Autonomous ATV

March 23, 2009 by Adam Harris 21 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja3ND8Pk_0M&hl=en&fs=1]

A team at UNC Charlotte has been working on an autonomous vehicle to drag a cart that has sensing equipment. Starting with a stock Honda ATV, different systems were added to give a Renesas processor control of the ATV. A model airplane receiver was attached to the Renesas to give remote control for Phase 1 of the project. Basically they’ve turned the ATV into a giant remote controlled car.

Later revisions will incorporate LIDAR, cameras, and multiple GPS units so the ATV can autonomously traverse most terrain with a high level of accuracy. Path planning will become a large part of the project at that point.

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Hacked Instruments Compete

March 23, 2009 by Caleb Kraft 5 Comments

motorcyclekeyboard

The first annual Guthman Musical Instrument Competition proved to be a very interesting place to be as hacked musical instruments competed for $10,000 in prizes. 60 people applied and 25 were chosen to show off their hacked together, strange, and whimsical instruments. There were all kinds of creations, from keyboard controlled motor cycle engines to tongue controlled synthesizers. We can’t imagine trying to pick some kind of a winner from the bunch this diverse.

Bios Level Malware

March 23, 2009 by Caleb Kraft 83 Comments

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“Reformat it”. That’s pretty much our default answer when someone calls us complaining of malware and viruses. Though many can be removed, it can sometimes be quicker and less frustrating just to reformat it. Some of us even have specific ways that we organize all of our files just to make the quarterly reformat go smoother. Unfortunately, reformatting may no longer be the absolute cure. Researchers have developed a piece of malware that infects the BIOS. It is un affected by reformating or flashing. This means that it is also OS independent. They tested it on Windows and OpenBSD as well as a machine running VMware Player. This is a grim sign for the future.

[via ZDNet.com]