杏吧原创

Learn a language, translate the web

Automated translation software has come a long way, but it still needs a human touch. That鈥檚 the viewpoint of Luis von Ahn of Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, who is developing Duolingo, which gets users to translate web pages at the same time as teaching them the language those pages are written in. In a pilot due to start in a few months, users will take lessons in which they translate phrases and sentences pulled from the web in the language they want to learn. Combined with automated translation software, von Ahn hopes to provide a flawless translation tool for the web.

Out of frame, but still on camera

A video camera that records its subjects鈥� faces and remembers them- even when they leave the shot and return later at a different angle- has been developed by Zdenek Kalal at the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK. When the system 鈥渟ees鈥� a person or object, it creates a 3D model of it, which is refined as it continues filming from different angles. As well as allowing police to track individuals through CCTV footage, the system could help people with disabilities control computing devices through facial expressions or gestures, says Kalal.

One ring to tweet them all

Researchers at Nokia have developed a magnetic ring that users can twist around their fingers to control their phones. Dubbed Nenya, after a ring found in The Lord of the Rings, it looks like a standard piece of jewellery but is actually a strong magnet. Rotating the ring causes changes in the surrounding magnetic field, which are picked up by a bracelet worn by the user that connects to their phone via Bluetooth. Rotation toggles a number of options, such as asking a caller to hold, updating your location on a social network, or browsing a music playlist. The options could be memorised, played as audio through headphones, or displayed on a screen, then selected by pushing the ring towards the fingertip.