Archive for the 'Technology' Category
Japan Tags Dementia Sufferers with Barcodes
December 8th, 2016Via: AFP: A Japanese city has introduced a novel way to keep track of senior citizens with dementia who are prone to getting lost — tagging their fingers and toes with scan-able barcodes. A company in Iruma, north of Tokyo, developed tiny nail stickers, each of which carries a unique identity number to help concerned […]
Amazon Just Opened a Grocery Store Without a Checkout Line
December 7th, 2016Via: USA Today: Amazon is testing a grocery store in downtown Seattle that lets customers walk in, grab food from the shelves and walk out again, without ever having to stand in a checkout line. Customers tap their cellphones on a turnstile as they walk into the store, which logs them into the store’s network […]
Wall-Jumping Robot Is Most Vertically Agile Ever Built
December 6th, 2016Ah yes, “Search and rescue missions.” *wink* “The research was supported by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory under the Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology Collaborative Technology Alliance…” The objective of the Army’s Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology Collaborative Technology Alliance: Perform enabling research and transition technology that will enhance warfighter’s tactical situational awareness in urban […]
Confirmation of Wendelstein 7-X Magnetic Field
December 6th, 2016Via: DOE/Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory: Physicist Sam Lazerson of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has teamed with German scientists to confirm that the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) fusion energy device called a stellarator in Greifswald, Germany, produces high-quality magnetic fields that are consistent with their complex design. The findings, published […]
UK: Politicians Exempt Themselves from New Wide-Ranging Spying Laws
December 4th, 2016Via: Independent: Politicians have exempted themselves from Britain’s new wide-ranging spying laws. The Investigatory Powers Act, which has just passed into law, brings some of the most extreme and invasive surveillance powers ever given to spies in a democratic state. But protections against those spying powers have been given to MPs. Research Credit: Jb
Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda to Run Electric-Car Division
December 4th, 2016Via: Green Car Reports: It’s now abundantly clear that Toyota is changing course when it comes to zero-emission vehicles. After years of promoting hydrogen fuel cells while shunning and disparaging battery-electric cars, the company now plans to introduce a mass-market electric car by 2020. The fact that Toyota is reportedly only now assembling the team […]
Apple Confirms Work on Autonomous Systems for Transportation
December 3rd, 2016Via: Electrek: Apple’s car plans have long been kept under wrap by the company itself, but a new regulatory filing shows it publicly address the industry for the time. In a letter to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) uncovered by VentureBeat, Apple urges the government not to restrict testing of self-driving vehicles… […]
Uber Now Tracks Passengers’ Locations Even After They’re Dropped Off
December 1st, 2016Via: NPR: Uber’s latest update allows the ride-hailing app to track user location data even when the application is running in the background. The change in location data gathering is quite apparent — after the update is completed, Uber prompts users to accept the new policy by enabling their phones to make the change. Previously, […]
5 Major Automakers Join Forces to Deploy 400 Ultra-Fast Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles in Europe
November 29th, 2016Via: Electrek: BMW, Daimler’s Mercedes, Ford, and Volkswagen’s Audi and Porsche announced today that they are creating a joint-venture with the goal of a “quick build-up of a sizable number of stations in order to enable long-range travel for battery electric vehicle drivers.” The new venture is similar to the Ultra E project announced earlier […]
Microsoft Chatbot Censors Topics for Chinese Regime
November 29th, 2016Via: CNN: “If you like me, why would you talk like this to me?” Ask Microsoft’s Chinese chatbot Xiaoice about Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and that’s how she responds. She also skirts around highly sensitive topics like the 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen Square protests, Chinese President Xi Jinping or even President-elect Donald Trump.
