| Instagram hits 27 million user milestone, teases Android app at SXSW Mar 11th 2012, 23:25 Rejoice, photo filter fans, Instagram is heading to Android "very soon," according to founder Kevin Systrom. Speaking at South by Southwest, Systrom raved about the app's growth, boasting of its 27 million registered users. "They're not excited about it because it makes your photos look beautiful," he says, "They're excited because it networks people across the world and it's the single fastest growing thing in mobile period." The Android version is currently being tested in a private beta, and it's reported to be superior than its iOS counterpart. "It's really, really fast," Systrom said. Don't look so surprised, he did tell us, after all, that iOS was just the beginning. Instagram hits 27 million user milestone, teases Android app at SXSW originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 19:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  TechCrunch |  Huffington Post | Email this | Comments | | SAFFiR: the autonomous, firefighting humanoid robot Mar 11th 2012, 23:22 It took six years, but at long last, Anna Konda has a formidable firefighting partner. SAFFiR, also known as the Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot, is being shaped by scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory. As the story goes, it's a humanoid robot that's being engineered to "move autonomously throughout the ship, interact with people, and fight fires, handling many of the dangerous firefighting tasks that are normally performed by humans." Outside of being stoic (and brawny) from tip to tip, it's also outfitted with multi-modal sensor technology for advanced navigation and a sensor suite that includes a camera, gas sensor, and stereo IR camera to enable it to see through smoke. We're told that its internal batteries can keep it cranking for a solid half-hour, while being capable of manipulating fire suppressors and throwing propelled extinguishing agent technology (PEAT) grenades. Wilder still, it'll be able to balance in "sea conditions," making it perfect for killing flames while onboard a ship. Of course, it's also being tweaked to work with a robotic team, giving it undercover powers to eventually turn the flames on the folks that created it. Paranoid? Maybe. But who are we to be too careful? SAFFiR: the autonomous, firefighting humanoid robot originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | U.S. Naval Research Laboratory | Email this | Comments | |
