The future has just arrived
I am not often impressed by the speed of technological advance. It seems that 50 years ago we were expecting 2015 to be far more
futuristic
than it actually is. However, in the last month I am happy to say that I have seen not one, but three new
pieces of kit
that I think are really
cutting edge
.
Last week we went to see the new Disney film; Tomorrowland. It's a nice movie - go and see it! But what I want to talk about is not the movie, but some of the tech I saw in the movie. Specifically , this:
Last week we went to see the new Disney film; Tomorrowland. It's a nice movie - go and see it! But what I want to talk about is not the movie, but some of the tech I saw in the movie. Specifically , this:
The reason that this interested me is I have actually seen a few people using these around London in the last few weeks. The first time I saw one, I was
enthralled
because it is such a futuristic
gadget
. So, it's
basically
just a wheel that you stand on and,
hey presto
, you are
zooming
around the streets
as free as a bird!
A few days later I saw one for sale in a shop window. It was made by a company called Airwheel, so, when I got home, I checked out the company website. They have this video, so you can
see for yourself
(also note that the video was made in London!):
I really want to try one, but the prices start at
approximately
£500 - a little
out of my price range!
So I searched around for reviews by other people who had used them and found one by The Guardian newspaper. It's actually quite a funny article because the reviewer, Martin Love, really didn't manage to
master
riding the Airwheel.
Apparently
, if you really want to master it, you need to spend a full day practising. If you want a laugh, read Martin's review here.
The next new gizmo that I saw was a flying camera called Lily that can follow you wherever you go. This will be a useful gadget for sportspeople who want to video themselves as they will no longer need another person to do the filming. The Lily company video shows this:
The next new gizmo that I saw was a flying camera called Lily that can follow you wherever you go. This will be a useful gadget for sportspeople who want to video themselves as they will no longer need another person to do the filming. The Lily company video shows this:
I haven't seen this in real life because they are still in the production process now, but you can
pre-order
them online for delivery in early 2016.
There are a few very special things about the Lily. For example, you can just throw it in the air and it will automatically start flying. Another thing is that it is waterproof, so you can chuck it in the water and then start it flying when you are ready. Finally, and most impressively, is that it is able to track you as you move. It is actually a very difficult challenge to make a camera stay focussed on a person as they move around quickly, but the Lily solves this problem by having a little tracking unit that the person wears on their wrist like a watch.
The final new piece of kit that I came across recently is not by a small start-up company, but by the multinational mega-company Microsoft. Virtual reality technology has been available since the 1980s, and has always promised to revolutionise our lives by allowing us to mix the real world with a computer world. However, that has never really happened because the technology has never really been good enough. In 2013 Google started selling a prototype of their Google Glass, but stopped selling it this year, and it doesn't seem to have made a big impact.
And now along comes Microsoft with a pair of holographic goggles called HoloLens that, frankly , look dazzling ! However, so far Microsoft have been very hush hush about this product, but judging from the video, you will be able to do all the things you do on your computer, but actually using your hands and interacting with the software like you would with objects in the real world. Watch the video and see for yourself:
There are a few very special things about the Lily. For example, you can just throw it in the air and it will automatically start flying. Another thing is that it is waterproof, so you can chuck it in the water and then start it flying when you are ready. Finally, and most impressively, is that it is able to track you as you move. It is actually a very difficult challenge to make a camera stay focussed on a person as they move around quickly, but the Lily solves this problem by having a little tracking unit that the person wears on their wrist like a watch.
The final new piece of kit that I came across recently is not by a small start-up company, but by the multinational mega-company Microsoft. Virtual reality technology has been available since the 1980s, and has always promised to revolutionise our lives by allowing us to mix the real world with a computer world. However, that has never really happened because the technology has never really been good enough. In 2013 Google started selling a prototype of their Google Glass, but stopped selling it this year, and it doesn't seem to have made a big impact.
And now along comes Microsoft with a pair of holographic goggles called HoloLens that, frankly , look dazzling ! However, so far Microsoft have been very hush hush about this product, but judging from the video, you will be able to do all the things you do on your computer, but actually using your hands and interacting with the software like you would with objects in the real world. Watch the video and see for yourself:
After chatting with some friends and computer vision
specialists
about the HoloLens, we all agree that if it is as good as the video
suggests
, then it will be truly
revolutionary
, but we don't think it will really
live up to
the video. Well, it should be released later this year, so
only time will tell
.
