The Spotlite: UAV Edition

This week: we turn our space into a zSpace, we discover that the latest wearable technology is not as up-to-date as you may think, and fun from the sky is soon upon us.

zSpace

We have a new addition to our Innovation Lab -- the zSpace 3D display system. Designed to look like a desktop, the zSpace displays 3D visuals which you can manipulate in a virtual environment with the help of some very lightweight, non-intrusive glasses. A stylus allows you to grab, move, enlarge, and rotate 3D images in any direction -- think of it as a VR pop-up book with which you can interact. The zSpace can also track head movement via the thin glasses, decreasing any existing parallax and allowing for real time 3D rendering to mimic the viewer’s perspective, creating really smooth and beautiful imagery.

Another really cool feature is the zView which essentially offers a 2D video rendition of what the user see’s for audience viewing. Using a specialty webcam, the system rerenders what the user sees from the webcam’s perspective. This neat little feature has been a hit in the academic and medical sectors, making zSpace an incredible tool for immersive learning.

We are well on our way to creating rich content for the zSpace environment, and even though the possible applications are vast, we already have a few ideas in the works.

A Custom Apple II Watch

Why preorder an Apple Watch when you can make one yourself? This one is retro!

Aleator777 at Instructables created his own Apple Watch, making it a throwback Apple II watch. He 3D printed the enclosure, designed the software using Arduino, and added the famous Apple bootup music as MP3 files. He even created a disk drive complete with its own floppy disk. And just in case you can’t make out that its an Apple, the instructable shows you how to create your own logo stickers.

Looks like BLI staffers have been waiting for this for a long, long time…

Drones

Nab Show, the National Association of Broadcasters yearly event, starts next week and one of their largest exhibits will be the new Aerial Robotics and Drone Pavilion. This exhibit will feature drones and their incredible applications for aerial image capture. They will have a “flying cage” where attendees will get to interact with drone technology. The pavillion will also feature that gives you an up-close and personal look at this technology in action. A panel of industry experts — inclusive of broadcasters and Exhibitors — will take you through all aspects of employing aerial technology.

The FAA had previously granted Amazon permission to test their delivery drones in urban airspace, but because the request was not granted in a timely manner. Once permission was granted, Amazon had already begun working on newer technology.

This time, the FAA is expediting the process. However, the permission to test comes with some conditions. Amazon’s drones are not allowed to fly over 400 ft and may not exceed a speed of 100 mph.

We‘re excited about receiving our packages from the sky. We can also look forward to the inevitable future Amazon Drone/Uber partnership. Travel by UAV, anyone? All I’ve gotta say to that is, “UAV inbound!”