Robot apps

After a hundred years of speculation, seemingly overnight and with barely a ripple, the age of personal robots is here.

As I type, Roombas and Scubas are busily sweeping and mopping floors all over the world, soldiers' lives are saved on a daily basis by bomb-sniffing robots based on PackBot technology, they are being used to clean-up bio and nuclear waste, the list goes on and on. What are some other potential uses for this type of easily-programmable robot technology?

Surveyor (minerals, map-making, look for oil in the arctic)
Map-making
Crossing Guard
Search & Rescue
Security (roaming robot guards)
Seeing-eye / handicapped assistance
Medication delivery
Food delivery ditto
Mail Cart "Lazy Larry"
Elder Care
Pet Care
Car Care

I knew it...

So now iRobot is working on a lawn-mowing robot. I wonder if it's too late to patent my pooper-scooper robot...

Bumper Cars

Why don't all cars just have enourmous bumpers, like bumper-cars? Build the highways with big rubber (moving?) walls, and completely isolate pedestrian traffic from auto traffic.

This way, everyone could have a blast actually smashing the shit out of each other instead of just fuming in traffic and thinking about it and getting heartburn.

Of course the focus would be then be on making the cars safe under any cincumstances, short of a giant anvil falling from the sky. Internal webbing, body shaped restraint, impact foam, airbags, etc. Potentially, this could also lead to the automation of car traffic within cities, since carts could bounce against walls, etc.

Everyone arrives at work, strips off their flightsuits, and showers off the adrenalin before a nice relaxing day at the office.

CosbySuit 2020

When I was a kid, one of my favorite records was a Bill Cosby comedy album called "I Started Out As a Child". He had a great routine where he talks about all the sounds your clothes make, like the whumpa whumpa of courdoroys, and the flap of a loose sneaker sole, etc. Then he does this whole routine where he plays a rhythm of ever-increasing complexity.

It's a great piece of work, and I've always thought about how it would be cool if the little noises you hear around you all day (e.g. someone typing, or a loud clock, a faucet, the furnace kicking on) a little symphony in itself.

With fabric that can hear, changes in sound coming in, relative to the conductance of the fabric (to measure stretching) can be interpolated to track and recall your exact physical movements. You could orchestrate this symphony of body movements, and hear the result through headphones (to remove feedback issues. Also you would need to isolate the dancer from the audience if you were going to do this live). Changes in the conductance of capacitor-like fabric (stretching) could be interpolated to track and recall your exact physical movements.

A diagnostic tool, an art form, a way to know yourself better... or maybe, just maybe, everyone dancing through their way through the day, dancing to their own and others' drummers, like porpoises, clicking at each other, frollicking joyfully amongst the soundwaves.

Fabric that can hear

What about a fabric that can sense frequencies of sound, using woven membranes. This way your clothing could be a listening device, listening to both your internal organs as well to things around you.

You could have a stage curtain that was a microphone, accepting audio input at multiple xy coordinates, e.g. a large flat "sound lens". For instance if you were standing in front of it, it would get equally detailed sound/sonar "images" of your entire body, from head to toe.

So everything you did, in 3D space could be recorded, every foot tap, every pihouette. Latency issues solved, you could poentially create a real-time music-making device which is also a recording of the entire performance, including "zoom-able" sound areas. Watching a symphony, if you want to hear the oboe better, you just clik on it.

Internet Devices

Why aren't there more "Always-on" type devices, with their own internet connection, totally isolated from your personal data. They could even look like the appliances they are, like a microwave, or slick chrome toaster, but instead it's a terminal.

Imagine if you had to log-in and wait for a virus check before you could look at your watch - that'd be pretty annoying, huh? So why is it acceptable for computers to be so balky, virus-prone, noisy, unreliable, and expensive?

In a sense, it's as if the cheapo all-in-one VCR/TV/DVD/CDR/boombox is going to give you the best experience. But when you jumble all those features together, you create an inferior device. The best devices are usually assembled from discrete componentsso wouldn't a dedicated device make more sense? Think of the opportunities: A stereo componant with Internet access. It doesn't just get the files from wherever they are and play them, it also adds to the experience, by providing various upgrade paths.

An audiophile-quality net terminal, a video production controller (JL Cooper) but with an internet connection. Production consultants could edit the same video chunks from many virtual locations, a software development-like source-control system.

window-shoppe screensaver / auto-browser

When your PC goes to screensave Windowshopper.exe pops up - does a slideshow of storefronts. This could take place within a virtual Panaorama of actual shops, with clickable regions. This is all while the user is not using the computer. If they happen to see something "cool", they click on their mouse (or dedicated "Shop" button) to the store's'site. Storefornts can be personalized: e.g. storefronts could be personalized yo show an area (e.g. Paris) or to show a genre (Hobby Shops - Remote Control). Or you can just "wander" (shuffle mode) .

Various personalization options might inculde: "Go to the same stores Paris Hilton went to this week." - "Check for a sale at Home Depot"

Stores get a tool to build Storefronts, e.g. entry points to their commerce pages. These can be quite detailede, since they are full-screen, and can be designed by an artist or an actual photo of the brick and mortar store.

So then you can go to the actual stores (if they are all in your neighborhood, for instance) and already know what you want to buy and who carries things you'll be interested in.

As user shops, a profile is developed, and fuzzy logic promotes certain services and products. Fuzzy logic also creates user-selectable categories. In essence this is the software's profile, and the user has their own profile. The user gets to know the software and vice versa.

So you could set it to "Look for a Job" mode, and the screensaver will rotate through job listings (big), of local establishments that might be hiring for your skills.

So, for example, at 3 pm (before you get home) the device wakes up and starts a specified slideshow in your screensaver. It's pre-programmed to display live campus cams of "Ivy League Colleges in New England that have scholarships for Rich White Kids". At 5, recipes start to go by, including delectable photos of the finished product. Or nutritional info, or even your current calorie count (which you've been entering on your Blackberry all day).

eBay or Google will hopefully like this idea and pay me a million dollars. :)

IBM Model M Keyboards - who knew?

See previous post re: my old IBM keyboard. I've been doing a little research and it seems there's a whole world of people buying vintage computer keyboards because the new ones suck. seems to me there's a market there. On a small-scale level I could circuit-bend some older computer keyboards, don't have to be rare, just heavy-duty/industrial. Lots of real estate to add knobs for MIDI control, synth patch-bay, USB ports for data & peripherals, even an audio inteface. I could replace the farthest-right keypad with a touch surface, as well, so no mouse required. Keyboard (music) keys can be added by bolting a flat panel to the bottom of the keyboard case, with the keys running along in the Wrist-rest area. A cover could flip down to form the wrist-rest. When in the up position the cover could hold music or even drawbar controls.

Are they all in a landfill somewhere?

Couple these with old Casio keyboards with MIDI and cool effects, make one-offs, paint them up cool.

This site has lots of cool information about keyboard design: http://www.quadibloc.com/comp/scan.htm

Refurbished / Circuit-bent vintage computer keyboards

I've been researching USB/Midi audio control surfaces, and I've noticed that the best units feature sturdy metal cases, top-to-mid-end controls, and a more limited yet classier feature-set (e.g. flying faders). It's possible to get really good deals on non-USB MIDI control surfaces like the JL Cooper CS-10/2, which has a really nice optical jog wheel (Big Knob) as well as 8 bank-switchable faders, chunky one-touch transport controls, programmable function buttons, etc. Because it doesn't have USB, the latest craze in MIDI, you can get one on eBay for under $100 including shipping.

Then I was rummaging around for something to put my keyboard in (found an old metal keyboard drawer) and I came across an old IBM AT keyboard - I think my Dad gave it to me along with some other parts. What immediately struck me was that it weighs a ton, and felt like a serious piece of machinery. A quick lookup told me this was

probably an "M-Series" according to this site:

http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/home.main

At the same time I'd been thinking about making a product, a keyboard/remote thingie, makie it all wireless, etc. But if I didn't have to solve the wire prolem, I could spend the $ on quality, reliability, and ergonomic design. Keep all the cool features in the software where they belong, and make a sexy interface. People fall in love with their guitars for a reason: they're beautiful.

Remote MIDI controller workstation

The DAWsum MIDI controller from Careful Audio

The ultimate hi-end DAW controller for the discriminating studio cat.



Features

The DAWsum is wireless, plus it has high-quality components and a 70's retro-analog vibe (wood sides, vint-style patch bay, etc).



I am researching how to add features like a headphone/monitor jack (2nd wireless device, same?), electronic patchbay (in base unit), ball controller, gesture controller, wind controller etc.

You can connect your mouse and keyboard to the DAWsum remote (or not), connect the base unit to a Firewire/USB port on your computer or DAW, and off you go.

Emulates the JL Cooper protocol and so it should work perfectly with ProTools 6.9 as well as others. I haven't tested it with 7.0.

Auto-touch faders NOT cheap-feeling (billet aluminum pots and fader knobs) , hi-end with no jittering.

Research:
Investigate Tranzport type technology for remote control (is this only MIDI?)
Or maybe use an existing laptop-type wireless technology (like iTunes iPort?)
How to send audio for headphones?

http://www.radikaltechnologies.com/Products/SAC-2_2/sac-2_2_0.html

There will also be additional components which can be connected into the base unit, like an old-school early Moog-like synthesizer with jacks and cables and just a few knobs.
Other potential features:

midi strip controller
gesture controller
breath controller
optical controller
large-scale controller (room-sized)
synth keyboard connection/software/plug-in
personalities for ProTools, plus Reason, Abelton Live, Sonar, etc.

Prototype
This guy: http://www.arttec.net/Industrial/Design.html builds prototypes for people. He may also have ideas on how to deal with the patent stuff.

Or I can piece one together from stand-alone components, then find out how to manufacture it all as one unit.

I really like the look of the Jomox products:




Licensing
Find out how to get a license to use someone else's technology, specifically for the wireless MIDI component.

Organ Works has produces this Wireless Midi setup:



Uses UHF which is faster than bluetooth. They claim 2ms latency.

They also sell individual MIDI components that might be very useful:



Competitors


Radikal SAC 2.2 - MIDI controller - not wireless, no audio - street price $1800US


JL Cooper CS-10/2 - MIDI controller - not wireless, no audio - street price $600US



Patent issues

Manufacturing
get components manufactured overseas and assemble here to assure quality control
use discrete analog as much as possible (point-to-point wiring) rather than all circuit boards
use top components (cost issues)

Financial

Price savings will be created through bulk parts purchasing and wholesale suppliers.

Private financing
Loans
Pre-orders
Build to order (minimal inventory required)



Distribution
website
local stores (consign?)
eventually: Zzounds, Sweetwater, etc

Publicity/Product Awareness
NAMM Convention
TapeOp Con
Parsons Con

Product Line

The other guys are promising add-on modules which add faders, but nothing else (e.g. no synth)


JL Cooper expander
$250 street

One unique feature of the DAWsum is that the base unit has additional interface features beyond MIDI e.g. USB, FireWire, plus a synthesizer (controllable via MIDI from the DAWsum remote).

Music Mind

Record the phonemes in the English language, e.g. "ah" "oh" "guh" and then hook them via a MIDI breakout box to trigger when different types of network traffic occur. Use voice recognition technology and/or voice generator. e.g. everytime someone sends a Search term, recognize it and play a certain sound or pitch. So, common terms would start to be "in tune" while things that didn't match as often would be "flat", and intriguing areas would be sharp, or something like that. So you could listen to the network traffic and start to hear when something is changing or happening more often. You could track trends intuitively, and monitor it while you do something else. It could even be playing nice music that gets more elaborate or louder or faster etc as things change. It would get scary if it started picking up references to illegal activities. I predict this will become a common type of interface, especially as brain-wave tracking technology improves, allowing users to surf with just their mind. The result will be a throbbing mass of bleeps and bloops, a rave of mindwaves rubbing up against eachother, a giant Music Mind.

Online Personal Assistant

What if you could go to a website to get personal chores done? e.g. pick up dry-cleaning, etc. So you'd have a ToDo list that actually got done, all you'd do is type in stuff to do and someone would do it. It could be subscription-based. All scheduling could be done on-line, a couple days in advance for more complicated stuff. Anyways, then the service-providers can log in and see what people want/need and when, and provide it, or bid on the job, depending on the type of work. This keeps track of all the paperwork, too, e.g. taxes / legal.

Sound Pressure Sphere

So I was thinking about SPL, sound pressure level, and I started wondering whether sound could push you if there was no gravity.

So suppose you have a giant sphere that you've built in space, and the inner surface of the sphere is studded with big speakers and tiny microphones. The speakers play subsonically, but generate enough sound pressure to push a person/player floating in the sphere slowly towards the opposite side of the sphere.

Meanwhile, the microphones pick up whatever sounds the player makes, musical or otherwise. The incoming sounds are interpreted by software that decides how the subsonic speakers will "react" to changes in pitch, volume, intensity, musicality, etc. An accomplished player would be able to play music to move him around through the space (possibly a very large space) in a kind of 3D spirograph choreography.

Imagine the Zen Master sax player, floating motionless in lotus position exactly in the center of the sphere, blowing the perfect note.

electronic nose

Electronic Nose

buy a robot

http://www.irobot.com/rwi/p03.asp

Machines that smell

poop-scoop-bot

How about a robot that goes around your yard and picks up dog poop? Or one that grooms the lawn, adding seed and fertilizer as needed. Just need to map your yard and program it into the robot. It just needs a needs a sniffer to know when/where to dig. What else could it sniff? Nutrients in soil? Oxygen content? It could then supplement the spot it's on as needed. You could make designs or plant different stuff - it could be a garden-planting robot.

things to write

How-To Guides:

- teach yourself electronics
- transmission swap
- engine rebuild
- rear-end swap
- suspension upgrades
- build cheap speakers
- build a cheap audiophile-quality tube stereo setup
- raise a puppy

Careful Industries

- New Mopar parts
- used Mopar/speed parts
- Mopar project kits, e.g. hyd clutch kit, 4 speed conversion kit, electronic conversion kit
- Instruction books
- how to / white papers
- diy kits
- Guitar Effects Pedals
- DIY Effects breadboard kit (marked up with circuits and including instructions for different effects)
- Learning tools / kits
- Hi-end Audio
- Custom Speakers
- Audio installation (home systems)
- used audio sales
- audio repair services
- audio modification services
- stereo pre-amp kits
- guitar amp kits
- mini-amp kits
- precut/predrilled amp/speaker cabinet parts
- kit building guide
- kit catalogue
- audio parts
- diy books
- furniture, collectibles
- brass beds

Art/craft - Bizarre Bazaar:
- silkscreened T-shirts (my own designs)
- short run arty silkscreen service (you keep the silkscreen) Order card has 3"x4" square to draw your artwork (or use e-mail), get your hand-cut or photo screen in the mail a week later and start printin'!
- guitar straps w original silkscreen art

Music:
- my music via mp3s, cds, online
- Careful Records Compilation (coming soon)
- songwriting service (for weddings)

Writing:
- love poem service
- apology letter service / delivery
- general songwriting services

Installations:
- Home Recording Studio
- Audiophile sound systems
- Window seats
- Stereo cabinets
- Restaurants
- Outdoor setups (rent or buy)

Other Services:
- House-call car tune-up - get that old jalopy running again!
- Fashion consult - indie pop to classic rock
- Dog Training
- Dog Swimming lessons
- Dog Yoga
- Dog Psychotherapy (tbd)
- Music and Your Dog - Do you know what music your dog likes? (9-cassette series)
- Personalized Self-Help tapes: e.g. "Larry, remember to call your mother!"
- Voice Over / Narration
- Ghost Writing
- Amateur Investigation Service
- "Cyrano", a concealed earpiece which plays pre-recorded poetry/speeches/interview answers
- "The Bush", same as above but with no batteries