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Toyota's remedy for floor mat entrapment view!
youtube.com - Toyota explains what is being done to address the potential floor mat entrapment of accelerator pedals.
57 Comments
- FunkyWitDaSysTm, on 10/12/2007, -3/+54Microsoft Windows Vista Virtual Headphone Audio Experience Ultimate Edition
- mikesherov, on 10/12/2007, -2/+43"one thing is for shure it will cost a ***** load of money and have half the features of a linix one"
What's linix? If you're gonna bash Microsoft and be a Linux snob, you should at least spell Linux right. - jimmytango829, on 10/12/2007, -0/+36"How well does the algorithm work with a pet or child pokes a hole in one of the speaker cones?"
How well do your headphones work if a pet or child pokes holes in the speaker cones...? - locksmith9, on 10/12/2007, -0/+35This would be excellent. I get tired of telling my coworkers how I should be able to listen to the radio at a reasonable volume from 9 to 11.
- brad06, on 10/12/2007, -0/+32*Not Compatible with Apple iPod.
- Combat247, on 10/12/2007, -2/+30Wouldn't work like that, would be set in one position. Unless they managed to incorporate motion tracking somehow.
- fxmcleod, on 10/12/2007, -5/+27what's new about the technology is that it's from Microsoft, meaning people will actually use it, not just digglets like us.
So it could potentially replace microphones for pc use. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+20Even if they did incorporate motion tracking, it would be a bitch to everyone that stepped in your path. Not to mention trying to compensate for the random objects around the room which would echo/absorb the sound.
- quomen, on 10/12/2007, -9/+27Hmm actually this has been around for a while, i wonder what's new with the MS technology?
http://www.prisonplanet.com/audios_the_next_big_thing.html
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2003-05-19-hss_x.htm
Competition is good, however..
Competeition from MS is almost suicide for a small company though.
lol xP - rune420, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16I can think of at least one application for this that I would like: Being able to listen to music at reasonable levels at night (in bed) without worrying about disturbing others.
- Godel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13@quomen
This technology is not the hypersonic wave technology that was described in the articles you linked to. - calebhawk, on 10/12/2007, -4/+17be great in class...
- DigitalDud, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Uhh, that Dolby Headphone technology has nothing to do with this. It simulates 5.1 over headphones, this simulates headphones with speakers.
- scbysnx, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Shure is an audio company sure is the word you were looking for. I don't mean to degrade you on your spelling I'm a pretty crappy speller too but you screwed up some pretty easy words.
holy crap before I edited this I had written you're and to.. wow - iconoclast7, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7@quomen-
it's not suicide if microsoft killed you,
then its considered "murder" - afruff23, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Welcome to the virtual.
- vertinox, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8@"it's not suicide if microsoft killed you,
then its considered "murder""
Unfortunately, MS Word Clippy automatically generated several suicide notes on your behalf. - scbysnx, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6smitting how well does the speaker work if a pet or child pokes a hole in one of the cones? Thats not exactly normal use.
- kholburn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5The technology which has been around for a while, is as I understand it one of acoustic beam forming, similar to phased array radar. There have been only a few articles about this sort of thing in the press and most of the action has been by researchers and is not in plain language.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_from_ultrasound
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7146011.html
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/audio/MicArrays.mspx
http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2007/01/09/40479/Phased-array+loudspeaker+IP+runs+on+single+DSP.htm - tempusrob, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Are you kidding? This is a DRM advocate's dream! Targeted audio that only one person can hear, and if anyone else wants to share the experience they can buy it themselves.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4If they could follow you around while you walked and an unsuspecting stranger stepped into your "audio zone", they would think they were reading your mind and freak out.
- nirav72, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6Arghh...Voices in my head!!
- Peptis, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3This has nothing to do with HRTFs.
Furthermore, the article doesn't mention that this technology requires an *array* of speakers. I doubt that many people will buy X (where X is a large number) speakers to get this sort of thing working as it will cost a fortune. I'll stick to my headphones, thank you. - bcimhe, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3rune 420 - "I can think of at least one application for this that I would like: Being able to listen to music at reasonable levels at night (in bed) without worrying about disturbing others."
i agree. for that matter i'd like to be able to listen to my music at completely unreasonable volume all day. i could blast away when i wanted without getting a call from the neighbors. this would also be very handy for playing guitar. the headphone cord is a pain. - eighties, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Well, the physics behind this have been around for a while, even though it is quite complex. Basically what MS is attempting to do is create an algorithm that will correctly calculate the phase modulation of each sound wave (most likely decomposed into Fourier components) so that constructive interference occurs only at the desired spot and nearly total destructive interference occurs everywhere else.
Think of it as a digital whispering gallery (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whispering_gallery), where the speakers would act as one of the foci, and the 'sweet spot' as the other. Of course this is a very crude analogy at best, but illustrates the point. If they combine it with position tracking as stated in the article, the resulting technology could be quite cool indeed. - joerod, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I like this idea especially for people who live in a small nyc apartment with paper thin walls like me. oh yea i like to blast my music. right on Microsoft, its been a while since a good original idea.
- vajra918, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1why are you digging him down?
FTA: "Furthermore, the focused wave technology could even bleed over into the tracking realm, which could actually allow the tones to follow one around as they move. " - sigproc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I had the chance of actually witnessing this new technology a few months ago at a lecture and demonstration by Henrique Malvar, the Director of Microsoft Research Laboratory at our university. He also demonstrated a few other audio and video technologies being developed at MRL. Some of these are (and here I quote verbatim) generation & browsing of gigapixel images (> 4 GB), recovery of 3D environments from image sets (the program developed a panoramic view of the Vatican by searching a database & stitching relevant images together; this image could be zoomed into to reveal more images), enhancement with microphone arrays(the one described in the link). It was indeed impressive to watch these demos. More information about these upcoming new technologies can be found at the Microsoft Research Laboratory website & Dr. Malvar's homepage.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -6/+7a pro MS article during ubuntu season?
hell has surely frozen - HairyPoter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1M$ is so lame that it is disgusting!
- ManuS, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I submitted this story over 19 days ago and it disappeared without a trace. And today it's heading towards 1000 diggs.
http://digg.com/software/Personal_Audio_Space_possibly_one_of_the_greatest_innovations_in_music - grimfandango, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1cool!
- Fordi, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2As a college dropout and linux user, I say, 'Take that back, you insensitive clod!'
- TheUngod, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Toki: (to Murderface) You're not a great speller. You've got to spell right to be a speller.
Murderface: So, if a guy hits a home run, but he's fat, it's not a home run? It has to be perfect? What's the point?
Toki: No, that is the point! That is spelling! - Garageband, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Do I smell Mircosoft?....BEGAN THE ONSLAUGHT!
/sarcasm - AuntBee, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2I heard Bill Gates speak about MS audio research and signal processors, and the new wave of audio advances that would be coming out to the labs in the next 15 years.... and that was back in the early 90s. So Billy has always been interested in the audio side of the experience.... and making a buck too...... like he needs another buck...
- logicalnoise, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2nice sort of does away with that one dudes hypersonic technnology. Though I'm sure his is much more powerful as far as range. It should be cool but I suspect it will require some pretty high range speakers(not your crappy pack in speakers).
- megalopata, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0ms will fail. This stuff was invented by one small Japanese company last year. Or they'll just buy them...
- sigproc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@Peptis
You are right that this technology requires an array of speakers. But according to Dr. Malvar (please see my post below), laptops in the near future are expected to be equipped with two or more microphones. Those laptops/PCs having the requisite hardware which would enable these technologies to be employed in them would be having Microsoft Gold or Platinum labels on them, depending upon the level of compatibility. Of course, these laptops would cost a bomb and also make a bundle for Microsoft !! - LoopyChew, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Here's my perceived (possibly unmerited) take on why I could never use virtual headphones. To illustrate, make sure you're using regular speakers and have ready access to the volume control knob.
1. Play Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."
2. Just after the line "Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me..." begin cranking the volume knob way up and way down in rhythm with the music.
3. Voila, my theorized scenario for headbanging with virtual headphones. - NanoStuff, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2I was expecting to hear they're creating a new generation of HRTF algorithm, that would certainly be the more ideal solution... oh well :(
- danielspencer2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Some dude was smart and just bought the domain name for the new headphones. The person just bought www.virtualheadphone.com and it's for sale already.
- scbysnx, on 10/12/2007, -5/+4one thing that's nice about slashdot is that there is at least a somewhat moderated comment rating system. I'd like to see stories get digg's and a comment system like /.
- jdubbs, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0is there any software already available that achieves this goal?
- Chairboy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1The Audio Sombrero solves the same problem without the Microsoft connection or all this crazy technology, plus it looks cooler:
http://hallert.net/audiosombrero/ - jacenat, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2you are right Godel.
still this techinque is used already where it is needed the most. i saw a tv report about this tech for F1 cars about 7 years ago. and also 3 or 4 years ago when it was used to quiet down flats with large windows that face busy streets.
it may be new to the desktop pc space, but the technology exists quite some time. - sidian, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3bet it wont play non DRM data
- jivemasta, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1What ever happened to those special speakers that only sent sound in one direction?
- zonk3r, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1How is this different from Dolby Headphone (other than MS owns it instead of Dolby and DHP is supported by a bunch of different manufacters though not widely implemented). Info:
http://www.dolby.com/consumer/technology/headphone.html - -Jaguar-, on 10/12/2007, -17/+7You forgot to mention that you'll also need a degree in computer science to use it.
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