Showing posts with label Webcam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Webcam. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
If the thought of remotely controlling you Rovio robot webcam from a cellphone is appealing, but you don’t have a BlackBerry, then AndRovio may be the solution. Poignant Projects’ app runs on Android devices, and allows full control of Rovio including live webcam viewing, camera position control and snapshots.
As well as moving the Rovio around your home or office from wherever you have an internet connection, you’re also able to adjust the height of the webcam-neck, turn on or off the robot’s lights and set home points. There are also on-screen warnings should the WowWee robot’s IR obstacle detector spot anything in the way, plus you can capture snapshots from the camera and turn on a low-light mode.
A 3G connection is preferred, but AndRovio will work over EDGE if that’s all you’ve got. AndRovio is currently available to download through the Android Application Market, direct to your smartphone, priced at $0.99.
As well as moving the Rovio around your home or office from wherever you have an internet connection, you’re also able to adjust the height of the webcam-neck, turn on or off the robot’s lights and set home points. There are also on-screen warnings should the WowWee robot’s IR obstacle detector spot anything in the way, plus you can capture snapshots from the camera and turn on a low-light mode.A 3G connection is preferred, but AndRovio will work over EDGE if that’s all you’ve got. AndRovio is currently available to download through the Android Application Market, direct to your smartphone, priced at $0.99.
Autonomous, intelligent robots are great, but when they look like classic Transformers characters they’re even better. The handiwork of Mellon University’s Tekkotsu lab, the Chiara Robot has six independent legs, a claw arm with six degrees of freedom, and a combination of webcam and IR rangefinder for spotting objects and obstacles. Even better, this is no simple lab project: the Chiara Robot will actually be manufactured and sold by RoPro Design.
The brain of the Chiara is a 1GHz Pico-ITX board, with 1GB of RAM and an 80GB hard-drive. It’s loaded with Ubuntu and has the usual USB, ethernet and WiFi b/g connectivity, meaning you can remotely monitor and control Chiara together with allow the robots to communicate between themselves.
Chiara will be supplied assembled, and the development framework is written in C++ with integrated vision and kinematics, teleoperation and monitoring support. No word on when exactly the commercial version will ship, nor for how much, but it’s listed as “coming soon”.
The brain of the Chiara is a 1GHz Pico-ITX board, with 1GB of RAM and an 80GB hard-drive. It’s loaded with Ubuntu and has the usual USB, ethernet and WiFi b/g connectivity, meaning you can remotely monitor and control Chiara together with allow the robots to communicate between themselves.Chiara will be supplied assembled, and the development framework is written in C++ with integrated vision and kinematics, teleoperation and monitoring support. No word on when exactly the commercial version will ship, nor for how much, but it’s listed as “coming soon”.
Monday, June 15, 2009
D-Link have announced two new network webcams which promise plug-and-play remote viewing using the company’s online streaming portal. The D-Link Network Camera DCS-1100 launches today, while the DCS-1130 – with WiFi draft-n – arrives later in the month.Both cameras can be accessed from any browser by going to D-Link’s mydlink.com portal. However they can also be used to stream live video to cellphones, with sound from the integrated microphone and remote control of 16x digital zoom and motion detection.
Setting up the cameras is reportedly as straightforward as entering its unique ID code into the web account. Streams can be shared, though at present only Internet Explorer is supported; D-Link claim other browsers will be added shortly.
The D-Link DCS-1100 is available now, with an MRSP of $179.99. Meanwhile the DCS-1130 is expected to ship at the end of June 2009 with an MRSP of $219.99.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Tiny gadgets have an unmistakable allure, so a 5.5 x 2 x 2 cm camcorder is always going to catch our eye. The Muvi Micro Camcorder is apparently the smallest in the world, but marketing hyperbole aside it does offer a compact way to capture VGA 640 x 480 25fps video to microSD card.
There’s also an optional voice-activated mode, which will start recording if noise over 65dB is heard. The casing is metal, and Firebox offer an Extreme Sports Pack with the necessary brackets to attach the camcorder to a helmet, bike or handglider.
Recharging is done via USB, and the Muvi Micro Camcorder is compatible with up to 8GB microSD cards. It can also be used as a webcam over the USB connection. It’s on sale now, priced at around £79.95 ($131); the Extreme Sports Pack is around £19.95 ($33).
There’s also an optional voice-activated mode, which will start recording if noise over 65dB is heard. The casing is metal, and Firebox offer an Extreme Sports Pack with the necessary brackets to attach the camcorder to a helmet, bike or handglider.
Recharging is done via USB, and the Muvi Micro Camcorder is compatible with up to 8GB microSD cards. It can also be used as a webcam over the USB connection. It’s on sale now, priced at around £79.95 ($131); the Extreme Sports Pack is around £19.95 ($33).
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