The promise and pitfalls of using robots to care for the elderly
There's something dystopian about the idea of a future in which robots care for the elderly. But is this something we should really fight against? A number of new projects show that a future of caregiving robots and artificial intelligence may be just what the doctor ordered.
Caltech’s new CO2 recycler could be a game-changer for space exploration
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have developed a special reactor that can transform carbon dioxide into molecular oxygen. This could prove to be a potential game-changer for generating oxygen in space. Here's how it works -- and why it's potentially so exciting.
NASA nabs $125 million in funding to develop nuclear rocket propulsion
NASA has been awarded a sum of $125 million to develop nuclear thermal propulsion systems for its future spacecraft. The award to develop the technology was given as part of a total $22.3 billion of funding for NASA as approved by the House Appropriations Committee this month.
Robots are used to carry out daily health inspections at schools across China
China has reportedly installed health-checking robots at more than 2,000 preschools across the country. The robot uses cameras and an infrared thermometer to look for signs of possible disease in kids aged 2 to 6, ranging from red eyes or a sore throat to blisters and fever.
The Tamagotchi Effect: How digital pets shaped the tech habits of a generation
Tamagotchis, the egg-shaped virtual pets that were the obsession of kids and the scourge of many parents and teachers in the late 1990s, are making a comeback. Here's how the originals helped shape the tech views of an entire generation of kids, now in their twenties and thirties.
Motion-sensing shrubs and robo-Venus flytraps: Inside the world of Cyborg Botany
From motion-sensing plants to a Venus Flytrap you control using a computer interface, Harpreet Sareen is the brains behind a weird field called Cyborg Botany. Here's why he believes that it matters -- and what we can expect from this fast-growing (literally) area in the future.
This plane-pulling robo-dog makes Boston Dynamics’ Spot look scrawny
Man's strongest friend, anyone? A robot dog created by researchers at Italy’s Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) has shown off its impressive ability to pull a three-ton airplane down a runway. In future, its inventors hope that it will be used as a rescue tool by firefighters.
Watch live as SpaceX tries, for the third time, to launch 60 Starlink satellites
Elon Musk's SpaceX is having another go at launching the first 60 satellites for its ultra-ambitious Starlink internet constellation. Provided that all goes according to plan, that is! Here's how you can tune in live to watch the Falcon 9 launch as it goes down later today.
Whose name should we etch on the Mars 2020 rover? NASA wants a vote
Dream of making it to Mars? NASA opened up a new public outreach program to let individuals send their names to the Red Planet, as an engraving on a silicon chip launched with the space agency’s next rover, due to touch down on Mars in February 2021. Here's what you need to know.
Future smart clothes promise to keep you the perfect temperature at all times
Regulating your body temperature can be tough. Engineers from UC San Diego have developed heating and cooling wearable smart tech which could be embedded into future clothing, thereby keeping you the perfect temperature and saving on overuse of air conditioning and heating.
Scientists use an X-ray laser to create the loudest possible underwater sound
Researchers may have produced the loudest sound possible to make under water. The 270 decibel sound, created by blasting tiny jets of water with an X-ray laser, had a greater intensity than that of a rocket launch. Here's how they managed to create it — and why they did it.
Ford’s bipedal delivery robot can walk straight up to your doorstep
Autonomous wheeled delivery robots are seemingly everywhere in 2019. Oregon-based startup Agility Robotics has a different idea, however. Its cutting edge Digit robot carries out deliveries while walking on two legs. Here's why Agility thinks that's a necessary innovation.
This guy managed to squeeze an entire game console into a Game Boy cartridge
If you ever need a reminder of how far miniaturization has come, check out YouTuber 3DSage's latest achievement. The 31-year-old whiz kid has found a way to compress an entire Game Boy-style games console inside a single original Game Boy cartridge. Check it out in action.
The rise and reign of Starship, the world’s first robotic delivery provider
Excited about the impending delivery robot revolution? If so, you need to know about Starship Technologies, the company which kickstarted the whole thing. Founded by two of the original creators of Skype, Starship is poised to change the world of deliveries. Here's what you need to know.
Elon Musk thinks Starlink satellite internet could be online before 2021
Elon Musk's Starlink project may be predicted to take until November 2027 to be fully operational. However, it won’t take nearly so long for us to start reaping the benefits of SpaceX's space internet initiative. Some level of service could be offered as soon as next year.
First, it was San Francisco. Now, the U.K. is fighting facial recognition
The U.K.'s first legal battle over police use of facial recognition technology has kicked off. The case involves a citizen who is taking action against South Wales Police, alleging that live facial-recognition technology was used against him in a breach of his own personal privacy.
Impossible’s new plant-based sausage is here, but only at Little Caesar’s
Plant-based food startup Impossible Foods is launching its first new meat-free product since its upgraded Impossible Burger. Get ready for…. The Impossible Sausage. Coming immediately to a Little Caesars pizza topping near you. Well, provided you live in select locations!
How Super Mario, Magic: The Gathering, and PowerPoint are low-key supercomputers
What if the creators of Super Mario World, PowerPoint and even the card game Magic: The Gathering had accidentally created tools hiding a general-purpose computer in plain sight? Welcome to the weird world of the accidentally Turing complete. Here's what it all means, and why it matters.
Purdue’s robotic hummingbird is nearly as nimble as the real thing
A team of engineers in Purdue University’s Bio-Robotics Lab have developed an impressively agile flying robot, modeled after the hummingbird. Here's how it works, and why its creators think that it could prove to be a useful addition to future search and rescue missions.
USC’s penny-sized robotic bee is the most sci-fi thing you’ll see all week
Engineers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles have built a bee-inspired robot that weighs just 95 milligrams and is smaller than a one-cent coin. It can fly, swim -- and its creator thinks it may very well one day be useful for exploring Mars and other planets, too.
UV-activated superglue could literally help to heal broken hearts
Scientists at Zhejiang University in China have developed a potentially life-saving ultraviolet-activated adhesive glue that is capable of efficiently healing damage to organs, including the heart. Here's how its inventors have demonstrated its amazing abilities so far.
San Francisco won the battle, but the war on facial-recognition has just begun
San Francisco has become the first city in America to ban facial recognition. Well, kind of. While the ruling only covers certain applications of facial recognition technology, it's nonetheless a very important decision to have been made. Here is why it matters so much.
Think your kid might have an ear infection? This app can confirm it
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a new artificial intelligence-powered smartphone app that’s able to hear ear infections with high levels of accuracy. Here's how it works -- and, more importantly, when it will be available for download by users.
Get ready to waste your day with this creepily accurate text-generating A.I.
Do you remember the text-generating A.I. created by artificial intelligence research lab OpenA.I. that was supposedly too dangerous to release to the public? Well, someone just released a version of it. Check it out -- and get ready to waste your day making it generate text for you.
Soaring on air currents like birds could let drones fly for significantly longer
Birds are sometimes able to glide by catching rising air currents, known as thermals. Thanks to U.S. Navy research, this energy-saving technique could also be used by drones to allow them to remain airborne for longer. It could soon be available to regular customers, too.
Google’s Street View cars are helping build a giant map of global air pollution
For the past several years, a growing number of Google’s Street View cars have been doing more than just taking photos. They’ve also been measuring air quality. Here's how they've been doing it -- and what this could mean for solving the global problem of air pollution.
Amazon’s new fulfillment center machines pack boxes up to 5x faster than humans
Amazon employs thousands of people in its fulfillment centers whose job is to pack customer orders. However, the retail giant is reportedly considering installing new machines capable of packing up to 700 boxes per hour. That is between four and five times the rate of a human packer.
How facial recognition is changing life as we know it – for better or worse
From the police to advertising startups, everyone is investing in state-of-the-art facial recognition technology. Why is this field growing so rapidly, and what does it mean for ordinary citizens? Digital Trends took a deep dive into some of the latest potential applications.
In China, a deep brain stimulation implant is being used to treat addiction
Researchers in China have implanted a Deep Brain Stimulation device into a person’s brain to treat their addiction to methamphetamine. The operation, which was carried out at Shanghai’s Ruijin Hospital, is among the first of its kind to have taken place for this purpose.
Like a lens for audio, these metamaterial bricks bend, focus, and amplify sound
Want to beam an audio message to just one member of a crowd? Want an audience to get the same high-quality audio experience? An intriguing new metamaterials project from researchers in the U.K. could deliver exactly that. Here's how it all works -- and what happens next.
Chicago’s trash-eating river robot is a glimpse into the future of crowdsourcing
From controlling a trash-picking robot on the Chicago River to helping discover new planets, our hyper-connected world is giving the public a host of new tools to help solve some giant problems. Here's why it's so exciting -- and what this all means for the future as we know it.
Changing some code on YouTube could help lower its carbon footprint
The idea of saving the planet by changing a bit of code on YouTube sounds crazy. But it could actually make a surprising amount of difference to the quantities of CO2 pumped into the atmosphere -- and it wouldn’t even involve any change to the overall YouTube user experience.
Forget ice — this cooler harnesses the power of the sun to chill your food
It sounds a bit crazy, but a new off-grid cooler called GoSun Chill uses the sun to keep your drinks and food cold. The hotter the day, the better. Here's how you can get your hands on one -- and how this impressive technology works. (Hint: It's to do with solar energy.)