Addressable LED strings have made it easier than ever to build fun glowable projects with all kinds of exciting animations. However, if you’re not going with a simple grid layout, it can be a little difficult to map your strings out in code. Fear not, for [Jason Coon] has provided a tool to help out Read more about Finally, A Mapping Tool For Addressable LED Strings[…]
[…] the Mictic One are two Bkuetooth bracelets equipped with movement sensors. The bracelets connect to a mobile device (only iOS at the moment, but the Android version is under development). From the Mictic application, we can select different musical instruments and control the sound they produce by moving our hands and arms. Think of Read more about These Two Mictic Bluetooth Bracelets Put an Entire Orchestra of Virtual Instruments in Your Hands (IOS only :'( )[…]
We now have data on over 21,000 broken items and what was done to fix them. This information comes from volunteers at our own events and others who use our community repair platform, restarters.net. Thanks to our partners in the Open Repair Alliance who also collect this kind of data, we were able to include Read more about Why our electronics break: what we can learn from nearly 10 years of repairs over 50k broken items[…]
The Securities and Exchange Commission has launched an investigation into whether Tesla failed to tell investors and customers about the fire risks of its faulty solar panels. Whistleblower and ex-employee, Steven Henkes, accused the company of flouting safety issues in a complaint with the SEC in 2019. He filed a freedom of information request to Read more about The SEC is probing Tesla’s faulty solar panels prone to fire, whistleblower says they kept evidence of danger under wraps[…]
Long sought-after, and previously thought impossible — a McMaster University PhD student in Hamilton Canada demonstrates a cost-effective and simple laser in silicon. This could have dramatic consequences for the SiP (Silicon Photonics) — a hot topic for those working in the field of integrated optics. Integrated optics is a critical technology involved in advanced Read more about BreakthroughCreates Laser In Silicon[…]
Apple, having long stood in the way of customers who want to fix their own devices, now says it wants to help those who feel they have the right to repair their own products. On Wednesday the iBiz announced Self Service Repair, “which will allow customers who are comfortable with completing their own repairs access Read more about Apple magnanimously launches Self Service Repair for DIY iPhone, Mac fixes[…]
Throughout history, people have devised ways to send information across long distances. For centuries we relied on smoke signals, semaphores, and similar physical devices. Electricity changed everything. First the telegraph and then radio transformed communications. Now researchers at the University of Lancaster have demonstrated another way to send wireless data without using electromagnetic radiation. They’ve Read more about Forget Radio! Transmitting With Neutrons[…]
Controlling your computer with a wave of the hand seems like something from science fiction, and for good reason. From Minority Report to Iron Man, we’ve seen plenty of famous actors controlling their high-tech computer systems by wildly gesticulating in the air. Meanwhile, we’re all stuck using keyboards and mice like a bunch of chumps. Read more about Low-Cost DIY Computer Gesture Control With An I2C Sensor[…]
Ultraleap’s fifth-generation hand tracking platform, known as Gemini, is fully available on Windows. The most robust, flexible hand tracking ever, it’s already powering amazing experiences from Varjo, been integrated into Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 platform, and is bringing touchless technology to self-service solutions around the world. The Gemini Windows release is the first step in making the world’s best hand tracking easier to access and more flexible for multiple platforms, camera systems and Read more about Ultraleap launches its 5th Gen hand tracking platform Gemini[…]
The OAK-D is an open-source, full-color depth sensing camera with embedded AI capabilities, and there is now a crowdfunding campaign for a newer, lighter version called the OAK-D Lite. The new model does everything the previous one could do, combining machine vision with stereo depth sensing and an ability to run highly complex image processing Read more about OAK-D Depth Sensing AI Camera Gets Smaller And Lighter[…]
With the addition of features like a 120Hz display on some models, Apple’s iPhone 13 lineup is many ways a step above the phones the company shipped last year. But when it comes to the question of repairability, the story is more complicated. Conducting a teardown of the device, iFixit found it couldn’t get the Read more about Face ID on the iPhone 13 stops working if a third-party replaces the phone’s display[…]
Non-line-of-sight (NLOS) imaging and tracking is an emerging technology that allows the shape or position of objects around corners or behind diffusers to be recovered from transient, time-of-flight measurements. However, existing NLOS approaches require the imaging system to scan a large area on a visible surface, where the indirect light paths of hidden objects are Read more about Seeing what’s in a room by pointing a laser through a keyhole[…]
Android is implementing this option as part of the accessibility feature, Switch Access. Switch Access adds a blue selection window to your display, and lets you use external switches, a keyboard, or the buttons on your Android to move that selection window through the many different items on your screen until you land on the Read more about How to Control Your Android With Just Your Facial Expressions[…]
In a joint project with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the school designed a neuroprosthetic that costs about $500 in components. It’s an inflatable hand made from an elastomer called EcoFlex and looks a bit like Baymax from Big Hero 6. The device foregoes electric motors in favor of a pneumatic system that inflates and bends Read more about MIT developed a low-cost prosthetic hand that can help amputees feel again[…]
Until recently, there was only one smartphone on the market equipped with an under-screen camera: last year’s ZTE Axon 20 5G. Other players such as Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi had also been testing this futuristic tech, but given the subpar image quality back then, it’s no wonder that phone makers largely stuck with punch-hole cameras Read more about Oppo’s latest under-screen camera may finally be capable of good photos – I hate the notch![…]
A few days ago, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) came out with a 5-0 unanimous vote on its position on right to repair. (PDF) It’s great news, in that they basically agree with us all: Restricting consumers and businesses from choosing how they repair products can substantially increase the total cost of repairs, generate Read more about US FTC Weighs in On Right To Repair[…]
iFixit co-founder and CEO Kyle Wiens has exposed how companies including Apple, Samsung, and Microsoft manipulate the design of their products and the supply chain to prevent consumers and third-party repairers from accessing necessary tools and parts to repair products such as smartphones and laptops. ZDNet Recommends The best old phones to buy Why last Read more about iFixit CEO names and shames tech giants for right to repair obstruction – not sustainable at all[…]
What are these terms and how do they work in terms of control schemes? In this world you generally get what you pay for – if it’s cheap, then it’s probably plasticky and nasty. If it’s expensive, then it’s probably high quality. Saitek and Logitech have equipment running from low to midrange. Thrustmaster from mid Read more about HOTAS, HOSAS, Dual Joysticks, Omnithrottle, Space and Flight sim controllers[…]
There’s a limit to what you can learn about cells from 2D pictures, but creating 3D images is a time-intensive process. Now, scientists from UT Southwestern have developed a new “simple and cost-effective” device capable of capturing multi-angle photos that can be retrofitted onto existing lab microscopes. The team say their solution — which involves Read more about Researchers retrofit microscopes to take 3D images of cells in real-time[…]
A British right to repair law comes into force today, requiring manufacturers to make spares available to both consumers and third-party repair companies. However, despite claiming to cover “televisions and other electronic displays,”‘ the law somehow excludes smartphones and laptops… The European Union introduced a right to repair law back in March, and the Read more about British right to repair law excludes smartphones and computers[…]
As you dive deeper into the world of electronics, a good oscilloscope quickly is an indispensable tool. However, for many use cases where you’re debugging low voltage, low speed circuits, that expensive oscilloscope is using only a fraction of its capabilities. As a minimalist alternative for these use cases [fhdm-dev] created Scoppy, a combination of Read more about Raspberry Pi Pico Oscilloscope[…]
[…] if you’re thinking of buying a new One SL, you ought to keep in mind that it’ll only work with the newer Sonos S2 app. This won’t be a problem for every Sonos owner, especially if you bought all your Sonos devices in the past year or two. It might be an issue, however, Read more about The New Sonos One SL Reminds Us That Smart Devices Have a Shelf Life, forces you to spying S2 update[…]
[…] The new technique uses a computer to convert attempted handwriting movements from brain activity into on-screen text. As part of their tests, the team worked with a 65-year-old participant (named T5 in the study) who was paralyzed from the neck down due to a spinal cord injury sustained in 2007. The researchers started by Read more about Brain implant lets people with paralysis write using their minds[…]
Combined with today’s massive flat panel displays, a nice surround sound system can provide an extremely immersive environment for watching movies or gaming. But a stumbling block many run into is speaker placement. The front speakers generally just go on either side of the TV, but finding a spot for the rear speakers that’s both Read more about Lamps Double As Secret Surround Sound Speakers[…]
Stock, the Casio W800-H wristwatch ships with dual time modes, multiple alarms, and a stopwatch – useful features for some. However, more is possible if you just know where to look. [Ian] decided to dive under the hood and enable a countdown timer feature hidden from the factory. The hack involves popping open the case Read more about Modding A Casio W800-H With A Countdown Timer – it’s a jumper setting[…]