Technology for New Generation

The Future of Personal Satellite Technology Is Here.... Satellites used to be the exclusive playthings of rich governments and wealthy corporations. But increasingly, as space becomes more democratized, these sophisticated technologies are coming within reach of ordinary people. Just like drones before them, miniature satellites are beginning to fundamentally transform our conceptions of who gets to do what up above our heads. As a  recent report  from the  National Academy of Sciences  highlights, these satellites hold tremendous potential for making satellite-based science more accessible than ever before. However, as the cost of getting your own satellite in orbit plummets, the risks of irresponsible use grow. The question here is no longer “Can we?” but “Should we?” What are the potential downsides of having a slice of space densely populated by equipment built by people not traditionally labeled as “professionals”? And what would the responsible and b...

In a new method for searching image databases, a hand-drawn sketch is all it takes... Computer scientists at the University of Basel have developed a new method for conducting image and video database searches based on hand-drawn sketches. The user draws a sketch on a tablet or interactive paper, and the system searches for a matching image in the database. The new method is free to access for researchers. People today are increasingly confronted with the challenge of having to find their way around vast collections of photos and videos, both in their work lives and at home. Although search engines such as Google and Bing make it easy to find documents or websites quickly and efficiently using  search terms , the options for searching collections of multimedia objects are more limited. A broadly defined similarity concept Researchers at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Basel have developed a system known as 'vitrivr', which allo...