Senator Urges Automakers to Keep Making Cars with AM Radio

he Boston Globe reports that U.S. Senator Ed. Markey just sent a letter to more than 20 car manufacturers asking them to continue including AM radios in future car models — including electric vehicles: Some EV manufacturers have raised concerns even as far back as 2016 about how the battery power of an EV can Read more about Senator Urges Automakers to Keep Making Cars with AM Radio[…]

This VR video player lets you watch videos in 6dof + Touch things with your hands (haptic feedback) – VR has found it’s porn case

*Quest 1, 2, pro standalone only atm, PCVR coming soon* Touchly lets you watch any VR180 video in 6dof and interact with the environment. Standard playback in most VR formats is also supported.And it’s out now for free in the App Lab! https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/5564815066942737/ Note: Videos need to be processed with our converter beforehand to be Read more about This VR video player lets you watch videos in 6dof + Touch things with your hands (haptic feedback) – VR has found it’s porn case[…]

Omega Recreated the James Bond Opening on $7,600 Seamaster watch

[…] The standard version of the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 60 Years Of James Bond watch features a design that aBlogtoWatch describes as, “a blend between the original Omega Seamaster Diver 300M that appeared in GoldenEye and the latest edition from No Time To Die.” In other words, it’s a not an exact recreation of Read more about Omega Recreated the James Bond Opening on $7,600 Seamaster watch[…]

State of Gaming VR for PC in 2022 – and other things the sites don’t tell you

Despite VR having been hyped up for the last couple of years, not very much has happened in the past two years. The hardware has not really refreshed, but this year at least one new exciting entry has come in and another is promised. Search results of reviews usually have the same group of suspects Read more about State of Gaming VR for PC in 2022 – and other things the sites don’t tell you[…]

Pebble smartwatches gain Pixel 7 support in ‘one last update’ – they’re only 10 years old, hardware still works fine, but being dumped

It’s been nearly a decade since the Pebble smartwatch started shipping to backers of its wildly successful initial Kickstarter campaign, but there’s still life in the ol’ dog yet. The wearables are now compatible with Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, as well as 64-bit-only Android devices that will arrive later. As noted by Ars Read more about Pebble smartwatches gain Pixel 7 support in ‘one last update’ – they’re only 10 years old, hardware still works fine, but being dumped[…]

Light-analyzing ‘lab on a chip’ opens door to widespread use of portable spectrometers

The study, published today in Science, was led by Finland’s Aalto University and resulted in a powerful, ultra-tiny spectrometer that fits on a microchip and is operated using artificial intelligence. The research involved a comparatively new class of super-thin materials known as two-dimensional semiconductors, and the upshot is a proof of concept for a spectrometer Read more about Light-analyzing ‘lab on a chip’ opens door to widespread use of portable spectrometers[…]

Scientists discover material that can be made like a plastic but conducts like a metal

Scientists with the University of Chicago have discovered a way to create a material that can be made like a plastic, but conducts electricity more like a metal. The research, published Oct. 26 in Nature, shows how to make a kind of material in which the molecular fragments are jumbled and disordered, but can still Read more about Scientists discover material that can be made like a plastic but conducts like a metal[…]

Lenovo reveals rollable growing laptop and smartphone screens

Lenovo has staged its annual Tech World gabfest and teased devices with rollable OLED screens that shrink or expand as applications demand. The company emitted the video below to show off its rollables. We’ve embedded and set the vid to start at the moment the rollable phone is demoed. The rollable laptop demo starts at Read more about Lenovo reveals rollable growing laptop and smartphone screens[…]

Cheekmate – build your own anal bead Chess  cheating device howto

Social media is abuzz lately over the prospect of cheating in tournament strategy games. Is it happening? How is that possible with officials watching? Could there be a hidden receiver somewhere? What can be done to rectify this? These are probing questions! We’ll get to the bottom of this by making a simple one-way hidden communicator using Adafruit Read more about Cheekmate – build your own anal bead Chess  cheating device howto[…]

Scientists covered a robot finger in living human skin

[…] At the moment, robots are sometimes coated in silicone rubber to give them a fleshy appearance, but the rubber lacks the texture of human skin, he says. To make more realistic-looking skin, Takeuchi and his colleagues bathed a plastic robot finger in a soup of collagen and human skin cells called fibroblasts for three Read more about Scientists covered a robot finger in living human skin[…]

Some of Canon’s wireless Pixma printers are stuck in reboot loops

Over the last day or two, there have been a growing number of reports by people who own certain Canon Pixma printers that the devices either won’t turn on at all or, once turned on, get stuck in a reboot loop, cycling on and off as long as they’re plugged in. Verge reader Jamie pointed Read more about Some of Canon’s wireless Pixma printers are stuck in reboot loops[…]

Cheap gel film pulls buckets of drinking water per day from thin air

Water scarcity is a major problem for much of the world’s population, but with the right equipment drinking water can be wrung out of thin air. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have now demonstrated a low-cost gel film that can pull many liters of water per day out of even very dry Read more about Cheap gel film pulls buckets of drinking water per day from thin air[…]

VR Researches Simulate Kisses With Ultrasonic Transducers

Without adding any hardware that actually makes contact with the wearer’s face, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University’s Future Interfaces Group have modified an off-the-shelf virtual reality headset so that it recreates the sensation of touch in and around a user’s mouth, finally fulfilling virtual reality’s inevitable one true purpose. Aside from handheld controllers that occasionally Read more about VR Researches Simulate Kisses With Ultrasonic Transducers[…]

MIT Invents Ultra-Thin Speakers For Wall Mounting (can also noise cancel)

[…] MIT have developed a paper-thin speaker that can be applied to almost any surface like wallpaper, turning objects like walls into giant noise-cancelling speakers. […] Researchers at MIT’s Organic and Nanostructured Electronics Laboratory have created a new kind of thin-film speaker that’s as thin and flexible as a sheet of paper, but is also Read more about MIT Invents Ultra-Thin Speakers For Wall Mounting (can also noise cancel)[…]

These Two Mictic Bluetooth Bracelets Put an Entire Orchestra of Virtual Instruments in Your Hands (IOS only :'( )

[…] the Mictic One are two Bkuetooth bracelets equipped with movement sensors. The bracelets connect to a mobile device (only iOS at the moment, but the Android version is under development). From the Mictic application, we can select different musical instruments and control the sound they produce by moving our hands and arms. Think of Read more about These Two Mictic Bluetooth Bracelets Put an Entire Orchestra of Virtual Instruments in Your Hands (IOS only :'( )[…]

Why our electronics break: what we can learn from nearly 10 years of repairs over 50k broken items

We now have data on over 21,000 broken items and what was done to fix them. This information comes from volunteers at our own events and others who use our community repair platform, restarters.net. Thanks to our partners in the Open Repair Alliance who also collect this kind of data, we were able to include Read more about Why our electronics break: what we can learn from nearly 10 years of repairs over 50k broken items[…]

The SEC is probing Tesla’s faulty solar panels prone to fire, whistleblower says they kept evidence of danger under wraps

The Securities and Exchange Commission has launched an investigation into whether Tesla failed to tell investors and customers about the fire risks of its faulty solar panels. Whistleblower and ex-employee, Steven Henkes, accused the company of flouting safety issues in a complaint with the SEC in 2019. He filed a freedom of information request to Read more about The SEC is probing Tesla’s faulty solar panels prone to fire, whistleblower says they kept evidence of danger under wraps[…]

BreakthroughCreates Laser In Silicon

Long sought-after, and previously thought impossible — a McMaster University PhD student in Hamilton Canada demonstrates a cost-effective and simple laser in silicon. This could have dramatic consequences for the SiP (Silicon Photonics) — a hot topic for those working in the field of integrated optics. Integrated optics is a critical technology involved in advanced Read more about BreakthroughCreates Laser In Silicon[…]

Apple magnanimously launches Self Service Repair for DIY iPhone, Mac fixes

Apple, having long stood in the way of customers who want to fix their own devices, now says it wants to help those who feel they have the right to repair their own products. On Wednesday the iBiz announced Self Service Repair, “which will allow customers who are comfortable with completing their own repairs access Read more about Apple magnanimously launches Self Service Repair for DIY iPhone, Mac fixes[…]

Forget Radio! Transmitting With Neutrons

Throughout history, people have devised ways to send information across long distances. For centuries we relied on smoke signals, semaphores, and similar physical devices. Electricity changed everything. First the telegraph and then radio transformed communications. Now researchers at the University of Lancaster have demonstrated another way to send wireless data without using electromagnetic radiation. They’ve Read more about Forget Radio! Transmitting With Neutrons[…]

Low-Cost DIY Computer Gesture Control With An I2C Sensor

Controlling your computer with a wave of the hand seems like something from science fiction, and for good reason. From Minority Report to Iron Man, we’ve seen plenty of famous actors controlling their high-tech computer systems by wildly gesticulating in the air. Meanwhile, we’re all stuck using keyboards and mice like a bunch of chumps. Read more about Low-Cost DIY Computer Gesture Control With An I2C Sensor[…]

Ultraleap launches its 5th Gen hand tracking platform Gemini

Ultraleap’s fifth-generation hand tracking platform, known as Gemini, is fully available on Windows. The most robust, flexible hand tracking ever, it’s already powering amazing experiences from Varjo, been integrated into Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 platform, and is bringing touchless technology to self-service solutions around the world.  The Gemini Windows release is the first step in making the world’s best hand tracking easier to access and more flexible for multiple platforms, camera systems and Read more about Ultraleap launches its 5th Gen hand tracking platform Gemini[…]

OAK-D Depth Sensing AI Camera Gets Smaller And Lighter

The OAK-D is an open-source, full-color depth sensing camera with embedded AI capabilities, and there is now a crowdfunding campaign for a newer, lighter version called the OAK-D Lite. The new model does everything the previous one could do, combining machine vision with stereo depth sensing and an ability to run highly complex image processing Read more about OAK-D Depth Sensing AI Camera Gets Smaller And Lighter[…]