Recreating Sound With Silent Video

One of our favorite demonstrations at this year’s TED Conference was by computer scientist Abe Davis, who showed us that the tiny vibrations in seemingly still objects can provide very valuable information. Using high-speed cameras—and even a few regular DSLRs—to film stationary items, Davis and his team of engineers were able to recreate the sounds affecting those objects by analyzing their subtle movements. Davis takes …

Lab-Grown Leather

Brooklyn-based start-up Modern Meadow is currently developing the world’s first lab-grown leather. By taking advantage of recent advances in cell engineering, the company is hoping to shape a future that is “cultured not slaughtered.” The leather is grown by first isolating an animal’s skin cells and then multiplying those cells by the billions, producing sheets of the faux-skins. Not only can this technology decrease leather-specific …

A Movement-Matching Virtual Reality Robot

The virtual reality experience continues to expand, now with the Dexterous Observational Roving Automation (DORA) telepresence robot. DORA pairs VR headsets with a movement-matching, mobile robot, allowing users to explore nearby areas without ever having to get up—think of it as a spare body you can control. Though it might seem like the ultimate tool for laziness, possible uses are very encouraging: for example, emergency …