This weird wearable robot arm will feed you and your dinner companion
Researchers in Australia have developed an oddball chest-mounted social feeding robot system which uses a robotic arm to feed either the wearer or their dinner partner. Oh, yes, and the whole thing’s guided by facial recognition technology, too. Is this the future of dining tech?
Scientists may have solved the mystery of how a Martian moon got its markings
The question of how the Martian moon Phobos got the strange groove patterns crisscrossing its surface has baffled planetary scientists for decades. Thanks to advanced computer modeling techniques, scientists from Brown University now believe they’ve come up with the answer.
Collapsing ‘robot’ could save you a parking space on Black Friday
Want to be sure you get a parking spot at the mall on Black Friday? Maybe you should get a robot to guard your place for you! A startup called MyPark is offering exactly that service, courtesy of its spot-guarding mobile app and collapsible 'robot' guardians. Here's how it works.
Vibration-sensing tech turns any ‘dumb’ surface into a smart touch-sensitive one
What if it was possible to use a special chip to transform quite literally any surface into a touch-sensitive one able to act as a computer input? That science fiction dream is what startup HyperSurfaces is working to achieve. From the look of things, they're getting close.
Novameat’s 3D-printed ‘steak’ looks gross, but could it save the planet?
A new Spanish startup called Novameat is developing a 3D-printed beefsteak, made using a paste composed of vegetable-based materials like rice, peas, and seaweed. It sounds unusual, but the company's founder is convinced that this is the foodstuff of the future. Here's why.
Drones can safely fly a human kidney without damaging it, study shows
Drone deliveries are well on their way. Could they also be used for safely delivering transplant organs to hospitals without damage? A recent test flight involving a human kidney, DJI M600 Pro drone, and specially developed smart sensor set out to find conclusive evidence.
Internet of cows? Smart ear tag takes cattle tracking into the future
An Australian startup wants to bring cattle farming into the present day with smart ear tags. The wearable devices are capable of revealing where herds are grazing, whether an animal has escaped or been stolen, or even if it's unwell or about to give birth. Here's how they work.
SpaceX’s Big Falcon Rocket goes bolder, changes its name to Starship
Elon Musk revealed that he's changed the name of SpaceX's BFR or Big Falcon Rocket to the grander 'Starship.' Oh, and if that wasn't enough it's getting a redesign, too -- and may even be one day used to visit other star systems trillions of miles away.
Toilet-scrubbing robot takes over one of the world’s crappiest jobs
When it comes to jobs that none of us enjoy, scrubbing the toilet would have to rank pretty highly. So why not hand the job over to robots? Thanks to researchers from Germany's University of Koblenz-Landau, very soon you might be able to do exactly that. Here's what they've developed.
NASA’s ‘space wheat’ is helping earthbound farmers grow crops quicker
Could technology first used by NASA to investigate growing plants on other planets help farmers improve crop yield back here on Earth? According to researchers in the U.K. and in Australia’s University of Queensland the answer is a resounding yes. Here's what they're doing.
Doctors could soon ditch stitches and seal skin wounds with lasers
Just like the dermal regenerator in Star Trek, physicians may soon be able to heal skin wounds using smart, laser-based technology. That’s thanks to researchers from Arizona State University, who have demonstrated that it’s possible to repair animal wounds with a laser and new nanomaterial.
Step inside the Nepalese restaurant staffed by robot waiters
Paaila Technology, a new robotics startup from Nepal, has created a humanoid robot waiter called Ginger. It's capable of delivering food from kitchen to table, and can even engage customers in a bit of decidedly human banter as it does so. Just don't ask it to carry any drinks!
Forget joysticks — the Guts Game is controlled by a sensor that you swallow
Put down the PS4 controller! Researchers from Australia's Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology have created an unusual new game involving a swallowable biosensor. Players compete by raising or lowering the temperature in their gut. Sound crazy? Here's why it could catch on.
Would you swap your keycard for a microchip implant? For many, the answer is yes
Put down your keycard! More and more people are turning to implanted RFID chips as their choice of workplace identification. Should we be worried about a world in which employees get microchipped? Meet the companies working in this field and the man who predicted it all back in 1998.
Microsoft’s friendly Xiaoice A.I can figure out what you want — before you ask
Move over Siri and Alexa! Microsoft has built a new type of A.I. assistant that wants to be your friend. Called Xiaoice, it is already making a big name for itself in places like China -- and its latest skill set will soon be landing in the U.S.
This startup will sequence your entire genome for free — but there’s a catch
Want to get your DNA sequenced but don’t want to shell out the hundred bucks or so you’d have to pay companies such as 23andMe and Helix? No problem: A new startup called Nebula Genomics offers you the opportunity to have it done for free. Here's how you put your name forward.
SpaceX makes rocketry look easy, sticks yet another Falcon 9 landing
SpaceX is due to perform its latest Falcon 9 rocket launch and landing ton November 15. The rocket will be used to launch Qatar’s Es'hail-2 communications satellite, which will provide communications for the Middle East and parts of North Africa. Here's how you can watch.
Glass orb packs all the constellations in the night sky into fancy desk ornament
Have you ever wanted to know more about the star constellations we can see from Earth? A stunning new Kickstarter campaign, taking the form of a fancy desk ornament that re-creates the night's sky in a glass orb, aims to help. Here's how you can get your hands on one as soon as possible.
China says it has developed a quantum radar that can see stealth aircraft
Chinese defense giant China Electronics Technology Group Corporation claims that it has developed a quantum radar that’s able to detect even the stealthiest of stealth aircraft. The company says it has been working on the technology for years, and that it first tested it in 2015.
Believe it or not, this fire-proof exoskeleton isn’t designed for space marines
A company called Levitate Technologies has developed a mechanical upper body exoskeleton that’s capable of lowering exertion levels by up to 80 percent when you carry out physically taxing work. Oh, and did we happen to mention that it is totally fire-resistant as well?
This alarm clock uses targeted light and sound to wake you, but not your partner
The Wake v2 isn't like your typical bedside alarm. It specializes in consideration for others. It does this by waking you by shining a soft light directly into your face, thereby not disturbing the person sharing a bed with you. Pretty smart, huh?
These Alexa-stuffed retro phones don’t listen until you take them off the hook
Looking for an Amazon Echo with a cool vintage touch? Los Angeles-based Grain Design is taking old, non-working antique phones and transforming them into Alexa smart speakers. Here's what makes them special, and how you can get your hands on one before the holiday season.
Bottle-flipping robots may be the most millennial thing we’ve ever seen
Until drones start vaping, you're unlikely to see anything more high-tech millennial than a recent contest in Japan in which robots built by high-schoolers competed to pull off some seriously impressive bottle-flipping feats. Check it out in all its jaw-dropping robot goodness.
Sticking these tiny needles in your eye may help fight blindness
An eye patch covered in tiny needles sounds like a torture device. In fact, it's a new medical treatment created by researchers in Singapore. They hope that it could prove to be a better way of treating eye diseases like glaucoma and macular degeneration. Here's how it works.
Shipping crate filled with 3D-printing robots may be the future of construction
Autodesk has created a robot-filled shipping container which may very well represent the future of construction work. Being shown off at this week's Autodesk University Las Vegas event, the crate contains two robots which can be used to 3D print custom components for building.
Watch this lab-grown heart tissue beat just like the real thing
Researchers have used stem cells to create a lab-grown human heart tissue which actually beats. Created by scientists in Germany, the heart tissue also responds to drugs in the same way as the real thing, suggesting that it could be used to help invent new medical treatments.
The best A.I. movies of all time
There are some great tech documentaries out there, but sometimes you just need a good feature film. But which one to choose for the discerning A.I. fan? Combing through the cinematic archives, we've selected our picks for the A.I.-themed movies you have to see before you go.
Replaced by robots: 10 jobs that could be hit hard by the A.I. revolution
There’s no doubt that A.I. and other tech is going to change the face of employment as we know it. According to one famous study, 47 percent of currently existing jobs in America are at high risk of potential automation in the coming decades. Here are 10 jobs at particular risk.
Breakthrough in paralysis treatment restores walking ability in record time
Three paraplegics who sustained serious spinal injuries years earlier have regained the ability to walk again, courtesy of electrical stimulation of their spinal cords using a wireless implant. Researchers plan to make the treatment widely available in hospitals and clinics.
NASA dreams of fueling up its rockets at a gas station on Mars by 2038
The idea of robots mining for dirt on Mars, which could then be transformed into water, oxygen or rocket fuel, sounds like something from a sci-fi movie. In fact, it’s an idea that NASA scientists are working toward right now. And they've got the robot digger to prove it.
To curb teen vaping, schools across the U.S. welcome A.I. into their bathrooms
There’s a problem with both vaping and bullying at schools. A company called Soter Technologies has developed a smart bathroom sensor that's able to detect both. It's currently being used in upwards of 500 schools across the United States and Canada. Here's how it works.
To be or not to be 280 characters: All of Shakespeare’s works in a single tweet
It might sound like a Dan Brown tech thriller plot point, but it's not. A computer science undergraduate really has managed to hide the complete works of one of the world’s greatest writers in a single tiny image that was shared in a Twitter message. Here's how he carried it out.