technabob » fujitsu

this flash drive will self-destruct in 5 seconds: fujitsu working on flash drive that can auto-erase data

lambert v. — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:17:18 +0000

Wanna know who fills the hardware needs of covert operatives? Fujitsu. The company will deny it of course, but the sharp eyes over at GetUSB just released some top-secret info regarding Fujitsu’s prototype USB flash drive that can erase the data it contains after a set amount of time, or if someone attempts to copy or transfer the data to an “unauthorized workstation or server”. Hmmm.

Okay so it’s not really top-secret technology, and I don’t think Fujitsu is willing to make a USB device that explodes to protect its data. Still, I think Fujitsu is on the right track here; us ordinary folks don’t have lots of confidential files, but I think a lot of companies will pay for this kind of portable storage. Let’s hope that Fujitsu includes a voice recorder in the finished product: “Your mission, should you decide to accept it…”

humanoid robot learns to make an omelet

karen m. — Fri, 23 May 2008 02:18:00 +0000

There seems to be an ever-mounting pile of evidence that leads me to believe that robots really ARE going to take over the world. This video series of a super snappy Fujitsu robot learning to make an omelet is definitely not quelling my fears! Interestingly, the human “teacher” uses a Wii remote to guide the training.

This robot, known as the HOAP-3, is part of the Humanoid for Open Architecture Platform and is sponsored by the EU’s Cogniron project, whose mission is to “develop cognitive robots whose ‘purpose in life’ would be to serve humans as assistants or ‘companions’.”

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

When they hand him the big chef’s knife, though… yikes. As he chops the ham, my head swims with visions of robot overlords crushing the human rebellion with their cleavers. Maybe it’s his flashy light-up eyes and his insanely creepy voice, but I have to ask, is it just me? Or does he seem really, really evil?

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Here’s the good news. Even though this robot is pretty sharp- I think his vocabulary is bigger than mine, and his whisking skills aren’t too shabby- he can’t even crack his own eggs. And let’s be honest, HOAP-3 is slow as molasses. Irona, Rosie, and all the other cartoon robot maids were a heckuva lot more efficient. I’m just sayin’.

[via Loving The Machine]

fujitsu shows paper thin flexible color display

technabob — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 16:14:32 +0000

So called electronic paper and electronic ink technologies have been showing alot of promise lately, especially with the upcoming release of Sony’s eBook Reader coming out next month.

At this week’s CEATEC show in Tokyo, Fujitsu showed off a prototype of a 7.8-inch paper-thin panel that can show 4,096 colors. The device shown was in a rigid eBook reader device, but the technology is capable of being used in flexible displays as well. In addition, this new prototype does not require that power be applied to display the image once it’s drawn, reducing power consumption significantly.

Refesh times are still a little slow – ranging from one to four seconds, depending on image complexity.

[via Macworld UK and Akihabara News]