Accidental mutant enzyme sounds scary, but it could help eliminate plastic waste
The world has a plastic waste problem. Fortunately, researchers from the U.K. and United States are here to help, courtesy of a newly created mutant enzyme that’s capable of digesting the world’s most common polluting plastics with far more speed than its natural counterpart.
Boosted graces us with 4 skateboards, including its cheapest model yet
If you've been waiting to get an electric skateboard, wait no longer. Boosted, the company known for its brightly wheeled eboards recently expanded its product offerings in a serious way. There are four new boards in two different forms, including one that may make electric skateboards more accessible
A new bracelet can detect if you’re being attacked, automatically call help
Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham have developed a prototype Smart Jewelry Bracelet wearable device that they hope could be used to keep people safe in the face of possible physical or sexual assault, or elderly people experiencing a fall. Here's how it works.
JPEG XS will be a faster format for 8K streaming, better VR, and safer drones
The organization behind the JPEG is aiming to create faster streaming without sacrificing quality. JPEG XS is a new file format that offers faster -- but not more -- compression. The file type has the potential to impact a number of technologies, from better live-streams to safer drones.
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies is on its way to the UAE
Just days after announcing that its Hyperloop test track is one step closer to completion in France, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies is breaking ground again and moving forward with the first commercial Hyperloop system in the UAE. It'll be the first such development in the middle east, the two companies say.
Sleep with the fishes in the world’s first underwater villa
You can already dine underwater in the Maldives, and soon you'll be able to sleep there, too. Billed as "the world's first underwater residence," the plush accommodation will allow guests to lose themselves in the stunning marine life that surrounds their room right there in the Indian Ocean.
MIT’s new A.I. could help map the roads Google hasn’t gotten to yet
Researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have come up with a neural network A.I. system that can make the manual mapping of the 20 million miles of roadways around the world significantly easier. Here is how the technology works.
Mind-reading A.I. algorithm can work out what music is playing in your head
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a deep-learning algorithm that can work out what music a pianist is imagining in his head. Long term, the hope is to use the technology to restore synthetic speech to paralyzed individuals who are left unable to speak.
Nasal vaccine suspends peanut allergies in mice. Could humans be next?
Imagine a vaccine that can 'turn off' peanut allergies, an allergic reaction which affects more than 3 million people in the United States alone. Thanks to research carried out at Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center at the University of Michigan, such a dream may soon be made a reality.
Squeeze up! The latest Skyrider airplane seat still looks really uncomfortable
The first Skyrider airplane seat didn't look like a particularly comfortable way to fly, and despite the extra padding, Skyrider 2.0 doesn't look much better. It seems like a squeeze and you're pretty much standing, but if seats are cheap and flights short, could you imagine using it?
The FDA approves special contact lenses that turn dark on sunny days
Photochromic sunglasses which are able to darken or lighten depending on how much ultraviolet radiation they come into contact with have been around for years. Now the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given its stamp of approval to contact lenses which do the same thing.
‘Omniphobic’ smartphone display coating repels it all, from water to peanut butter
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a clear 'omniphobic' coating that can be painted or sprayed onto a screen to make it repel a wide range of materials, and cause everything from water and oil to alcohol and even peanut butter to simply slide off its surface.
Noninvasive brain zapping can make your hands feel things in VR
Neuroscience researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have found a new way to make people experience sensations in virtual reality -- by recreating the so-called 'rubber hand illusion' using a bit of trusty brain zapping tech. Here is how it all works.
We’re waiting! 7 technologies that sci-fi films promised us, but aren’t here yet
As great as modern technology is, here are 7 pieces of science fiction technology we would love to see become science fact.
Robot bees on Mars — NASA funding a swarm of drones to explore the Red Planet
The Curiosity Rover has done its share of exploring Mars by land, but now, NASA is looking to take to the skies above the Red Planet. The agency is funding a team of Japanese and American engineers that's hoping to send a team of drones inspired by bees, aptly named "Marsbees."
Is there horse in your hamburger? How blockchain could fight food fraud
In the global economy, people often don’t know where the products they consume come from. One company thinks blockchain can change that
City of Austin is hoping the blockchain can help protect the homeless
Austin is seeking to use the tech behind Bitcoin to help solve some of the issues that its homeless population faces.
Hackers broke into a casino’s high-roller database through a fish tank
With connected devices multiplying every year, security flaws are increasing as well. Once hackers get a toehold into your network, they can use it to steal valuable data, as a casino found out with the aquarium thermostat in its lobby.
Tesla boss admits company had been too reliant on robots
In a recent interview, Tesla's Elon Musk admitted that the company relied too much on robots which slowed down production. "Humans are underrated," the CEO tweeted.
Musk’s SpaceX helps NASA get busy testing human and bull sperm in space
Swimming sperm will be under the microscope at the ISS this month. No one knows how spaceflight affects human reproduction, but NASA wants to find out. The agency is setting up a test with sperm from two mammals to learn if there's any difference in the way sperm swim in space versus on Earth.
‘High-definition vinyl’ could be spinning on your turntable by next year
While digital music sales continue to decline, vinyl LPs are enjoying a surge in popularity. An Austrian company hopes to update the manufacturing process for the 21st century to produce "HD Vinyl" records that have better sound and longer playing times.
Facial recognition tech picks a suspect out of a crowd of 50,000 in China
Police in southeast China have reportedly arrested a fugitive spotted in a crowd of 50,000 people attending a pop concert -- thanks to some eerily accurate facial recognition technology. The man was arrested while attending a show by popular Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung.
Grosser than ever, hot-air hand dryers spread fecal matter throughout buildings
Choose paper towels to dry your hands and don't touch any surface. University of Connecticut researchers found hot-air hand dryers spread feces particles, not only on people's hands but also on surfaces throughout entire buildings. Filters help some, but not enough for anyone to feel safe from contamination.
Forget cloning dogs, A.I. is the real way to let your pooch live forever
Researchers from the University of Washington and the Allen Institute for A.I. have created a deep learning artificial intelligence that’s designed to behave just like a dog. The technology could one day let your family dogs live on forever -- in shiny robot form, of course.
Scientists figure out how to monitor the brain activity of bats in midflight
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University have developed technology that lets them study what happens in the brains of bats in flight. It involves a tiny wireless brain signal and a room kitted out with microphones and cameras. And it might just improve future autonomous vehicles.
Google is learning to differentiate between your voice and your friend’s
We may be able to pick out our best friend's or our mother's voice from a crowd, but can the same be said for our smart speakers? Thanks to new research detailed in a paper titled, "Looking to Listen at the Cocktail Party," a new AI system is able to identify voices by looking at people's faces as they speak.
Thanks to A.I., there is finally a way to spot ‘deepfake’ face swaps online
Researchers from Germany’s Technical University of Munich have created a brand new deep-learning algorithm that is designed to spot 'deepfake' face swap images and videos online. It can do this with up to 98 percent accuracy. Here's how it works -- and why it's solving a big problem.
Astronaut training app could earn you a real-life trip into space
Ever wanted to travel into space? A new astronaut training app called Space Nation Navigator will run you through a variety of physical and mental tests to measure your suitability for a trip to the stars. Oh, and the best performer actually gets an expenses-paid spaceflight, too.
Biologists have found an oil-hungry bacterium that’s ideal for oil spill cleanup
Could hungry bacteria help clean up oil spills? Researchers from the University of Quebec have spent the past several years searching for the perfect strain of bacteria to munch up large quantities of oil. Now, they finally think that they have found what they're looking for.
HyperloopTT takes another step toward completing its test track in France
Our dreams of being shuttled around in vacuum tubes are coming yet another step closer to fruition. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT) has received the first sets of tubes needed to build its test track in Toulouse, France. It will build a 1,050-foot system set to begin operations in 2018.
Kia wants to solve one of the biggest problems with electric cars
Kia just announced the completion of its three-year pilot program developing a wireless fast-charging system for a fleet of Kia Soul EV prototypes. The current system won't be available to consumers, but hasn't ruled it out for future models.
The humble LED could help prevent shark attacks on surfers
A team of researchers in Australia believe it's found a way to help surfers avoid the unwanted attention of sharks. It involves sticking a set of LEDs to the underside of the board, which the researchers say helps to hide the surfer's silhouette from any sharks that happen to be nearby.
There is a good reason why this drone flies near aircraft
Flying a drone close to a passenger plane is a highly dangerous act in most circumstances, but Airbus has a good reason for doing it. The aerospace giant this week unveiled purpose-built Advanced Inspection Drone that uses HD cameras to search for defects in a plane's exterior.