Facebook has applied to patent a ‘modular electromechanical device’. It’s vague to say the least, but the idea seems to be to make consumer electronics last longer. The application talks about having a chassis and then space for multiple ‘functional modules’ to attach to the chassis, the idea being that exactly what the device is […]
Only last Friday, staff at an Washington DC were saying hello to their new security robot. It… didn’t work out quite as planned. Our D.C. office building got a security robot. It drowned itself. We were promised flying cars, instead we got suicidal robots. pic.twitter.com/rGLTAWZMjn — Bilal Farooqui (@bilalfarooqui) July 17, 2017
Volvo has confirmed its self-driving car is baffled by kangaroos because they bounce. The company is working on autonomous vehicles with a planned 2020 release. Because of the markets it plans to target, it’s including a system to detect large animals such as deer and elk, which can be calamitous for animal and driver alike […]
Melbourne University researchers are working on a self-healing gel that could mean cracked phone screens could repair themselves. The gel is made from poly(hydroxyl ethyl methacrylate), which is one of the key materials used to create contact lenses. The researchers have manipulated it such that it is normally firm, but can flow more like a […]
Google is adding high-dynamic range (HDR) movies to its Play Store. They’ll only work on compatible TV sets and carry the same eyewatering cost as 4K videos on the service. HDR isn’t about resolution, but rather increased contrast (with more detail visible in very dark or bright scenes) and a bigger color range, both of […]
A new cellphone design works without any battery. But it has some major drawbacks and would require some major infrastructure work to take off. The phone is the work of University of Washington researchers. Although it doesn’t have a touchscreen or any smartphone apps, it does use Skype technology for voice calls. The energy use […]
Volvo says every new model it sells from 2019 onwards will have at least some electric motor in the engine set-up. It’s calling it “the historic end of cars that have only an internal combustion engine” and is the first major manufacturer to make the step. It’s not quite the death of the combustion engine […]
After successfully launching the Wearhaus Arc in November 2014 and raising over $250,000 for the project, the team at Wearhaus are now back with a new revolutionary product: The Wearhaus Beam, a pair of smart bluetooth earbuds that feature wireless audio technology that allows you to share your music live with your friends. The earbuds […]