Seth Kubersky Orlando Weekly January 28

Universal may have struck upon a solution in their new patent application for "Systems and Methods for Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Path Management," which basically boils down to harnessing guests like hyperactive toddlers on a leash and tethering them to an overhead track, allowing them to walk forward without straying across their neighbors' path.

Universal's idea appears to enable multiple guests to use the attraction simultaneously using a "block zone" method "to ensure that users do not interfere with other users' experiences."

Similar to systems that allow multiple roller coaster trains to be on the same track without crashing into each other, the tether would restrain guests from getting too close to a slower player ahead of them while displaying "VR images of a locked gate, a dense fog, dense foliage, a wall, etc." The tracks could even have multiple branching paths, giving users the illusion of free roaming without fear of flailing into fellow players.

Neighborhood Watch

A new patent application by commerce giant Amazon describes a smart doorbell that would use a camera to monitor users’ neighborhoods using facial recognition technology and report suspicious activity to the authorities. Needless to say, it immediately made privacy advocates uncomfortable

Patent Pending

The patent for the doorbell lists as its inventor James Siminoff, the CEO of home security startup Ring, which Amazon acquired in February 2018.

There’s no guarantee that a patent will become an actual product — remember those goofy VR rollerskates Google filed an application for in November? — but CNN speculated that Amazon’s interest in the doorbell is connected to its social network called Neighbors, which is built on Ring technology and is meant to share information about thieves who steal packages.

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Apple presented an electric vehicle feature via a patent application this week entitled "Peloton," which outlines designs to connect the batteries of moving EVs to reduce energy usage via load sharing.

In a patent filed Tuesday by Apple Inc. with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, a set of designs for a method linking moving vehicles together for the benefit of all emerged. The document is titled, "Peloton," a term for the main group of bikers in a race. Likewise, the patent describes a method of linking a group of at least two vehicles on the road in the optimal configuration "so that driving range differences between the vehicles can be reduced via load sharing via the electrical connection."

Apple was granted a total of 46 patents today, including a patent for a 3D printing technology that uses triangular tessellation. The patent, which was initially filed in 2014, describes a process invented by computer scientist Michael R. Sweet which utilizes a triangular infill pattern to produce stronger, more efficient 3D printed models.

According to the patent description, the triangular tessellation 3D printing method proposed is meant to enable faster print speeds and to reduce the amount of material used for a given part. This is achieved by using a “triangle support pattern” (or triangular tessellation) print head motion instead of a circular print head movements, which are more or less standard in existing 3D printers.

In short, the patent describes a 3D printing process wherein the print head extrudes material onto a print bed in a triangular tessellated pattern. Unlike many common infill patterns which are constant throughout a since piece, the triangular pattern would vary in size or density. For instance, the outer edges of a part would be made up o smaller triangles, while non-edge portions could have larger triangular tessellation (thus reducing material consumption.)

Read more at arsTechnica