Augmented reality (AR) helps users understand things more easily and communicate faster by overlapping virtual digital content with the real world. This article introduces AR Guidance from HD Hyundai Infracore and explores how they’ve adopted AR for the maintenance of construction machinery.When complex construction machinery breaks down, AR Guidance can be used to easily identify the problem. Using floor augmentation, objects can be brought up to troubleshoot data for the equipment. The content provided in apps can be used on devices like smartphones and tablets. It is the first AR solution of its kind in the construction machinery industry.Discover how HD Hyundai Infracore’s Global Product Support team uses Unity for troubleshooting.In 2019, HD Hyundai Infracore collected equipment requirements and feedback through interviews with product owners. As they sought to find a way to fulfill their clients’ needs, they planned various service solutions in combination with IT in the service sector. One of these solutions was to use AR to bring up 3D modeling so that clients could easily identify equipment data.They decided to make content that combined modeling with the details of the troubleshooting guide. This content provides users with the basic shape of the equipment and tells them which procedure they should follow to solve their problem.1) Dealer: The dealer that contracts equipment and maintenance (relevant region)2) Service staff: Dealer equipment service staffThe inner workings of construction machinery consist of a complex series of wires, hydraulic hoses, and pipelines, making them difficult to understand. Identifying a point of failure can therefore be very time-consuming. Internal experts were able to understand the inside of the equipment and components through 3D equipment modeling; however, the dealers and service staff had limited access and could not utilize the data.For example, the equipment mainly consists of hydraulics, a circuit diagram of electrical systems, and a block diagram of the engine. The dealer service staff can check the .dwg-based system circuit diagram to identify the structure and logic of the equipment, but even when they figure out the logic through the structure of the circuit diagram, it still takes time to locate major components in the actual equipment. It takes even longer for new service staff.Dealers needed a way for service staff to quickly provide professional services, while service staff needed content that could help them understand equipment data more intuitively than previous text-based service materials. A solution that lets users obtain the data they need and learn from experiences with ease was required.During AR Guidance test operations, content was checked for basic elements, such as displaying major component locations and features that provide detailed data on components.Many popular games use AR, but there were not as many cases where Unity was adopted in the construction machinery market. However, it soon became clear that HD Hyundai Infracore could easily start a project in Unity using various materials, including data provided by creators, tutorials from Unity, manuals, and more.Upon examining various use cases, it became clear that Unity’s real-time 3D technology could be used across many industries outside of gaming. Most notably, it could be used in the construction machinery industry.AR Guidance consists of two modules: Guidance and 3D Model Viewer.AR Guidance displays 3D models of the equipment and offers users a guide for equipment troubleshooting with industrial augmented reality. Users can check and troubleshoot equipment problems on their own using three methods.Sensor Signal Monitoring: Identifies the equipment statusTroubleshooting: Provides causes and troubleshooting guides for defects with fault codesPerformance Test Guide: Offers a guide to measure whether the equipment’s performance is adequate and sends performance values after the equipment has been fixed3D Model Viewer, which does not use AR technology, provides simple control over 3D modeling and provides access to more data by associating the system circuit diagram with each component in the following stages. The goal of this is to help those who are new to the service use 3D product visualization to easily understand the equipment.The first step was to identify which content was the most useful to users in order to efficiently solve their needs. Unity’s training programs, as well as those from the Gyeonggi Content Agency, were used to ensure that users were equipped with the tools and knowledge they needed to be successful.When implementing the Sensor Signal Monitoring system, it was important to categorize and select data, as importing too much data from the equipment to show the location and status values via 3D modeling could cause problems.There was a constant need for a mobile-based diagnosis program, as all equipment diagnosis programs were developed for Windows. HD Hyundai Infracore thought importing Sensor Signal Monitoring, one of the features of the Windows-based diagnosis program, and showing it with the augmented 3D modeling of the equipment, could clearly provide the users with equipment status information.The 3D modeling data was removed from the 3D Product Data Management (PDM), keeping only the minimum required to deliver equipment information. HD Hyundai Infracore also worked to reduce the volume of redundant data imported from each piece of content by structuring it.The troubleshooting guide provides detailed information about the connector PIN number, color, flow chart, and more. It does so according to the occurrence of fault codes by using 3D modeling along with the shape of wires and connectors. The development of this content has contributed to establishing content standards for wiring troubleshooting for fault codes.Because construction machinery usually works in harsh environments, it was important to ensure that the 3D models were stable enough to accurately check equipment data using the AR technology. The aim was to compose one-source, multi-use content in relatively small volumes and increase the speed of data download and execution.Performance tests need to be conducted for all equipment operations to accurately verify repairs. Many variables, including weather and operator controlling methods, make it difficult to extract precise data. To combat this, HD Hyundai Infracore have provided guides that make it simpler to extract accurate equipment performance data using 3D modeling.Positive user feedback For AR Guidance, usability and stability were key. A simple structure was chosen to enable users to easily access equipment data. Capacity was also minimized in order to ensure stable app usage based on the usage environments of users.As a result, HD Hyundai Infracore received many positive reviews and valuable feedback after the launch of the beta version of AR Guidance for European service staff. This included a request to implement content for main component data, which later became a stepping stone for the development of 3D Model Viewer content.A new perspective on construction machinery manufacturers AR Guidance has played a part in changing the perceptions of technical support services for construction machinery. HD Hyundai Infracore goes beyond traditional services, offering a variety of digital services and providing technical support as a premium service strategy. They enhanced client satisfaction and improved their corporate image by providing more innovative digital services with their AR Guidance solution.Effective problem solving AR Guidance helps reduce service time by allowing staff to more easily identify fault data. It also effectively reduces communication time for equipment fault data because headquarters can support problems not directly solved by the dealer service.The future of AR Guidance and AR construction The first objective is to increase the usage rate of global service staff to more than 80%. In order to do this, the expansion of target equipment implementation should be prioritized, as not all equipment sold globally is currently available in the construction management app. It will also be important to quantify service lead time and verify the reduction in communication.Mobile devices were the easiest to interact with, so they were the first to be integrated. HD Hyundai Infracore aims to adopt AR glasses next in order to increase the usability of AR Guidance. They will then begin developing VR-based content alongside their AR-based content. VR solutions will be used to guide regular equipment inspections and correct equipment operations before and after sales.HD Hyundai Infracore also plans to increase equipment uptime by reducing service time with the troubleshooting guide within AR Guidance. The adoption of AR glasses will enable hands-free use during maintenance and repairs.The role of Unity is crucial in the process. They allowed HD Hyundai Infracore to overcome many of the challenges they faced through support, online resources, and the Unity creator communities.AR Guidance is growing with HD Hyundai Infracore. The generation of construction machinery changes in accordance with exhaustive regulations. HD Hyundai Infracore is steadily developing equipment for the new generation and AR Guidance content will continuously be developed for that equipment as well. Usability is expected to be increased by providing troubleshooting guides through AR Guidance as new generations are introduced. HD Hyundai Infracore is developing next-generation equipment, which will be implemented with AR Guidance and see continuous development."With each new release of construction machinery equipment, the content and UI will undergo significant changes. As before, by utilizing Unity's rapid support and various platforms, it will be possible to create content that suits the new generation of equipment and quickly meets customer needs."- Ingeun Lee, Senior Manager of HD Hyundai Infracore

How did DeepSeek attain such cost-savings while American companies could not? Let's dive into the technical details.Read More

Are you thinking about Shrine blessings in Blue Prince? There are eight of these that you can activate, though the effects and durations might differ depending on how much gold you donate. Of course, you also need to watch out for any potential mishaps if you're feeling a bit naughty. In any case, please be reminded that this article contains minor spoilers.All Shrine blessings in Blue Prince - Shrine room guideThe Shrine is an outer room in the game, which means you don't have access to it at the start. Instead, you must first open the Garage Door so you can unlock the West Gate Path.From this point onward, you should be able to draft outer rooms via the shed just past the wooden bridge. However, because randomization does apply, the Shrine won't always appear as an option. Shrine blessings: Effects and durationsTo obtain Blue Prince Shrine blessings, you must interact with the stone statue and donate a certain amount of gold. The amount of gold you hand over determines the type of boon that you receive, as well as its duration. Please note that blessings can last anywhere from three to seven days.Blessing of the DancerEffect: Spend +1 gem while drafting to rotate floorplans.Duration: 3 days: 1 gold4 days: 17 gold5 days: 33 gold6 days: 49 gold7 days: 65 goldBlessing of the High RollerEffect: Gain +1 Ivory Dice whenever you draft a shop; gain +10 gold whenever you reroll using an Ivory Dice.Duration: 3 days: 3 gold4 days: 19 gold5 days: 35 gold6 days: 51 gold7 days: 67 goldBlessing of the GardenerEffect: Adds +8 Courtyards to today's draft pool.Duration: 3 days: 5 gold4 days: 21 gold5 days: 37 gold6 days: 53 gold7 days: 69 goldBlessing of the ChefEffect: Each time you trigger a type of "resource spread" effect, add an extra dish to the Dining Room.Duration: 3 days: 7 gold4 days: 27 gold5 days: 43 gold6 days: 59 gold7 days: 75 goldBlessing of the Red GeneralEffect: After drafting a red room, if you have at least five different ranks/rows containing red rooms, you gain +5 gems.Duration: 3 days: 9 gold4 days: 25 gold5 days: 41 gold6 days: 57 gold7 days: 73 goldBlessing of the TinkererEffect: Trigger your current Laboratory experiment whenever you draft a mechanical/gear-type room.Duration: 3 days: 11 gold4 days: 23 gold5 days: 39 gold6 days: 55 gold7 days: 71 goldBlessing of the MonkEffect: Ending your day inside a room in the manor allows you to draw that room in the grounds the next day.Duration: 3 days: 13 gold4 days: 29 gold5 days: 45 gold6 days: 61 gold7 days: 77 goldBlessing of the Berry PickerEffect: Instead of picking a floorplan when you're drafting, you can pick a berry instead. If you pick a berry, you draft a random floorplan from your draft pool while disregarding rarity.Duration: 3 days: 15 gold4 days: 31 gold5 days: 47 gold6 days: 63 gold7 days: 79 gold What makes the Blessing of the Monk important?The Blessing of the Monk in Blue Prince might be the most important boon that you can get from the Shrine. As noted earlier, you have to end the day inside a room in the manor. This causes that area to appear as a drafting option in the grounds--i.e. you can turn it into an outer room. This leads to shenanigans and secrets. Here are a few examples:Entrance Hall - You can break the vase that contained the Microchip from before to receive an Allowance Token.Lost & Found - You can quickly check if it contains rare items, without having to lose anything from your inventory if you just started a run.Antechamber - Has a very cryptic clue if you can open the Room 46 doorway.There are more secrets to discover if you "monk" certain rooms. We just don't want to spoil all the details here, so feel free to check them out during your playthrough. What happened? I got cursed!After donating to the Shrine statue in Blue Prince, you might notice a prompt that allows you to pick up the coins again. If you steal your own donation, your character will get cursed. This debilitating affliction causes the following:Lose 1 step, key, gem, or gold whenever you draft a bedroom, hallway, green room, or shop, respectively.Lose one of each resource whenever you draft a red room.Things get even worse once you have the Cursed Coffers from the Gift Shop:You can draft the Bookshop from the Library so you can purchase a book called The Curse of Black Bridge. This makes the Cursed Coffers available for purchase in the Gift Shop.The purchase causes a stone chest to spawn inside the Shrine. You'll receive a warning if you attempt to break open the lock using a Sledge Hammer. You'll receive yet another warning if you try to pick up the stone figurine that's inside.Picking up the figurine permanently unlocks "Curse Mode." This is a challenge mode that you can attempt using a different save file.Moreover, the figurine also afflicts you with the same curse as before, as though you stole your donation. The number of steps you have will also be decreased down to just 13.The curse from stealing your donation and from taking the stone figurine lasts for two days. This affliction also overwrites any blessing that you may have. As such, you're going to have a tougher time during your runs.In any case, that's everything you need to know about the Shrine blessings in Blue Prince. Pick the ones you really need for your playthrough, or just experiment with Blessing of the Monk to discover more goodies.A surreal adventure filled with wonders and mysteries awaits you in Blue Prince. If ever you feel stuck or lost at any point in time in your playthrough, don't forget to check our Blue Prince guides hub.

2025 has already been an incredibly impactful year for Disney Lorcana's state of the game so far, with the Archazia's Island set dropping in March and reshaping the meta in various key ways. Set 7 made the already powerful Ink color of Sapphire even stronger thanks to big new Lorcana Legendaries in Archazia's Island, such as Scrooge McDuck - Resourceful Miser and Tamatoa - Happy as a Clam, all while empowering the color further with Belle - Apprentice Inventor and other cards. All other Ink colors arguably need the same level of attention going into set 8, but one of them needs a big upgrade that the game has been avoiding since set 2.

Factions are as deep as the main story in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, if not more. Joining one of these groups throws your headlong into the daily lives of Tamriel’s people — the good, the bad, and the normal — gives you some exclusive quests, and, depending on the guild, rewards you with a few excellent items you won’t find anywhere else. This guide lists all factions in Oblivion Remastered and how to join them. Bear in mind it’s a work in progress as we continue to verify that the methods from the original Oblivion are still accurate in the remaster. We’ll update in the coming days with details about how to join more factions. All factions you can join in Oblivion Remastered Oblivion Remastered features 13 factions you can join. Each faction has an associated questline, some with quite a lot of Tamriel lore attached to them, and while not every guild has exclusive items on offer as rewards, you do get perks of some sort for signing up. Joining the Thieves Guild, for example, lets you sell stolen goods for a decent profit, while the Mages Guild makes it easier to work with enchanted items. The major factions that you can join in Oblivion Remastered are as follows: Fighters Guild Mages Guild Thieves Guild Dark Brotherhood Arena Order of the Virtuous Blood Order of the Dragon Knights of the Thorn Knights of the White Stallion Court of Madness Nine Divines The Blades Knights of the Nine You can’t permanently join Mythic Dawn or Blackwood Company, but you can team up with them for a few quests. Non-joinable factions in Oblivion Remastered Oblivion Remastered features several additional factions that you can’t join, though some of them still have questlines to complete or hideouts to plunder. One of the Crimson Scars’ strongholds, for example, is filled with poisons and has a loot chest with items that Scars members stole from their victims. Duelists Daedric Forces of Madness Daedric Forces of Order Daedric Forces of Destruction The Crimson Scars Imperial Legion Order of the Black Worm Adventurers of Orsinium Elder Council Order of Talos Drothmeri Army Glenmoril Witches Knights of the True Horn Cult of the Ancestor Moth Apostle Black Bows Can you join multiple factions in Oblivion Remastered? You can join every major faction in Oblivion Remastered, even when it seems like there’s a conflict of interests. It doesn’t matter if, for example, you start assassinating people with the Dark Brotherhood while you’re part of the no-crimes-allowed Fighters Guild. The only minor exception is a Thieves Guild quest that sends you after a Mages Guild member, though you can work around the messy outcome with comparative ease. How to join each faction in Oblivion Remastered Each faction in Oblivion Remastered requires a different set of steps to join. Some are as simple as just saying you wish to become a member. Others make you complete a specific quest or, in extreme cases, committing crimes such as theft and murder.  Fighters Guild Thieves Guild Mages Guild Dark Brotherhood How to join the Fighters Guild The Fighters Guild is one of the least complicated factions you can join, though you have to travel a bit before you can sign up. This guid is Tamriel’s league of good guys, a bunch of noble souls who want to fight injustice with their fists or anything else. They don’t have a presence in the Imperial City for lore reasons, though, so you’ll have to venture elsewhere to express interest. The Fighters Guild branch in Chorrol — near the North Gate map marker — is the most convenient to join, since you have to visit the priory there for the first main quest once you emerge from the sewers. Wait until daytime — the guild is closed at night, and they aren’t happy if you break in — and head to the third floor to speak with the branch leader, Vilena Donton. Say you want to join the guild, and if you don’t have an active bounty on your head, that’s it. You’re in. If you do have a bounty, just go pay it off and return. The first round of Fighters Guild quests comes from the guild leader in Anvil, to the southwest. You can take them on at any time, though, so there’s no rush to get there quickly.  The Fighters Guild is committed to justice, but no one minds if you commit a crime while you’re a guild member — so long as the crime isn’t committed against another Fighters Guild member. If you do target a guild member, you can get permanently expelled after the third time. How to join the Thieves Guild You can join the Thieves Guild almost immediately after the incident with the emperor, though they’re rather pickier about who they let in. Once you find the Thieves Guild meetup point in the Imperial City — a process that our guide on how to join the Thieves Guild explains in more detail — you need to complete a timed quest and steal an item before two other potential guild candidates do.  Once you complete that, you need to find marks, steal from them, and sell items worth at least a combined total of 50 gold to a guild fence before you can start taking on Thieves Guild quests. You can get tipoffs for potential marks by giving money to beggars in any city. If you steal from a beggar or another guild member, though, you’ll have to pay a steep fine to one of the guild’s two Doyens. How to join the Mages Guild The Mages Guild is another faction with a straightforward joining process. Just tell the leader of any guild branch that you want to be a member, and you’re in. There’s a Mages Guild branch in Chorrol literally right next to the Fighters Guild. You can enter even at night, but the guild master, Teekeus, only shows up during the day. Speak with him, say you want to join, and you’ll learn how things work. Advancing in the Mages Guild requires you to get recommendations from each branch master, and that means completing whatever requests they have for you. Teekeus’ first quest has you seeking out Earna, a rival of his, to find out why she’s trying to bring him down. She isn’t. Once you find and complete her request, you can either give the book she wanted to Teekeus or to Earna. The outcome changes the quest’s second part, but you’ll still get the Chorrol recommendation either way. How to join the Dark Brotherhood Joining the Dark Brotherhood requires a few additional steps compared to most other factions. You can only begin the process after murdering an innocent person — not a bandit or someone who’s after you because you bonked them on the head. Ideally, this person would have no bearing on the rest of the game, so no merchants, quest-givers, or anyone who has a crown icon show up when you can speak to them. We go into more detail in our guide for how to join the Dark Brotherhood, but once you meet Lucien Lachance, he’ll give you an inaugural assassination mission. Complete it, travel to the order’s headquarters in Cheydinhal, and speak with the leader there to officially join the order. Check back soon for details on how to join more factions in Oblivion Remastered! In the meantime, see our lists of followers and console commands.

In a move that should surprise no one, Meta—the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads—wants to monetize its websites. Threads, which launched two years ago, had somehow mostly avoided showing ads until now, only allowing a limited number to certain users in the US and Japan. But the site has become quite popular since then, so now, it's time for it to start contributing to the family business. Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced this update in a Threads post this week, which reads, "Ads are rolling out more broadly on Threads today, and our goal is still for them to enhance your overall experience. We’re closely monitoring and will continue listening to your feedback as we scale."The post is quite clear in signaling the end of ad-free Threads, although it might take some time to fully ramp up in all markets. As your feed starts to fill up with companies vying for your attention, you can probably expect an experience similar to how ads on Instagram or Facebook, as the ads currently on the site clearly indicate that they're sponsored and do use your data to try to increase their relevance to you. But it's not all bad news: Threads is getting a few new features, too. The one I like the most is a better way to compose a new post. Threads will now show a + button in the bottom-right corner of the site, which you can click anytime to start creating a new post. Previously, the compose window was located at the top of the feed, which isn't as easy to access if you've been scrolling for a bit. The update lets you compose and make a new post without losing your position in the timeline. Credit: Pranay Parab I'm also excited to start using the ability to copy a post as an image, which lets you screenshot any post on Threads to share elsewhere. Yes, you can easily use the built-in screenshot tool on your device, but I really like it when services ship the ability to copy screenshots to the clipboard. It's just a lot easier and faster. To use this feature, hit the Share button below any post and select Copy as image. Threads will let you choose a dark or a light theme for the image, along with its aspect ratio. There's also a button to show or hide the post's metrics, which lets you hide like and share counts if you want.Threads on the web also has a new way to access the Tweetdeck-style multi-column view. Click the multi-column button to the right of the feed and select which of your feeds you'd like to see in a multi-column layout. In the normal view, meanwhile, Threads has added two new buttons, Liked and Saved, to its main menu (the two-lines icon). This makes it easier for you to access posts you've liked or bookmarked. The web app also now has tabs for your custom feeds at the top. This was previously available as a drop-down menu, but the tabbed layout makes custom feeds easier to access. Additionally, the company is testing a way to import your followers from other services, starting with X (formerly Twitter). Once this rolls out broadly, you may find it easier to bring people over from services not owned by Meta. Finally, Threads itself has moved to a new domain—Threads.com. When the service launched, it did so on Threads.net because Meta didn't own the .com domain. That appears to have changed now.

The Curiosity Mars rover covers a lot of ground for a robot that only moves at a max speed of .1 mph. A photo snapped recently by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter provides a pretty cool visualization of what the rover has been up to so far this year, showing the tracks Curiosity left behind as it journeyed from its previous science target — an area called the Gediz Vallis channel — to its next destination. The rover itself is just a tiny speck at the front of the roughly 1,050-foot-long trail, and according to NASA, this snap “is believed to be the first orbital image of the rover mid-drive across the Red Planet.” The image was captured on February 28 by the orbiter’s HiRISE (High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera, and shows Curiosity’s movement over 11 drives starting at the beginning of that month. While a few weeks might seem like a long time for tire tracks to stick around in the dirt, this is normal for Mars. The tracks are “[l]ikely to last for months before being erased by wind,” NASA says. Curiosity is expected to reach its next science destination, which is home to formations thought to have been created long ago by groundwater, in the coming weeks. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/nasas-mars-orbiter-snapped-this-image-of-curiosity-trucking-along-down-at-the-surface-211404950.html?src=rss

AMD’s Radeon PRO W9000 may drop memory size but focus on efficiency, value, and practical use for creative professionals.

The 2025 Kentucky Derby is horse racing’s most exclusive starting gate. Twenty horses will post at Churchill Downs on May 3—an elite field, even by exclusivity’s standards. Y Combinator admits less than 3% of startups. Fewer than 1% of those who apply to NASA become astronauts. Google famously hires less than 0.2% of applicants. Yet these standards look almost lax compared to the 0.11% of North American thoroughbreds that make the Kentucky Derby each year, as only 20 of the 17,146 thoroughbred foals eligible earn the honor of participating in the race. Here’s how the fortunate 20 get to Churchill Downs. A sophisticated global qualification system The Kentucky Derby is limited to 3-year-old thoroughbreds that qualify through a points system called the “Road to the Kentucky Derby.” This system, implemented in 2013, transformed horse racing’s premier event from an earnings-based qualification into a data-driven meritocracy. There are three distinct roads to the Kentucky Derby. Internationally, the European-Middle East Road offers one invitation through seven qualifying races across England, Ireland, UAE, and France, while the Japan Road awards one invitation through four races. The North American Road fills the remaining 18 starting spots through a 36-race gauntlet divided into two phases. The Prep Season (September–February) features 20 races with modest point awards, while the high-stakes 16-race Championship Series (February–April) cranks up the pressure with escalating rewards. But not all points are created equal. The brilliance of this system lies in its gamified structure. Early prep races award a conservative 10-5-3-2-1 distribution among the top five finishers, while Championship Series races raise the stakes dramatically to a 50-25-15-10-5 split, then to a game-changing 100-50-25-15-10 for the final major preps. In Silicon Valley terms, these would be “rising stakes rounds,” forcing trainers to make strategic decisions about where and when to position their contenders for maximum return. For 2025, Churchill Downs fine-tuned its algorithm, adding the Virginia Derby as a qualifying race and implementing dynamic point scaling that reduces awards for smaller fields—an anti-gaming mechanism to ensure equitable competition so there are no shortcuts to the derby. The result is a ruthlessly efficient funnel that winnows 17,146 eligible thoroughbreds down to just 20 elite qualifiers—an acceptance rate that makes Harvard or MIT look like open enrollment. Closing the economic divide While most Kentucky Derby contenders emerge from million-dollar yearling sales and the larger stables of trainers like Bob Baffert—whose financial resources, connections to wealthy owners, and experience make him a derby mainstay—racing’s most compelling narratives often feature horses from humbler origins. The ultimate underdog story belongs to Rich Strike, who in 2022 became the first claimed horse to win the Derby. Claiming races—where every entered horse is available for purchase at a listed price—represent racing’s blue-collar backbone. Trainer Eric Reed spotted potential in Rich Strike and claimed him for just $30,000 at Churchill Downs in 2021. Seven months later, this bargain-basement purchase stunned the racing world by winning the derby as an 80-1 longshot who wasn’t even in the field until another horse scratched the day before. The 2025 Derby features its own Cinderella story in Coal Battle, trained by 72-year-old Lonnie Briley, who has been training horses for 34 years without a single premier racing event starter. Purchased for $70,000, Coal Battle has already earned over $1 million by winning multiple prep races, including the Rebel Stakes. For Briley, who first visited Churchill Downs just three years ago with a horse that finished dead last, this represents the democratic promise at the heart of the Derby—that with the right horse, even the smallest stable can compete on racing’s biggest stage. A look at this year’s Kentucky Derby field Coal Battle is one of 20 thoroughbreds in the 2025 Kentucky Derby field, which represents the various paths to Churchill Downs. Here’s how each horse in this year’s field made it to the Run for the Roses: Burnham Square: From earning four points in the Holy Bull to capturing 100 in the Blue Grass Stakes (winning by a nose over East Avenue), Burnham Square ranks first on the Kentucky Derby points leader board with 130. Sandman: This $1.2 million purchase accumulated 129 points across multiple races, culminating in an impressive Arkansas Derby victory by 2.5 lengths over Publisher. Journalism: The current Derby favorite enters with a four-race winning streak, including the Santa Anita Derby. Rodriguez: Maximizing the Northeast corridor by winning the Wood Memorial for 100 points, this colt represents trainer Bob Baffert’s return to the Derby since 2021. Tiztastic: Converted a 100-point Louisiana Derby win into a prime position with 119 points, giving trainer Steve Asmussen (0-for-26 in the Derby with three runner-up finishes) another chance at his elusive first Derby victory. Tappan Street: Florida Derby champion (110 points) who will attempt to become just the fifth horse to win the Kentucky Derby after only three career starts, following Regret (1915), Big Brown (2008), Justify (2018), and Mage (2023). Sovereignty: Fountain of Youth winner who also finished second in the Florida Derby and totaled 110 points, Sovereignty gives Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, another chance at his first Derby win after 12 previous attempts. Final Gambit: Jeff Ruby Steaks winner (100 points) who rallied from last to win by 3.5 lengths and will be making his first start on dirt in the Derby after previously racing on turf and synthetic surfaces. Coal Battle: The quintessential rags-to-riches narrative with 95 points on the leaderboard, led by 72-year-old trainer Lonnie Briley, who had never even entered a horse in a premier racing event before Coal Battle’s Rebel Stakes victory at 11–1 odds. Chunk of Gold: Consistent performer with 75 points who cost just $2,500 at auction and has never finished worse than second in four career starts, including runner-up in the Louisiana Derby. Citizen Bull: Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner who captured the 2-year-old championship and earned 71.25 points, attempting to become the first Juvenile winner to capture the Derby since Nyquist (2015-16). Owen Almighty: Tampa Bay Derby champion (65 points) owned by Dutch Bros Coffee Company cofounder Travis Boersma. East Avenue: Blue Grass Stakes runner-up (60 points) who narrowly missed victory by a nose, but whose sire (father), Medaglia d’Oro, finished fourth in his own Derby attempt in 2002. Publisher: Arkansas Derby runner-up (60 points) who will become just the 13th maiden (winless horse) to start in the Kentucky Derby since 1937. American Promise: Virginia Derby winner (55 points), capitalizing on the newly added qualification race with a 7.75-length victory and giving 89-year-old legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas his shot at a fifth Derby win. Flying Mohawk: The Jeff Ruby Steaks runner-up (50 points), who is co-owned by former MLB All-Star outfielder Jayson Werth, will be making his first start on dirt after racing exclusively on turf and synthetic surfaces. Grande: Wood Memorial runner-up (50 points) with just three career starts who will attempt to become the fifth horse to win the Derby with so few races, guided by three-time Derby-winning jockey John Velazquez. Built: Accumulated 45 points across multiple Fair Grounds preps, including a second in the Lecomte, third in the Risen Star, and fifth in the Louisiana Derby. Luxor Café: The son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah is the Japan Road qualifier and ships in on a four-race winning streak. Admire Daytona: Europe-Middle East Road qualifier who won the UAE Derby by a nose and previously was beaten twice by fellow Derby contender Luxor Café. The fastest two minutes in sports For many trainers, the Kentucky Derby is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Since only 3-year-old thoroughbreds are eligible, unless you’re a Baffert-level trainer with seemingly endless resources and a deep stable, there are no second chances. This brutal math explains why veterans like Briley wait decades for their moment, while elite trainers seem to have regular seats at racing’s most exclusive table. It’s why Coal Battle’s presence in the starting gate represents both a statistical anomaly and the enduring dream that keeps trainers like him in the game for decades, hoping for that one special thoroughbred who defies the 0.11% odds. Coal Battle is currently a 20–1 underdog to win the 2025 Kentucky Derby. Journalism is the 3–1 favorite, followed by Sandman (8–1) and Sovereignty (8–1). But in the world’s most exclusive starting gate, each thoroughbred in the 20-horse field has already beaten the longest odds just by showing up.

Anyone who’s watched a sci-fi blockbuster has felt the allure of 3D floating graphics you can swipe, pinch, or spin in midair. The idea of waving your hand to manipulate virtual objects seems more like movie magic than actual technology. While modern sensors and clever visual tricks can mimic some of this, there’s always been something missing: the feeling of truly touching those holograms. Tech fans have long dreamed of a time when those captivating visual effects break free from screens and let us reach out and interact directly. The challenge isn’t just making realistic volumetric images, but giving your hands real feedback, something to press, turn, or hold. One recent experiment takes a huge leap toward this dream, letting us not just see, but almost feel, digital objects in space. Designer: Dr. Elodie Bouzbib, Iosune Sarasate, Unai Fernández, Manuel López-Amo, Iván Fernández, Iñigo Ezcurdia, and Asier Marzo from Public University of Navarra (UPNA) At the heart of this experiment are volumetric displays, which create the illusion of 3D objects floating in the air by projecting images onto a fast-moving diffuser. Traditionally, these diffusers are made from rigid materials. Reaching out to touch them doesn’t end well: you risk breaking the tech or even hurting your hand. The tactile disconnect always breaks the illusion. A clever twist changes everything: instead of using a solid diffuser, the experiment swapped it for a set of elastic strips, each oscillating rapidly to form a surface for the images. Now, the 3D holograms are projected onto these wavy, soft strips, which can safely yield as you poke or prod. You can even slip a finger between the gaps, something impossible with previous versions. This nifty change allows users to interact more naturally with holographic objects, twisting or pushing them with a sense of resistance. The elastic nature of the strips means you get just enough feedback to convince your mind you’re touching something real. It’s not quite grabbing a solid object, but it’s a big leap from waving at empty air and pretending you made contact. While these holograms aren’t actually tangible, the feeling of connection is much stronger than anything we’ve seen before. For tech enthusiasts and dreamers alike, touchable 3D holograms bring us closer to those sci-fi scenes we’ve all imagined. It’s a delightful peek into a future where pixels meet fingertips, making interactions more magical and real than ever before. The post Touchable 3D Holograms Bring Sci-Fi Interaction Closer to Reality first appeared on Yanko Design.