3D Tracking Record-Breaking Speeds

Researchers have developed a new 3D method that can be used to track fast-moving objects at unprecedented high speeds. The real-time tracking approach, which is based on single-pixel imaging, could be used to improve autonomous driving, industrial inspection and security surveillance systems.

Researchers demonstrated a tracking speed more than 200 times faster than traditional video-based methods. The tracking method doesn’t require any prior motion information and can be performed with minimal computational resources. This high-speed localization technique can be used in scientific research, such as insect flight trajectory studies.

More information:

https://www.optica.org/about/newsroom/news_releases/2024/june/researchers_achieve_practical_3d_tracking_at_record-breaking_speeds/

Mercedes Hires Humanoid Robots

Mercedes-Benz is adding Apptronik's Apollo humanoid robots to its factories to complete physically intensive and low-skill tasks. Apollo is 5'8 in height, weighs 160 pounds, can lift up to 55 pounds, and can currently run for four hours on a single battery pack. The general-purpose robot has arms and legs as well as eyes with LED lights and a screen on its chest that can display different types of information. Instead of a moving mouth, Apollo's mouth is another screen of sorts that can display a slight smile, a wrench icon, or its battery charge status.

Apollo doesn't have a plug-in option like an electric vehicle to charge. Instead, the humanoid robot has battery packs. The robot also doesn't have to use its legs if its tasks are stationary, as its torso can be mounted to a metal post if desired. When a moving object or person is detected within the impact zone close to a walking Apollo, the robot will stop moving for safety reasons. Apollo also comes with software that can remotely control its operations, and the company's website shows that it can even be controlled from a game controller-like device.

More information:

https://www.pcmag.com/news/mercedes-hires-humanoid-robots-work-at-its-factories

Wearable Sticker Finger Motions

Scientists in China have developed a thin, flexible sticker that can turn subtle hand, finger, and mouth motions into words or commands. The new wearable sensor, developed by researchers at the Guilin University of Electronic Technology and Beijing Normal University, could support assistive technologies for people who struggle with basic movements, such as those with disabilities or patients recovering from conditions such as strokes.

The researchers developed sensors using 2- by 4-centimeter patches of soft, flexible silicone rubber, a material that can be worn for a long time without irritating the skin. The scientists embedded fiber optics that contained etches called fiber Bragg gratings into the silicone rubber patches, which were between 1 and 3 millimeters thick. The new sensors could detect slight changes in the wavelengths of light that flow through the devices when the optical fibers are stretched or bent.

More information:

https://spectrum.ieee.org/wearable-sensors