simulation

Whenever anyone starts talking about "Circadian rhythms" we get a little nervous, not unlike the way we feel when someone mentions Amway. Yet there are obviously many believers in the biological time clock, and we're in no position to dispute anything that helps people get a good night's sleep (and avoid being cranky with us).

We're just not sure which product claims are more valid than others because there are so many simulated sunrise gadgets on the market. But there's one thing that the "Sunrise Serenade" undeniably has in its favor: It'… Read more

If the number of shark documentaries on cable is any indication, people love to obsess about man-eating fish. Now, Australian scientists are taking the obsession one step further.

Scientists in the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries are developing a 3D computer model to test the "bite force" of the Great White, the world's largest predatory fish. Taking data from sharks caught off the Australian coast, the researchers are attempting to illustrate the cranial mechanics, bite force and feeding behavior of the sharks through the use of computer simulations, according to a news release from Science … Read more

Battle stations! The U.S. Navy has upped the stakes in the battle of the training simulators with the commissioning of its 550-foot USS Trayer Battle Stations 21.

The Trayer, dry-docked at a mock pier in the $82.5 million USS Iowa training complex in Great Lakes, Ill., simulates an Arleigh-Burke-class destroyer and some of the adventure and hard work that goes with sailing the Seven Seas.

BTS 21 is part of a 10-year, $763 million "recapitalization" of training facilities that will set new standards in simulation technology by using video screens, smells, vibrations and sound effects to … Read more

A computer simulation of the attack on the World Trade Center is now showing at YouTube. While the images are designed to help engineers and scientists study how a large structure behaves when smashed into by an airliner, they are still horrifying.

Flight 11 crashed into the WTC's North Tower on Sept. 11, 2001. A team of researchers from Purdue University used scientific principles, state-of-the-art simulation code and animation computer system to recreate the three-quarters of a second following impact.

Over and over again, wreckage from the Boeing 767 careens towards the viewer. Sometimes the simulation includes only the … Read more

Of all the over-the-top racing simulators out there, this one is probably our favorite so far. But then again, we're suckers for anything that sports three LCD TVs. These aren't just any flat screens either, but 37-inch Sharp Aquos displays in full 1080p clarity. And that's just the beginning.

VRX's "Triple Screen Limited Edition 001" is a behemoth that includes "four Xbox 360 Elites, four copies of Forza Motorsport 2, an Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on player, camera/wireless headset, a Zune, force feedback wheel," according to Engadget. The system is built … Read more

Not only was Rome not built in a day, but a digital model took 10 years to construct. A team of archaeologists, architects and computer specialists from Italy, the United States, Britain and Germany has just unveiled a sprawling 3D digital simulation of the ancient city as it appeared at the height of its development as the capital of the Roman Empire.

They are calling it the largest, most comprehensive simulation of a historic city ever created.

"Rome Reborn 1.0," based at the University of Virginia, shows almost the entire city within the 13-mile-long Aurelian Walls in … Read more

As our lives get busier and we become more reliant on text messages and e-mail, voice mail is starting to seem a tad archaic (not to mention impractical if you're sitting in a business meeting or loud bar). A company called SimulScribe has come up with a technology that claims to be the answer.

The New York-based start-up uses voice recognition technology to transcribe voice mails into text. Instead of having to sit through Grandpa Bill's three-minute voice mail, you'd get a written message, via SMS or e-mail, approximately two to five minutes after the voice mail … Read more

After all the ridiculously over-the-top gaming simulators we've seen lately, it's nice to know that some manufacturers are making some setups that are more affordable (if $700 qualifies, anyway).

The "Hotseat Racer GTX" from Hotseat Chassis isn't a full-scale system but does include surround-sound speakers, as well as built-in steering wheel and pedals, according to I4U News. The stand is sold separately, but the cockpit is still costs a lot less than the thousands you'd spend for simulators from Costco or Ford, not to mention the $300,000 monster from FAO Schwarz.

But if … Read more

We've seen simulators in all shapes and sizes, from racing systems to cockpits that control unmanned aircraft. But nothing compares with this "Morphis ESP" personal motion simulator that seats eight people from, of all places, FAO Schwarz.

Luxurylaunches says the simulator comes with aviation-quality motion, a library of 3D adventures on CD-ROMs and a customizable exterior to "relive the thrills that you used to seek at the amusement parks." We don't know about you, but whatever thrills we experienced didn't come anywhere near the $300,000 this thing costs. That's right, $300,… Read more