compared to a regular fridge, because it provides moisture to the food rather than drying it out.


[Source]

Most of you will be familiar with the pot-in-pot refrigerator by now. Well, today we’ll revisit this concept by taking a look at the ‘MittiCool’ refrigerator, a possible ‘upgrade’ that also uses evaporative cooling through the use of clay, but which looks a little more like the refrigerator you’re more familiar with. And, just like the pot-in-pot refrigerator, the MittiCool uses no electricity.

How does it work? The topmost section holds water, which very slowly drips down the sides. As permaculturists will know, one of many ‘constants’ we can count on and use to advantage is that evaporation cools. As the water evaporates from the porous clay surface, it cools the interior, enabling you to store fruit, vegetables, milk, etc.

There is even a tap on the front of the unit, so it doubles as a water cooler as well.

In the following videos you’ll meet the maker of MittiCool, and learn how it is made from a specific combination of four different types of clay he has found in his local area. The video states that the inside temperature of the MittiCool can be up to 8°C lower than the outside temperature.

This refrigerator will not function everywhere, of course. Evaporative cooling only works well in dry climates. But for those people living in the right conditions, this looks to be a very sensible, low-cost and planet-friendly way to extend the shelf life of your produce.

This use of natural constants in our designs will, I hope, become more commonplace as society finds itself unable to breach the peak energy impasse. Where previously we had energy to spare and so could just design with fossilised sunlight, we will instead be forced to find sustainable alternatives. It reminds me of the urban legend (myth) about NASA spending millions of dollars to create a pen that could write in the vacuum of space, while Russian astronauts simply used a pencil. Although not a true story, it does graphically illustrate how our industrial mindset leads us to overlook simple solutions in favour of ‘being clever’ instead.