CSR4U – Computer Science Resources 4U

iTunes, meet Google Music

June 17, 2010 by publisher · Leave a Comment 

At a time when it was becoming unimaginable that iTunes could ever have a decent challenger, one seems to have emerged. Not surprisingly, the challenge is being issued by the only other company that could have done it, Google.
Before we go on, it should be made clear that Google has not made any official noise about the upcoming release. The news comes from several industry sources that are reliable enough for it to be true. What adds fuel to the fire is that fact that Google demonstrated a service, at the recently concluded I/O conference, that was similar to iTunes but was web based.
“Google Music” as it is known so far, will offer song downloads as well as streaming services. Primarily it is aimed at providing more value addition to Android users. But as it is with anything Google, the service will have a lot more to with the rest of the web upon its release. It is suspected that music downloads and streaming might be tied in with searches on Google.
The service is rumored to launch as early as October and if so, Apple could be in for some stiff competition. This is not based on the usual Google euphoria that is always attached to a new release from the company. In fact, the music industry has been actively promoting the appearance of iTunes rivals for a while.
It is this fact that will drive Google Music towards success. The music industry will give a lot of backing to the service, which will in turn result in a better and perhaps cheaper service offered by Google.
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Where will LittleDog Robotic Dog go next?

June 4, 2010 by publisher · Leave a Comment 

LittleDog is an appropriately named robotic dog, which stands at only five inches tall. Robot dogs have been appearing quite regularly over the past few years and some models have been turned into electronic pets. So far, LittleDog is not heading towards such an ignominious fate.

The primary purpose of this four legged robot is to successfully traverse and negotiate complex and rugged terrain. Lithium polymer batteries supply the power to the 3 motors in each leg, which enables it to have a fair amount of power at its call. It also surprisingly contains a PC level computer onboard to take care of communication, sensor controls and actuator controls. The sensor controls in particular perform very complex calculations which include measuring joint angles, foot and ground contact, orientation of the body and the motor currents.

Although Boston Dynamics manufactured LittleDog sometime ago, it was recently boosted by the addition of new software. Researchers from the University of California developed software that improved its locomotion. This gave LittleDog increased movement speed, better stability and smooth movement. Demonstrations have shown that the robot displays exceptional skill in picking good footholds on rough terrain as well as navigating difficult obstacles like stairs and chasms.

The robot is part of a project called Learning Locomotion which is funded by DARPA. The LittleDog project could very well translate into larger versions of the robot, which will help in exploration projects both here and on other planets. The researchers at USC are now focusing on humanoid robots as their next project.

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