Communications of the ACM
10 Tech Research Projects to Watch
Intel's Near Threshold Voltage Processor, code-named Claremont, is powered only by a solar cell the size of a postage stamp.
Credit: Intel Corp.
Ten promising research projects that could lead to future consumer products include a solar-powered personal computer (PC), three-dimensional (3-D) images that respond to touch, and a robotic dog.
Microsoft researchers are working on HoloDesk, a project that enables users to interact with 3-D virtual objects. Microsoft researchers also are developing PocketTouch, a system that enables users to manipulate a touch device through clothing and other materials. Another Microsoft Research project, Vermeer, uses two facing parabolic mirrors to create glasses-free 3-D images that can be touched.
University of British Columbia researchers are developing programmable friction, a type of haptic feedback for touchscreens that could be used for moving folders around a desktop using touch. NASA and General Motors are developing Robonaut2 (R2), a humanoid robot designed to help astronauts complete space missions. R2 can lift up to 20 pounds and its arms have similar mobility to a human's.
Intel is developing Claremont, a PC powered by a solar cell the size of a postage stamp. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is working with Boston Dynamics and the Marine Corps to develop an all-terrain robot dog that can help soldiers carry heavy objects in remote locations.
From PC World
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