WD TV Live supports Windows 7's Play To feature

Anyone who owns the WD TV Live HD media player from Western Digital knows that it's kind of painful to navigate among movies using the device's tiny remote control. Now, however, users can take advantage of software that's already on their Windows 7 computers.
Western Digital on Thursday said that its WD TV Live media player will be the first that supports the Play To feature of Windows 7. This features allows users to initiate and control the streaming of digital content to the WD TV Live HD media player, or any other compatible home entertainment systems, from any Windows 7-based PC on their network.
For example, if you want to play a movie that resides on a network computer or on the external hard drive that's attached to the WD TV Live, instead of having to use the remote control to browse for it, just add it to the Windows Media Player 12 playlist on the Windows 7-based computer that you're using. From within the WMP 12, right-click on the movie in the list and pick the WD TV Live as the playback device. The movie will then be "pushed" to the media player and played back on the TV to which it is connected.
To take advantage of this new feature, WD TV Live HD digital player owners need to update the device to the latest firmware (version 1.02.21), which can be downloaded here for free, or you can do the firmware upgrade from within the device's interface if it is connected to the Internet.
Once updated, the WD TV Live will be automatically recognized by Windows 7 and added to the list of devices that are compatible with Play To.

WD TV Live DH Media Player photos

Autobots vs. human World Cup champs by 2050 ?

The line has been drawn and the goal set.
The RoboCup Federation, a nonprofit organization based in Japan, aims to develop autonomous humanoid robots that are advanced enough to pit themselves against human World Cup champions by 2050.
While we're probably still some way off from the military drones in "Iron Man 2," the organizers of the yearly RoboCup competition, which will take place in Singapore between June 21 and 24, hope the event will fuel interest among students of robotics and artificial intelligence.
At the press conference Thursday morning, we learned from Jonathan Kua that the committee aims to develop more robotics solutions for the medical, logistics, and transportation industries. Kua is a member of the steering committee for RoboCup 2010 and director of new businesses at the Singapore Economic Development Board.
Tan Hang Cheong, co-chair of the steering committee for RoboCup 2010, and principal of Singapore Polytechnic, added that "a couple of millions" have been invested to put together this competition. The organizers expect about 4,000 people and more than 500 teams from more than 40 countries to participate in the event happening in Southeast Asia for the first time.
The competition comprises activity-type categories, with the soccer tournament being the main draw, as well as bots developed for rescue missions and assisted-living at home. There is also a junior segment where primary and secondary students will get to challenge their robots in soccer, rescue, and dance.
We don't have to worry, though, that autonomous robots will soon take over the human race or drones blowing up bridges and cars. "Folding clothes is [still] one of the most difficult tasks for robots," Kua said.

Researchers at the University of Missouri are developing computer graphics visualization software that enables search-and-rescue teams to improve the virtual navigation of spaces unsafe for humans.
Remote-controlled robots have already proved invaluable in search-and-rescue missions, reaching places that humans often can't--or shouldn't. (Think earthquakes, bomb threats, or the recent mine explosion in West Virginia.) But software developed in Columbia, Mo., aims to improve what we do with the data these bots collect.
"We are developing computer graphics visualization software to allow the user to interactively navigate the 3D data captured from the robot's scans," says Ye Duan, associate professor of computer science at MU's College of Engineering. "I worked with my students to develop computer software that helps the user to analyze the data and conduct virtual navigation, so they can have an idea of the structure before they enter it."
The bot at the Missouri University of Science and Technology transports a light detection and ranging unit (LIDAR) that wirelessly transmits data about spacing to emergency responders attempting to enter hazard zones. The LIDAR unit takes scans at a rate of up to 500,000 point measurements per second, and can scan through windows and doors.

The group's new software converts these data points into 3D maps, separating out individual objects, generating floor plans, and color-coding areas based on levels of stability. It takes 30 minutes to about two hours to create these maps, depending on the volume of data gathered--a speed the researchers hope to continue improving.
As for hardware, the team is already working on a proposal to make the robot smaller, lighter, and more flexible so that it could, in effect, catch up with the sophisticated software. Just named on Kiplinger's list of 8 Robots That Will Change Your Life, it weighs a whopping 200 pounds, making it admittedly heavy for many of the precarious settings it needs to navigate.
Of course, this set-up won't likely be limited to search-and-rescue missions. "This system could be used for routine structure inspections, which could help prevent tragedies such as the Minneapolis bridge collapse in 2007," Duan says. "It also could allow the military to perform unmanned terrain acquisition to reduce wartime casualties."