Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product provide the ability to structure an interactive and dynamic display of hierarchically organized media content. A library of the media content is acquired. The hierarchical structure of the content is graphically represented utilizing text corresponding to the hierarchical levels with a child level represented below and indented from a parent level. The content is graphically represented using (thumbnail) images that are left justified with respect to a highest hierarchical level, and directly below the text corresponding to the containing level. As scrolling of the media content is performed, the display is dynamically updated by sliding the images until all of the representative images have slid off, at which point, the text for the containing level slides under its own parent, leaving text corresponding to sibling levels of the containing level displayed.

Abstract: A haptic system includes a haptic ring that is worn on the finger of a user. The haptic ring includes a flexible tube that is positioned against the finger pad of the user and configured to transport a fluid across the finger pad of the user. A first pump is configured to pump a warm fluid into the flexible tube and a second pump is configured to pump a cold fluid into the flexible tube, thereby providing a haptic sensation of temperature. A valve is positioned downstream of the haptic ring that is configured to open and close to modulate the pressure of the fluid, thereby providing a haptic sensation of pressure and/or vibration to the finger pad of the user. The haptic ring is unobtrusive and therefore does not significantly interfere with the ability of the user to perceive tactile sensations of the real world.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing system, which can include a 3D printer, includes in at least one aspect: a build platform; a carriage and a rack configured to hold different manufacturing tools, including an extrusion tool; a heating device associated with the extrusion tool; a 3D motion system configured to move the carriage between the rack and a build space associated with the build platform, and to move the carriage within the build space associated with the build platform; and one or more computers programmed to trigger the heating device to begin pre-heating the extrusion tool at a point before mounting of the extrusion tool to the carriage by the 3D motion system, such that the material in the extrusion tool is melted by a point in the manufacturing process when the extrusion tool will be mounted on the carriage and in position to extrude material in the build space.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for receiving data describing a model, the model describing a curve network; determining boundary continuity constraints for each edge, of each face, in the model; combining the determined boundary continuity constraints to determine respective boundary continuity for each face; and determining, using the respective boundary continuity constraints, a respective surface patch for each face.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products, for synchronizing the manufacture of objects using two or more separate tools include, in at least one aspect, determining tasks to be performed in a shared build volume to manufacture a 3D object, assigning the tasks to respective queues, ordering the tasks within each queue of assigned tasks based on a spatial dimension extent, generating wait times within the queues in accordance with timing dependencies, identifying which of the queues of assigned tasks takes a most amount of time in accordance with temporal dimension extents and the wait times, creating at least one variant of the queues of assigned tasks, repeating the ordering, the adding, and the identifying to reduce a total time of manufacturing, and providing a finalized version of the queues of assigned tasks for conducting synchronized activities of manufacturing in the shared build volume.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for determining a location of an object that is being manipulated or processed by a robot. The technique includes capturing a digital image of the object while the object is disposed by the robot within an imaging space, wherein the digital image includes a direct view of the object and a reflected view of the object, detecting a visible feature of the object in the direct view and the visible feature of the object in the reflected view, and computing a first location of the visible feature in a first direction based on a position of the visible feature in the direct view. The technique further includes computing a second location of the visible feature in a second direction based on a position of the visible feature in the reflected view and causing the robot to move the object to a processing station based at least in part on the first location and the second location.

Abstract: One embodiment of the invention disclosed herein provides techniques for assisting with performing a task within a smart workspace environment. A smart workspace system includes a memory that includes a workspace management application. The smart workspace system further includes a processor that is coupled to the memory and, upon executing the workspace management application, is configured to perform various steps. The processor detects that a first step included in a plurality of steps associated with a task is being performed. The processor displays one or more information panels associated with performing the current step. The processor further communicates with augmented safety glasses, augmented tools, and an augmented toolkit to safely and efficiently through a series of steps to complete the task.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products, for designing and manufacturing rotors for disc brake systems and apparatus include, in one aspect, a method including: placing a lattice structure in a ventilation space within a 3D model to create more internal surface area within a disc brake rotor between inner and outer rotor discs; adjusting a number of lattice unit cells for the lattice structure in different regions of the 3D model between the rotor discs to increase air turbulence in the ventilation space; adjusting one or more thicknesses of beams forming the lattice structure in different regions of the 3D model between the rotor discs to prevent structural failure under predefined loading conditions; and providing an updated version of the 3D model of the disc brake rotor that incorporates the lattice structure after adjustment of the number of lattice unit cells and the beam thickness(es).

Abstract: A computing device is configured to generate a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows an end-user to search for particular document or documents within a large collection of documents. The GUI provides a view of the overall document collection and affords the end-user the ability to reduce the number of visual document thumbnails by means of keyword search. When the end-user identifies a candidate among the reduced number of thumbnails, the end-user may select the page view of the candidate document and conduct further review. If the selected candidate is not the target document, the end-user may select adjacent documents to seamlessly transition between reading and searching. An advantage to this approach is that the visual qualities of the documents, such as images, graphical layout, and color, among others, may be incorporated into the search process. Searching for a particular target document is, thus, expedited.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing graphical user interface elements optimized for touch-based input in connection with an application that is designed for conventional input received from a keyboard and a mouse. The touch-based graphical user interface elements are displayed when the computer system detects that a user is about to switch from conventional input devices to touch-sensitive input devices. The touch-based graphical user interface elements are hidden when the user provides input with the conventional input devices such that the touch-based graphical user interface elements do not distract from the applications normal operation. The display device includes a sensing capability that enables the computer system to detect when an object, such as a user's finger or a stylus, is proximate to, but not in contact with, the display device.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products, for creating one or more gradients of different materials for a three dimensional (3D) surface model include, in one aspect, a system including: an additive manufacturing machine designed to use different materials in combination with each other when manufacturing objects; and means for creating a discretized gradient for a 3D surface model of an object, to be manufactured using the additive manufacturing machine, by inserting one or more 3D surfaces into the 3D surface model at specified locations, thereby creating a non-manifold version of the 3D surface model having multiple discrete volumetric regions, and assigning a material specification to each of the discrete volumetric regions, each of the material specifications being either a single one of the different materials or a specified combination of the different materials, which are usable by the additive manufacturing machine to manufacture the object.

Abstract: A three-dimensional (3D) modeling application is configured to generate a graphical user interface (GUI) that notifies a user whether a 3D model represents a stable, marginally stable, or unstable object. The 3D modeling application includes a stability module that determines the stability of the object based upon the 3D model. Advantageously, the user may ensure that an object will be stable, before printing the object with a 3D printer.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products, facilitate creation and use of 3D models of objects with different material properties. In one aspect, a method includes specifying a continuous data format representation for a first property of an object and a discretized data format representation for a second property of the object, wherein the first property and the second property are different from each other; producing a 3D model of the object within a 3D space using the continuous and discretized data format representations, which overlap with each other in all three dimensions in at least a portion of the 3D space; and using at least one common access method into the 3D model of the object to obtain data from both the continuous and discretized data format representations, within the portion of the 3D space, to manufacture the object using one or more manufacturing processes.

Abstract: A computing device for receiving a design problem statement describing a design problem in a controlled natural language (CNL) that defines permitted lexicons and syntax structures. The design problem statement is processed using the CNL lexicons and syntax structures to produce a job description executable by a design application for generating a design solution for the design problem statement. An improved CNL user interface that assists users to produce valid design problem statements that are CNL-compliant. The CNL user interface receives user-selectable terms that are compliant with the CNL lexicons and generates candidate problem statements that are compliant with CNL syntax structures and receives a selection of a candidate problem statement that is added to the design problem statement. A graphical user interface may display a graphical representation of a design problem statement that can be directly modified. A dialogue-based design process to explore possible design intentions and design solutions.

Abstract: A method, system, and apparatus provide the ability to design a circuit. A behavior of the circuit is authored by dragging nodes from side panels and connecting them in an authoring canvas. Multiple circuit designs that satisfy the behavior are generated. A data grid table is generated and displays the circuit designs with each row representing a design, and the table is sortable based on columns that represent computed metrics. Upon selection of a design in the table, a computer generated circuit diagram is rendered. Interactive assembly instructions are generated and displayed. The interactive assembly instructions provide a text-based step-by-step guide to wire the circuit. Further, upon selection of an assembly instruction step, a corresponding element in the computer generated circuit diagram is highlighted.

Abstract: A method and system provide the ability to parametrize a sketch. A sketch is acquired and includes raster lines that define a raster image based floor-plan sketch. Vectorized geometry is generated from the sketch dynamically in real time based on raster lines. A parametric model that is optimizable is generated from the vectorized geometry. The parametric model is generated dynamically in real time, and the raster lines are represented in the parametric model as three-dimensional walls. The parametric model is displayed and edited. Upon editing a parameter of a three-dimensional wall, other parameters in the parametric model are autonomously updated.

Abstract: A robot is configured to assist an end-user with creative tasks. While the end-user modifies the work piece, the robot observes the modifications made by the end-user and determines one or more objectives that the end-user may endeavor to accomplish. The robot then determines a set of actions to perform that assist the end-user with accomplishing the objectives.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for working with three-dimensional object models for printing. One of the methods includes determining a plurality of infill structures in a slice of an object; and determining a path for the tool-head to create the plurality of infill structures including: determining a first portion of the path for deposition of a first infill structure during a first time period; determining a second portion of the path for deposition of one or more second infill structures that are not adjacent to the first infill structure during a second time period; and determining a third portion of the path for deposition of a third infill structure that is adjacent to the first infill structure, wherein the second time period is determined to allow the first infill structure to cool before deposition of the third infill structure.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system provide the ability to draw a feature line on an image. An image is acquired and is represented as a set of pixel samples for every pixel in the image, with each pixel sample including one or more feature attributes. One or more features are detected based on differences between the feature attributes. The detected features are represented by pixel samples. A color of the pixel samples representing the detected features is altered. The image is rendered based on the pixel samples including the altered color, and the feature line includes the altered color.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products, for computer aided design of physical structures using generative design processes, where three dimensional (3D) models of the physical structures are produced to include lattices and hollows, include: obtaining design criteria for an object; iteratively modifying 3D topology and shape(s) for the object using a generative design process that represents the 3D topology as one or more boundaries between solid(s) and void(s), in combination with physical simulation(s) with a hollow structure and a lattice representation; adjusting a thickness of the hollow structure; adjusting lattice thickness or density; and providing a 3D model of the generative design for the object for use in manufacturing a physical structure corresponding to the object using one or more computer-controlled manufacturing systems.