Weird, Odd and Strange Mobility Series: iPhones Pointing to Ladies, Creative Hand Gestures and Robot Students


WWI Motorcycle with Mobile
Radio Included
Student Sends Remote Controlled Robot to School

High school student Lyndon Baty has a weakened immune system that prevents him from actually attending school, so he's using a remotely-controlled "robot" that allows him to move from class to class and interact with teachers and other students using nothing more than his laptop and webcam at home.  This is an interesting adaption of M2M (machine-to-machine) and mobile communications.  Soon we will be able to send robots to represent us at speed dating events, class reunions and office parties.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/03/texas-student-sends-robot-to-school-in-his-place-cant-get-it-t/

Using Hand Gestures on Your Computer?

Israeli based eyeSight Mobile Technologies has released its hand gesture interface solution for computers using the Android and Windows platforms.  Users can control their music and video players, browse through eBooks, manage presentations, play games, control PC apps and carry out many other tasks by simply gesturing.  I can image all kinds of strange and interesting gestures that could be implemented.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/03/eyesight-brings-its-gesture-controls-to-android-tablets-windows/

RoboEarth Teaches Robots to Learn from Peers and Pour Creamy European Fruit Beverages

I read about RoboEarth this week and it is both interesting and scary.  The purpose of this European Commission project is to create robots that can teach each other how to do things without human involvement or programming.  I just exposed my teenage daughter to the Terminator series this year, and this sounds a lot like the beginning of SkyNet.  RoboEarth has already taught one robot, the TechUnited AMIGO, to deliver a box of creamy fruit juice to a bedridden scientist.  The next thing you know it will deliver (via a time machine) a nearly indestructible robot determined to stop us from producing future rebels.

http://www.roboearth.org/project-scope

Do You Need to Find Ladies?  There is an App for That.

Geo-location solutions have already degenerated to Wheretheladies.at, a web app that aggregates Foursquare checkins by the female gender.  It has now, disappointingly, been approved by Apple and is available on the iPhone. The iPhone application has a big compass that points you in the direction of ladies. Not just any ladies, mind you, but ladies using mobile devices and Foursquare to checkin.  In addition, it helps you increase your odds of finding a lady by directing you to the location where there is the largest concentration of female checkins.

Alexia Tsotsis at TechCrunch writes, "We previously called this service “evolutionary advantage,” as it is essentially nerds using technology to circumvent Darwinism. The fittest now includes those who have smarts, or at least smartphones."


Whitepapers of Note:

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Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
Phone +1 208-991-4410
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility group on Linkedin:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2823585&trk=anet_ug_grppro

Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant, mobility analyst, writer and Web 2.0 marketing professional. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

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Interviews with Kevin Benedict