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This API provides users with a standard FPGA communication interface from C++ code. It is intended to encourage more widespread adoption of FPGAs and reconfigurable computing platforms—particularly among Windows application developers

Google PowerMeter allows consumers to access their power consumption data through a secure, Web-based iGoogle™ gadget. As a Strategic Partner, Microchip incorporated the recently announced Google PowerMeter API to create a Reference Implementation, which makes it much easier to develop products that are compatible with Google PowerMeter. Microchip's Reference Implementation demonstrates the device's activation, data transmission and status messages using readily available Microchip development tools. It can be used as a template for developers' own designs.

STMicroelectronics has the STM8S Discovery kit for around US$7. For that little bit of money you get an 8 bit CPU with a detachable USB programming/debugging board and 32k of flash, 2k of RAM, and 1K of EEPROM. Downloadable tools include demo C compilers from a variety of third party vendors (limited to 16k, if I'm reading the literature correctly).

With all of the new competition in the consumer robotics field, it’s about time for iRobot to show that they’re still capable of innovating new and exciting things. AVA, their technology demonstrator, definitely fits into the new and exciting category. AVA is short for ‘Avatar,’ although iRobot was careful not to call it a telepresence robot so as not to restrict perceptions of what it’s capable of. AVA is capable of fully autonomous navigation, relying on a Kinect-style depth sensing camera, laser rangefinders, inertial movement sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and (as a last resort) bump sensors. We got a run-down a few days ago at CES, check it out:

During the Google IO event, two new great features of the popular Android OS were announced. The most important from a robotics point of view is the Android Open Accessory standard that is Arduino based and enables Android devices to integrate with hardware via usb (or bluetooth in the near future). You can read more in the posts on engadget.com and robots-dreams.com (where the video is from). Also engadget reports on the Android @ Home framework that aspires to interconnect every home appliance, device or gadget to an integrated network. More information and details will be announced soon from Google but already the potential for various robotic applications that could take advantage of these projects looks promising.

D-Wave Systems, which in 2009 partnered with Google to test a prototype quantum computer for detecting vehicles in images, announced that it has now sold the first commercial quantum computer. The D-Wave quantum computer, called Rainier, solves discrete optimization problems using quantum annealing. The computer was sold to Lockheed-Martin for an undisclosed price. It is supercooled, requires 15 kilowatts, and supports APIs in multiple programming environments including Python, Java, C++, SQL, and MATLAB.