Brain implant lets people with paralysis write using their minds

[…] 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[…]

Lamps Double As Secret Surround Sound Speakers

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[…]

Modding A Casio W800-H With A Countdown Timer – it’s a jumper setting

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[…]

Samsung Electronics Expands its Galaxy Upcycling Program to Enable Consumers to Repurpose Galaxy Smartphones into Smart Home Devices

With Galaxy Upcycling at Home, users can easily turn their old Galaxy devices² into smart home devices like a childcare monitor, a pet care solution and other tools that meet individual lifestyle needs. Make Any Home a Smart Home The Galaxy Upcycling at Home program provides enhanced sound and light-control features, by repurposing built-in sensors. Read more about Samsung Electronics Expands its Galaxy Upcycling Program to Enable Consumers to Repurpose Galaxy Smartphones into Smart Home Devices[…]

A keyboard? How quaint: Logitech and Baidu link arms to make an AI-enabled, voice-transcribing mouse

The Logitech Voice M380 wireless mouse looks and acts like a regular mouse but with a special button to initiate voice dictation. Baidu claimed recognition facilitates content creation at two to three times the speed of what one can type. The device supports dictation in Chinese, English, and Japanese, and can translate content to English, Read more about A keyboard? How quaint: Logitech and Baidu link arms to make an AI-enabled, voice-transcribing mouse[…]

Pixels Are Bluetooth Dice That Let You Play Online Games and Flash An internal LED

A pair of good dice is a guilty pleasure for a tabletop RPG gamer. You can never have enough, but I can tell you this: None are going to be as flashy as Pixels. These dice have an ace up their sleeve that the rest of your dice don’t have, because they light up and Read more about Pixels Are Bluetooth Dice That Let You Play Online Games and Flash An internal LED[…]

SmartThings bricks all hardware (2013 – 2021) wtf?

If you own a 2013 SmartThings hub (that’s the original) or a SmartThings Link for the Nvidia Shield TV, your hardware will stop working on June 30 of this year. The device depreciation is part of the announced exodus from manufacturing and supporting its own hardware and the Groovy IDE that Samsung Smartthings announced last Read more about SmartThings bricks all hardware (2013 – 2021) wtf?[…]

A Bug in Lenovo System Update Service is Driving Up CPU Usage and Prompting Fan Noise in Laptops and Desktops, Customers Say

Since late January, most users running a pre-installed Lenovo image of Windows 10 has been bitten by a bug in Lenovo’s System Update Service (SUService.exe) causing it to constantly occupy a CPU thread. This was noticed by many ThinkPad and IdeaPad users as an unexpected increase in fan noise, but many desktop users might not Read more about A Bug in Lenovo System Update Service is Driving Up CPU Usage and Prompting Fan Noise in Laptops and Desktops, Customers Say[…]

Metalenz Wants to Jump-Start Phone Cameras Again With Better Lenses

A new company called Metalenz, which emerges from stealth mode today, is looking to disrupt smartphone cameras with a single, flat lens system that utilizes a technology called optical metasurfaces. A camera built around this new lens tech can produce an image of the same if not better quality as traditional lenses, collect more light Read more about Metalenz Wants to Jump-Start Phone Cameras Again With Better Lenses[…]

These 3D-Printed Fish Bots Can Swarm and School

Researchers have made a smart school of robotic fish that swarm and swim just like the real deal, and they offer promising insights into how developers can improve decentralized, autonomous operations for other gizmos like self-driving vehicles and robotic space explorers. Also, they’re just pretty stinking cute. These seven 3D-printed robots, or Bluebots, can synchronize Read more about These 3D-Printed Fish Bots Can Swarm and School[…]

Myopia correcting ‘smart glasses’ from Japan to be sold in Asia – Snake Oil or …?

Can a pair of unique spectacles banish nearsightedness without surgical intervention? Japan’s Kubota Pharmaceutical Holdings says its wearable device can do just that, and it plans to start releasing the product in Asia, where many people grapple with myopia. The device, which the company calls Kubota Glasses or smart glasses, is still being tested. It Read more about Myopia correcting ‘smart glasses’ from Japan to be sold in Asia – Snake Oil or …?[…]

DARPA Announces Subterranean Challenge Finals: mapping out underground tunnels, caves, evil lairs by robot

After three years of development, DARPA Subterranean (SubT) Challenge teams will get the chance to compete in the Final Event being held at the Louisville Mega Cavern in Louisville, Kentucky on September 21-23, 2021. The DARPA SubT Challenge aims to develop innovative technologies that can rapidly map, navigate, and search complex underground environments such as Read more about DARPA Announces Subterranean Challenge Finals: mapping out underground tunnels, caves, evil lairs by robot[…]

NextMind’s brain-computer interface is ready for developers

NextMind is the latest in a long line of companies trying to harness the brain as a means of controlling our digital world. At first, its take on things may seem familiar: Don a headset which places a sensor on the back of your head, and it’ll detect your brainwaves which can then be translated Read more about NextMind’s brain-computer interface is ready for developers[…]

The first phone with an under-display camera goes on sale December 21st

You won’t have to wait much longer to buy the first phone with an under-display camera — if you live in the right country. ZTE now plans to release the Axon 20 5G in 11 countries and regions on December 21st, including the UK, European Union, Japan and South Korea. The company didn’t reveal pricing, Read more about The first phone with an under-display camera goes on sale December 21st[…]

Oppo’s X 2021 rollable concept phone expands in your hand

Today’s Inno Day 2020 event unveiled the Oppo X 2021 concept smartphone, which is all about its “continuously variable OLED display.” With a simple swipe on a button, the phone is able to transform between a regular 6.7-inch size and a tablet-like 7.4-inch size, and the software interface adapts accordingly for optimal experience — be Read more about Oppo’s X 2021 rollable concept phone expands in your hand[…]

There’s a Massive Recall of Amazon Neighbourhood Spy Ring Doorbells –  might explode in flames

In a year where it seems everything is both literally and figuratively on fire, it’s not surprising that we can now add Amazon’s Ring Video Doorbell to the list. Yes, it turns out that the device you purchased and installed for the purpose of making your home safer is itself a safety hazard. As a Read more about There’s a Massive Recall of Amazon Neighbourhood Spy Ring Doorbells –  might explode in flames[…]

Researchers Create a Single-Molecule Switch – a Step Toward Ever-Smaller Electronics

A team of researchers has demonstrated for the first time a single-molecule electret – a device that could be one of the keys to molecular computers. Smaller electronics are crucial to developing more advanced computers and other devices. This has led to a push in the field toward finding a way to replace silicon chips Read more about Researchers Create a Single-Molecule Switch – a Step Toward Ever-Smaller Electronics[…]

Brit MPs to Apple CEO: Please stop ignoring our questions about repairability and the environment

The UK’s Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) says Apple is still not answering questions relating to its record on the environmental sustainability and repairability of its iStuff. The EAC – a sounder of Members of Parliament that sit on the select committee in the House of Commons – asked the American company to get involved in Read more about Brit MPs to Apple CEO: Please stop ignoring our questions about repairability and the environment[…]

How Face Shields and Valve Masks Fail to Stop Infectious Droplets, as Shown by Lasers

A new study using lasers suggests that face shields and masks outfitted with an exhaust valve aren’t particularly great at protecting others from tiny respiratory droplets containing contagious germs like the coronavirus that causes covid-19. These aerosols can spill through and around these types of face equipment, the study found, weakening their potential to keep Read more about How Face Shields and Valve Masks Fail to Stop Infectious Droplets, as Shown by Lasers[…]

Engineers Have Figured Out How to Make Interactive Paper

Engineers at Purdue University have created a printing process by which you can coat paper or cardboard with “highly fluorinated molecules.” This then makes the coated paper dust, oil, and water-repellent, meaning you can then print multiple circuit layers onto the paper without smudging the ink. According to a paper the engineers published in Nano Read more about Engineers Have Figured Out How to Make Interactive Paper[…]

Philips Hue Bridge updates actually kills your old Bridge

Wow, I really really hate that this is a possibility. You spent money on hardware – not some monthly subscription service – where it’s really nice that they add more than just security updates but then: BANG! They kill the hardware, rendering it little more than scrappable junk. Suddenly, it won’t do any of the Read more about Philips Hue Bridge updates actually kills your old Bridge[…]