Sleep with "Bose"

There are times when we are not able to sleep peacefully. The reason being the dancing mosquitoes, some function going on in the neighbourhood, someone in our own house watching late night TV or the most common problem in every family-snoring. The only thing that we need after a full day’s hard work is a good night’s sleep and if we are not able to exercise that right properly we have to find some or the other solution.

Bose, the famous audio product manufacturing company of USA has come up with a solution to this problem. Bose with Indiegogo, a Startup funding site has come up with Bose noise masking Sleep buds. The sleep buds are similar to a wireless earphone. They are comfortable to wear and carry. When we wear the sleep buds they transfer a soothing sound to our ears and this sound cancels every other sound coming from our surroundings which helps us to sleep peacefully for the whole night.    

1. The sleep buds work on DC current and is chargeable. It has silver zinc in-built battery. This battery provides power for 2 nights with full charge. That’s too low Bose; it should at least function for max 5 nights.
2. Sleep buds have a noise isolating ear tips or as the Bose call them StayHear+ sleep tips. Bose is famous for their fresh and advanced technologies. The StayHear+ is very soft in their material which is perfect to make you sleep as the tip helps in noise masking and is tender to your delicate ears. The ear tips come in three sizes small, medium and large.
   
3. The sleep buds have a noise masking device which is the main part of the sleep buds. It blocks the external disturbing sounds and creates the calm soothing sounds of nature which is transmitted in to our ears. There are 10 pre-loaded sounds stored inside a flash memory placed inside the sleep buds. No other external sounds will function will sleep buds.
4. You can even set your alarm in this device for waking up on time.
5. The sleep buds can be functioned through the Bose sleep app that can be installed on your smartphone. With this app you can select your soothing sound, adjust the volume and even set time duration for the sound to play.
   

History

The sleep buds are the results of 5 years of hard work and consistency by the Hush team. Hush is a San Diego based Startup company founded by Daniel Lee and Chesong Lee. They initiated and developed the sleep buds project and were raising fund for the project. That’s where Bose came in acquired the Hush company and funded it and came to be known as Bose noise masking Sleep buds.

The Bose noise masking sleep buds will available for the general public in 2018.

The other Side of AI

AI or artificial intelligence is the most talked about and the technology of the future. AI can bring a drastic change in the tech world as similar to the smart phones, app, Whatsapp, Facebook have given to the world.  Every major tech company like google, apple, Microsoft, Facebook are betting on this technology and are doing massive research and investing billions into it. Through AI our lives will be made simpler and smarter as the inbuilt software will help us in our daily chores and solve our complex scientific problems, teach us how to play chess and many more things.

But with every technology there is side effect of the tech or bane of it, likewise AI also has its negative effects and they are major and needs to be researched and thought about properly. In the movie transformers, terminator, I- robot or endhiran, we saw what can happen when a robot can do when its software malfunctions. These robots were surviving on AI technology and when their software started the process of self-learning, they became violent and attacked human kind. The things shown in these movies are somewhat what’s going to happen in the future if we don’t take necessary steps on AI right now.

Stephen Hawking said to BBC- "The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race."

Elon Musk tweeted – “China, Russia, soon all countries w strong computer science. Competition for AI superiority at national level most likely cause of WW3 imo (in my opinion)

 Even Vladimir Putin said the country which will be leading in AI will be the future leader.

Major negative points on AI

1.     AI has been used by Taxi drivers in Japan to track the customers who are going to book their taxi. The AI system developed by NTT DoCoMo guesses future taxi request and leads drivers to high possible locations. In this process the AI tracks Passengers through their phone Wi-Fi which already affect their privacy and AI progresses on with self-learn and acts upon it. So with self-learn it does not depend on the guidance or order of humans which makes them independent to take decisions which is dangerous.

2.     When industrial revolution happened back in the 19^th century millions of people lost their jobs as machines took their place. In this modern 21^st century AI is the new form of industrial revolution which is going to take place of the intelligent working class. Now AI will solve complex problems whether related to engineering or commerce. 2017 saw dip in the job vacancies in the IT sector as AI was initialised into IT sector. Many bank jobs could be taken by Automation in the near future. The low and middle level jobs are the ones that are going to be the most affected.     

3.     AI is being used in many government offices in many countries to take important decisions. AI with their experience and self-learning Algorithm, they can make decisions like whether to give loans to a particular person in bank so with machines predicting for decision making, wrong decisions can also be made after all machines don’t have feelings.   

4.     On December 2014, in Sydney there was terrorist attack and to escape the same, people started booking uber in the affected area. As the bookings for uber were too much, the AI algorithm used in uber bookings increased the prices. As demands were more and supply was less, the AI algorithm surged the prices and it lead to panics and backlashes at uber for increasing prices at such an emergency situation.

5.     As Obama said AI can be used to hack nuclear codes and launch them creating a world war. Hacking is the biggest cybercrimes that is trending now and if the software algorithm of missiles and war machines are hacked it can affect the whole mankind.

6.     AI used in self-driving cars can be hazardous as we seen in the case of Tesla cars. The algorithms may be not accurate or the software may be hacked as we have seen in the movie fast and furious of 2017.

7.     Depending too much on AI information and help can truly make humans lazy and irresponsible and they will totally start depending on AI for information searching as well as for lighting the lamp in their home.

8.     There is also scarcity of loss of information that is stored inside the AI machine. After all it is a machine and it can be corrupted and lose their data if there is electricity breakdown or other natural calamities occurring.

Last but not the least, machines are machines and always will be machines. They cannot replace the human intelligence, creativity or feelings.   

here comes the smart jacket!

In this smart world, as everything is becoming smart from mobile phones to automobiles to our homes, why not we try to make the clothes that we wear also smart. No needs to try as google and Levi’s have already done it and have come up with Levi’s commuter trucker jacket. The main feature of this jacket is that it is touch sensitive and will respond to our hand actions.  Project Jacquard is the name given to this project which is made collaboratively by google and Levi’s. The head of the project is Ivan Poupyrev.

“This jacket has been specially made for people who commute by 2 wheelers as for them picking up their phone to receive a call during driving is quite difficult.” 

How is the jacket made?

They have made the whole fabric touch sensitive which acts like a touch screen. The whole jacket is made up of threads of cooper wires and also has a battery which lasts up to 2 weeks with USB charging facility. They integrated capacitive threads with a copper core into the denim jacket and then used a tiny Bluetooth dongle that is attached to the button on the sleeve and is detachable also.

This Bluetooth dongle obviously gets connected to the android as well as apple phones and starts functioning. The LED on the dongle lights up when there is an incoming call or message. Jacquard is safe to use in rainy season but is not fully waterproof.

Gadget cum garment

This jacket is washable and acts like a proper cloth. There are 4 gestures through which you can make the jacket work. They are brush in

, brush out

, double tap

and holding your hand on the fabric

. You can lean the whole tutorial from the jacquard app provided.

How does it work?

So when you are travelling on your 2 wheeler and a call comes, you can just swipe in or swipe out on your jacket and you will get audio signals of your call or message without even picking up your phone from your pocket. It is a safer method and will help in curbing accidents.

The jacquard system automatically detects when the jacket is worn by you and when you remove it. When you wear it, it automatically connects to your phone. This jacket allows taking calls and texts from important people only.

Music control and map directions

Jacquard jacket also allows controlling your music while you are listening to it. It has playing & pausing option, next option and previous option.

It also allows saving your home and work address location through google maps. So when you double tap the sleeves of the jacket it will speak to you and guide you with the directions.

The jacket is said to be available by October 2nd in Levi’s stores in USA for a cost of $350.

Kuri- the first family robot

Kuri is a family friendly robot built by Mayfield Robotics (Redwood city California, USA) which will follow you as you create beautiful memories by clicking your photos as well as recording the important events conducted in your house. It records your video in full HD that is in 1080p resolution. It has some high end sensors which can recognize your face as well as your family members and pets. Kuri’s sensor also allows it to move freely in the house without disturbing anyone or anything while passing through the obstacles carefully. Kuri is 20" tall, 12" wide, and weighs around 14 lbs. (6 KG).

The components inside Kuri

1.     Capacitive touch sensor

The capacitive touch sensors on the head portion reacts to human touch like if we tap on its head. It will look up to you and will also speak some robotic words like beep, bebeep and bloop.

2.  Camera

The camera of Kuri is located behind its eyes same as our eye system. This camera records videos and pics in HD resolution. We can even use Kuri’s eyes to look after our house when there is no one around.

3.  Gesture mechanic system

With its flexible movement system fitted inside the neck and head part, Kuri can easily move its head and eyes. Its eyes can blink can move its head up and down and even sideways.

4.  Microphones

There are 4 microphones located inside the body of the Kuri which can accurately detect the sounds. These microphones help in recording your voice which later on can be recognized by Kuri when you communicate with it. The microphones also help kuri in passing through the obstacles by recognizing the sound that comes in front. It understands few English commands.

5.  Light indicator

It has light indicator also called the heart light which is used to convey the mood of kuri. A soft warm light will glow and it will tell whether kuri is happy or sad if it is just thiking.

6. Speaker system

It has 2 high quality speakers located at the left and right lower sides of its body. These speakers can be used for entertainment in house parties where kuri will play songs from your playlist or podcasts.  You can even listen to the questions that you ask Kuri and even your repetitions. 

7.  Mapping sensors

The mapping sensors located at the bottom part of the body allows kuri to navigate easily without colliding with any obstacles. It helps kuri to record the items kept in the house premises and the steps and corners of the house and to avoid it and cross it whenever necessary. It can even walk on carpets.

8. Drive system

This mechanical system with electric motors and wheels is located at the lower bottom of kuri. This system allows kuri to travel smoothly around the house with its wider wheel angles.

9. Processor or the brain

This processor is the brain of kuri which handles every working of it from mapping, recording, entertainment, sound, camera and lighting.

10. Charging pad

As kuri is a robot and runs on battery, it needs to be charged so we have the charging pad which needs to be fitted in any corner of the house where kuri can reach. So when the charge gets low or between activities, kuri automatically and intelligently goes to its charging spot for getting recharged. 

Kuri CEO Mike Beebe

As the kuri manufacturing company Mayfield Robotics says, kuri cannot do everything that a robot does but it does the necessary basic things that we require in our daily life like capturing our daily activities, entertaining us in parties, reminding us of our tasks and smiling & blinking at us.  Kuri costs around 799 US dollars and as of now is available in USA for pre orders.  It can be connected to your phone through kuri app.

 https://www.heykuri.com/

Indian talent in foreign Art

India is never short of talent in any field that we look on. Major tech companies like google, Microsoft, Intel prefer Indian engineers over others. Likewise, in the field of entertainment also, we Indians are not far behind. So here I present you some of the talented actors of Indian origin working in foreign films and other contents.

1. Kal Penn

His real name is Kalpen Suresh modi and was born in New Jersey, USA. I first saw him in the movie Harold & Kumar, an adult comedy movie where he played the role of Kumar Patel.  He has acted in more than 30 films and TV series. His major movies and TV series include House, designated survivor, the namesake, superman returns and Harold & Kumar film series. He also worked for Barack Obama's as his Associate Director of Public Engagement for 2 years from 2009-11 and then left this job to act in how I met your mother TV series.

2. Mindy Kaling

Her real name is Vera Mindy Chokalingam. She is actor comedian. She is famous for role in the series The Mindy project. She was born in Massachusetts, USA. Her movies and TV series include the 40 year old virgin, license to wed, night at the museum, no strings attached, the office, the Muppets and The sesame street. She is going to star in a major movie ocean’ eight which will release next year.  She has won some major awards for her TV shows like Screen actors guild award, critics’ choice awards and readers’ choice awards.

3. Aziz Ansari

He is and American actor, comedian, writer, director and producer. He is famous for the TV series Parks and recreation and for the critically acclaimed Netflix series Master of none for which he won an Emmy award. He is a Tamil Muslim and was born in South Carolina. His movie stints include the rockers, I love you man, 30 minutes or less, and this is the end and many more. He also did a major standup comedy session in Donald trump’s presidential inauguration ceremony.

4. Padma Lakshmi

She is an Indian American author, actress, mode, television host and producer. She is famous as the host of the famous US TV reality show Top Chef. She also won Primetime Emmy award for hosting Top Chef. She was born in Chennai, India. She was one of the first international Indian model who worked in Paris, Milan and New York for various big fashion houses and designers. She is the ex-wife of famous novelist Salma Rushdie. In her life she had met some damaging accidents and diseases which has coped up with. Her first cookbook Easy Exotic was awarded Best First Book at the 1999 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards at Versailles.

5. Indira Varma

She is British actress who was born in Somerset, England. Her debut movie was Kama Sutra: A tale of love. She has acted in other major TV series with prominent roles like the Canterbury tales, Rome, Luther and the latest being Game of Thrones. Her movie list includes Bride and prejudice, basic instinct 2, mindscape, exodus: gods and kings and many more.

6. Ben Kingsley

His real name is Krishna pandit Bhanji and was born in England. He is most famous for his role as Mahatma Gandhi in the 1982 film Gandhi. His movie career spans over 40 years during which he has won Oscar, Grammy, BAFTA, golden globe and screen actor guild awards. His major movies include Schindler’s list, shutter island, Hugo, iron man 3, Bugsy and many more. He is a Guajarati Indian. He is a Knight bachelor of Buckingham palace and also a Hollywood walk of fame.

7. Dev Patel

He was born in London to Indian parents. His breakthrough movie was Slumdog millionaire which went on to win many Oscars. His other major movies include the last air bender, chappie, the man who knew infinity. He has also won BAFTA award for the movie Lion in 2016. He also acted in TV series which include his debut one skins, mister eleven and the newsroom. His mother is the reason the actor he is today.

8. Kunal Nayyar

He is British indian-american actor who is famous for his role as Rajesh in the famous TV series the big bang theory. He was born and brought up in Delhi and did his schooling from St Columba’s school and later on went to USA for Graduation. His movies include SCIENCE, consumed, the scribbler and TV series include NCIS, Sullivan and son to name a few. He also does theatre in London and New York. He has won the Garland award and was also nominated for screen actors’ guild award. He is married to Miss India 2006 Neha kapur.

9. Frieda pinto

She was born in Mumbai and graduated from St Xavier’s college in Mumbai. She like Dev Patel shot to fame with the Movie the Slumdog millionaire. Her biggest commercial movie is rise of the planet of the apes released in 2011. She has won Screen actors’ guild award and Palm Springs international fil award. She was critically praised for her role in Desert dancer. Her inspiration and reason for taking up acting is Sushmita Sen, former Miss Universe. She has even got rejected from more than 100 films during her starting days. She has been featured in people’s and Vogue magazine. She also works for girl power and development.

AR, VR & MR explained!

The new types of reality technology that have come up in the tech market is the Virtual reality or VR, Augmented Reality or AR and Mixed Reality or MR. these realities helps the people to do various research studies as well takes our way of entertainment to another level. Let me explain the 3 realities in layman’s language.

Virtual reality

is the technology through which we can watch movies, play games in a 3D environment. This technology came before AR and MR. it is commercially available and is used by many people with the help of their smartphones. You just need a VR headset or you can make your own DIY Headset at home with a cardboard and attach lenses to it and then fix your smartphone into the cardboard and watch your videos in full closed view in 3D.

Augmented reality

is a technology which was first introduced by Google through their google glasses. In this a computer generated image is placed in the real world view. The biggest example of this technology is the Pokémon go game which was blockbuster hit among the gamers as it introduced a new interactive tech where you could see computer generated pokemons nearby you in the real world scene, on your lap, on the chair, floor, everywhere. No external device was needed but just a smartphone.

Mixed reality

is the latest tech introduced by Microsoft. It is actually an advanced version of AR where you can interact with the images generated by the computer in the real world. You could move the image, touch it and add/remove according to your needs and not just view it as in AR. You can treat the digital objects as they are real ones. You can use Microsoft hololens

or Acer mixed reality headset

to use this advanced technology in your daily lives.     

Major Differences (source: futurism.com)      

Virtual Reality(VR)	Augmented Reality(AR)	Mixed Reality(MR)
Special headsets used for display purposes like VR headset, Samsung Gear.	Holo displays used and smartphones and tablets also.	Holo displays like Microsoft Holo lens and Acer Headset.
Computer graphics or real images developed by computers.	Combination of computer generated digital images and real life objects.	Combination of computer generated digital images and real life objects.
Completely digital environment.	Virtual and real life objects are combined.	Virtual and real life objects are combined.
Virtual objects will change the position and size according to user’s view in the virtual world.	Virtual objects will change the position and size according to user’s view in the real world.	Virtual objects will change the position and size according to user’s view in the real world.
Feeling of being transported into a different 3D world with no sense of real world.	Feeling of being in the real world with added objects and interactive elements.	Feeling of being in the real world with added objects and interactive elements.
Virtual objects can’t be properly distinguished from the real world objects.	Virtual objects can be properly distinguished from the real world objects such as Pokémon creature.	Virtual objects can’t be properly distinguished from the real world objects.
360* like concept and not at all reactive.	Real world content and computer graphic generated content do not interact with each other.	Real world content and computer graphic generated content interact with each other.

So VR or Virtual reality is viewing the real world in a 3D form or 360* view.

AR or Augmented reality is adding a computer generated text or image into a real world,

MR (Mixed Reality) = AR+ VR+ Human Interaction