Researchers are investigating how to build virtual environments in which hundreds or thousands of participants can log in and interact with each other. The applications go beyond gaming. Simulations are used for meetings, organizational operations and even product branding. Scientists [See the full post…]

Maps have benefited especially from the increasing power of computers. Still, researchers are striving to make significant improvements in the images maps display. Rendering planetary scale objects is challenging due to geometric complexity and the need for managing huge amounts [See the full post…]

Advances in interactive molecular graphics enable not only creative research, but an increasingly collaborative and mobile research community to interact. In the “VIsualization Vault,” at the University of California, San Francisco, Professor Tom Ferrin and his team created Chimera, [See the full post…]

While context-aware devices of the near future might recommend restaurants, monitor a user’s health, or screen phone calls, they may also save human lives by keeping drivers safe and aware of their surroundings. Future Lab spoke with researchers about the [See the full post…]

The world’s population is aging. It’s estimated that by the year 2050 more than half the people on Earth will be over the age of 50. But while people are living longer, they still have to live with the diseases [See the full post…]

As computing power increases and we all rely increasingly on cloud computing and storage, the environmental demands of information technology are growing significantly. Earth Day 2011 marks a moment when, by some estimates, the carbon footprint of data centers exceeds [See the full post…]

One of the next frontiers of computing is to create systems that understand the user. Context aware devices of the near future might recommend restaurants, monitor a user’s health, or screen phone calls—all based on information collected from device sensors [See the full post…]

Gaming fans are eagerly awaiting the arrival of “cloud gaming,” with its promise of mobile, low-end devices running intense, realistic graphics at amazing speeds. Technological developments from leading scientists, combined with newsmaking marketplace competition (well-covered by Dean Takahashi), [See the full post…]

Researchers around the world are searching for ways to help seniors remain healthier and live independently in their homes for longer. Intel is working on new sensing devices that can feed data to a central hub that infers whether a [See the full post…]

Intel’s new visual computing lab is researching how to create immersive experiences with computers. Parallel processing is opening the doors to the ability to synthesize images and audio which look and sound real. Here is Intel’s announcement of the new [See the full post…]

Researchers from the University of Washington and Intel Labs in Seattle show off smart phone applications designed to make people more aware of the importance of sleep. It’s part of a larger movement to integrate computer technology into personal health. [See the full post…]

The technology to make a connected home probably exists. With diverse platforms and network configurations, as well as manufacturers’ unique characteristics built into computing gear, audio and video equipment and appliances, the task of getting them to work together usually [See the full post…]

Artists have often been proponents and leading users of technology. In computing, gaming has presented a challenge to hardware and software developers as artists create images that push the boundaries of compute performance. In this edition of Future Lab on [See the full post…]

Researchers are developing technologies that will eventually allow users to control devices like computers, televisions and cell phones with their thoughts. Scientists have created Brain Computer Interface, also known as “BCI,” technology that allows computer programs to interpret human intentions [See the full post…]

The 3D Internet is a rapidly converging set of technologies used for visualizing information on the web in game-like 3D environments. This convergence promises to allow future Internet users to interact with people and information in ways that are much [See the full post…]