singapore

Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) has come up with an iOS and Web app that puts your mug shot on a 3D model. By simply taking a frontal image of a face and sending the image via the Internet, A*Star's 3DFM Web server automatically maps it on a virtual avatar head.

This is a much simpler process than the previous procedure of using 3D scanners and then performing tedious post-processing work. According to the organization, the trick now is to create compelling applications and games to leverage on this technology.

For example, you can play soccer games with players sporting the face of your favorite celebrities, or put your mug shot on Master Chief from Halo. This service is available for free for a limited period and can be accessed via this Web site. The iOS app will be available at a later date.

(Source: Crave Asia) … Read more

CHANGI AIRPORT, SINGAPORE--If you don't think airplanes can have paparazzi, consider the following scene.

I was here last month, having flown in from San Francisco the night before, only to wait about 18 hours for my flight to Calcutta, India. Carrying my camera around in search of things to photograph at what I had been told was one of the world's most-interesting airports, I spotted my most-desired prey: An Airbus A380.

But a clear view of the plane was blocked by some walls, as well as a locked gate lounge, and I couldn't figure out how best … Read more

A group of international scientists have collaborated to create what they say is the "world's thinnest" and smoothest metallic lines which are used in electronic components. The technological breakthrough will aid in future miniaturization of devices, they say.

Singapore's Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) said Tuesday that scientists from IMRE, the University of Cambridge in the U.K., and Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea have succeeded in creating metallic lines so thin and smooth that they can only be seen using electron microscopes.

This breakthrough was achieved through "material and technique," IMRE … Read more

Some American robots heading to Singapore to battle it out at the RoboCup 2010 soccer tournament may be as surprising as the U.S. national team in the World Cup. They have a new weapon in their bag of tricks--a physics-based algorithm that lets them calculate where the ball will go so they can bend it like Beckham, or at least like R2-D2.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are confident their robots will outperform rivals in the tournament's Small-Size League because the bots' improved coding takes ball dynamics into account. By predicting how the ball will behave instead of just reacting to it or relying on programmed plays, the bots seem to have an advantage. They might even score through bank shots.

CMU researcher Stefan Zickler, who wrote his thesis on the algorithm while working toward a Ph.D. in computer science, said in a release that robots had never before been able to know when they will lose control of a ball while performing moves like turning and dribbling. The vid below shows a robot programmed with the algorithm outscoring against one without it.

Zickler works on the CMDragons, a team of five cylindrical wheeled robots under 6 inches tall. The group tested an earlier version of algorithm at RoboCup 2009, outplaying rivals until a glitch doused their hopes in the quarterfinals. This time, Dragons leader Manuela Veloso, a computer science professor at CMU, is confident of success, telling the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "I don't see any reason why we won't win." … Read more

In case you haven't been following along, the Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix took place over this past weekend (Lewis Hamilton won, by the way). This race, in its infancy in the F1 repertoire, already has quite a reputation for the unique qualities of the race attributes and its environment in general. Today's web video takes a closer look at many of the features of the Singapore Circuit, courtesy of "Grand Prix Insights".

I know this is a little past the point since the race already took place, but I just found this video last … Read more

The 2009 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix has come and gone over this past weekend, and what an exciting race it turned out to be. Noted F1 driver Lewis Hamilton (the 2008 F1 champion and boyfriend to super hottie Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls fame) in his McLaren-Mercedes went from pole to checkered flag to win the race, followed by Timo Glock and Fernando Alonso finishing at the 2nd and 3rd spots respectively. To be fair, close rival Sebastian Vettel committed a white line penalty out of the pit which helped Hamilton secure the victory, but all things considered … Read more

In 2008, FIA Formula One World Championship reintroduced the Singapore Grand Prix to its legions of fans after years of inactivity. Despite this fact, the race that takes place at the scenic Marina Bay in Singapore has a history that dates back to the mid 1960s. In fact, a lot of the appeal of this particular F1 event is its course that runs around the picturesque Marina Bay area vicinity, and also because of its night race that takes place amid the bay's incredible visuals. And with that said, this is the very reason I have selected this particular … Read more

A cut in the Asia-Pacific Cable Network 2 undersea submarine cable crippled connection speeds for users in the Asia-Pacific region on Wednesday, particularly in Singapore and the Philippines.

Users were sending updates to local forums and Twitter, complaining of slow connection speeds to sites hosted outside of the region.

According to a notice sent by Malaysian telephone company TM Net, the cable fault was traced to segment 7 of the Asia-Pacific Cable Network 2 (APCN2), which stretches between Shantou, China, and Tanshui, Taiwan. TM Net traced the outage to Typhoon Morakot, which hit the region over the weekend.

Additionally, segment … Read more

Have you been looking for new, sleeker Dells on the imminent fall horizon? Perhaps you'd better pay attention to Singapore. Eyes on the Web spotted that Dell's Singapore site has the Inspiron 13 in a new redesign, featuring a look that seems more like a Dell Studio.

What this amounts to is an affordable Dell with good looks in a package that's decently priced, at least in the Singapore conversion rate (it amounts to a little less than $1,000).

It's a big shift from the current Inspiron, which has a pretty bland look to it, … Read more