Datum 2014
The need for smaller electronic devices
Intel
and
Carnegie
Mellon
Meanwhile a camera sits nes-
requires smaller holes, which means
University have developed technology
tled beneath that projector, keeping
smaller, faster, more efficient drills.
that makes it happen. Each headlight
an eye on drops of rain as they enter
projects not just a single beam, but a
the headlights' beams. Information
Living on the GO:
grid of several tiny beams (that's how
from that camera is sent to a process-
A new prototype house walked
the different-colored pixels are pro-
ing unit, which identifies raindrops and
around the campus of the Wysing Arts
jected on the screen when there's ac-
makes a guess as to where each drop-
Centre in Cambridgeshire, England.
tually an image being shown).
let is headed.
The eco-friendly house is powered by
solar cells and minature windmills, and
comes with a kitchen, a composting
some futuristic headlights that
toilet, a system for collecting rain
make rain seem to disappear.
Intel has helped cook up
water, one bed, a wood stove for CO2
neutral heating, a rear opening that
forms a stairway entrance, and six legs.
jector watches for raindrops, and
A camera behind the pro-
a processor predicts their paths.
A
collaborative
effort
Then the projector blocks out just
between MIT and the Danish design
the part of the grid where the rain
collective N55, the house walks about
is falling, darkening just the pixels
five kilometers an hour similar to
in its way. Presto: a rainless view.
the walking speed of a human. The
legs reguire a software algorithm to
calculate the movement and position
able in a decade, and even though
of the legs to provide stability over
it's not quite perfect some drops
varying terrain.The house can turn,
still look like they sneak through,
move
or
at least at the top of the driver's
change height as required and can be
range of vision it seems like a
programmed with GPS waypoints for
major safety improvement from
traveling to destinations.
windshield wipers and a prayer.
forward
or
backwards,
R.MONIKA
B.Sc CT (G2) - VI
Intel says it'll be avail-
Rain the scourge of the night
The projector then blots out
the bits of its projection where the
ing droplets proved an annoyance for
Intelligent Headlights
Make Raindrops
Disappear
driver! Too many times have distract-
rain drops are. The result is a light that
those traveling roads after dark.
shines out from the front of a car in
the dark, but doesn't highlight any
New technology co-developed
rain. You'll need a powerful projector
by Intel and Carnegie Mellon Univer-
to make it work though, and