Channel 9 - Entries tagged with research Microsoft http://mschnlnine.vo.llnwd.net/d1/Dev/App_Themes/C9/images/feedimage.png Channel 9 - Entries tagged with research http://channel9.msdn.com/Tags/research Channel 9 keeps you up to date with the latest news and behind the scenes info from Microsoft that developers love to keep up with. From LINQ to SilverLight – Watch videos and hear about all the cool technologies coming and the people behind them. http://channel9.msdn.com/Tags/research en Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:43:28 GMT Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:43:28 GMT Rev9 56 3 25 Intel Projects a Whole New World for Childs Play Kinect for Xbox 360 has certainly brought a new dimension to gameplay, courtesy of its 3D camera and audio sensors, but a new research project from Intel aims to do the same for younger children.

Researchers at the company, alongside staff at the University of Washington are using 3D cameras and recognition and projection technology to build virtual worlds around physical objects made from Lego. 

This video shows the research in action – if you’re six years old (or thirty-six like me) prepare to be blown away. Place a Lego dragon on the table, it breathes fire. Place said fire-breathing dragon next to Lego house? Guess what happens next. But don’t worry – build yourself a quick fire engine and disaster can be averted.

But that’s nothing compared to what they can do with a Lego train. I won’t spoil the fun, but what I wouldn’t give to be six again! Back in the late 70s, we had to make do with spacehoppers and not-very-good Star Wars figures. Fingers crossed when my own son reaches that age, this tech will be ready to go!   

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Intel-Projects-a-Whole-New-World-for-Childs-Play Kinect for Xbox 360 has certainly brought a new dimension to gameplay, courtesy of its 3D camera and audio sensors, but a new research project from Intel aims to do the same for younger children.Researchers at the company, alongside staff at the University of Washington are using 3D cameras and recognition and projection technology to build virtual worlds around physical objects made from Lego. This video shows the research in action – if you’re six years old (or thirty-six like me) prepare to be blown away. Place a Lego dragon on the table, it breathes fire. Place said fire-breathing dragon next to Lego house? Guess what happens next. But don’t worry – build yourself a quick fire engine and disaster can be averted.But that’s nothing compared to what they can do with a Lego train. I won’t spoil the fun, but what I wouldn’t give to be six again! Back in the late 70s, we had to make do with spacehoppers and not-very-good Star Wars figures. Fingers crossed when my own son reaches that age, this tech will be ready to go!    http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Intel-Projects-a-Whole-New-World-for-Childs-Play Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:53:56 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Intel-Projects-a-Whole-New-World-for-Childs-Play Terry Walsh Terry Walsh 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Intel-Projects-a-Whole-New-World-for-Childs-Play/RSS Intel lego research projection Microsoft PEX/MOLES & advanced Unit-Testing aspects 3/3 Unit Testing with Pex and Moles

TRAINER: Peli de Halleux – Microsoft Research

Pex enables parameterized unit testing for .NET: given a unit test with parameters. Pex generates inputs that achieves high code coverage. Moles is a framework that allows to isolate unit tests from environment dependencies: Moles allows to replace any .NET method with a delegate, even when the method is static, non-virtual or in a sealed type. Pex and Moles work on any .NET applications. Pex and Moles supports .NET v2.0, v3.5, v4.0, VS2008 and VS2010. The learning objectives of this class are:

Understand and write unit tests.
Use Moles to isolate unit tests.
Write Pex parameterized unit tests

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/channel9spain/Microsoft-PEXMOLES--advanced-Unit-Testing-aspects-33 Unit Testing with Pex and Moles TRAINER: Peli de Halleux – Microsoft ResearchPex enables parameterized unit testing for .NET: given a unit test with parameters. Pex generates inputs that achieves high code coverage. Moles is a framework that allows to isolate unit tests from environment dependencies: Moles allows to replace any .NET method with a delegate, even when the method is static, non-virtual or in a sealed type. Pex and Moles work on any .NET applications. Pex and Moles supports .NET v2.0, v3.5, v4.0, VS2008 and VS2010. The learning objectives of this class are:Understand and write unit tests.Use Moles to isolate unit tests.Write Pex parameterized unit tests 8794 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/channel9spain/Microsoft-PEXMOLES--advanced-Unit-Testing-aspects-33 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:49:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/channel9spain/Microsoft-PEXMOLES--advanced-Unit-Testing-aspects-33 Channel9Spain Channel9Spain 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/channel9spain/Microsoft-PEXMOLES--advanced-Unit-Testing-aspects-33/RSS moles Peli de Halleux PEX research Spain Unit Testing Microsoft Research Reveals Facebook for Scientists: ScholarLynk ScholarLynk is a new tool for scientists and other researchers which Microsoft Research is unveiling this week at ECDL, the European Conference on Research and Advanced Technology for Digital Libraries. The project has roots in Lewis Shepherd’s 2008 project called “Research Desktop” which combined semantic analysis with a Web 2.0-style interface. The new ScholarLynk social software prototype expands upon that earlier idea, offering its users the ability to create reading lists related to their interests which could entail emails, scholarly papers, web pages and local files. The lists can be private, shared or collaborative in nature and they support metadata, annotations and associations.

The program also has a Twitter and Facebook-like social element involving the ability to follow other users, write on their walls, engage in conversations, and provide feedback or rate each others’ research.

The prototype will become available for download in December.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Microsoft-Research-Reveals-Facebook-for-Scientists-ScholarLynk ScholarLynk is a new tool for scientists and other researchers which Microsoft Research is unveiling this week at ECDL, the European Conference on Research and Advanced Technology for Digital Libraries. The project has roots in Lewis Shepherd’s 2008 project called “Research Desktop” which combined semantic analysis with a Web 2.0-style interface. The new ScholarLynk social software prototype expands upon that earlier idea, offering its users the ability to create reading lists related to their interests which could entail emails, scholarly papers, web pages and local files. The lists can be private, shared or collaborative in nature and they support metadata, annotations and associations. The program also has a Twitter and Facebook-like social element involving the ability to follow other users, write on their walls, engage in conversations, and provide feedback or rate each others’ research. The prototype will become available for download in December. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Microsoft-Research-Reveals-Facebook-for-Scientists-ScholarLynk Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:51:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Microsoft-Research-Reveals-Facebook-for-Scientists-ScholarLynk Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Microsoft-Research-Reveals-Facebook-for-Scientists-ScholarLynk/RSS Facebook Microsoft Research MS Research MSR research science Social Networks scientists Social Networking research project Microsoft Reserach RearType: A Back Keyboard for Tablets OK, right up front, I’m not so sure about the name, but these are scientists and engineers, not brand marketers, over there at Microsoft Research, so I’ll give them a pass. In any event, the “RearType” project is definitely an interesting idea, whether or not it makes it into mainstream consumer gadgets one day.

In a new whitepaper, researchers James Scott and Shahram Izadi describes an input system for tablet and slate computers which involves halving a QWERTY keyboard, rotating the keys and then sticking them to the back of the device.

The idea is that this would allow you to have that physical sensation of typing on a keyboard without having to sacrifice touchscreen landscape to do so. Studies showed that users could reach 15 WPM after one hour of training and one user even got up to 47 WPM in the same timeframe. The speeds are “not statistically different” than a touchscreen keyboard.

Is this brilliant or is it crazy? What do you think?

(via Engadget, ZDNet)

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/RearType-A-Back-Keyboard-for-Tablets OK, right up front, I’m not so sure about the name, but these are scientists and engineers, not brand marketers, over there at Microsoft Research, so I’ll give them a pass. In any event, the “RearType” project is definitely an interesting idea, whether or not it makes it into mainstream consumer gadgets one day. In a new whitepaper, researchers James Scott and Shahram Izadi describes an input system for tablet and slate computers which involves halving a QWERTY keyboard, rotating the keys and then sticking them to the back of the device. The idea is that this would allow you to have that physical sensation of typing on a keyboard without having to sacrifice touchscreen landscape to do so. Studies showed that users could reach 15 WPM after one hour of training and one user even got up to 47 WPM in the same timeframe. The speeds are “not statistically different” than a touchscreen keyboard. Is this brilliant or is it crazy? What do you think? (via Engadget, ZDNet) http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/RearType-A-Back-Keyboard-for-Tablets Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:54:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/RearType-A-Back-Keyboard-for-Tablets Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 1 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/RearType-A-Back-Keyboard-for-Tablets/RSS keyboard keyboards Microsoft Research MS Research MSR research research project keypad Craig Mundie shows off the future of NUI Craig Mundie, to discuss how science and information technology can solve the worlds biggest problems. He focuses on the environment and demonstrates work from the Computational Science Group out of Microsoft Research Cambridge (U.K.). Craig discusess the huge leaps in computing power, the shift to a client plus cloud platform, the emergence of more natural user interfaces and the ability to manipulate and understand terabytes of data. truly fascinating stuff!

MORE INFO HERE ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Craig-Mundie-shows-off-the-future-of-NUI I met with Microsoft's Chief research and Strategy officer, Craig Mundie, to discuss how science and information technology can solve the worlds biggest problems. He focuses on the environment and demonstrates work from the Computational Science Group out of Microsoft Research Cambridge (U.K.). Craig discusess the huge leaps in computing power, the shift to a client plus cloud platform, the emergence of more natural user interfaces and the ability to manipulate and understand terabytes of data. truly fascinating stuff!MORE INFO HERE 1048 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Craig-Mundie-shows-off-the-future-of-NUI Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:00:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Craig-Mundie-shows-off-the-future-of-NUI Laura Foy Laura Foy 9 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Craig-Mundie-shows-off-the-future-of-NUI/RSS Craig Mundie Microsoft Research MS Research MSR NUI research New "Minority Report" Screen Runs Windows Embedded Blogger Long Zheng noticed something cool at the National Retail Federation Convention & Expo this week – a digital screen that brings to mind the intelligent signage featured in the movie “Minority Report.” Many of us have long since looked to that popular sci-fi film starring Tom Cruise for hints of what’s to come in the world of tech. In 2006, we looked at Microsoft Research projects which offer intuitive human interfaces to machines and more recently, we’ve seen things like Microsoft Surface computing, the direct manipulation video player DimP, Seadragon's large collection management, and the upcoming full body motion control for Xbox, Project Natal, all of which seem inspired by the film. Now you can add this digital signage proof-of-concept to the list of Microsoft-created “Minority Report-esque” developments.

Created in conjunction with Intel, this sign run an Intel Core i7 processor and Windows Embedded Standard 2011, the next release of Windows Embedded which is based on Windows 7. The sign, like the one in the movie, senses when people come near the screen and it can recommend products for you to buy. However, unlike the sign in the movie, it doesn’t actually identify you by name (whew! That was a little freaky), but it does recognize your gender and height. You can also touch the screen itself or wave your hand in front of it to interact with the software and see the ads being offered, view a store map, access coupons and send them to your phone, and more.

To see the sign in action, check out this YouTube video here.  

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/New-Minority-Report-Screen-Runs-Windows-Embedded Blogger Long Zheng noticed something cool at the National Retail Federation Convention & Expo this week – a digital screen that brings to mind the intelligent signage featured in the movie “Minority Report.” Many of us have long since looked to that popular sci-fi film starring Tom Cruise for hints of what’s to come in the world of tech. In 2006, we looked at Microsoft Research projects which offer intuitive human interfaces to machines and more recently, we’ve seen things like Microsoft Surface computing, the direct manipulation video player DimP, Seadragon's large collection management, and the upcoming full body motion control for Xbox, Project Natal, all of which seem inspired by the film. Now you can add this digital signage proof-of-concept to the list of Microsoft-created “Minority Report-esque” developments. Created in conjunction with Intel, this sign run an Intel Core i7 processor and Windows Embedded Standard 2011, the next release of Windows Embedded which is based on Windows 7. The sign, like the one in the movie, senses when people come near the screen and it can recommend products for you to buy. However, unlike the sign in the movie, it doesn’t actually identify you by name (whew! That was a little freaky), but it does recognize your gender and height. You can also touch the screen itself or wave your hand in front of it to interact with the software and see the ads being offered, view a store map, access coupons and send them to your phone, and more.To see the sign in action, check out this YouTube video here.   http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/New-Minority-Report-Screen-Runs-Windows-Embedded Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:08:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/New-Minority-Report-Screen-Runs-Windows-Embedded Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/New-Minority-Report-Screen-Runs-Windows-Embedded/RSS Embedded research advertising displays shopping research project Trident Workbench
It can be found at: Trident Workbench

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Sam/Trident-Workbench Hey, take a look at the Trident Workbench from Microsoft Research.  It is a great idea, and with time it looks like it will evolve into a great tool for scienitists and researchers.It can be found at: Trident Workbench http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Sam/Trident-Workbench Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:22:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Sam/Trident-Workbench Sam Stokes Sam Stokes 2 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Sam/Trident-Workbench/RSS Collaboration collaborative applied research escience research U Rank Update: No Login Required Remember U Rank? Microsoft Research’s experimental search engine? The service is still around although it has probably been overshadowed by the much slicker Bing as of late. With U Rank, searchers can reorder search results, add notes, create lists of search results and share those lists with others. Although U Rank may not replace your everyday search engine, it’s still a good tool for doing web research projects where you want to record, save, and manage your results.

Recently, Chun-Kai Wang of Microsoft Research let us know that you can now use U Rank without first having to log in. (Previously you had to sign in with your Windows Live ID.) When using U Rank anonymously like this, your edits are only saved for that session. This actually makes it easier to use U Rank as an everyday engine for quick searches since it removes the extra steps involved with signing in. It also makes it easier for anyone who just wants to play with U Rank from time to time to give it a try. You can try the new U Rank homepage here: urank.viveri.com.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/U-Rank-Update-No-Login-Required Remember U Rank? Microsoft Research’s experimental search engine? The service is still around although it has probably been overshadowed by the much slicker Bing as of late. With U Rank, searchers can reorder search results, add notes, create lists of search results and share those lists with others. Although U Rank may not replace your everyday search engine, it’s still a good tool for doing web research projects where you want to record, save, and manage your results. Recently, Chun-Kai Wang of Microsoft Research let us know that you can now use U Rank without first having to log in. (Previously you had to sign in with your Windows Live ID.) When using U Rank anonymously like this, your edits are only saved for that session. This actually makes it easier to use U Rank as an everyday engine for quick searches since it removes the extra steps involved with signing in. It also makes it easier for anyone who just wants to play with U Rank from time to time to give it a try. You can try the new U Rank homepage here: urank.viveri.com. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/U-Rank-Update-No-Login-Required Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:26:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/U-Rank-Update-No-Login-Required Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/U-Rank-Update-No-Login-Required/RSS Microsoft Research research Search research project Microsoft Research Summit: Revolutionary DDR ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Microsoft-Research-Summit-Revolutionary-DDR This year at the Microsoft Research Summit there were some life altering ideas showcased and some new projects which will change the way we interact with technology. There was also THIS FIX to the problems you may have been having with your Dance Dance Revolution game pad. Drew from Texas A&M University has the answer. 206 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Microsoft-Research-Summit-Revolutionary-DDR Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:45:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Microsoft-Research-Summit-Revolutionary-DDR Laura Foy Laura Foy 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Microsoft-Research-Summit-Revolutionary-DDR/RSS Microsoft research game DDR Microsoft Research Summit: WWT in 3D I had to stop by and try on the 3D glasses at the WWT booth during this years Faculty Research Summit. If you think the WWT is cool- just wait till you see it in 3D.

WorldWide Telescope (WWT) enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope, bringing together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world. Experience narrated guided tours from astronomers and educators featuring interesting places in the sky.
A web-based version of WorldWide Telescope is also now available for preview. This version enables seamless, guided explorations of the universe from within a web browser on PC and Intel Mac OS X by using the power of Microsoft Silverlight 2.0.
]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Microsoft-Research-Summit-WWT-in-3D I had to stop by and try on the 3D glasses at the WWT booth during this years Faculty Research Summit. If you think the WWT is cool- just wait till you see it in 3D.WorldWide Telescope (WWT) enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope, bringing together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world. Experience narrated guided tours from astronomers and educators featuring interesting places in the sky. A web-based version of WorldWide Telescope is also now available for preview. This version enables seamless, guided explorations of the universe from within a web browser on PC and Intel Mac OS X by using the power of Microsoft Silverlight 2.0. 318 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Microsoft-Research-Summit-WWT-in-3D Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:00:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Microsoft-Research-Summit-WWT-in-3D Laura Foy Laura Foy 2 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Microsoft-Research-Summit-WWT-in-3D/RSS 3D research wwt faculty summit Eduify Launches Educational Tool for Students on Windows Azure A new service called Eduify launched on the Windows Azure platform. This service is designed to help students with their writing by providing tutorials, samples, and information about how to verify and cite sources in research papers. Edufiy also adds a social element to the writing process as users can interact with their online friends via Facebook Connect integration, allowing for a more collaborative writing experience.

The Eduify service also addresses the need for students to have tools that more accurately reflect their modern, online lifestyles. In Eduify, for example, students can pull in online research from around the web and then prepare their paper in a web-based workspace that’s accessible from a computer or mobile phone.  There are some great features in Eduify, too,  like its ability to automatically create a bibliography. Later on, the company will add a paid document editing/proofreading service as well. Even further down the road, there are plans to integrate Windows Live Messenger and Live Mesh technologies in the service.

At the moment, Eduify is in beta, which makes sense as Windows Azure itself is still a CTP (Community Technical Preview). The company gained access to the Azure Platform after joining the Microsoft BizSpark program, a program which aims to help startups get off the ground by providing them with free tools and services for a set period of time. This allows them the breathing room they need to build a scalable and sustainable business without having to worry about those traditional startup costs.

Anyone interested in participating in the beta can sign up for an invite here from the Eduify homepage.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Eduify-Launches-Educational-Tool-for-Students-on-Windows-Azure A new service called Eduify launched on the Windows Azure platform. This service is designed to help students with their writing by providing tutorials, samples, and information about how to verify and cite sources in research papers. Edufiy also adds a social element to the writing process as users can interact with their online friends via Facebook Connect integration, allowing for a more collaborative writing experience. The Eduify service also addresses the need for students to have tools that more accurately reflect their modern, online lifestyles. In Eduify, for example, students can pull in online research from around the web and then prepare their paper in a web-based workspace that’s accessible from a computer or mobile phone.  There are some great features in Eduify, too,  like its ability to automatically create a bibliography. Later on, the company will add a paid document editing/proofreading service as well. Even further down the road, there are plans to integrate Windows Live Messenger and Live Mesh technologies in the service. At the moment, Eduify is in beta, which makes sense as Windows Azure itself is still a CTP (Community Technical Preview). The company gained access to the Azure Platform after joining the Microsoft BizSpark program, a program which aims to help startups get off the ground by providing them with free tools and services for a set period of time. This allows them the breathing room they need to build a scalable and sustainable business without having to worry about those traditional startup costs. Anyone interested in participating in the beta can sign up for an invite here from the Eduify homepage. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Eduify-Launches-Educational-Tool-for-Students-on-Windows-Azure Mon, 18 May 2009 16:54:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Eduify-Launches-Educational-Tool-for-Students-on-Windows-Azure Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Eduify-Launches-Educational-Tool-for-Students-on-Windows-Azure/RSS Azure Education research Windows Azure school educational schools Manuel Fahndrich and Peli de Halleux - The Synergy of Code Contracts and Pex Manuel Fähndrich and Peli de Halleux sit down for a quick coding session that shows how to use Code Contracts and Pex together. Code Contracts can be used to specify what your code should do, they get turned into runtime checks which Pex can analyse and try to find counter-examples for. This was a fun session with Manuel and really shows the synergy of the two tools/approaches.

Both tools can be downloaded from Devlabs or our academic project pages.

The Research in Software Engineering team (RiSE) coordinates Microsoft's research in Software Engineering in Redmond, USA.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Peli/The-Synergy-of-Code-Contracts-and-Pex Manuel Fähndrich and Peli de Halleux sit down for a quick coding session that shows how to use Code Contracts and Pex together. Code Contracts can be used to specify what your code should do, they get turned into runtime checks which Pex can analyse and try to find counter-examples for. This was a fun session with Manuel and really shows the synergy of the two tools/approaches. Both tools can be downloaded from Devlabs or our academic project pages. Try it live at http://www.pexforfun.com Code Contracts: http://research.microsoft.com/contracts Pex: http://research.microsoft.com/pex See this video in French! The Research in Software Engineering team (RiSE) coordinates Microsoft's research in Software Engineering in Redmond, USA. 690 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Peli/The-Synergy-of-Code-Contracts-and-Pex Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:59:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Peli/The-Synergy-of-Code-Contracts-and-Pex Peli de Halleux Peli de Halleux 9 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Peli/The-Synergy-of-Code-Contracts-and-Pex/RSS code contracts Microsoft Research PEX research RiSE Test Driven Development Microsoft Underground Research Lab ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Microsoft-Underground-Research-Lab With all the amazing technology and products coming out of Microsoft recently- you might think that's all we've got to offer. Well, that's just not the case. We have a team of researchers working 24/7 on new products to thrill you and exponentially increase your productivity. Until now, we've kept these products under lock and key- but today, we're taking you inside the Microsoft Underground Research Lab. 233 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Microsoft-Underground-Research-Lab Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:23:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Microsoft-Underground-Research-Lab Laura Foy Laura Foy 21 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Microsoft-Underground-Research-Lab/RSS Microsoft research Stefan Is… researching the art (or is it Science?) of Search Believe it or not, Search is a relatively new technology.  You probably perform a few searches a day… how satisfied are you with the results?

Stefan and I sat down with Martin, a Senior Product Manager on the Search team, to find out the process for improving search and where things may be trending.  An interesting discussion with the slickest sticky-note you’ve seen today Wink.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/StefanIs/StefanIs004 Believe it or not, Search is a relatively new technology.  You probably perform a few searches a day… how satisfied are you with the results? Stefan and I sat down with Martin, a Senior Product Manager on the Search team, to find out the process for improving search and where things may be trending.  An interesting discussion with the slickest sticky-note you’ve seen today . 917 http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/StefanIs/StefanIs004 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:02:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/StefanIs/StefanIs004 Max Max 6 http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/StefanIs/StefanIs004/RSS live search research Search TechFest: Back of Device Touch Input ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/TechFest-Back-of-Device-Touch-Input This demo explores how to add pointing input capabilities to very small screen devices. On first sight, touch-screens seem to allow for particular compactness, because they integrate input and screen into the same physical space. The opposite is true, however, because the users fingers occlude contents and prevent precision. Microsoft Research Redmond has created a 2.4 inch prototype that allows a back-of-device interface. This clip explains how and why it works. 455 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/TechFest-Back-of-Device-Touch-Input Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:27:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/TechFest-Back-of-Device-Touch-Input Laura Foy Laura Foy 2 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/TechFest-Back-of-Device-Touch-Input/RSS research prototype techfest 2009 touch screen TechFest: Commute UX: The next level of in-car infotainment Blue&Me for Fiat and Sync for Ford, in-car dialog systems are morphing from cool gadgets that amaze people and sell more cars to integral parts of in-car infotainment. Commute UX raises the bar for the functionality, usability and reliability of these systems. Microsoft Researchs presents you with novel technologies that enable natural-language input, expose a multimodel user interface inculding speech, a GUI, touch and buttons; and use the state-of-the-art sound-capture and processing technologies for improved speech recognition and sound quality. ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/TechFest-Commute-UX After deploying Blue&Me for Fiat and Sync for Ford, in-car dialog systems are morphing from cool gadgets that amaze people and sell more cars to integral parts of in-car infotainment. Commute UX raises the bar for the functionality, usability and reliability of these systems. Microsoft Researchs presents you with novel technologies that enable natural-language input, expose a multimodel user interface inculding speech, a GUI, touch and buttons; and use the state-of-the-art sound-capture and processing technologies for improved speech recognition and sound quality. 410 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/TechFest-Commute-UX Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:35:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/TechFest-Commute-UX Laura Foy Laura Foy 4 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/TechFest-Commute-UX/RSS Microsoft research sync speech recognition Blue&Me car Commute UX techfest 2009 TechFest: Write in The Air ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/TechFest-Write-in-The-Air TechFest is upon us so let the brilliant minds at MS Research (Global) share their latest inventions. "Write in the Air" is a proof-of-concept demo for recognizing characters written in the air. In order to input characters into devices such as the Xbox 360 and televisions equipped with a low-cost webcam but no keyboard or mouse, one can just face the camera and write the intended character in the air. The gestures captured by the camera will be fed into a robust handwriting recognizer. Take a look into the future! 307 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/TechFest-Write-in-The-Air Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:20:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/TechFest-Write-in-The-Air Laura Foy Laura Foy 6 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/TechFest-Write-in-The-Air/RSS Microsoft research Write in Air character recognition handwriting techfest 2009 Johnny Lee: Microsoft Researcher Johnny Lee works in Microsoft Research, with a specific penchant at creating interesting and useful devices. He has a session scheduled for MIX09 called "Interaction Techniques Using the Wii Remote" where he will show off some interesting uses he has found for using the Wii Remote as a PC input device, as well as several other devices he has put together to utilize in various computer input scenarios. I thought it would be fun to chat with him about his work creating some of these devices, and get some pointers on how others might benefit from this as well.

You can also find some videos of his experiments here:

And here is the description of the session he is doing at MIX09:

Interaction Techniques Using the Wii Remote (and Other HCI Projects)
by: Johnny Lee

The Wii remote is a sophisticated controller containing a variety of sensing capabilities. In this session, Johnny Lee covers several interaction techniques enabled by the Wii remote and explains how you can develop your own applications. Johnny also introduces a few of his other research projects in the broader domain of Human-Computer Interaction.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/The+Knowledge+Chamber/Johnny-Lee-Microsoft-Researcher Johnny Lee works in Microsoft Research, with a specific penchant at creating interesting and useful devices. He has a session scheduled for MIX09 called "Interaction Techniques Using the Wii Remote" where he will show off some interesting uses he has found for using the Wii Remote as a PC input device, as well as several other devices he has put together to utilize in various computer input scenarios. I thought it would be fun to chat with him about his work creating some of these devices, and get some pointers on how others might benefit from this as well. You can also find some videos of his experiments here: Head Tracking for Desktop VR Displays using the WiiRemote Low-Cost Multi-touch Whiteboard using the Wiimote Tracking fingers with the Wii Remote And here is the description of the session he is doing at MIX09: Interaction Techniques Using the Wii Remote (and Other HCI Projects) by: Johnny Lee The Wii remote is a sophisticated controller containing a variety of sensing capabilities. In this session, Johnny Lee covers several interaction techniques enabled by the Wii remote and explains how you can develop your own applications. Johnny also introduces a few of his other research projects in the broader domain of Human-Computer Interaction. 937 http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/The+Knowledge+Chamber/Johnny-Lee-Microsoft-Researcher Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:57:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/The+Knowledge+Chamber/Johnny-Lee-Microsoft-Researcher Robert Hess Robert Hess 3 http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/The+Knowledge+Chamber/Johnny-Lee-Microsoft-Researcher/RSS Devices Johnny Lee research Wii Michal Moskal - VCC, The Verifying C Compiler Michal Moskal gives us a short introduction at the Verifying C Compiler (VCC) project. VCC is a tool that proves correctness of annotated concurrent C programs or finds problems in them. VCC extends C with design by contract features, like pre- and postcondition as well as type invariants. The current primary goal of the VCC project is to to verify Microsoft Hyper-V. Hyper-V is a hypervisor -- a thin layer of software that sits just above the hardware and beneath one or more operating systems. The Hypervisor verification project is a cooperation between European Microsoft Innovation Center in Aachen, Germany the RiSE group at Microsoft Research in Redmond and the Saarland University in Saarbrücken, Germany.

The Research in Software Engineering team (RiSE) coordinates Microsoft's research in Software Engineering in Redmond, USA.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Peli/Michal-Moskal-and-The-Verified-C-Compiler Michal Moskal gives us a short introduction at the Verifying C Compiler (VCC) project. VCC is a tool that proves correctness of annotated concurrent C programs or finds problems in them. VCC extends C with design by contract features, like pre- and postcondition as well as type invariants. The current primary goal of the VCC project is to to verify Microsoft Hyper-V. Hyper-V is a hypervisor -- a thin layer of software that sits just above the hardware and beneath one or more operating systems. The Hypervisor verification project is a cooperation between European Microsoft Innovation Center in Aachen, Germany the RiSE group at Microsoft Research in Redmond and the Saarland University in Saarbrücken, Germany.Try VCC in your web browser at http://rise4fun.com/vcc !VCC slide deck, get the high-level picture and more details, VCC home page, all you want to know. Unfortunately, there is currently no download available of VCC.  The Research in Software Engineering team (RiSE) coordinates Microsoft's research in Software Engineering in Redmond, USA. 1324 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Peli/Michal-Moskal-and-The-Verified-C-Compiler Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:25:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Peli/Michal-Moskal-and-The-Verified-C-Compiler Peli de Halleux Peli de Halleux 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Peli/Michal-Moskal-and-The-Verified-C-Compiler/RSS C Compilers HyperV research RiSE Software Engineering Research Testing vcc verification Microsoft Research Demonstrates Software-driven Breakthroughs here. ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/PDCNews/Microsoft-Research-Demonstrates-Software-driven-Breakthroughs On stage at Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference 2008 today, Rick Rashid, senior vice president of Microsoft Research, showed developers how Microsoft is marshalling the power of software to help solve some of the toughest technological and societal challenges.  Read about Microsoft Research at PDC2008 here. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/PDCNews/Microsoft-Research-Demonstrates-Software-driven-Breakthroughs Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:29:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/PDCNews/Microsoft-Research-Demonstrates-Software-driven-Breakthroughs D. Begley D. Begley 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/PDCNews/Microsoft-Research-Demonstrates-Software-driven-Breakthroughs/RSS Announcements PDC 2008 PDC08 research Research: Concurrency Analysis Platform and Tools for Finding Concurrency Bugs
  • Thomas Ball
    Thomas Ball is Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research where he manages the Software Reliability Research group (http://research.microsoft.com/srr/). Tom has been at Microsoft Research since 1999. He is one of the originators of the SLAM project, a software model checking engine for C that forms the basis of the Static Driver Verifier tool, made freely available by Microsoft for finding defects in device drivers. Tom's interests range from program analysis, model checking, testing and automated theorem proving to the problems of defining and measuring software quality.
  • Madan Musuvathi
    Madan Musuvathi is a Researcher at Microsoft Research and is interested in building program analysis tools to improve the productivity of developers and testers. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 2004.
    • ]]>     http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/pdc2008/TL58 Learn about the Concurrency Analysis Platform (CAP) from Microsoft Research and how it enables various concurrency bug-finding tools. See a demo of CHESS, a tool built on CAP for finding and reproducing Heisenbugs. Also hear about future tools from Microsoft Research, including a lightweight data-race detection engine and a tool for finding memory-model errors. Thomas Ball Thomas Ball is Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research where he manages the Software Reliability Research group (http://research.microsoft.com/srr/). Tom has been at Microsoft Research since 1999. He is one of the originators of the SLAM project, a software model checking engine for C that forms the basis of the Static Driver Verifier tool, made freely available by Microsoft for finding defects in device drivers. Tom's interests range from program analysis, model checking, testing and automated theorem proving to the problems of defining and measuring software quality. Madan Musuvathi Madan Musuvathi is a Researcher at Microsoft Research and is interested in building program analysis tools to improve the productivity of developers and testers. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 2004. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/pdc2008/TL58 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:39:25 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/pdc2008/TL58 System System 5 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/pdc2008/TL58/RSS Breakout Session Expert Parallelism research     Research: Contract Checking and Automated Test Generation with Pex
  • Nikolai Tillmann
    Nikolai Tillmann has been with Microsoft Research for 6 years. He is currently leading the Pex project, building an automated test case generation tool for .NET based program analysis. Previously, he worked on Spec Explorer, a model-based testing tool.
  • Mike Barnett
    Mike Barnett has been at Microsoft Research since 1995. He has spent the last several years working on the Spec# project, an advanced verification environment and language for .NET.
    • ]]>     http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/pdc2008/TL51 In theory, Design by Contract and unit testing are excellent approaches to improve code quality. Learn how to use code contracts that express pre-conditions, post-conditions, and object invariants in any managed language that improve testability, enhance static analysis, and serve as checked API documentation. Contracts are leveraged for advanced static analysis and translated into runtime checks. See how automated program exploration (Pex) discovers boundary conditions in code that cause failures and generates traditional unit test suites with high code coverage. Contracts and Pex work together to target contract checks, runtime failures (null dereferences, index out of range, etc.), and any other kind of assertions. Use them to write higher quality software with less effort. Nikolai Tillmann Nikolai Tillmann has been with Microsoft Research for 6 years. He is currently leading the Pex project, building an automated test case generation tool for .NET based program analysis. Previously, he worked on Spec Explorer, a model-based testing tool. Mike Barnett Mike Barnett has been at Microsoft Research since 1995. He has spent the last several years working on the Spec# project, an advanced verification environment and language for .NET. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/pdc2008/TL51 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:39:13 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/pdc2008/TL51 System System 11 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/pdc2008/TL51/RSS Breakout Session Intermediate research     Research: BAM, AjaxScope, and Doloto
  • Ethan Jackson
  • Emre Kiciman
    Emre Kiciman is a researcher in the Internet Services Research Center (ISRC) at Microsoft Research, where his interests are broadly in the area of large-scale Internet services, their operations, and their end-to-end reliability. His work focuses on monitoring and machine learning analysis of system behavior to improve reliability and performance. Most recently, he's been working on Web application performance and debugging.
    • ]]>     http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/pdc2008/TL50 See Microsoft Research present new technologies for developing, debugging, and deploying web applications. Hear how BAM can turn a simple specification into a web-based cloud application with the click of a button. Learn how AjaxScope and Doloto automatically instrument and rewrite your web applications' JavaScript code for end-to-end monitoring and optimization. Ethan Jackson Emre Kiciman Emre Kiciman is a researcher in the Internet Services Research Center (ISRC) at Microsoft Research, where his interests are broadly in the area of large-scale Internet services, their operations, and their end-to-end reliability. His work focuses on monitoring and machine learning analysis of system behavior to improve reliability and performance. Most recently, he's been working on Web application performance and debugging. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/pdc2008/TL50 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:39:11 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/pdc2008/TL50 System System 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/pdc2008/TL50/RSS Breakout Session Intermediate research     Research: Designing the World Wide Telescope
  • Jonathan Fay
    Jonathan is a 15 year Microsoft veteran who focuses on studying the intersection of graphics/imaging and networks. He is currently the architect of Microsoft WorldWide Telescope. Jonathan is also an avid amateur astronomer and designed built his own automated domed observatory as well as helped develop the field of DSLR astrophotography. When he is not at work on WorldWide Telescope Jonathan tries keep up with his 5 children and explain to them the majesty of the stars.
    • ]]>     http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/pdc2008/PC48 Hear from the architect of the World Wide Telescope discuss the challenges and opportunities in creating World Wide Telescope as a massively scalable software plus services application. Understand the scale of the data, the communities and capabilities of user generated content, and the rich client application and the service behind it. Jonathan Fay Jonathan is a 15 year Microsoft veteran who focuses on studying the intersection of graphics/imaging and networks. He is currently the architect of Microsoft WorldWide Telescope. Jonathan is also an avid amateur astronomer and designed built his own automated domed observatory as well as helped develop the field of DSLR astrophotography. When he is not at work on WorldWide Telescope Jonathan tries keep up with his 5 children and explain to them the majesty of the stars. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/pdc2008/PC48 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:36:08 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/pdc2008/PC48 System System 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/pdc2008/PC48/RSS Azure Intermediate Lunch Session research     Are Gene Scans Effective? Microsoft Funds Research To Find Out HealthVault, Microsoft’s online medical and health information web service. (via SeattlePI, Image credit: mknowles) ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Are-Gene-Scans-Effective-Microsoft-Funds-Research-To-Find-Out In an effort to discover the effectiveness of DNA scans, Microsoft has funded a research study, along with Scripps Translational Science Institute, Navigenics, and Affymetrix, which will attempt to answer that question. The study will involve up to 10,000 people who will receive scans of their genomes and then a detailed analysis of the results, including information about more than 20 health conditions that may be changed by lifestyle. Those conditions include diseases like diabetes, obesity, heart attacks, and cancer. Over the course of the next 20 years the behavior of those participants will be tracked. The private data for the participants involved will be stored in HealthVault, Microsoft’s online medical and health information web service. (via SeattlePI, Image credit: mknowles) http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Are-Gene-Scans-Effective-Microsoft-Funds-Research-To-Find-Out Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:21:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Are-Gene-Scans-Effective-Microsoft-Funds-Research-To-Find-Out Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 2 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Are-Gene-Scans-Effective-Microsoft-Funds-Research-To-Find-Out/RSS Health research DNA HealthVault Health Information