Toshiba's smart mirror concept puts the future on display

Every now and then we get demonstrations of really innovative new technologies and concepts that almost no one has any chance of being able to own anytime soon. The best place to undergo this particular form of torture is at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This year at CES, a really fantastic "smart mirror" concept from Toshiba fit the bill.

There was little information available on this novel idea, which brings the tech from countless late 1990s and early 2000s era science-fiction films to life. Simply called "Multi Display in Black Mirror," the concept combines the functionality of something like a tablet alongside your reflection.

The mirror was shown in two different environments: In a bathroom, where the reflective screen presents information to help you start your day such as the weather alongside data from connected devices like a personal fitness monitor; and in the kitchen, where the system can assist in finding, adjusting and preparing recipes, among many other uses.

The kitchen setup was particularly interesting because this larger and wider smart mirror had also been paired with a camera, allowing the user to interact with the mirror through gestures in the same way a Kinect works with an Xbox.

It doesn't appear that Toshiba has any intention of bringing smart mirrors to market anytime soon, but if they did, a rather cryptic press release notes that the system could respond "to needs in each living space like kitchens or living rooms."

A living room mirror for movies, yoga and games, one in the kitchen for cooking and entertaining, and others in the bathroom for personal maintenance could one day give us the futuristic home we were promised decades ago. Yet, now that I've seen the technology in person, it still seems like a vision of the not-so-immediate future.

Source: Toshiba

Comments

Silent headset lets users quietly commune with computers

Advances in voice recognition technology have seen it become a more viable form of computer interface, but it's not necessarily a quieter one. To prevent the click-clacking of keyboards being replaced by noisy man-machine conversations, MIT researchers are developing a new system called AlterEgo that allows people to talk to computers without speaking and listen to them without using their ears. At first glance, the AlterEgo headpiece looks like the product of a design student who didn't pay attention in class. Instead of the familiar combination of an earpiece and microphone, the device is a cumbersome white plastic curve like the jawbone of some strange animal that hangs off the wearer's ear and arcs over to touch the chin. It might look strange, but it's based on some fairly sophisticated technology. Inside the Alterego are electrodes that scan the jaw and face from neuromuscular signals produced when the wearer thinks about verbalizing words without

Qualcomm showcases the Snapdragon S4 ahead of Mobile World Congress

We’ve already heard about Qualcomm’s latest processor, the Snapdragon S4 , which will be quad-core and utilize LTE. Qualcomm took the time to give us some details ahead of Mobile World Congress. The new SoC now supports up to three cameras (two in the back for 3D and one front-facing), 20-megapixels, and recording video at 1080p (30fps). We can also expect zero shutter lag, 3A processing (autofocus, auto exposure and auto white balance), and improved blink/smile detection, gaze estimation, range finding and image stabilization. Last but not least, it supports gesture detection/control, augmented reality , and computer vision (via Qualcomm’s FastCV). Hit the break for a couple of videos featuring image stabilization and gestures.

Say Hello To Darkness In WhatsApp With Dark Mode

WhatsApp has rolled one of the most requested feature, Dark mode for all users across the globe. It is available as a part of the latest update on Android and iOS devices. Dark mode is a new design feature in WhatsApp that offers a fresh look on familiar experience and designed to reduce eye strain in low light conditions. There are many people in the planet who find dark backgrounds easier to look at for long time period, Dark mode is for them. Dark mode consumes less power especially your device has an AMOLED display. Above all, Dark mode looks cool and offers you a refreshing change from the White color theme. Enabling dark mode in WhatsApp is very easy. Here's the steps: 1. Open WhatsApp from the home screen. 2. Tap More Options. (Three vertical dots on the top right corner of the app) 3. Choose Settings. 4. Select Chats from the Settings menu. 5. Click On Theme. 6. In the Choose Theme dialog box, select Dark to turn on Dark mode. Choose Light to turn

Daily Tech News

Search This Blog