Drop that iPhone! Researchers suggest limiting kids’ screen time to 2 hours a day
How much screen time should our kids have per day? Researchers from Canada have attempted to answer that question with a recent analysis of lifestyle data from 4,520 American kids between the ages 8 and 11. Here's what they found, and why it shows more work needs to be done.
Worried about your screen use? These glasses block them out wherever you go
Are you worried about your screen use? Inspired by the superpowered, ad-blocking sunglasses from John Carpenter’s 1988 cult movie 'They Live', IRL Glasses counter your screen addiction by turning LCD and LED digital screens black. Here's how you can get your hands on a pair.
Scientists showcase brain-to-brain communication with game of 3-player ‘Tetris’
Researchers from the University of Washington have created BrainNet, a social network of minds which allows three people to communicate by using a type of high-tech telepathy. The goal? Playing a game of Tetris, obviously! Here's how the technology works, and why it's so exciting.
Freewrite Traveler is a portable writing device for the easily distracted
The Freewrite Traveler is a better looking, more portable device than its somewhat clunky predecessor. The bare-bones machine is aimed squarely at those who are easily distracted, its lack of features enabling users to focus purely on the writing task in hand. At least, that's the idea.
Look out construction workers; Japan’s new robot might steal your job one day
This new robot built by researchers from Japan’s Advanced Industrial Science and Technology is capable of carrying out a range of construction tasks, such as hammering up sheets of drywall. That's great news if you hate DIY. It's not so good if you happen to work in construction.
MIT’s latest A.I. is freakishly good at determining what’s going on in videos
MIT researchers have created an A.I. system which uses a deep learning neural network to fill in the blanks in video frames to work out what activity is taking place. The results make it astonishingly good at determining what's happening in a video. Here's why that's exciting.
Make the most of your compost by transforming it into 3D printing filament
Could 3D printing have a role to play in disposing of food waste? Indeed it can, claims a new startup Genecis, which has developed a way to transform today's compost into tomorrow's 3D printing filament. Here's how it works -- courtesy of a little bit of high-tech biology magic.
MIT’s creepy-crawly robot can help monitor your health
Researchers from MIT are building a palm-sized bipedal robot called Skinbot that’s designed to crawl over your body using suction-cup feet, modeled on the adhesive abilities of leeches or cephalopods. Here's how it could be used as a personal health guardian just a few years from now.
Lighter and tougher, graphene may be the future of wheelchairs
Looking for the next innovative use of graphene? A Swiss wheelchair company is introducing a new graphene-skinned wheelchair. It uses everyone's favorite ultra-strong material to create a chair that is 30 percent lighter than classic carbon wheelchairs -- but 20 percent tougher.
Attention, space gardeners: Simulated Martian soil now on sale for $20 a kilo
Want your own taste of life on Mars? Astrophysicists at the University of Central Florida are selling simulated Martian soil for $20 a kilo, plus postage. They hope that this standardized material will help researchers investigating questions like how best to grow food on other planets.
Exclusive: BMW to introduce ‘safe’ fully autonomous driving by 2021 with iNext
BMW may be trying to reinvigorate its future lineup with more electrified vehicles, from plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to full-fledged all-electric cars. But the automaker isn’t limiting its initiatives to just electrification. BMW also wants to be a leader in developing autonomous driving technology.
Editing mosquito DNA could help wipe out malaria and Zika — here’s how
In the quest to stop the spread of malaria, researchers from the U.K.’s Imperial College London have demonstrated a way of editing mosquito DNA to disseminate a genetic modification that stops female mosquitoes from reproducing. Here's how it works -- and why it is so promising.
Art or science? This mesmerizing video shows the development of neurons
The 2018 Nikon Small World in Motion winners are here -- and the videos are every bit as artistic as they are scientific. Watch the growth of an entire nervous system unfolding in 3D over a matter of seconds. Try to guess how the second-place video was captured, and what the microbe in the third-place video is doing.
Can’t spare time to brush your teeth? EZ Teethbrush promises to do it 4x faster
Looking after your teeth used to be hella time-consuming. A new toothbrush called the EZ Teethbrush promises to help -- by brushing all our teeth at the same time. By doing so, its creators that it can reduce a thorough tooth clean from two minutes down to just 30 seconds.
A.I. security camera can identify guns with 99 percent accuracy
The U.S. company Athena Security has developed a smart camera system which is reportedly 99 percent accurate when it comes to spotting guns in video footage. It can then be used to alert law enforcement automatically, potentially saving lives in the process. Here's how it's being used.
Exclusive: BMW will offer up to 25 electrified vehicles by 2025, 12 all-electric
While in attendance of the New York reveal of the BMW Vision iNEXT Concept, we learned that the company will introduce up to 25 electrified models by 2025, 12 of which will be all-electric vehicles, featuring the company's fifth generation electric powertrain.
SEC sues Tesla CEO Elon Musk for securities fraud, Musk calls suit unjustified
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Tesla CEO Elon Musk with fraud, alleging that Musk made "false and misleading" statements when he tweeted he was considering taking the company private with "funding secured." At the time, Musk also tweeted investor support was confirmed, contingent on a shareholder vote.
The innovative Urmo hoverboard folds flat in just 2 seconds
The innovative Urmo self-balancing electric scooter can deliver a top speed of 9 mph, with a range of 12 miles. Decide to stow it, however, and it can fold flat it just a few short seconds. Here's how it works -- and how you'll soon be able to get your hands (well, feet) on one.
These crazy alien-like structures were built by MIT’s silkworm-inspired robots
MIT's swarm of silkworm-inspired Fiberbots can spin fiberglass threads into tall structures resembling otherworldly plants from a sci-fi movie. One day, they be used to carry out construction work in far-flung inhospitable environments, like Mars. Check them out in action.
Sprayable antennas could usher in a new era of ultracompact wearable devices
Researchers at Drexel University’s College of Engineering have invented new spray-on antennas, which can be applied as easily as spray paint or bug spray. The ultra-thin, sprayable antennas perform as well as the mobile antennas used in devices such as smartphones and wireless routers.
7 ambitious DARPA projects that could revolutionize the armed forces
With a multibillion dollar annual budget and access to some of the sharpest minds around, few research labs can dream of matching DARPA. Here are 7 of the amazing projects they're creating. It seems that tomorrow's U.S. military is going to have access to some pretty amazing tech!
7 of the most unusual wearable wellness devices
The Apple Watch Series 4 may currently be the toast of health-conscious wearables world. But there are plenty of other, more experimental wellness wearables out there -- able to do everything from take blood to monitoring how much UV light we soak up. Here are the most intriguing.
Magic of physics makes this fridge chill food without fans or electricity
Looking for your next cooler? The Fenik Yuma cooler is a portable food preserver that never needs ice, fans, or electricity. It comes totally flat, and pops up like a tent in under 20 seconds. Here is how you can get your hands on this wondrous next-gen refrigeration device.
This spinal electrical stimulation implant let a paralyzed man walk again
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have demonstrated how an implanted electrical stimulator in the spine can help a man paralyzed four years ago to regain the ability to stand -- and even walk the length of a football field. The breakthrough could an important step in overcoming paralysis.
Like a breathalyzer for exhaustion, new blood test can tell how tired you are
Researchers in the U.K. have developed a machine learning algorithm which can reveal signs of sleep deprivation, based on a blood sample. The resulting test can show with 92 percent accuracy whether a blood sample is taken from a well-rested or sleep-deprived individual.
This is surely the coolest way yet to solve a Rubik’s Cube
If your attempts to complete the Rubik's Cube usually end with the thing flying out of the window or against a wall, then what you need is one that solves itself. A Japanese creator has just created such a cube, squeezing a tiny computer and motors inside the world's most frustrating toy.
‘Minimal Turing Test’ asks humans to prove they’re human with only one word
Devised by researchers from MIT and the University of Pennsylvania, a new spin on the classic Turing Test asks human participants to name a single word that they would use to explain just what makes humans, well, human. Here are the (sometimes surprising) results of the experiment.
Just like an eagle, this autonomous glider can fly on thermal currents
Using a type of artificial intelligence which learns based on trial and error, researchers have demonstrated how gliders can glide autonomously on thermal currents, much like an eagle does. Here's how they managed it and why this could have big implications for next-generation drones.
Teaching machines to see illusions may help computer vision get smarter
Researchers are teaching computers to see optical illusions. The reason? To hopefully create smarter, more brain-like artificial vision recognition algorithms that will prove more robust in the real world. The results could help everything from robots to self-driving cars.
Microsoft and Shell build A.I. into gas stations to help spot smokers
Microsoft and Shell have teamed up to incorporate artificial intelligence into gas stations as part of a system that's capable of quickly identifying someone who's smoking or about to smoke. The platform uses multiple cameras, local computing power, and Microsoft's cloud intelligence system to do the job.
This app-controlled prosthetic tail may be the weirdest wearable device yet
San Diego Comic-Con may be almost a year away, but it’s never too early to start preparing your cosplay costume. This wearable animatronic tail, controlled via your smartphone, should help -- regardless of whether you want to be Nightcrawler from 'X-Men' or a Xenomorph from 'Aliens.'
This mirror-wielding robot arm behaves in a freakily lifelike manner
Created by German-based artist Piet Schmidt, this robot arm 'Encounter' project will come close to tricking you into thinking it's a real creature, based on its behavior. Check it out in action -- and witness whatever the robotic version of the 'uncanny valley' is called.
Eye-tracking tech lets you control a drone by looking where you want it to move
Put down your smartphones and other drone controllers. Researchers at New York University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory have invented a method to allow drone pilots to fly drones using a pair of eye-tracking glasses. What could be simpler?
3D-printed gun advocate extradited to Texas to face sex-assault charges
The founder of Defense Distributed, Cody Wilson, has been arrested in Taiwan. Current reports indicate that Wilson will be extradited to the United States where he faces charges of sexual assault involving a minor. Wilson was arrested on Friday after being spotted at a Taipei hotel.