Automated operations may be performed involving acquiring and analyzing information from an interior of a house, building or other structure, for use in generating and providing a representation of that interior. Such operations may include using a user's mobile device to capture video data from multiple viewing locations (e.g., 360 video at each viewing location) within multiple rooms, and capturing data linking the multiple viewing locations (e.g., by recording video, acceleration and/or other data from the mobile device as the user moves between the two viewing locations), creating a panorama image for each viewing location, analyzing the linking information to model the user's travel path and determine relative positions/directions between at least some viewing locations, creating inter-panorama links in the panoramas to each of one or more other panoramas based on such determined positions/directions, and providing information to display multiple linked panorama images to represent the interior.

A data-collecting play object. The play object includes a body manipulated by a player. A data-collecting unit is disposed in the interior of the body. The data-collecting unit includes an accelerometer unit measuring acceleration values along at least one translational degree of freedom, a gyroscope unit measuring rotation values about at least one rotational degree of freedom, and a processor in communication with the accelerometer unit and with the gyroscope unit. The processor obtains the acceleration values from the accelerometer unit and the rotation values from the gyroscope unit. The processor wirelessly transmits the acceleration and rotation values at discrete intervals. A power source supplies electrical power to the accelerometer unit, the gyroscope unit, and the processor. The play object being used in combination with an identification tag attached to a play accessory is also disclosed. A system and a method are also disclosed.

A device to determine integrity of a surface includes an exterior housing to contain and protect a plurality of components. The components include an accelerometer to measure a change in acceleration of the device, a microcontroller to monitor measurement data from the accelerometer and determine the integrity of the surface based on the measurement data. A communication circuit transmits or displays information regarding the integrity of the surface from microcontroller. A battery powers the plurality of components.

Techniques are described for automated operations involving capturing and analyzing information from an interior of a house, building or other structure, for use in generating and providing a representation of that interior. Such techniques may include using a user's mobile device to capture visual data from multiple viewing locations (e.g., video captured while the mobile device is rotated for some or all of a full 360 degree rotation at each viewing location) within multiple rooms, capturing data linking the multiple viewing locations, analyzing each viewing location's visual data to create a panorama image from that viewing location, analyzing the linking data to determine relative positions/directions between at least some viewing locations, creating inter-panorama links in the panoramas to each of one or more other panoramas based on such determined positions/directions, and providing information to display multiple linked panorama images to represent the interior.

A system employs data taken from monitor devices and applies that data to video games, arcade games, computer games and the like (collectively a game) to personalize the game to real ability and persons. For example, when a monitor device is used to capture airtime (and e.g., heart rate) of a snowboarder, that data is downloaded to a database for a game and used to limit how a game competitor plays the game. In this way, a snowboard game player can compete against world-class athletes, and others, with some level of realism provided by the real data used in the game.

A personal items network, comprising a plurality of items, each item having a wireless communications port for coupling in network with every other item, each item having a processor for determining if any other item in the network is no longer linked to the item, each item having an indicator for informing a user that an item has left the network, wherein a user may locate lost items. A method for locating lost personal items, comprising: linking at least two personal items together on a network; and depositing one or both of time and location information in an unlost item when one of the items is lost out of network.

A system for detecting and classifying firearm use comprising is provided. The system includes a wearable gunshot detection device and a remote monitoring system. The wearable gunshot detection device is configured to detect an acceleration of an extremity of an individual to which the gunshot detection device is attached, determine acceleration data based on the detected acceleration, and determine whether the acceleration data corresponds to a gunshot fired by the individual to which the gunshot detection device is attached. If the acceleration data corresponds to a gunshot fired by the individual to which the gunshot detection device is attached, then the wearable gunshot detection device transmits the acceleration data to the remote monitoring system.

Techniques are described for automated operations involving capturing and analyzing information from an interior of a house, building or other structure, for use in generating and providing a representation of that interior. Such techniques may include using a user's mobile device to capture visual data from multiple viewing locations (e.g., video captured while the mobile device is rotated for some or all of a full 360 degree rotation at each viewing location) within multiple rooms, capturing data linking the multiple viewing locations, analyzing each viewing location's visual data to create a panorama image from that viewing location, analyzing the linking data to determine relative positions/directions between at least some viewing locations, creating inter-panorama links in the panoramas to each of one or more other panoramas based on such determined positions/directions, and providing information to display multiple linked panorama images to represent the interior.

The described positional awareness techniques employing visual-inertial sensory data gathering and analysis hardware with reference to specific example implementations implement improvements in the use of sensors, techniques and hardware design that can enable specific embodiments to provide positional awareness to machines with improved speed and accuracy.

An apparatus and use of the apparatus for monitoring a current-carrying device wherein at least one acceleration sensor produces acceleration measurement values and a communication device transmits produced acceleration measurement values. A power supply unit is for the acceleration sensor and the communication device. The power supply unit includes an induction plate of a metallic material and a conductor loop extending around the induction plate and produces a power supply for the acceleration sensor and the communication device exclusively through induction from an electromagnetic alternating field of the current-carrying device. The apparatus can be positioned in a closed housing having a housing wall and the induction plate can be at least a subregion of the housing wall.