Check out these stunning photos of the total solar eclipse
In case you’ve been living under a rock … actually, no, even cave-dwellers must have heard about Monday’s solar eclipse. At about 11:19 a.m. PT, the moon fully eclipsed the sun, an event that many Americans celebrated by taking a week off of work and driving out to the middle of nowhere to experience an rare occurrence that lasted for about half an hour.
Those within the eclipse’s ominous-sounding “path of totality” had a front-row seat (assuming they had a pair of eclipse glasses, or certain welding goggles, or some sort of home-brewed device), but the vast majority of us settled for a few minutes of weirdly dim daylight. Luckily, images are popping up everywhere, from generous Flickr users and NASA photographers alike. We’ve put together an assortment of the best solar eclipse photos, just for you. Enjoy!
Read: Check out these stunning photos of the total solar eclipse
Google and Walmart team up to take on Amazon with voice assistant ordering
Google does not want Amazon to have all the fun, so it is teaming up with one of the largest brick-and-mortar retailers in an attempt to beat the digital retail giant. Pay close attention to your spending habits because as big tech competes for your business, they are only making it easier for you to pull out that plastic.
The latest tactic comes in the form of a partnership between Walmart and Google, which promises to “bring you hundreds of thousands of products at Walmart’s Every Day Low Prices … that you can buy through voice with your Assistant on Google Home or on the Google Express website or app.” Sound familiar? That is because you can already do the same through Amazon with Alexa and the various Echo devices.
In addition, Google Express has done away with its membership fees, which means that you no longer have to pay either $10 a month or $95 a year to get free delivery in one to three days. That, if nothing else, puts the service above Amazon, whose famed Prime membership probably will not be free anytime soon.
Read: Google and Walmart team up to take on Amazon with voice assistant ordering
Fisker’s electric EMotion will cost $130,000 and make its debut at CES 2018
Henrik Fisker is nothing if not persistent. After leaving his namesake Fisker Automotive (which has since been resurrected as Karma Automotive), the car designer who helped shaped cars like the BMW Z8 and Aston Martin DB9 started a second company to build another flashy luxury car, the Fisker EMotion.
The new Fisker Inc. announced plans to build the EMotion EV last year, and now it is revealing more details about the vehicle. Fisker previously said the EMotion would have a 400-mile range and 161-mph top speed, and now we know that capability will cost $129,000. Fisker noted that this is the price for cars with the “ultra large battery pack,” indicating that, like Tesla and Lucid Motors, it will offer multiple battery pack sizes.
The first teaser images for the production model show that it is toned down a bit from the prototype Fisker unveiled last year. But with an unusual array of shapes in place of a traditional grille, unusual-looking headlights, and other details, the EMotion will likely still be a wild design.
Read: Fisker’s electric EMotion will cost $130,000 and make its debut at CES 2018
This miniature robot arm could be the future of keyhole surgery
U.K. engineers have developed a miniature keyhole surgery robot arm, which is able to carry out a range of minimally invasive laparoscopic operations including hernia repairs, colorectal operations, prostate surgery, and more. While robots are already used for keyhole surgery, the Versius is a third the size of the robots which are currently used — and significantly cheaper, too.
“Versius is CMR’s first surgical robot and will be the smallest the world has ever seen,” Martin Frost, CEO of manufacturer Cambridge Medical Robotics, told Digital Trends. “The robot’s remarkable dexterity, flexibility, and reach means that it can carry out more procedures more easily than any existing robot on the market. Its flexibility, together with its portability, means Versius is designed to be kept constantly busy, improving outcomes for patients and offering a more cost effective solution for health systems.”
Read: This miniature robot arm could be the future of keyhole surgery
Apple AR glasses: News and rumors about ‘Project Mirrorshades’
Apple talked about ARKit, a new augmented reality platform, at its annual Worldwide Developer Conference earlier this year, but the iPhone maker might have far more interesting tech plans up its sleeves.
According to three alleged Foxconn employees who published details about upcoming Apple products recently, the Cupertino company’s skunkworks has been working on Project Mirrorshades, its term for Google Glass-like AR glasses with motion detectors, transparent displays, and integrated touch panels. Apple AR glasses, it would seem.
Here’s everything we know so far.
Read: Apple AR glasses: News and rumors about ‘Project Mirrorshades’
Chocolate Construction lets you build a 3D-shaped dinosaur, then eat it
It’s not much of a debate: Tyrannosaurus rex is cool. Its daunting size and powerful jaws make it the king of the dinosaurs. This adoration also makes it the most identifiable dinosaur all the way down to its bones. Now with Chocolate Construction, kids and adults can immortalize their favorite tyrant lizard in chocolate, at least until they get hungry.
Chocolate Construction is a durable silicone mold with nine distinct cavities for the various bones making up a T. rex. Sharp teeth, a jagged spine, long tail, ribs, and little arms make up the pieces used to construct the beast.
Read: Chocolate Construction lets you build a 3D-shaped dinosaur, then eat it
Hacked smart devices double as surveillance tools, new research finds
Hackers can turn smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs into surveillance tools by exploiting their built-in microphones, according to a new study out of the University of Washington. With the device hijacked, the attacker can detect body position and movement of people within its vicinity, raising additional concern about the security of smart devices, which made the news earlier this year with revelations about the ease with which they can be comprised.
“We were curious about the privacy threats that these devices can expose users to,” Shyam Gollakota, senior author of the study and UW associate professor of computer science and engineering, told Digital Trends. “So we asked the question, ‘How about a simple task of playing music on these devices? Can we use music to achieve surveillance on people?’”
Read: Hacked smart devices double as surveillance tools, new research finds
SpaceX’s slim new spacesuits look straight out of sci-fi
We’ve known about Elon Musk’s ambitions to send human beings to Mars for quite some time. On Wednesday, Musk’s aerospace transport company made another giant leap toward these goals by revealing the SpaceX spacesuit it hopes to use to transport astronauts to and from outer space.
In 2014, NASA announced it awarded government contracts to both Boeing and SpaceX to ferry American astronauts to and from the International Space Station. SpaceX has already proven its ability to launch and land recycled rockets, not to mention the viability of the Dragon Capsule its plans to use to ship astronauts to and from the ISS. However, despite leaked unverified images on Reddit, we had yet to see a fully functional spacesuit — a crucial aspect of any space-faring aims.
Read: SpaceX’s slim new spacesuits look straight out of sci-fi
The Coolala is a $400 portable AC unit that you can take outside
For all the claims our portable air conditioners make about being movable, it’s time to be honest with ourselves — they’re only portable if you’re a giant, or have a house that is nothing but windows. Just because these AC units aren’t mounted doesn’t exactly make them bastions of mobility. You can’t really take your “portable” air conditioners anywhere. Until now, that is. Meet the Coolala, a new Kickstarter project that claims to be “the only solar powered air conditioner that’s truly portable, so you can stay cool anywhere, anytime.”
Part of its portability is derived from its diminutive size. Measuring just 16 by 3.5 by 12 inches, this is a truly mini AC unit. But rest assured, it’ll do a lot more for you than a hand-held fan. It weighs in at 7 pounds and comes complete with wheels and a handle (in case you don’t feel like carrying it). And most importantly, it claims 3,500 BTU of cooling power, which means that you can cool an area of up to 150 square feet. Once the sun has fully powered up its battery, the Coolala claims to be able to provide some relief from the heat for between six to eight hours.
Read: The Coolala is a $400 portable AC unit that you can take outside
