General Motors CEO, Mary Barra, recently announced that 14 of Chevrolet’s 2016 model vehicles will be featuring Android Auto compatibility. This announcement was made during the Code conference held in Rancho Palos Verdes, California on Wednesday May 27th. This is exciting news because this will be the largest number of vehicles from any motor vehicle company to include Android Auto.

Android Auto projects a customized version of a compatible Android smartphone onto the car display once the phone is connected to the car via USB. All phone calls are received through Bluetooth, allowing the use of mobile apps such as Google Maps and Google Play Music, along with third-party apps such as Pandora, while behind the wheel. Android Auto can be navigated with taps and swipes or through voice command.

The inclusion of Android Auto in 14 of Chevrolet’s new vehicles is significant because it offers a safer and more effective alternative to texting while driving, or even attaching one’s phone to the windshield using a suction cup holder. Chevrolet is prepared for any mishaps or confusion with the new technology in their cars; they are creating a new, dedicated technical support staff designated to problems specifically dealing with Android Auto.

So for all those who are looking for a safer way to use their phone as a tool for travel, 2016 will bring a whole new line of automobiles that comprehensively integrate cellphones with in-car technology and display.

Originally posted on SBU Innovation Lab Blog by Christopher Tasso.

Google Cardboard is a new virtual reality device. Created by Google, it pairs with a Google App to help the viewer get a 3-D rendition of what they are viewing. The device was introduced at last year’s Google I/O conference. It provides the ability, as long as you are the owner of a smartphone, to do things such as viewing your pictures in 3D. This year Google introduced a new update of the device, the second generation of the Cardboard VR viewer.

It is almost amusing that the Google Cardboard looks like a toy. It is the exact opposite of the highly anticipated Google Glass, released a few years ago. The device itself is actually made out of cardboard. It has plastic lenses that render the 3-D images and it only costs around $4. But, this is Google’s intention. Google Cardboard is simple, and can be used by anyone. It does not scare off untechnical consumers with a clean cut tech look.  David Coz, an engineer in Google’s Paris office who developed the Cardboard, said “We want the viewer to be as dumb as possible and as cheap as possible because we basically wanted to open VR for everyone.” Google’s mission is to expand virtual reality to all smartphones imaginable. The cardboard can be folded to fit up to any smartphone. Not only are they selling the Cardboard for cheap but, they are even offering a new software kit that makes it easy for app developers to make more VR applications. Because of the versatility of the Cardboard, Google is placing efforts in making it easy and accessible. The mission is more to amass an audience than to make profits.

The next step for Google Cardboard and VR are expansion and practicality. Google needs to expand by teaching the masses the real-word applications for Google Cardboard and VR. Google intends to tackle this first with entertainment. Google developed a 360-degree camera, called the Jump rig, that when it runs footage through Google’s software and processors; it will be turned into virtual reality. Google sparked a collaboration with GoPro for this. GoPro will begin to sell the rig with 16 GoPro cameras in the near future.  Google said that YouTube, this summer, will start to allow the upload of virtual reality videos. Other companies such as Facebook, Sony and Microsoft are making big investments in VR. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, has said that VR will be the next computing platform.

Originally posted on SBU Innovation Lab Blog by Alysha Bullock.

The Gilman Brothers Company, a North American manufacturer of foam board products, and Zünd, the lead manufacture in cutting systems, have combined innovation with strategic business. They created a symbiotic relationship, and at the center of this relationship is the G3 Zünd digital cutter. The G3 Zünd  digital cutter is innovative for two distinct reasons; it can adapt to ever-changing cutting needs while maintaining exceptional quality and it has 24/7 operational use.

The Gilman Brothers installed the G3 Zünd digital cutter at their new Customer Experience Center. This can help Gilman Brothers test a variety of materials at all times of the day adding value by offering immediate responses for customer needs. It even makes international business easier by providing flexibility for designers in different countries.

Zünd’s vinyl cutter is highly beneficial to Gilman Brothers but,Zünd gets something out of this relationship too. Zünd gets to reach out to a new customer base on the East coast. They have a location where they can demonstrate their latest product and a facility to better serve existing clients. This partnership makes creating any type of signage possible.

The Innovation Lab has had a successful first semester. Students and faculty from all different Stony Brook majors came together to use the Innovation Lab for team collaborations, workshops and brainstorming.

We started the semester with an Open House that generated lots of buzz about the lab. The Open House was attended by several professors, student groups and classes. Wolfie Seawolf even stopped by to take some green screen pictures with the attendees. As a part of our partnership with Society of Women Engineers and Community outreach we helped to bring the Girl Scouts of America to the lab. They got an introduction of our goals and utilized our green screen, whiteboard walls, and Arduinos.

STUDENT PROJECTS
Throughout the semester, we had the pleasure of hosting numerous senior engineering design projects including our very own Samiha Shakil’s project, in which she created an atmospheric water generator that collects water from the humid air in an enviornment .  Jessica Cruz worked with a team to develop a food waste processor.  Ian Rippy also used the lab to create a coffee maker that does not need electricity.  Another student was utilizing the lab to create a mat that has a meter to display the proper pressure to put on the dummy’s chest to better educate CPR techniques.  The different resources and tools have been used by students of all majors to create intriguing and inspiring projects.

FACULTY PROJECTS
Emily Beattie, a professor in the Dance department, used the vinyl cutter to create costumes for her performance “Explorations on a Live Wire.”

3D PRINTING
The lab’s 3D printer has been a big hit with those on the Stony Brook campus. Every week there are countless requests for 3D prints. Students can learn about the 3D printer through lab orientation and the 3D workshop. Morgan Kelly, an engineering student, even printed the parts of a toy car and used Little Bit circuits to get it to move.

WORKSHOPS
The Lab offered several workshops throughout the semester. Some of these workshops included Lego Mindstorm, Marketing Yourself, presented with American Marketing Association, LED Rose Building and Intro to the Arduino, hosted by IEEE’s president. All the workshops presented in the Innovation Lab were successful in educating the community.

The Innovation Lab has been a place for many different projects to develop. People to collaborate and projects to innovate. The Innovation lab is excited to grow next semester. We will continue to encourage students and faculty to bring their projects, teams and ideas to the lab.

“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.” – George Bernard Shaw

Originally posted on SBU Innovation Lab Blog by Christina Scalice.

Siobhan Becker, a journalism student, put together this great video about the Innovation Lab and 3D printing!

Originally posted on SBU Innovation Lab Blog by Christina Scalice.

Help Innovation Lab & IEEE build LED roses for the Artem Ayzen Scholarship fundraiser!

No experience is necessary.

The LED roses will be sold as a fundraiser in memory of Artem Ayzen, a former graduate student in the EE/CE program that passed away due to a tragic accident.
Artem was the brainchild of the roses, which he used to promote engineering to women. All the proceeds will go to a scholarship fund in his name.

When & Where:
Wednesday, April 8th 6 PM in the Innovation Lab

Click the following link to register:

http://goo.gl/forms/qJ618kdDBa

Originally posted on SBU Innovation Lab Blog by Christina Scalice

This past Wednesday the Innovation Lab and Saket Ati, the president of IEEE, hosted a hands on Ardrunio workshop. The workshop, for beginners, focuses on the different parts of the Ardrunio and what they are used for. Ati discussed how to set up simple cirucits with blinking lights, buttons and buzzers. After the basics were covered, participants practiced uploading small C programs using the Ardruino’s IDE software. The goal of the workshop was not just to teach the basics of Ardunio but, to show the variety of projects that the Ardruino can be used for in real world applications.

Originally posted on SBU Innovation Lab Blog by Alysha Bullock.

What a great event with MatLab and Robots!

Students and Faculty learned how to utilize the MatLab software to interact and get the robot to move around a track.