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Technology

Invisibility cloaks are a real thing, wands not so much

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Engineers at the Lawrence Barkley National Laboratory have created a super thin cloak that can bend light around objects, rendering them invisible. The catch, however, is that it only works on a micro scale for now so any prank ideas you had can be put on hold.

In tests the invisibility cloak used metamaterials to curve light around an object the size of a few biological cells. The difference between this cloak and previous attempts is that it can disguise any shaped object, and works in air. "This is the first time a 3D object of arbitrary shape has been cloaked from visible light," said Xiang Zhang, who worked on the device.

"Our ultra-thin cloak now looks like a coat. It is easy to design and implement, and is potentially scalable for hiding macroscopic objects."

That last part is what excites us. A full-blown invisibility cloak could have plenty of real-world applications aside from pranking, notably the military. Wearable tech is coming to the battlefield, would invisibility cloaks be a step too far? I mean, they’ve already got invisible tanks (well, sort of).

What is 3D Touch? How Apple is making your iPhone give touch feedback

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Essentially, it’s a feedback system that uses vibrations to communicate back to the user that an action has been registered, while pressing harder, or holding a tap rather than immediately releasing, triggers the OS to perform different actions. Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, demonstrated its use in Apple Mail, pressing and swiping to handle email or bringing up the status of a flight from Messages.

Federighi went on to demonstrate performing app actions with a press on their home screen icon – effectively turning 3D Touch into a touchscreen version of the right mouse click. The new Live Photos feature uses it too – displaying a still photo until a long-press triggers the video.

Sensors integrated into the backlight of the display detect the pressure or duration of your tap, using a Taptic Engine chip similar to the one that’s under the MacBook’s trackpad or buried inside the Apple Watch.

You can see 3D Touch in action in Apple's announcement video:

 

Catch a movie with friends at the Oculus Cinema

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Speaking to Road to VR, Oculus creator Palmer Luckey explained that the point of the app isn't to be in a movie theatre alone, instead, "you want to replicate the experience of being in a movie theater or home theater with all of your friends."

Luckey went on to talk about a number of social features, albeit there was no word of a popcorn-throwing app. Maybe we’re reaching on that one.  

"We already have a lot of internal social functions in Cinema that are going to be rolling out in the next few months," he said.

"Things like avatar systems, being able to communicate with people over long distances… rather than just local multiplayer, but having actual long distant multiplayer as well."

The Oculus Cinema app has been available on the Samsung Gear VR from day one, but it’s been a lonely place thus far. It won’t be too long though before your pals join in. The new social features will be rolled out with the release of the Oculus Rift in early 2016.

We’re all for it. The idea of a virtual cinema is exciting, a place where you can kick back with mates from different corners of the globe and enjoy the latest movies. It certainly paves the way for a number of Matrix-style hangouts, but which would you like to see? Let us know in the comments or hit us up on Facebook.  

Google Glass 2: Coming to an office near you?

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Google Glass 2 is already being trialled and tested, according to The Wall Street Journal. The sequel to the original Google Glass – which is reportedly being aimed in industries such as health care, manufacturing and energy – is already said to be in the hands of several businesses.  

Specifically, a number of surgeons and field workers are apparently rocking the wearable computer, testing its ability in real-life situations. Using Google Glass in the workplace makes far more sense than out on the streets, as it can bypass many of the issues consumers had with the original – particularly privacy concerns sparked by its non-stop camera.

However, funnily enough, the report also claims Google wants to eventually release a consumer version too. Second time lucky, ay Google? It will be interesting to see if Google can capture the public’s attention this time around. A new design and improved features will be a good start.

WSJ's sources say that Google Glass 2, rather than being a full pair of specs, features "a button-and-hinge system to attach it to different glasses." The report also repeats previous rumours we’ve heard about a faster Intel processor and a beefier battery.

Google Glass 2 is also set to feature a "longer, thinner" display, able to be "moved vertically as well as horizontally," as well as being more rugged and water proof. Until we get confirmation, though, be sure to take these claims with a pinch of salt.

With the rumour mill hotting up, we want to know, what do you want to see from Google Glass 2? Let us know in the comments or at the T3 Facebook page.

Intel makes huge memory breakthrough that could lead to 8K gaming

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3D Xpoint tech promises to revolutionise storage and system memory, with Intel claiming that it’s 1000 times faster and has 1000 times greater endurance than NAND – and that it’s 10 times denser than conventional memory.

It has taken a decade of research to hone 3D XPoint, which was built from scratch, and offers a transistor-less crosspoint architecture that Intel describes as a “three-dimensional checkerboard where memory cells sit at the intersection of word lines and bit lines, allowing the cells to be addressed individually.”

This allows data to be both read and written in small sizes, with much reduced latency and far more efficient read/write times as a result. This slickly performing, long lifespan, non-volatile storage and memory will be affordable as well, or so Intel promises.

We’ll take that with a grain of salt – or indeed a shovel full of the stuff, as affordable is likely to be a relative term – but the good news is we won’t have long to wait to find out what sort of price premium will be put on 3D XPoint, as this isn’t a breakthrough which is way off down the line. In fact, products are currently being developed by Intel and Micron using 3D XPoint, with the tech set to sample later this year.

The technology is expected to make its presence felt in the world of big data (for more efficient crunching and analysis), machine learning, even the real-time tracking of the spread of diseases – and is also expected to have a massive impact on the world of games, offering a huge turn of performance, more immersive experiences and possibly ushering in 8K gaming.

Yes, there’s a lot of big talk and trumpet blowing going on here, but it seems with good reason. It will be extremely interesting to see the initial products which are rolled out utilising 3D XPoint, and as we’ve already mentioned, we don’t have long to wait now.

Interested in the nearer-future of gaming? Check out: Better than life: 2015’s hottest VR, console and PC gaming tech