Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-hourglass-liquid-battery-runs-on-gravity-1781824481
Scientists at MIT have designed an ingenious new concept for a battery that operates on the same fundamental principal as an hourglass—it relies on gravity to generate energy. They described the device in a recent paper for Energy and Environmental Science.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2016/06/29/ai-laywer-shoots-down-160000-parking-tickets/
Who said that chat bots were gimmicks? Certainly not DoNotPay's Joshua Browder. He recently noted to VentureBeat that his service's AI-driven virtual lawyer has successfully contested 160,000 parking tickets in London and New York City in nearly 2 years of service, saving drivers millions in the process. It's not the most complicated bot, as it's really just asking simple questions about the circumstances of the ticket and walking you through the appeal. However, it's both effective (it successfully challenged 64 percent of tickets) and, importantly, free -- you don't have to pay a real lawyer to dish out advice.
Browder plans to make a habit out of cutting red tape with his technology. He has bots in progress that would get travelers compensation for long flight delays, explain legal rights to people with HIV and even help refugees apply for asylum. The DoNotPay service should expand to other cities, too, starting with Seattle in the fall. This won't completely eliminate paperwork, court dates or lengthy phone calls, but it might help you minimize or even avoid that drudgery when it really isn't necessary.
Via: The Guardian
Source: VentureBeat
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2016/06/29/nvidia-shield-netflix-hdr-update/
NVIDIA just underscored one of the advantages of having a high-powered streaming media hub: you can roll out new video features before anyone else. It's delivering an update to its Shield set-top box that introduces high dynamic range Netflix video on supporting TVs -- a first for a stand-alone device, NVIDIA claims. You can also watch YouTube videos at both 4K and 60 frames per second, while Vudu 4K support is equally new. And if you're an audio junkie, you'll be glad to know that Dolby Atmos' extra-immersive audio gets a direct pass-through when you're using apps like Vudu, MX Player and NVIDIA's own media gallery.
There's broader software support, to boot. You're getting that promised Plex media server feature, so your Shield can share media across the whole home. You can tune into WatchESPN for live sports, or listen to tunes through Spotify. Voice search now extends to Netflix, Spotify and Vudu. And to top it all off, you can both drag-and-drop files from your computers as well as mount network-attached storage. All told, this is a huge upgrade even if you don't have a cutting-edge home theater setup.Source: https://www.engadget.com/2016/06/14/ipad-as-smart-home-hub-in-ios-10/
No inclination to get the latest Apple TV just to give yourself a hub for your HomeKit devices? If you have a reasonably recent iPad hanging around, you won't have to. Apple tells SlashGear that iOS 10 can use your iPad as a smart home hub as long as the tablet is both plugged in and connected to your network. It seems like an odd move, but Apple says it's all about increasing HomeKit's reach -- you can't buy the new Apple TV in countries like China, so the iPad offers that remote home automation instead. Either way, you probably won't want to try this in a multi-person household. You don't want to lose out-of-home control over your thermostat just because Junior wants to play Hearthstone.
Source: SlashGear
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2016/06/10/philips-camera-monitors-baby-vitals-from-afar/
Sure, junior looks fine sleeping on the baby-cam, but do you know her or his oxygen level, heartbeat and breathing rate, you monster? Of course not (don't worry, you're a good parent), because there's no way of monitoring such things short of hooking the poor tyke up to a pulse oxymeter. At least, until now. Philips has revealed a camera that can detect all those things from afar, without touching the patient. The fruit of the companies contactless monitoring project, it can get a pulse rate, breathing rate and blood oxygen level by detecting changes in skin color that are invisible to the naked eye.
Monitoring breathing and heartbeat (even through walls) isn't new, but Philips says it knows of no other studies focused on remote blood oxygen monitoring. The results are accurate to within two percent of traditional measuring methods, according to Philips, though it depends on several factors including the patient's skin color. "For patient populations with specific conditions, managing their care in a less intrusive way is critical in order to avoid unnecessary distress," says Philips Patient Care CEO Carla Kriwet. So far, the company hasn't revealed any plans for a product, but calls the results "promising" for the future of contactless monitoring.
Via: CNET
Source: Philips
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